Piecing it Together: The Modern Quilting Movement (2012)

Undergraduate: Emma Parker

Faculty Advisor: Bernie Herman
Department: Interdisciplinary Studies

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Quilting, long thought of as grandmotherly women hand-stitching old-fashioned patterns, is a diverse and _____ art. From art quilting to Civil War reproduction devotees, quilting is not a homogenous culture. The most recent addition to the ever-growing list of quilting styles and factions is the modern quilting movemement, a self-styled 'rebellion' led by younger quilters around the world.

Since its inception in 2009, over 180 local chapters of the Modern Quilt Guild have opened from Brazil to Boise. Fueled largely by the internet and social networking, modern quilters represent a new demographic within the quilting community and an increasing celebration of improvisational quilting, such as the quilts made by the women of Gee's Bend, Alabama.

This paper explores the roots of the modern quilting movement and the ways in which it has situated itself both within and against "traditional" quilts and quilting culture. With a focus on the quilts these quilters produce, and their relationship to longer quilt histories, the paper explores the questions of what it means to be a movement, a quilter, and even a quilt.