Quilting 2007

Peggy Massey
 

During the winter months in Cedar Grove, women gather to participate in an age old folk art activity which has been handed down through generations.  The extended quilting bee that they conduct every year is an informal gathering 3 days a week which includes sharing lunch.  It starts in January and continues through February and March or until all the work is finished.   Come to the exhibit and see a variety of styles and traditional techniques on display and meet the quilters who can answer any questions you might have about construction, design and the history of quilting in the area.   

At the exhibit this year it will be obvious that the anticipation of spring has been heavy on the minds of many of the members.  Three examples of appliqué will be on exhibit this year and they celebrate spring with a vivid array of colors.  A lovely quilt by Shirley Scarlett is titled, “Tulips and Butterflies”.  The appliqué technique used on this quilt features a unique style of hand embroidery that is characteristic of Shirley’s work.  A vivid palette of spring colors is employed by Polly Duncan in her stunning Iris appliqué quilt.  Hexagonal shapes are joined with the blade like leaves dividing the rows in a dark contrasting green.  Another example of appliqué that will be on display is the ever popular Tobacco Leaf.  This quilt was completed by Polly Duncan and Evelyn Ray and has special meaning for Evelyn because her father was a tobacco buyer.   The pattern was formed by large yellow leaves appliquéd to the backing with embroidery defining the veins.  A specially designed border of contrasting squares and triangles surrounds the quilt.  

Subtle relationships of soft pastel colors dominate the work of Joanne Mathis.  “Geese in the Garden” is a variation on the flying geese pattern.  Each block has a center square with rows of geese flying toward the center from the corners.  The blocks are joined by strips that form the garden path.   Joanne has used both contemporary and antique reproduction fabrics in her work and the quilting is a traditional grid pattern rather that the standard by the piece ditching.  

“Appalachian Trails” by Mary Elizabeth Jones is a must see for everyone.  This pattern is a variation of the Drunkards Path; a simple combination of two opposing curved shapes that form a square.  Embroidery is added to the center on alternating blocks.    This quilt is a beautiful example of a communal effort at its best.  The project was supervised by Mary Elizabeth and Virgina Boland.   Members took the partially assembled blocks and did embroidery of flowers and other natural elements.   Virginia assembled the quilt and completed the intricate border. 

Annie Mae Hester’s “Storms at Sea” is a good example of how geometry is employed in the art of quilt making.  She saw this pattern in a magazine.  Her nephew was visiting and offered to design the quilt.  He presented a plan for the project and mapped it out down to the last triangle.  Three colors; two tones of blues and white, are combined in contrasting triangles that form squares and rectangles.  The optical illusion of an abstract undulating wave appears when you view the quilt from different angles. 

Other beautiful examples of traditional patterns will be on exhibit.   Rachel Ray has a simple pattern of a square surrounded by triangles that form the “Square in a Square” pattern.   This quilt has a variety of scraps that span several decades.  Mary Elizabeth Jones presents a timeless string Quilt and Virginia Wells Boland combines impeccable piecing with a rich palette of burgundy, green and blue in the “Log Cabin”. 

 Three printed quilts were completed this year.  Laura Ward finished a Double Wedding ring in rose and green which will be donated as a fundraiser for the United Methodist Church of Madison.   Marianne Kimbro finished a White on White pattern called “The Feathered Pineapple”.   Peggy Massey finished a blue and green crosstitch colonial pattern with white work.    The white on white designs are reminiscent of designs that were popular in the colonial era. 

This year as a special additional project the group completed a friendship album block quilt.  Each member pieced a block and their name was embroidered in the center.  Virginia Wells Boland assembled the quilt and the quilt will hang in the Fellowship Hall at Eno Presbyterian.

 The Cedar Grove quilters are partial to traditional patterns and they are committed to keeping this the age old pass time going. This year the members who participated are: 
From Mebane; Polly Duncan, Shirley Scarlet, Rachel Ray and Peggy Massey 
From Cedar Grove and Efland; Virginia Wells Boland, Mary Frances Pope, Laura Ward, Miriam Wells, Marcia McDade and Harris Sharpe
From Hurdle Mills and Bahama; Annie Mae Hester, Mary Elizabeth Jones and Joanne Mathis
From Chapel Hill Marianne Kimbro.

 

 
    
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Copyright 2007.   McDadeMcMann Fine Art.  All rights reserved.