In the American Tradition - Appliqued

The Houston Quilt Show also featured an exhibition on traditional quilts. This week we’ll focus on appliqued quilts. I was curious to see how others defined “traditional.”  One website said, “any quilt with a repeated block.” Hub pages said, “a traditional quilt is probably the type of quilt most people think about when they think of the word quilt.” Another defining statement, “these quilts originated before 1970…when quilt stores did not exist.”  Yes, well…definitions are hard, instead simply enjoy these works of art.

Two quilts were made by the master quilter, Cynthia Collier. You know the level of excellence when a quilter gets more than one quilt in the Houston quilt show in the same year.  A well-known and loved applique teacher, Cynthia has shared her talents and skills with many.  She recently retired, which would make me sad, except that she retired so she can make more quilts.  I look forward to seeing many more of her creations.

Another applique quilt that caught my eye was by Mayleen Vinson. Be still my heart…she got three quilts in the Houston Quilt Festival!  The applique quilt featured here, but she also got a pieced quilt, and a quilt in the “I Am an Artisan Challenge” which was all about color.  Did I mention she won an honorable mention from Kaffe Fassett?

Barb Vedder created her Jubilee Quilt to celebrate her fiftieth birthday.  (I might mention that I did not elect to create a quilt with 250 stuffed berries in it for my birthday.)  It seems like the quilt might be more of a birthday present to us than to Barb!  Stay tuned next week for “In the American Tradition - Pieced quilts.”