Textile Arts

Not unlike fashion, textile arts seem to wax and wane in popularity with artists and crafters. In the 1970's, batik and macrame were all the rage. Perhaps the artists lose interest, feeling they've done everything possible with the medium. However, it's always a temporary falling from favor, because sooner or later, another generation of artists develop a fresh new take that captures the attention of the public once again. Quilting with applique quilt patterns is a case in point.

The particular style of applique quilts arose as a new dimension in quilting in the 1840's, the brainchild of American women looking for a clever and imaginative way to expand their art. The usual fabrics used were cotton, cambric or fine linen, similar enough in weave to piece together tightly and smoothly. In the early days, green and red motifs, appliqued on a white or light colored background were very popular, perhaps because of the high color contrast. Soon, embroidery was added to the applique motifs as an even higher form of the art.

In the mid 1860's, commercial applique quilt patterns became available, making it possible for those less artistically gifted to produce a beautiful applique quilt. Around 1900, the craze for applique quilts, along with applique quilt patterns subsided, for the time being.

Just one generation later, beginning in about 1925, there was a resurgence in popularity among quilters for the applique quilting style. Commercial quilt pattern makers once again supplied applique quilt patterns in a modern and easy to follow rendition, with complete kits containing pre-cut pieces and a stamped fabric background indicating where the quilter should place each motif. This time around, pastel color schemes dominated, resulting in many a beautiful quilt. Magazines of the time often published applique quilt patterns of the original late 1800's,for those who longed for a bit of nostalgia in their creations. Applique quilt patterns for baby blankets were quite popular, sometimes incorporating embroidery and cross stitch in the design. Then, around 1950, applique quilting was once again forgotten, but only for a time.

Beginning in the early 1970's, a more free form design of applique quilt patterns came along. The new artists designed their own applique quilt patterns based on drawings, often depicting pastoral scenes and vases of flowers, with less emphasis on symmetry and more attention given to textures and subtle gradations of color, made possible by modern textile technology. This generation of artists really blew the doors off the conventional definitions of quilting and applique. Motifs were lightly stuffed with cotton batting to produce an attractive three dimensional look, adding  interest and detail.

This resurgence in original applique quilt patterns has never really abated. Perhaps the myriad fabrics, along with hundreds of embroidery thread colors and the sergers and embroidery sewing machines has not yet met with boredom on the part of artists. Applique quilt patterns are again available commercially. If you're a fabric artist, you've got to look into this gratifying art.