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Maybe that's why I began quilting.
I am touched by images of old quilts.
I am moved by the efforts of quilters from 100 to 200 years ago.
I am awed by the people who produced those old quilted wonders.
Today our circumstances are much easier.
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That Old Time Religion
By Helen Kelley
Right in the middle of supper last night, Bill said, "Let's go to the movies." We put on our coats and off we went to a little old neighborhood movie theater not far from us that has been restored to art deco splendor.
The movie for the evening was Singing in the Rain, itself restored to splendor. There we sat, under twinkling chandeliers with the balconies on either side of the stage glowing with hidden lights. The movie screen in front of us was so close that we could see the individual raindrops glistening on the twirling, wet umbrellas in the film, and we were caught up in the glamour. It was magic to see Debbie Reynolds again as she was at 21 years old and to watch Gene Kelly's feet tap so fast they chattered.
Seeing that old movie in its rightful setting was poignant. We were charmed. There was a communal sigh when the movie ended and then enthusiastic clapping. The man behind me said, "I've seen this movie so many times, it's like a religious experience."
"What church do you go to?" I asked.
Maybe that's why I began quilting so many years ago. I am touched by images of old quilts in their rightful settings. Living in this contemporary environment, I am moved by the efforts of quilters from 100 to 200 years ago, when they worked in limited space with only candles or kerosene lamps with needles as precious as anything else they owned. Those women did not have fabric heaped on shelves in awesome stashes. Their time was measured by the tick of a mechanical clock, and their moments were not eased by air conditioning and central heating. Everyday chores were energy-consuming, and in that time of fewer conveniences and more challenges, people worked with considerably more effort to stitch their visions into their quilts.
I am awed by the people who produced those old quilted wonders, and when I see them spread out on antique beds with sunlight sifting in on them, it is like a religious experience for me. Those images stir me.
Today our circumstances are much easier. We have the tools and an environment to encourage us. Life is more convenient. If I want another piece of fabric, I get into my car and drive a mile or even ten to a quilt store and search through bolts in every hue. If I lose a needle, guiltlessly I pull another one from the pack. If I want inspiration and help, I turn on my computer or open a magazine.
I look at those amazing medallion quilts from 250 years ago. I see those rusty red stars and gentle pink Irish Chains from 150 years ago. I finger the frayed edges of pastel lambs and Bo Peep prints from 75 years ago, and I am moved.
©HK 2005
Helen Kelley is a quiltmaker, lecturer, author, and teacher from Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can visit Helen on the Internet at her website www.helenkelley-patchworks.com or email Helen at this address: helen@helenkelley-patchworks.com.
Helen's book Every Quilt Tells a Story: A Quilter's Stash of Wit and Wisdom is a collection of two decades of Loose Threads. Now in its second printing, the book is available at quilt shops, bookstores, or from us at www.VillageQuiltShoppe.
View our archive of Loose Threads columns.
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