Wednesday, January 28, 2009

It's About Time!



“Well, it’s about time,” I hear you muttering. “You’ve been taunting us with photos of that same red and green quilt since before Christmas!” Quite true… so with apologies for what may now be an anticlimactic reveal, let me tell you all about it.

This is the quilt I made at my first Gwen Marston Beaver Island Retreat. Gwen's topic that year (1997) was Four-Block Quilts. Much of what she taught us is outlined in her subsequent book, Classic Four-Block Applique Quilts: A Back-To-Basics Approach.


Gwen’s approach to design is rooted in the folk art tradition of artists who are self-taught rather than formally trained. She prefers to work organically, cutting shapes “by eye” directly from fabric, instead of using patterns or templates. She’s more likely to measure “by hand” (finger or knuckle) than she is to pick up a ruler. Gwen even designs her layouts right on the fabric, adding, subtracting, and moving pieces around until they look pleasing. That's what makes her quilts so free-spirited and charming!

For the retreat, I brought along four Oak Leaf & Reel blocks to use as the center of my quilt. By making them ahead of time, I was able to focus more on settings, borders, etc., during the workshop itself.


I framed my blocks with appliquéd dogtooth, vine, and berry borders. As Gwen instructed, rather than having the motifs elegantly turn the corners as they would in a traditional quilt, these march boldly off the edge in a far more casual manner.


I can’t tell you how challenging it was for me to work this way. My quilting style back then was stiff and fussy, and even though Gwen assured us there was historical precedence for her laid-back methods, it somehow felt like I was breaking the rules. 

Notice, for example, that the leaves and berries in my border are hand appliquéd, while the vine itself is top stitched by machine. What? Combining hand and machine appliqué in the same quilt? I kept looking over my shoulder for the quilt police!


Over time, I have loosened up and embraced Gwen’s relaxed, no-nonsense approach to quilt making. Her methods aren’t right or wrong, better or worse. They’re just another way of doing things!

Oak Leaf & Reel
30" x 30"
Diane Burdin, 2000



16 comments:

  1. It is a beautiful quilt with its own personality. I like it.

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  2. It' so great you must be proud of this. I love the liberated style of it. Congratulations on finishing.

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  3. Love this quilt...love the border!!!!!
    will email you later.
    Kathie

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  4. Woohoo! i love the dogteeth (dogtoothes?) - their individuality and how they just end where they end. wonderful quilt!

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  5. It's just gorgeous. That's the thing I love about Gwen . . . . make a beautiful quilt, simple and straightforward - there are no rules *s*

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  6. OH my GOSH! I LOVE it! it is stunning!

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  7. WOW! Woah! Absolutely unreal and what a truly fetching tale.

    Thank you for giving of your time to share this thoughtful post and amazing quilt with us all, Diane. Plus, I never knew what a Dog Tooth was.

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  8. Beautiful... I don't know if I like the toothy border or the sweet cherries better...It looks just so good!

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  9. It is beautiful..well done for getting it finished. As for mixing techniques, my attitude is "why not" No one is going to be looking at your quilt as closely as you have while you've been making it...I think we get critical of our work because we have been looking at it 6 inches from our nose :o)

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  10. hi there! thanks so much for commenting on my blog. sorry you didn't win the giveaway, but keep checking out my blog. i love visitors and comments! have a great day! lora

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  11. I think quilters long ago had the advantage of not reading all the quilting books with all the quilting rules! Love the quilt! I'm jealous you got to go to Gwen's retreat!

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  12. Your quilt is beautiful, and my neighbor Mary Schafer would have been so tickled to see it. It's lovely! Love the hand quilting, too!!!!

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  13. It's breathtaking Diane! I LOVE it

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  14. What a wonderful, beautiful quilt!

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  15. What a beautiful quilt - a masterpiece!! The quilting is wonderful.

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