Wild by Design: Two Hundred Years of Innovation and Artistry in American Quilts

by Janet Catherine Berlo, Patricia Cox Crews

Wild by Design explores the American tradition of freewheeling, improvisational, often asymmetrical quilts, whose makers experimented boldly with design, color, and pictorial motifs. It examines both the aesthetics and the social history of quilts from the early nineteenth century to the present, including Amish, African American, and modern art quilts.

From the state fair to the clothesline, women have sought ways to exhibit the beauty and optical effects of their quilts. The "quilting frolic" of the nineteenth century was for many women an alternative to the art academy and the salon. Janet Berlo reminds us that quilts were a valued form of artistic expression, meant to be shared and admired among the company of other women.

Over fifty applique and pieced quilts are illustrated, chosen from the collections of the International Quilt Study Center for their outstanding visual qualities. Each is accompanied by a lively dialogue among quilt experts that illustrates the varied dimensions of quilts as aesthetic objects of the highest order and as reflections of the lives and societies of their makers. This multifaceted analysis of quilts sheds light on the histories of women, textiles, and American art and culture.

Genres: Quilting, Crafts

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

Reviews

[Lindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly given the 5 stars, I love this book! I read it cover to cover yesterday. Berlo and Crews, two quilt historians, select quilts from the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and discuss how they are innovative and why they work. The quilts are in chronological order and for the most part the quilts are historical, although there are a few examples of the studio art quilt movement at the end. My interest is in those older quilts. I love seeing the work of women who take something familiar and mess around with it, and I especially loved getting to "listen in" to knowledgeable folks talk about it.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someday.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only are the quilts astounding, the accompanying text is truly enlightening and well researched.