Category: General

On the eighth members of the Maine Modern Quilters joined a ZOOM meeting. We had a lot of fun sharing and having a Sewcial! During our sharing members shared their favorite resources which will be shared on this website as a “Resources our Members Love” page, which is now linked in the side bar of the website.

Some of the highlights of the meeting included seeing progress on the Harmony Quilt (used by permission from Curated Quilts (Issue #18)) which we are making as group to donate to local facility supporting children transitioning from Foster care. (More details and photos when it is done!)

Our member Veronica Serrato shared photos and the story of a recent trip to Mexico where she explored Otomi Embroidery and visited with makers in Pachuca Mexico. The art she shared was beautiful, as was the story of a community using art both as an economic engine but as a driver of community. You could not have heard her story and not wanted to go visit this amazing place and these amazing people.

After Veronica’s short presentation we had our Sewcial chatted and shared what we are currently working on, as always the talents of our members shined through. Whether sharing progress on our recent collage project session, a mystery quilt BOM, or a gift for family the diversity of modern quilting and creativity & talent of our members shone through.

As always if you are interested joining us or learning more about our group please reach out!

you choose the cover of Issue #5.

From the website of The Modern Quilt Guild:

Modern quilting is a new and rapidly growing movement in the quilting world. A group of quilters applied their current tastes and points of view to this traditional craft and shared their work online.  Their fresh approach and new designs attracted sewers and quilters and the modern quilting movement was born.

Modern quilting, like all art, changes, grows and adapts from quilter to quilter as they find their own voice. Modern quilts reflect each quilter’s personality and personal style, and as the movement has grown, a modern quilt aesthetic, a set of principles that define and guide the movement, is beginning to emerge.

Modern quilts and quilters:

Make primarily functional rather than decorative quilts

Use asymmetry in quilt design

Rely less on repetition and on the interaction of quilt block motifs

Contain reinterpreted traditional blocks

Embrace simplicity and minimalism

Utilize alternative block structures or lack of visible block structure

Incorporate increased use of negative space

Are inspired by modern art and architecture

Frequently use improvisational piecing

Contain bold colors, on trend color combinations and graphic prints

Often use gray and white as neutrals

Reflect an increased use of solid fabrics

Focus on finishing quilts on home sewing machines

 

Modern quilting has its roots in rebellion, in our desire to do something different, but simultaneously its feet are firmly planted in the field of tradition.  Modern quilting is our response to what has come before.  We are quilters first, modern quilters second. There are however, characteristics that set modern quilters apart from our traditional and art quilting friends.

Modern quilters are a diverse group of woman and men, young and old, experienced and novice, yet each of us feels the need to differentiate ourselves as modern quilters by how we work, the fabrics we choose, and the aesthetic of our quilts. We create in a way that supports our individual creative needs and our lifestyle preferences.  Modern quilters resist the imposition of hard and fast rules for making a quilt.  We pick and choose traditional techniques and methods that work for us and at the same time feel free to redefine or reinvent what is possible and allowable in making quilts.

Modern quilters have embraced the new options available in textiles: bold colors, graphic prints, larger scale prints, and Japanese fabrics.  Much like the Amish quilting tradition, many modern quilters are also exploring quilt designs made exclusively with solid fabrics or with just a hint of print.

The Internet has played an integral role in the development of modern quilting.  Through blogs, online tutorials and social media the modern quilting community interacts, providing inspiration and friendship for each other.  This has helped the community grow at an astounding pace, providing feedback and support at a moment’s notice.

In many ways, modern quilting has taken us back to the basics of the early quilters, when women of the day used the colors and styles of their time to express themselves creatively while finding friendship and community along the way.  Welcome to modern quilting!