My Visit to the National Quilt Museum
So last week, I was in the midst of a roadtrip across the country, when we started passing signs for Paducah, Kentucky and the National Quilt Museum. I had heard of the museum before and knew we had to stop in. This was a total geeking out moment for me. Have you ever been to a concert and left so inspired and moved by the energy of the artist, that you just had to go home and create something just to try to keep that feeling going? This was one of those moments. I can't wait to get my hands on some fabric and start sewing. One of my dreams is to use my pattern designs in a quilt, and I'm hoping I can make that happen someday soon.
The only disappointment of the trip was that I did not get to see this Majestic Mosaic quilt (2014) by Karen Kay Buckley and Renae Haddadin. Had I known it could have been stored somewhere in the building, I would have begged to see it with my own eyes. But I don't actually know its whereabouts at the moment, so I'll calm down. I had seen photos of this online a few years ago, and I think that is what sparked my interest in quilting. I just didn't get it as much before I knew how detailed you can get. Now I see it as an art form that requires planning, patience, and design skill.
This next quilt, Chasing Bubbles by Hiroko and Masanobu Miyama, was a new concept for me. You don't often see this level of quilting online and around the web. We had to stand in front of it for several minutes just to take in that much detail. Who knew you could create such depth and interest with two dimensional fabrics. It is almost closer to being a painting than a quilt. And how amazing is it that it was created by a husband/ wife team?
This Puffins quilt by Shirley P. Kelly is another example of how each artist brings a different expertise to their quilts. This woman clearly has a strength in traditional art concepts like the Japanese couple above. She knows just where to add depth and highlights to the rock and birds, even using painting skills to hand- paint the fabric.
I absolutely love the repetition of A Rose Garden in a Blue Fence (Keiko Miyauchi), and I find the execution of the roses and leaves very lovely. There is something so pleasing to my eye about the perfection of the lines and symmetry.
There was pattern and detail on every level of these quilts; there were overall patterns, patterns in the individuals pieces of fabric, and detail in the sewing finishes.
So in case you didn't catch on, if you're in the area, I would highly suggest visiting. It won't take long, but it will spark your creativity for months to come if not years!
