The Folk Art of the Amish – Part of 3 of 8

Posted on May 10, 2017July 2, 2018 by Dennis Ventura

The Medallion Quilt

Moonglow Amish Quilt

Sampler Amish Quilt

30 Stars Amish Quilt

The Medallion quilt pattern originated as a teaching exercise for sewing and quilting projects. Initially comprised of various compass and star medallions, as the quilter’s skills improved, the Medallion patterns became increasingly difficult. By the mid-1700’s simple Medallion quilt patterns had come a long way, becoming the preferred and most popular quilt pattern of the day. Today it remains a favored pattern. A Medallion pattern can be created via an applique technique and via paper piecing, but the truly prized Medallion quilts are those that are hand pieced, and this is how the Amish piece their quilts: fabric is connected to fabric so that all pieces are within the same plane. A good example of a pieced Medallion quilt is the Jinny Beyer Moon Glow quilt sold by Amish Spirit: hand pieced and of course, hand quilted.

The Folk Art of the Amish – Part of 2 of 8

Posted on May 2, 2017July 2, 2018 by Dennis Ventura

Stars and Star Patterns in Amish Quilts

Star and star patterns are popular with many cultures, so it’s no wonder we often see stars in Amish quilts. The pattern names are as varied as the stars: Lone Star, Texas Star, Star of Bethlehem, Broken Star, Mariners Star and Radiant Star are just a few quilt patterns containing stars. A star pattern quilt is typically constructed of hundreds (and in some case, thousands) of sewn-together diamond shaped pieces of fabric. Only skilled quilters are able to perfectly align the sides of the diamonds to create star patterns. These difficult to make and much-prized patterns are in the permanent collections of museums including the Carnegie Museum and the Smithsonian.

In the case of Amish quilts, a star pattern contains a great deal of symbolism. A star represents good fortune, love, hope, harmony, energy, fertility and protection from fires. There are also finer design criteria pertaining to the number of points in a star, which also has significance. For example, eight points symbolizes abundance and good will.

Buffalo New York Bedroom

Posted on March 28, 2017April 4, 2017 by Dennis Ventura

Anyone who thinks that Amish quilts are too traditional, old fashioned or stuffy, this is for you. Here are images of a client’s bedroom – with Amish quilts.

Our client liked two quilts enough to purchase both of them. The bedroom is modern and clean of line and in design, texture and color. The designer of this bedroom makeover worked with the quilts. Originally an area rug was chosen that had a white geometric pattern over a dark field. However, it was felt that this rug would fight with the quilts. The designer ended up choosing a large white area rug framed by a newly exposed hardwood floor to set off and contrast nicely with the quilts. It’s a great look and a job well done!

What is a Quilt?

Posted on March 3, 2017March 3, 2017 by Dennis Ventura

The ability of layered fabrics to insulate against the cold has been known for a long time. Quilts as we know them are made of three layers: the quilt top, the batting and the quilt back. The quilting is the stitching that bonds these three layers together to create the quilt.

The top of the quilt can be one fabric, or, it can be a pieced quilt top, sometimes made of thousands of pieces of fabric sewn together to make the quilt top. The middle layer of a quilt – the batting – is more and more often polyester. Unless asked to do otherwise, even the Old Order `choose polyester batting over cotton batting. You may wonder why quilters use polyester rather than cotton batting? A polyester bat is easier to quilt, it has more loft (better memory) and it shows off the quilting more effectively than cotton batting. A handmade quilt with polyester batting is also easier to care for, it dries faster and the batting will not shift or shrink with use. Also, the quilt does not retain body moisture and it is much warmer than a quilt with a cotton batting.

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