Additional comment on "What a Great Evening 02-03-12" 02-09-12

Jeanne Marklin posted a comment about the TCQC exhibit at VAM that struck a cord.  I wrote the following back to her and decided I would also share it here. 

Jeanne - Thanks for your comments on my Blog post. You are spot-on about the "design principles" aspects of the 12-inch quilts. It didn't start out that way, but during the five years since I started buying these small pieces I have noticed that I tend to select those that show a new or different technique. A specific example is "Lake in the Woods" by Sandra Hart (2nd row from bottom, 2nd from the left) which is a whole cloth quilt, printed on fabric with the row of stitched beads to indicate the water line. I almost didn't believe it until the quilt came in the mail. It is a very effective technique which could lend itself to many variations on the same image.  Del

I mean - as in a series.  But it could also be a speedy way to produce multiple copies in an attempt to make money.  I don't think Sandra Hart would do this.  Someone, however, could crank out duplicates of their own design - maybe even sell the "blanks" for the buyer to embellish as they wish.   I hope not.  But since it occurs to me, I'm sure it will occur to someone else.  I have always thought that this type of easy duplication is what killed the great embroidery movement of the late 60s and early 70s.  When anyone could buy a preprinted "original" to just add the stitches as indicated it was no longer satisfying to the creative urge of the maker.

A major component of my enjoyment of art quilts is the originality invested in each one by someone who finds joy in expressing their ideas in fabric and thread.  Something I have enjoyed for all my 65+ years of quilt making - either periodic or obsessive! 

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