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Grandmother’s Flower Garden Quilt, circa 1930, Gift of Mrs. Don Wellborn from the George M. Boles, Collection.
TTU-H1971-028-011a. Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University.

The Green of the Times

By Marian Ann J. Montgomery, Ph.D.

Curator of Clothing and Textiles, Museum of Texas Tech University

Every era has its favorite colors. These days Pantone unveils the trending hot color for the next year in early December with much excitement across a wide range of industries. This selected color becomes a hot branding and marketing tool. Very shortly thereafter the color is found in everything from pillows and towels, clothing and accessories, to marketing and ad campaigns. In 2017 the color was Greenery—a shade of lime green.

According to the Pantone website:

• "A symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our global culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.
• A refreshing and revitalizing shade, Greenery is symbolic of new beginnings.

Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate.

Greenery is nature’s neutral. The more submerged people are in modern life, the greater their innate craving to immerse themselves in the physical beauty and inherent unity of the natural world. This shift is reflected by the proliferation of all things expressive of Greenery in daily lives through urban planning, architecture, lifestyle and design choices globally. A constant on the periphery, Greenery is now being pulled to the forefront - it is an omnipresent hue around the world.

• A life-affirming shade, Greenery is also emblematic of the pursuit of personal passions and vitality."

In the 1930s the hot color was Apple Green.  Finding that color in quilts is a strong indication that the quilt was made in the 1930s. The color was a popular color throughout the houses of America in the 1930s. If you visit an antique shop you will likely find kitchen utensils with the handles painted apple green or refrigerator jars whose lids are apple green from that time. The quilts featured here in the collections of the Museum of Texas Tech University document that color.

Drunkard’s Path Quilt made by Miss Mabel Erwin’s 435 class
in the 1930s, quilted by Mrs. Penney, a professional quilter. 
Gift of the Department of Clothing and Textiles, Texas Tech University, TTU-H1976-283-003. 
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University.

Snowball and Nine-Patch Quilt c 1930 Gift of Walter Diggs, TTU-H1978-023-003.
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University.

Water Lily Quilt, designed by Anne Orr, 1930s. Gift of Alice L. Larson, TTU-H 2017-003-001.  
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University.

Click here for related articles from the Museum of Texas Tech University Textile Collections.

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The added benefit of taking a multi-day workshop is not just the obvious...that you learn more and might get more done. But, if you make the effort, you could be inspired by a classmate. There is a tendency to nest at a table and find your comfort peeps. Being a curious soul, I always want to meet and dig down a layer, learning about those who took the time to sign up for the same workshop I did. It is because of this innate need to know, learn, and expand my own life that I have crossed paths with people who have taught me so much about living, passion and sharing.

I was gobsmacked when I saw this quilt created by a fellow classmate, Ariane Zurcher. It is an amazing piece of folk art...but, what is really amazing is that she was inspired and started this quilt at a Sue Spargo workshop in Santa Fe in 2018! Yes...I am talking inspired, designed and stitched in less than a year!!! For a girl who has a pile of UFOs, this gave me chills...could I possibly become this passionate?



What I did know is I wanted...no needed, to understand this person. To learn something about her process. What you need to know first up is that each of us has a life history that affects and drives our passions. And, these experiences are all personal and challenge us in different ways. What I mean is that just because 1-2 and 3 happen your life, and you are artistic, does not mean the same thing will happen to the next person. With that said, I wanted to learn a bit about Ariane and hoped her passion would somehow infect me.



It seems she has always been a crafty personality, sewing her own clothes from a young age. By the time she was ready to go off into the world, she was accepted to the Parsons School of Design. After graduating, she began a career in fashion design in London and New York and also was a contributing editor for Elle Magazine.



As I put the pieces together, I realized that there was a passion for expression that I totally understood. The need to create and see where it takes you...it didn't matter the medium, but the need to taste it and see what it feels like...So, she added pottery, LOL.



While all this creative tasting is going on, she designs, creates, and sells high end custom jewelry on her Esty site, Ariane Zurcher Designs. Her designs are sought after and collected, and some of the collections can be viewed on her website.

What I learned and will always cherish, is that a fellow classmate took the time to share the possibilities. I was in awe and continue to be in awe...she has been quilting for 3 years...yes, 3 years and the quilt she started with was a Kim McLean quilt. Because when you are passionate, you don't start with the ABCs, you write a novel! She has sold a quilt of her own design and yes...she is finished with the 2018 Homegrown Sue Spargo BOM...as in stitched, pieced, quilted and bound.

I hope you will check out Ariane's various sites and consider the possibilities that a workshop can bring to your life. I know that my project will be amazing because Ariane shared wool for my jackrabbit! LOL

Here's where you can find Ariane:
Ariane's Blog

Ariane on Facebook

Ariane on Pinterest

Ariane on Twitter

Ariane's Etsy Shop

Stay tuned and travel along with us on Quilt Roadies...where we are connecting one quilter and one shop at a time!!

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Craft Napa just wrapped its 4th year and the very hard-working creator of the program, Pokey Bolton, shared with TQS just some of the goodies they gave away when you participated in the retreat. We also got a peek at some of our TQS favorites who taught this year. Dates are set for next year, you just might want to go...

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Be a part of of the show
5 Days of Taping in April!

The guest list:

Timna Tarr
Nina McVeigh
Sarah Ann Smith
Jayme Crow
Claudia Pfeil
Latifah Saafir
Lisa Walton
Amanda Murphy
Sherri Lynn Wood
Shelley & Bernie Tobisch

You DO NOT need to be a Star member to get tickets to the tapings.
You DO need to be a Star Member to see all these shows and artists online. 

Here are the dates, guidelines and policies for requesting tickets:

Studio Location:

WESTWORKS STUDIOS (Inside the Comcast Building)
4100 E. Dry Creek Road
Centennial, CO 80122
 

Dates: Friday-Wednesday, April 5-9, 2019.

Two shows are taped each day. Attending the entire day (8:00am-5:00pm) is required.

Free tickets are offered on a first come, first served basis.
  Send us an email with the words Taping Ticket in the subject line. 

Please provide the following information in your email:
          Full given name (as listed on a Govt. ID) of each person in your group
          Profile name (if existing member)
          Email address
          Preference of day you would like to attend

All requested tickets MUST be used. Please do not request tickets if you are not committed to attending. Seating is limited to 60 and we do not overbook the seating area, so unused tickets result in empty seats, which diminishes the energy of the show and denies someone else the opportunity to attend. If you have reserved tickets that result in a "no-show" or "partial-show," you will not be eligible for tickets to future show tapings. You do not need to be a member of TQS to attend.

Tickets will be distributed for one day of attendance. Confirmation of tickets will be in the form of an e-mail document.

Request for free tickets, information about tickets and our policies, e-mail lilo@thequiltshow.com. Your e-mail request should state the word TICKET in the subject line to be processed in the order received.

**Large groups (of five or more) should contact Lilo directly at (817) 367-9363**

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We saw this quilt at Houston 2018 in the "Celebration of Color" exhibit and loved how Martha enhanced the feeling of movement using black strips of fabric. We enjoyed the colors and the movement, but look at how the structure of the quilting compliments the freedom of the design and fulfills her love of tesselations.   By the way, as of Jan 13 the phone number with the artist describing her work was still in service. Try it.

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Here's a beauty in blue. Do you know what it is called? Play the game and find out.

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Marci Baker and Ricky used this cordless iron in Show 2402 and were very impressed!

Do you have a 25% off coupon from your membership renewal? You can use it on this iron! 

What is so great about it? 

• The iron is cord free! How many times have you been pressing and had that annoying cord get in the way? The cord is in the base so it won't ever cause aggravation.
• It's portable - really portable. Light weight (just 4.5 lbs!) and easy to carry, with a handle on top of the heat-resistant carrying case. The cord retracts into the base, so it won't get in your way while you are carrying it.
• It gets really hot. Hotter than Alex's old iron, which means that it does a better job pressing your seams (and it is faster too).
• Both ends of the sole plate are pointed, so you can press in any direction with minimal turning and repositioning. It's great for blocks that have seams going in multiple directions.
• It has a non-stick ceramic-coated soleplate. This distributes the heat more evenly and glides smoothly over your fabric.

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Ricky made Bending Tree in 2017 as a reminder that life can be challenging. Bend, but don’t break! This quilt became a powerful reminder to Ricky after the destructive Spring Wildfire in Colorado this past Summer. Other people experience challenging situations too. Due to so many requests for this pattern, Bending Tree is now available as a kit - or pattern only.

DYED and PRINTED ON DEMAND*

 

 

Ricky created this small but powerful wall quilt as a reminder that life can be challenging and that we should  bend but not break. This small wall quilt can be made and given to someone as a supportive gesture or hung in your own space as a reminder to stay strong. The quilt measures 20” x 22” and features a reverse appliqué technique with satin stitch.

The kit contains one-of-a-kind hand-dyed fabrics (dyed in the Ricky Tims studios) and are very similar to what is shown on the original quilt. Enough fabric is provided for the quilt top and facing - nearly 2 yards total. The kit also contains the pattern, a $24.95 value. Backing and batting are not included.

 

Bending Tree - PATTERN ONLY

$24.95

PRINTED ON DEMAND*

 

 

This is the pattern only version of Bending Tree. The quilt measures 20” x 22” and features a reverse appliqué technique with satin stitch.

 

PRE-ORDERS ONLY

BENDING TREE SHIPS MID-FEBRUARY

*Please be advised that the Ricky Tims dye studios operate with a very small staff. The Bending Tree kits and/or patterns are dyed and/or printed on demandon a a first come-first served basis. This kit is not available until it is created for you and will ship on a first come-first served basis.