A Modern Quilt Show

Can you believe it? That summer is nearly over? For those of you connected with the school system, it’s over; the rest of us have a couple of weeks before the seasons officially turn.  But here in our cold little valley we’ve had frost several mornings in a row and the foliage is ripening into its annual gorgeousness. I’d like to share some of the highlights of the summer with you before they’re dim memories.

I managed to get down to the coast to see my Mum a couple of times over the summer, and the second time, quite by chance, my trip coincided with a quilt show hosted by the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. Even better, the show was in North Vancouver, which meant getting there was easy for us. Yes, Mum was game to see the show and she saw everything, not needing to take a seat until the very end. Well done, Mum!

The venue for the show was wonderful: the Pipe Shop, in what was once the shipyards at the foot of Lonsdale and is now a light-filled, airy space perfect for this kind of event. In return for granting permission for photography, the organizers asked that those of us sharing images of the show on social media use the hash tag “#VMQGSHOWCASE.” So there, I’ve done it. Whether this will actually make any difference on a blog is moot; I have no idea.

The exposed massive timber framing and ample windows made for a great backdrop to the quilts.

The quilt below was the first beyond the entrance, and what a colour punch it is! It was made by Holly Broadland, but I forgot to take a photo of the quilt description so I don’t know what she called it.

And check out the one below! Isn’t it stunning? I was pleased to see it won a Viewer’s Choice ribbon. The graduated values in the neutral background are just great, and I love the variety of pieced designs in the diamond shapes. This is Lisa Novich’s take on a quilt design called “Gravity” by Julie Herman. Nicholas Turcan quilted this one.

Here’s another colour punch, this one by JoAnn Lee, who calls it “Millionaire.” It’s a variation on the traditional Chinese coins pattern.  See all those swirly spirals in the grey panels? That’s all produced by the quilting. I particularly like the way JoAnn used organic, hand-cut shapes for her coins. It’s refreshing to see the coins all done in solids rather than prints.

For more colour, but a much more formal layout, have a look at this four-patch Lone Star called “Pop Stars” by Krista Hennebury. The machine quilting in this one is impressive; she credits Nancy Zieman for the motifs.

As soon as I saw this next quilt, I knew it had originated with Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s latest book “Modern Quilt Magic," which is all about partial seams, inset seams, and Y seams; in short, the kind of quilt construction most of us would reject long before even starting. It was made by Anna Jarzcewski, who gave it the same name as the book. While I like this scrap quilt, I have to admit that I don’t believe the painstaking partial seam construction added a huge amount to its impact. A traditional herringbone would have been just as effective, in my opinion. Just saying.

If you follow my blog, you may know that I’m partial to a medallion quilt, and I like this one, “Sew Happy," with its clear, bright colours and asymmetrical arrangement of the elements. This quilt was part of the Round Robin exhibit (in case you don’t know, a round robin quilt is started by one person, who creates the first element, then passes it on to the next person, who adds something else, and so on). The quilt originated with Eileen Currie, and was added to by eight other members of the guild.  

Aren’t you impressed at how well I’m doing giving credit to the makers of these quilts? I learned from my mistake in not noting quilt titles or makers’ names at Quilt Canada as I photographed quilts.

Here’s another Round Robin result.  Alas, I didn’t take a closeup of the quilt description so I’m sorry, whoever you are, that I can’t give you credit for starting the quilt or adding to it. Of course, no sooner do I brag about my conscientiousness with credits than I stumble. Oh well.

The colour palette below might not be to everyone’s taste, but I love it:  Elisabeth Geller, who made it, calls it “Bohemian Vomit,” a name I feel kind of sad about because I think these fabrics really sing together. Love the feet at the bottom of the photo:  I found I’d done this a lot when I reviewed my photos from this day. (No, the white writing on black isn’t part of her quilt; it’s the backing of the quilt behind it.)

I like the asymmetry in this next one, with all the colour interest in the bottom third of the quilt. When I read the description, I was amazed to discover that amy dane (I know, no caps in her name) made it as a test quilt for the “Bias Petals” quilt score for Sherri Lynn Wood's book “The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters.” I have pored over this book many, many times and I think Sherri Lynn Wood is a bit of an improv genius: the results from her “scores” (these are not patterns, more like gestures toward concepts) vary wildly from quilter to quilter. Sooner or later I’ll get around to showing you what I did with one of the scores in that book. (How nice that the quilt behind it has a backing in a colour that sings with amy’s quilt.)

As well as a lot of punchy colour, the show had its moments of low volume and neutral palettes. I liked the next one because (again) of the asymmetry of the value placement. Not a lot of colour here, but I think it’s really effective, don’t you? This is “Whirligigs” by Lorna Shapiro.

And here’s another with the same kind of colour story. Alicia Storey began it in a class with Barb Mortell (who also made a test quilt for Sherri Lynn Wood’s book and who shared a table with me at a Maiwa workshop a couple of years ago; Barb is a terrific improv quilter). Barb’s class was called “Door Jam” (clever!) and Alicia called this quilt “Knock, Knock."

And then there’s this stunner by Terry Aske, whom I know from the Fibre Art Network. Terry is a true professional at this art quilting gig; she teaches and sells her quilts and has won award after award.This piece, which Terry calls “Shades of Grey,” was my favourite at this show. I just love those gradations of white through greys to black, with the subtle lines and shapes of intense colour. It was smart of whoever planned the hanging of the show to place Terry’s quilt back to back with one that sports a grey backing: that backing is a wonderful frame for Terry’s quilt.

I liked this fellow too. The modern quilt movement is all over the deep mustard hue of the background, and I confess it’s a colour I’m loving right now. It works really well with the cool neutrals of the piecing in the elephant. Dawn Flatten hasn’t named this quilt, but she credits Violet Craft’s paper-pieced pattern “Elephant Abstractions."

The show included a number of small pieces all based on iconic Vancouver images, and I found some favourites there too. The one below is another by Holly Broadland, who calls it “And One for Good Luck."

Using a similar colour scheme, amy dane calls this one “VanCity palette,” referring to the city’s main credit union.

Right away I could see that Linda Morrison had been inspired by the famous mid-20th century Vancouver artist B.C. Binning for her piece “Safe Harbour."

And here’s Janet Archibald’s piece “West Coast Reflections,” which won a ribbon for her (don’t you love those ribbons? someone worked hard thinking those through and then making them). I know Janet from the western Canadian chapter of Studio Art Quilt Associates, so I was happy to see that her piece won this award. Clever, the way she created those reflections.

And here’s another great piece by Terry Aske, entitled “Sailing at Sunset.” Terry used a sheer fabric to create the skyline reflections in the ocean. Two different solutions to the problem of creating reflections in water, Janet’s and Terry’s.

And here’s my favourite from this section of the show: this is “Special,” by Krista Hennebury. I like the way her pared-down title echoes her pared-down suggestion of the basic outline of the ubiquitous Vancouver home design known as a “Vancouver Special."

There was a lot more to see at the show than I’ve included here, but that’s about all I have for photos for you. Hats off to the VMQG for putting this very attractive and diverse show together. 

Oh, and in case you’re wondering what makes a particular kind of quilting “modern,” let me try to summarize what I’ve gleaned about it. The “modern” aesthetic as it applies to quilts is often described as featuring:

• solid colour fabrics, rather than prints
• simple rather than complex designs
• lots of negative space
• asymmetry
• lots of neutral shades, particularly black, white, and grey
• improvisational piecing, often without the use of rulers
• simple, often straight line, quilting

Not every modern quilt shares all these traits, of course, and there are other characteristics as well, depending on who’s describing modern quilting, but I think I’ve got the basics right. Whether or not you like this style of quilting, this aesthetic has brought a whole new tribe of makers, many of them young, into the quilting family. Which is a great thing, no matter how you slice it. Sorry, no pun intended, honestly.

 

 

Comments

[Myrna Charlton]

Thanks Anne, for showing us those stunning quilts. I couldn't possibly pick a favourite among them.

[Anne at Shintangle Studio]

You're welcome, Myrna. Wouldn't it have been fun if all six of us Greenwood Public Library raffle quilters could have been there together? We would have had lots to discuss.

[Wendy]

Oh, how I wish I could have been there with you. You highlighted so many stunning pieces, and I love the open airy feel of the space. Thanks for sharing all your lovely photos 🙂

[Anne at Shintangle Studio]

I wish you could have been there, too, Wendy: I'd have loved to talk over the quilts with you (and Mum would have loved having both of us with her). It's many a long year since you and I went to a quilt show together, the last one being Quilt Canada in Kamloops. That was 2007! Too long! I'll keep you posted about upcoming shows . . .

[Jaynie Himsl]

Thanks for this tour of the VMQG show. The eye candy along with your writing is almost as good as being there too.

I'm excited to see and hear your presentation at High River.

[Anne at Shintangle Studio]

Thanks, Jaynie! You always say the nicest things . . . I'm in a bit of a panic about my artist presentation, not least because art has been thin on the ground around here this past year. And I'm attempting a pecha kucha this time, which is a whole new level of complicated for me. But thanks for the encouragement. I'm looking forward to seeing what YOU have been up to this past year. See you very soon!