Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition at the V&A London.

So back to Wednesday, when I was able to attend the exhibition on the preview afternoon for us bloggers.

I went by car with my friend Katherine who offered to accompany me, even though she wasn't allowed in the Quilts exhibit. She had a lovely time wandering around some parts of the Museum. I must say that it is huge, and well worth a return visit. You can have a look yourself on their website : Victoria and Albert Museum.

First here is the front of the Museum, on Cromwell Road, London :

Now check the courtyard, there is a cafe in the corner, and there can be some sun sometimes, like on my photos.

I have taken lots of photos, about 70, but not using a flash and zooming on details means that some of them are out of focus (floues en francais). But there is hope. First there are all those photos you can find here :

http://www.rexfeatures.com/live/2010/03/17/quilts_1700-2010_exhibition,_victoria_+_albert_museum,_london

And then I seem to be allowed access to the official photos.

What I would like to do is put more information on the pieces I saw. I bought the book from the exhibit and will use it to make some research. It will be interesting for me and I hope for you as well.

Now I just need to find the time ...

I'm adding this link to a blog with a very interesting article on the exhibit, have a look yourself :

http://thedyershand.blogspot.com/2010/03/quilts-1700-2010-at-v-part-one.html

Exhibition at the V&A Museum, London, Quilts 1700-2010

There is this exhibition starting on the 20 th March in London at the V&A Museum, called "Quilts 1700-2010. I think it will be very interesting.

Of course I am biased because of my interest in everything fibre related, but I thought their advertising with lots of different newspapers was very good. I have seen several articles in the Times, starting a few months ago about the coming exhibit.

This week there were 2. One on 28 Feb reporting on the "new vogue for quilting" although I wonder how they can think it is new.

Today there was an article telling you how to make your own Tracey Emin cat quilt. The explanations are written by Sue Prichard, the curator of the exhibition. It is designed more for beginners, but you could use the design of the cat on something else.

The best article was written last week by Grayson Perry, who also made a piece for the V&A, called "Quilting is not a dumb hobby"

The best part is that I received an invitation to a preview at the Museum on Wednesday 17th March. I wonder who will be there, it will be so interesting so see the pieces, and of course people passionate about patchwork and quilting.

I'll tell you all about if when it has happened.

San Jose Quilt Museum

When on holidays in California we managed to visit San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.

It was a disappointing day, as the Museum was pretty small, and contained more textile art, it was weaved creations, than quilts.

The exhibit in the entrance "Advanced Geometry by Gloria Hansen"was interesting.

She made quilts using her computer to design geometric patterns, she used her printer to make the fabric, then overpainted it, sewed it together and quilted.

Parts of blocks that look pieced are printed.

This enabled her to realise very complex designs, with a lot of symetry, and geometric figures.

Sorry we weren't allowed to take pictures.

Then there was a room with older quilts, about a dozen.

The 2 big rooms at the back were all about textile art, interesting but not what I was looking for.

While still in San Jose we also visited the Museum of Modern Art, and lost our time, I think. When you are told that 2 canvas covered uniformely in grey for the first, and darker grey for the second, are representing Princess Margaret, you wonder who is deciding what is art...

Definitely not for me.

PS : following this post Gloria Hansen wrote a comment that says

"Thanks for the kind words on my exhibit.

While some of the pieces are created as you described, there are also some that have traditional piecing and hand quilting. :)

You can learn more at my site: www.gloriahansen.com.

Thanks again! "

I feel quite touched that she would answer me, and a bit guilty that I didn't put a reference to her website. She has also written 15 books on quilting, notably quilting with the use of computers. So she must be a celebrity in the world of patchwork, or at least in the USA.

Internet is a wonderful tool to learn, and to meet people on the other side of the world, and it all happened so quickly in the last 20 years.

I'm in awe.