Once a month, we will try to showcase a quilt from one of our MPS members. Whether we’ve been quilting for decades or are just beginning our quilting journey, we are a talented bunch; and we inspire each other regularly with the many wonderful quilts that are created. So it seems fitting that we showcase a quilt in hopes it will inspire others. (You can click on any of the images to see a larger view.)
Mondrian Inspired
This quilt has a wonderful story. It was started almost 50 years ago, when the blocks were first cut. Then life happened. The quilter moved to another town with her family, and the blocks—and the quilt they were meant to become—were lost amid the daily routines and detritus of life.
Julie uncovered these blocks in her early twenties and industriously began sewing them together, determined to see the quilt come to fruition. There was just one problem: none of the blocks were square! As the pieces came together, the results were less than pleasing to the eye. Frustrated, Julie packed everything up and stored it away again, where it sat for a few more decades.
Then came the global pandemic of 2020. Julie dug out the blocks and she knew that the only way to save them was to unsew everything. She set to work on the tedious task. As she says, “It was COVID. What else did I have to do?”
While she was picking out stitches, true inspiration struck. She had seen a picture that inspired her to create what she calls a “Mondrian-ish” quilt. Out came the graph paper, and she began plotting the placement of each block.
If you’re wondering who Mondrian was, Piet Mondrian was a famous Dutch artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for his distinctive abstract style. Exploring his work adds a deeper appreciation for Julie’s design inspiration.
With a final plan in hand and renewed motivation, Julie squared up the blocks, combined them into larger units, and selected additional fabrics to complete the quilt exactly as she had envisioned it.
The finished project is spectacular—proof that inspiration can strike when we least expect it. Today, the quilt rests on her mother’s bed, having come full circle back to its beginnings.
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It came out so well Julie! I love how you incorporated Mondrian’s style into it. Hard enough to go back to an old quilt, but much harder, to have to take out all of those initial stitches. You really soldiered on, and it came out so well! Thanks for sharing your story.
I opened the email and saw the picture and thought, “I know that fabric” and lo and behold its my sister Julies quilt. The quilt is beautiful and colorful. The fabric key is genius.
Lindy R
After exploring the artist, I can see the Mondrian-ishness of the quilt. You must have had so much fun designing this. Your references to the patches from old family clothing brings even more meaning to the quilt.
Beautiful work, Julie. Thanks for sharing. I’m sure your mother is appreciative of you finishing the quilt, too.
Julie, you are one clever lady. Your quilt is delightful to look at and its story makes it even more delightful.
Beautiful finished quilt! Brava on the accomplishment!
Julie,
This quilt and the story behind it are very inspiring! Congratulations on finishing it and sharing it with us!