Saturday 17 May 2014

TGIFF! - Min

Unquilted
What an interesting exercise this foray into Minimalism has been! I loved reading your comments and hearing your opinions about the quilting and what would make it minimal.

When it came to the quilting, it was interesting that matchstick was brought up many times -- approved of and disapproved of in almost equal measure. It raised the question for me of whether one has to use a minimalist process (e.g. only a few quilting lines) to achieve a minimalist look or whether a simple final look is okay even if the process is more elaborate (e.g. matchstick quilting)?

When I first envisioned this project, I had planned to do matchstick quilting, hoping the simple texture would cancel the elaborate quilting process.

I added a black line of quilting on either side of the black fabric and started with 1/2" vertical lines in white Aurifil #2021 to see if that was enough. I should have taken a picture of it at that stage, but it didn't feel completed so I filled it in with matchstick quilting.


This is Min (let's be minimalist with the name too, why don't we?):


I'm not sure if the matchstick quilting detracts from the minimalist look, but I love it. I find it warms it a bit and I just love the texture.


I used a non-mitred facing binding (tutorial available here) so the binding wasn't visible. Adds to the clean look, I think.

Finished Size: 21" by 39.5".

So is Min Minimalist? According to minimalist principles, it is pretty objective (doesn't really look like anything else I've made), it is simple, it focusses on line, it uses only two non-colours, and there's no obvious binding. That said, it uses traditional materials (cloth and thread) and the quilting gives it a lot of texture.


I'll let others be the judge, but I'm liking it. A lot more than I thought I would. Yay!

Even though it's Saturday here, TGIFF! is still on over with Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation so I'm going to link up and head over to enjoy the other finishes.


Have a great weekend, everyone!

19 comments:

  1. I love the finished product! Especially the "no-show" binding! I don't know if I would call it minimalist myself, but I really, really like it!

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  2. Very nice. I like how you decided to add the two lines of black quilting to either side of the stripe, and I agree with Ginette that not having a visible binding was a winning decision.

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  3. It is an interesting project. I like the texture and finished binding is fab!

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  4. I knew it would be perfect! It pleases my eye!

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  5. I love how this has turned out. I really like the texture :)

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  6. Yes, definitely Min! Quilting has an important function: it holds the three layers together. Sometimes I forget that it is not only decorative. It is a very interesting quilt.

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  7. I like your distinction between minimalist process and minimalist effect, and I lean more toward the effect than the process, so would call matchstick quilting minimalist because of its uncomplicated design. And I like your finished minimalist piece.

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  8. As it is your quilt, YOU should be the judge. However, I think the quilting looks great and suits your desired aesthetic. I like the minimalist name-Min.

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  9. whether you deem it minimalist or not, it sure works for me!

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  10. It definitely reads minimalist to me. And I love it. Congratulations!

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  11. I love this quilt! It is definitely minimalist to me. The quilting adds texture but not business. Wonderful!

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  12. If we want to get art snobby about it (cheeky grin), it's actually post-minimalism. Post-minimalism art references the visual qualities of minimalism like use of line, expansive space, simple design, etc., but incorporates less mechanical features like being hand-made, or using traditional materials. I do enjoy the art history discussion you've generated! It's taking this craft a bit high-brow without any Botox in sight!

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  13. You made just the right (to me) design choices, especially the binding treatment. It's beautiful in it's simplicity. Art, in any form, is very subjective to the viewer and the maker. To me, this is minimalist. To someone with more experience, maybe not. The most important opinion is yours.

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  14. It looks WONDERful! Now, I want to try one.

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  15. I love it. I keep wanting to find the time to do a totally minimal group of quilts like this.

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