Sunday evening and time for another quilt from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection. I consider the Collection started in 1987 after I saw the very first Visions quilt exhibit in San Diego County. Prior to that I had collected antique and vintage quilts, but didn't have very many. That first Visions exhibit was thrilling and I never purchased anything other than "contemporary", or "art", quilt. There are now about 370 quilts in the Collection - I MUST set aside the time and find some helpers and do a complete inventory. In he last few years I have not been very diligent with record keeping. This quilt by Libby Lehman was an early purchase, directly from the artist, and I am still charmed by it. It is a simple one patch quilt composed of 6" squares. But just look at what Libby did with her color and value choices and her magical stitching and quilting. This is from the first time I blogged about it - 05-31-08.
"Silent Partners" 1995 Libby Lehman 35"W x 35"L
I bought this one from Libby when she was doing a guild program in my area. After the meeting I went up and asked her if any of her quilts were for sale, this one specifically, and she said yes, gave me a price and wrote up a receipt. I took it home, hung it on the wall and stared at it for a long time before I could go to sleep. I think this is such a fascinating quilt. It is just a one-patch quilt made with hand dyed fabrics. But Libby has stitched over the background patches so that it appears to be a pattern on point. No, all the patches are set square and the stitching, using rayon threads, is superimposed over them. Some of the stitching was done just on the top and some goes through the top/batting/backing.
Here is a detail showing the variety of stitches that she used.
# # #
4 comments:
I met Libby at QSDS in 2001, the year my eyes were opened to art quilts. She was so nice and welcoming I was encouraged to study more. What a nice lady, I am sure there are lots of quilters that were influenced by her.
A lovely quilt...thank you for sharing. I don't know her work, and was introduced to her when she had her stroke/heart attack so many years ago now! She is a strong woman and is once again quilting. In this quilt, you can see her strength, love of her craft, and her delight in playing with color and stitchery! Thank you, Del for sharing this beautiful quilt once again.
I met Libby once at the Houston festival and she was so nice and down to earth despite being a quilting celebrity. I hope she's doing well now since her stroke.
Del, thanks for sharing this treasure! I count myself lucky to have been taught and influenced by one of our all-time greatest quilt artists.
Post a Comment