Quilter as Artist

It was another glorious fall day in Vermont. It's remarkable just how "fall" it is, when in other years we're well into winter by now. Am I complaining? Nope.

Our tiny town hosted the state Veteran's & Boy Scouts Parade today. Simon was invited to play with the school band so he did that, instead of marching with his Scout troop. It was a beautiful, moving tribute most of the time, though the Shriners got a little rowdy when the parade stopped for 5 minutes or so. Maybe up ahead they were waiting for the light?



Tomorrow the Champlain Valley Quilt Guild (Vermont) will hold their annual show at Shelburne Farms. Always lots of pretties to look at, but not usually anything that I'd call inspirational. Considering some of the quilters who belong to this guild, they are surprisingly traditional in their quilts. Or maybe the not-so-traditional members just don't share, I don't know.

Christine Fries-Ureel always has a new wonder for us, that's something to look forward to. And Dona will be showing off her newest toys. We'll have fun - beautiful quilts in a gorgeous building on the breathtaking grounds of Shelburne Farms. What's not to like?

A few years ago the ladies hanging the quilts placed two directly opposite each other. Kit quilts, done in exactly the same pattern with exactly the same layout and exactly the same fabrics. One was machine quilted, one was done by hand. THAT was the only difference. I think there's a place for kits, I really don't know if that place is a show, and it certainly isn't at a show directly across the aisle from an identical quilt. I felt bad for those two ladies.

Over the course of my reading, I've come across quilt artists who exclaim that kits are cheating - they're someone else's creation, someone else's design. Well, of course they are. But does the skill in accurate piecing or perfectly executed quilting (even though someone else's idea) not count? Sure it does! And I believe that people who choose to do quilt kits know that too. They ask to be judged on the quality of their craftsmanship, rather than the genius of their imaginations. Does that make them less a quilter than someone who creates fabulous one-of-a-kind designs?

There's a growing trend toward quilters as Artist. "What do you do?" "I'm an Artist." Not I'm a quilter, not I'm a stay at home mom who quilts, not I make quilts. "I am an Artist." And you know, that's fine. But perhaps the Artists should be judged with the other Artists: the painters, the sculpters, the poets, and musicians. Let the traditional craftspeople be judged against their peers.

Or maybe I really have no idea what I'm going on about. It happens. Aaaaaall the time.