WHERE: Museum of International Folk Art.
WHEN: On view through September 2, 2013.
TITLE: Plain Geometry: Amish Quilts
BRIEF ABOUT: Thirty-four remarkably crafted textiles from the museum’s collection and from local collectors illustrate the influence of religious proscriptions, westward migration, and interaction with “English” neighbors.
    Quilts in the exhibit show the changes in everyday life that occurred when families moved west and established communities in Ohio, Indiana and other Midwestern states. A somber color palette gave way to brighter colors and more complex pieced patterns (although always a few decades after their height of popularity in the general population). The use of cotton or wool fabrics, border width, and color choice were regionally specific as well and color preferences differed according to settlement and time period.
    Some quilt designs displayed are Diamond in Square and Bars. These large-piece patterns are related to an even earlier form called whole cloth quilts that were not pieced but made from one-color cloth. These quilts are the most recognizably Amish with their strong contrasting colors and fine quilting. The Pennsylvania Amish continued creating these patterns long after their brethren left for lands further west.
    Another is Log Cabin which is made of strips of cloth sewn in a concentric square. The arrangement of color within the block and how the blocks are fitted together create the variations. Log Cabin quilts are often quilted only on the borders or are tied at intervals and called comforters. Log Cabin blocks were made from small pieces that could be cut from fabric scraps or worn clothing, whereas new fabric was often purchased for “best†quilts made for weddings. Many best quilts were made from wool while everyday quilts were made from cotton.
    Also are crib and doll quilts. These were made by an expectant mother or grandmother to welcome a new baby into the world. Crib quilts were more frequently made in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois than in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
MORE DETAILS: Call 505.476.1200 or www.internationalfolkart.org.
About: Located on Museum Hill™, Camino Lejo off Old Santa Fe Trail, the Museum of International Folk Art is a Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, where it houses the world’s largest collection of international folk art, with the popular ongoing exhibition Multiple Visions: A Common Bond in the Girard Wing. Changing and traveling exhibitions are offered in the Bartlett Wing and exhibitions highlighting textiles are featured the Neutrogena Wing. Lloyd’s Treasure Chest offers visitors interactive displays about collections and how museums care for collections.