Beautiful Quilts and a Lesson from Life's Bakery

I used to think this was the only thing that should be quilted. Yes, pretty narrow view. I'm not proud of it.

ancient Charles Jourdan

I have a lovely and lively client that collects textiles. I gave her a book of discontinued English chintz fabric. A few days later, this arrived!

Pieced and hand-guided machine quilted chintz (the colorful one not the commercial computer-aided version underneath it).
I keep it folded at the foot of the guest bed.

I love looking at the colorful snippets of chintz from another time. I love this little bed quilt.

Which grabbed me completely by surprise because prior to receiving this gift, 'bed quilt' conjured images of unheated cabins and outhouses on the Iron Range (I grew up in Minnesota).

Naturally, I then hopped down the Pinterest rabbit hole in pursuit of bed quilts not in cabins.

Very American. Very New Englandy. The quilt is the star in this guest room.
Mariette Himes Gomez' renovation of The Lindens in Washington DC

Alex Papachristidis
This is a beautiful room. I would sleep here. Happily.

Texas. Cathy Kincaid
I can only surmise, but I think this room was decorated around the quilt.
Yes, I would happily sleep here as well.

Master suite with traditional Hawaiian style quilt. Hualalai, Hawaii. JC Gowdy Interiors
I think this is as far from the Iron Range as we can get and still be in the States.
Imagine waking up in paradise. I would be ecstatic to sleep here.

On my climb back up and out of the rabbit hole I was handed a lunch bag from Life's Bakery. In it was a slice of humble pie and a generous helping of respect for quilting's long tradition and the countless hours of sometimes nameless work embodied in a quilt. Drizzled overall was the bittersweet chocolate of realization -- traditional quilting is love. Quilts are labors of love.

England. 1725-50 Bed Cover
The linen ground is quilted in backstitch. By hand.
The medallion is silk embroidery. via V and A

United States. 1800-1820, artist unidentified.
Cornucopia and Dots whitework quilt. American Folk Art Museum
Quilting and trapunto all hand stitched.

Italy. 1360 (it was 400 years old at the time of our Revolution!)
The Tristan Quilted Bed Cover
The legend of Tristan and Isolde quilted in linen.

If I offended quilt lovers and quilters with my opening remark, I humbly apologize. The old adage found an exception in me, an old dog can be taught. It just takes a lot longer.

Do you have a traditional quilt? Do you use it or display it? 

Have a lovely weekend.

Thanks for reading,

Linda Pakravan