Bill Volckening. Pour L'Amour Du Fil #3

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I love antique quilts and it was with great interest that I went to see this fantastic exhibition. Bill Volckening has been collecting New York Beauty quilts for many years and the quilts he brought to France for this exhibition were amazing.

In my photo selection, you will not see many recent NYB quilts. Some were on display, but I did not like them as much as I like the oldest ones. Why is that? I have pondered over the question many times and, though I am not sure, it may be because I love how the handquilting gives life to a quilt and its design which is something I do not see  in more recent quilts. But that's a very personal opinion. And you may not agree.

On my first visit, I pointed out to Bill the two or three quilts that were my favourite. The only problem was that I did not know why I liked these quilts so much. That's when Bill nicely pointed out several quilts that I had not picked out and started explaining what makes them interesting in the design. For instance, in the way the cornerstones were creative, in the way the intricate design creates another design when joined to the next block... well, it is always worth having a guided visit with a knowledgeable person when visiting such an exhibition. You can enjoy such a detailed visit also in Bill's book which is really gorgeous and filled with interesting information. There is just one (very minor) problem with the book! It is really heavy and I cannot read it in bed ;-) And because I could not stopped reading it, I spent most of the night in the living room!

On my second visit, the next day, we talked a lot about the handquilting designs. There were so many to see and I have learnt a few very interesting details with Bill.

Enjoy the photos! You will see a lot of close-ups which show, at least this is what I tried to photograph, the quilting designs. I hope you will see the texture it gives to the quilts. I found this really moving and this is one of the things that explain my love for quilts.









































































Thank you so much Bill for offering us the opportunity to see part of your wonderful collection.

Until next post,

Comments

  1. KoalaMay 4, 2015 at 11:21 AM

    Thank you again!

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  2. Penelope P.May 4, 2015 at 11:28 AM

    Thank thank you for this wonderful post David. Usually I whizz through photographs of quilt shows, but your introduction and then your excellent close ups made me stop and really 'see' the fabulous quilting. Amazing! Penny L in Dorset

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  3. LoriMay 4, 2015 at 3:46 PM

    How very lucky you were to get to see these! Bill's collection is wonderful!

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  4. JanetMay 4, 2015 at 8:53 PM

    Such amazing handquilting - I LOVE it! Thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures :0)

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  5. DebbyMay 5, 2015 at 5:10 AM

    David,
    I really agree with you on the hand quilting. It just makes a piece come alive, so much texture and the designs they used were wonderful. Machine quilting does bring a level of design to quilts that hand quilting doesn't achieve --- but I still like hand quilting more!
    Thank you for sharing!

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  6. Atelier Blanc nord-ouestMay 5, 2015 at 10:26 AM

    J'ai fait mon choix... à si seulement ;) je trouve que le quilting main apporte de la chaleur, une certaine vie au quilt

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  7. carrieMay 5, 2015 at 10:39 AM

    Thank you for sharing your pics of these wonderful quilts!

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  8. UnknownMay 5, 2015 at 3:57 PM

    Such an outstanding display of amazing work. Especially when we know the techniques used to piece these beauties and the time required to hand quilt. I remember seeing a collection of antique Baltimore quilts in Houston in the late 1990's and I was so totally chocked up by the sheer beauty and also the enormous size of those quilts that I cried. It was a privilege to witness such amazing work. Thank you again for your comments and pictures of these quilts.

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  9. CocopatchMay 5, 2015 at 6:00 PM

    thanks for sharing!!

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  10. audreyMay 5, 2015 at 8:03 PM

    The hand stitching really is incredible. Thanks for sharing.:)

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  11. AnonymousMay 5, 2015 at 10:19 PM

    WOW, just WOW!!

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  12. Nancy in MTMay 6, 2015 at 4:20 AM

    Thanks David for sharing such stunning quilts. I do believe this reminds me that I have one of Bill's quilts marked in a book that I have wanted to reproduce in a primitive style. He has an amazing collection and I enjoyed the insights to the details in the quilts.

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  13. IherbaMay 6, 2015 at 7:32 PM

    Fantásticos, todos y cada uno de ellos. A mi también me encanta acolchar a mano, me relaja mucho. Y sin duda la textura del quilt es mucho más confortable que a máquina.Un saludo

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  14. Christopher Wilson-TateMay 6, 2015 at 10:55 PM

    Thank you David for all of the wonderful photos..truly amazing qulilts and such a joy to view.. I wish I had had time to travel to the show..next time..Christopher

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  15. Linda CMay 8, 2015 at 9:05 PM

    Your photos are wonderful! I wish we had had the chance to meet! Perhaps next year? I will be there for sure, and perhaps with a little surprise!!

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  16. PhyllisMay 9, 2015 at 9:26 PM

    You were so lucky to see these, I would have loved to have seen them! Thank you for sharing so many pictures!

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  17. Bill VolckeningMay 12, 2015 at 4:55 AM

    Thank you, David! It was great to meet you, and I'm glad you enjoyed the exhibition and book.

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  18. AnonymousMay 12, 2015 at 5:27 AM

    you got some great photos! Thanks for sharing them

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  19. YankeeQuilterMay 12, 2015 at 3:02 PM

    I have the same response to hand quilting! And these quilts have some great examples. I too love his book. I use the lapboard for my computer to help me hold the book up! (it sure is heavy but so worth it!)

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