Full House at Cuttin’ Up!

Sunshine on Saturday brought about thirty-six quilt enthusiasts to Cuttin’ Up to explore the contents of my “trunk” of quilts. I had packed almost forty medium-to-large quilts into three large roller-style suitcases. Twenty more smaller pieces were used to illustrate the four major categories of quilts: center medallion, block format, strippy format, and free form or improvisational style. Whole cloth quilts could be considered a fifth style, not often seen today.

For part of my introduction I appeared wearing the beret hat and the orange headscarf of the TWA flight attendant uniform we wore in 1969 as well as a Girl Scout-themed apron stitched by my mother in 1962–all to illustrate chapters of my life story.

After I opened the presentation with some of my life story, I showed my first quilt “Sentimental Morning Glories” completed in 1985 using the Garden Twist design from the 1890s. This quilt features white and lavender morning glories with lots of white accents on a black background. This fabric had served me well as sheets, but as only 50% cotton, I found I could not continue sleeping on them. I still loved the fabric. I was a new quilter on a budget who decided to use what I had on hand. I’m quite fond of this first project (not pictured).
Since I had no photos to share here, on Sunday morning, I put out a call to several women at yesterday’s trunk show asking for any photos they would like to share with me. It’s now Sunday evening. I’m reliving yesterday’s fun through those pictures! I’ve now received thirty-eight pictures! It’s so fun to see what was happening from the viewer’s point of view. However, I’m out of energy tonight. I will post many photos next week. As a bonus, I am sending the full handout I prepared for all who attended yesterday’s trunk show. If you missed it, here are some of my inspirational guidelines central to my thinking when I make my quilts.

Several generous women (you know who you are) provided these photos of our quilt-time together.

In 1969, when I started flying, TWA had moved to the “non-uniform look” of bright colors. We each had a choice of wearing the orange, green or yellow version of these wool winter uniforms. Our summer uniforms were totally different and made of polyester! We wore orange pumps, carried a large orange handbag with the winter uniforms. Our oversize orange coats had a zip-out lining to add for winter weather. Our white Samsonite luggage was the only subdued element in our outfits.

One of the series of four of my quilts featuring the lovely taupe family of fabrics especially ones by Daiwabo.

I rescued this vintage wool crewel piece from a thrift shop, then added my own creativity. Note the non matching borders.

Colorful selvages paired with like-minded fabrics composed these foundation-pieced blocks into a new whole inscribed with lots of information about what contemporary fabrics are readily available, making it an archive of fabrics!

Guild Challenge: Take a photo and then make a quilt from that photo. I photographed this brilliant Stellar’s Jay high in the mountains of Colorado. Can you see the glass beads I used to imitate ice crystals?

My Passion for Playing with Fabric: Exploring the Options
Trunk Show by Paula Mariedaughter at Cuttin’ Up Quilt Studio and More January 18, 2020

“In its simplest form a quilt is just some fabric and a little bit of thread. It’s up to you to decide how to put it together.” YLI thread advertisement in QNM, March 2000

“Color gets the credit and value does the work.” unknown quilt designer

“Make visual decisions visually.” Lorraine Torrence, quilt designer, teacher

“Please yourself and at least one person will be well-satisfied.” paraphrased Irish proverb

“Compositions matter. Artfully arranged, anything can become a thing of beauty.” designer Barbara Barry

“Life for a quilt comes through the play of one element against another. Color, shape, value & texture all play a part in the visual impact.” Paula Mariedaughter

“Creativity is usually regarded as an individual attribute, but it depends on opportunities for expression and a receptive audience.” Margaret Cruickshank in Learning To Be Old

“Respect your gift. Not everyone can or wants to make a quilt. If your gift is to do so, then by all means make quilts.” Betty White in QNM August 2013

“The viewer’s eye will automatically go to the area of your quilt with the greatest contrast.” Irene Barry QNM Jan 2009

“Repetition makes things go together.” Roberta Horton in The Fabric Makes the Quilt

“Try adding black if you are stuck on choosing colors.” Paula Mariedaughter

“To be surrounded by beautiful things has much influence on the human creature, to make beautiful things has more.” Charlotte Perkins Gilman, feminist author in Women and Economics, 1898

“A quilt cannot be hurried. Solutions come in their own good time. Take your time. Take risks. Have fun.” well-respected, contemporary quilt maker Nancy Crow, author of multiple books.

“Bite off more than you can chew, get into trouble, find interesting ways out. Relish ‘mistakes’. They are probably design presents in disguise.” Nancy Halpern, talented quilter in the contemporary quilt world

Explore the “My Way” quilts from the women of Gee’s Bend and their innovative ways of looking at fabric, design, and format which has produced work that is utterly original and stands with the finest abstract art in any tradition. http://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers

“Unfilled with pattern or design, negative space can be a powerful design element often seen in antique quilts as well as contemporary quilts.” Paula Mariedaughter

“The biggest mistake in quiltmaking is judging your work too harshly” Kristin Miller, The Careless Quilter

“The more you play, the more fun you will have. Every quilt that gets finished is a miracle.” Paula
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