WHAT MAKES A 'GOOD' QUILT?

© Barbara Macey

Ozquilt Network Newsletter #26, December 1997

That depends on the person making the observation! We all have different ideas about what makes a quilt exceptional. We have individual priorities and preferences. There is no magic formula for success because it's often the quirky and unexpected that catches our attention. The following observations are just my personal opinions.

Technical competence is a prerequisite for success; poor technique can undermine the most exciting image by distracting the viewer. I don't mean that the quiltmaker has to stick to traditionally accepted techniques. Experimentation with the latest materials and methods may send the quiltmaker off in exciting new directions. Experimentation with old techniques may be also fruitful, and we should continue to explore new ways of working.

But some challenges to the 'norm' such as raw edges have become hackneyed. In this respect they are like jeans which started out as a the uniform of the radical, but are now the uniform of the conformist! Twenty years ago raw edges etc. may have indicated rebellion against the old order, or an adventurous spirit, and that was sufficient justification for using them. But we have to recognise when yesterday's innovation has become another convention and move on. If used today, they need to be integrated with the quiltmaker's personal mode of expression, not just a tacked on attitude that would be better demonstrated in a more imaginative way.

Even a small quilt is a large, striking object. It should be in harmony with its surroundings, yet somehow draw attention to itself; if it's not noticed what's the point of hanging it on the wall, or indeed placing it on a bed? There's more than one way of being noticed though. Some quilts have brightly coloured, bold designs. Others, for example whole cloth quilts, may attract just as much attention by very subtle design and subdued colour. Some quilts project an intensely romantic or nostalgic atmosphere, a strong emotion or some heartfelt ideology. There's no room for tentative or hesitant expression, unless that's what your quilt's about of course! A definite, even exaggerated approach often works best. I learned about the necessity to be visually definite at the age of ten or eleven when I made some posters, lettered with my brightest pastels, to advertise kittens available free to good homes. Only somehow, they weren't nearly as bright as I'd expected and the lettering had to be seen at quite close quarters to be read. I suppose it was also a lesson in evaluating ideas and recognising when they fall short! It has always stayed with me.

It's most important that a quilt should work as a whole. By this I mean that there should be an overall image or structure to organise detail around. This happens automatically when we work with repeating units (blocks), or well tried formats such as the medallion quilt. When we set off on our own track, we need to consider what sort of structure will best suit the work at hand.

The structure we employ may be bold, graphic, geometric. It may be pictorial, or abstract in a soft edged, expressive way. No matter how intriguing the detail in a quilt, it needs some kind of structure, however minimal, to focus the eye and the mind of the viewer. Lois French's spectacularly successful quilt, 'Violets for Wendy - Walk into the Light' is a splendid example of a proliferation of lush detail and rich colour confined within bold and simple shapes. Many of you will have seen it at exhibitions in Sydney and Melbourne this year, as well as photographs of it in several quilting publications.

Colour is an area where people may easily lose their nerve and go for something safe. Or dull. Or something safe and dull! It's important to realise that quilts can be subtle without being either safe or dull. Pleasant, fashionable colour schemes are always attractive, but there's more to using colour than that. Quilters who go beyond the basics can investigate the amazing and often surprising things that happen when they're adventurous with colour. There's no doubt that the most skilled quiltmakers understand how to experiment with colour. Their quilts are amongst the most exciting.

All these factors help to make a good quilt. But perhaps the most important ingredient in a good quilt is something we can't see - the bad quilts that went before it! Sometimes we are too quick to put an idea into practice and are disappointed with the results; it would have been better to allow it to mature for a few months, even a few years. Sometimes it takes that long to see how best to use a new idea. Or sometimes we don't quite know why, but a quilt turns out to be rather disappointing. It stays in the cupboard. I have twenty five such quilts in my cupboard. They are just part of the learning process, not a reason for giving up. I think they go back to that lesson I learned at the age of ten.

For each one of us, individual quilts appeal largely on the basis of our own preferences. It is natural to prefer some styles to others, but we can all appreciate outstanding quilts no matter what kind they are. No doubt you have thought about what makes a quilt excellent for you? Your ideas may be very different from mine!

© Barbara Macey 1997