Amish Quilts-what a treat!

Wow-you never know what might be going on around here! Last Saturday August 23, Connie and Jim Thompson from Trinity, NC made their way to our patch of the coast. The Thompsons gave a PowerPoint plus show-n-tell presentation about their collection of antique Amish quilts to fascinated members of local quilt guilds. After the presentation, you could come up and view the quilts closely. Since I was one of the white-glovers who held up the quilts for viewing, I was in heaven!

Connie herself is a quilter (even Jim has tried his hand at it!) and thus they appreciate, from both a technical and artistic viewpoint, what goes into making a quilt. Understandably, the Thompsons' collection morphed from an earlier interest in modern art, particularly the color work of Josef Albers, to antique Amish quilts and has stayed on course with quilts for over 20 years.

Beyond the pow! impact of the color of the old quilts, the hand stitching took your breath away. Here members of the audience are examining an Indiana Amish quilt, c.1930, with great interest.
And in the close-up you can see what they're so excited about...it's the quilting!



Tiny little stitches, all done in contrasting black thread, make for quite a dramatic effect. The border, a maple leaf design, is especially nice.

The Thompson collection also included a worn comforter from Ohio. Made in a narrow size called a "hired man's quilt," this piece, with its comfy blues and browns, reminded me of old Japanese textiles where every remnant of cloth is treasured. This was the one that made me want to tuck it under my arm and bolt for the exit!









It was an excellent presentation and a great way to spend the afternoon-oh throw me into the brier patch! Let's root around in old quilts.....

If you'd like to contact the Thompsons for a program for your group. their email is jkthompson@northstate.net.