Most quilters will agree that many of their quilts come from an emotional place. Sending a message in a quilt is not new. What you may consider new is the modern twist as more quilters are experimenting with sleek, chic lines and neutral colors with a splash of bold.
Quilters are using this method to make statements concerning things they care about—social, family, and world issues. Quilters feel deeply and react and respond to the world through their quilts. When a natural disaster strikes, we send quilts. When someone is fighting a disease, we send a quilt. During happy times, such as births and weddings, we make a quilt. Making quilts helps quilters work through their emotional reactions. Receiving a quilt lets you know that someone cares about what is happening to you.
Quilts should be regarded as art just as paint, sculpture, and other mediums are. The most basic, traditionally designed quilt makes an artistic statement through the colors, fabric, and lines of quilting.
Art evokes an emotional reaction. You may find yourself drawn into a piece or maybe you will need to walk away. The person standing next to you may love it while you hate it. That is art. It speaks to all of us differently, and no two pieces will say the same thing.
That is how modern message quilts fit into the quilting world. Quilters feel deeply, and respond. The response is transmitted through their art—a quilt. Quilters are making personal expressions through the impact of stunning, abstract art—powerful statements about their world.
The world we live in today bombards our senses with negativity. So much so that it is difficult to comprehend the beauty that still exists. Instead of being overcome, we search for a way to release all that negative energy. Quilting has become, for many, a form of art therapy.
Like other artists, quilters find their voice and make what fits their lives. And we, as fellow quilters and quilt lovers, will have our own emotional response that fits our personal journey. It’s that emotional connection that keeps us human.
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