Where were you in 1975?

This article was originally written for the 25^th anniversary of the Sudbury & District Quilting and Stitchery guild in 2000. It has been expanded to include the last decade...

In September of 1975 I was a long haired, slim, blond 16 year old going into my last year of high school. I was working on my first quilt- a Dresden Plate. The pattern was found in one of the few quilting books available at that time-“The Standard Book of Quilt Making and Collecting” by Marguerite Ickis, copyright 1946.

The seventies were a time of growth for quilters and needleworkers alike. Traditional patterns were still being used, most quilt blocks set with sashing. Quilting cottons were beginning to surface with calicoes and small prints which was very refreshing after the glut of polyesters and crimpolines. Canadian quilters were just beginning to benefit from the U.S. influences in the quilting industry lead by the Bi-Centennial revival of the age old art.

Most Canadian quilters were involved through church groups. These groups were led by our mothers and grandmothers who quilted for the poor, the homeless and the victims of household fires and other catastrophes. They made quilts for charity raffles, for their beds, for family members and as wedding gifts. Young ladies still followed the tradition of making a quilt for their hope-chest.

Many of these women entered their quilts in the local fall fair, some even going on to the larger fairs in Ottawa, Kitchener/Waterloo, The Royal Agricultural Fair, the Calgary Stampede and other fall fairs in larger farm communities across the country. The art of quiltmaking was in this way kept alive. Young girls were taught quilting through the 4-H club and the Girl Guides.

Popular patterns of the day included the Dresden Plate, the Maple Leaf, Nine Patch and Sunbonnet Sue. Some quilters attempted more complex patterns for special occasions such as the Double Wedding Ring, Grandmother’s Flower Garden or YoYo quilts. Star quilts were also very popular with the Ohio Star and the Lone Star leading the favorites. Many were hand-pieced but many more were pieced on the machine.

In 1975, machine quilting was not an acceptable process, with fall fairs refusing to accept entries that were not quilted by hand. If they were accepted, they were never to be found in the winner’s circle. Hand quilted quilts were a work of art and beauty, to be passed on to future generations as an heirloom. Stitches were practiced by the young, the veterans excelled at their work and passed their techniques, quilting patterns and knowledge on to their younger charges.

Throughout the 70's, very few quilting books were available in Canada. Most patterns were handed down through generations, copied from friends or group members, or ordered from newspaper sources such as Anne Adams patterns at a cost of .50 each. Batting rolls often offered quilt patterns through the mail. An example was found on an old batting label from the Dominion Wadding Company of Montreal. The label offered a choice of 38 patterns for a cost of .35 each. Other sources of quilt patterns were the U.S. magazines which would sometimes carry a quilt pattern in Ladies Home Journal or Good Housekeeping.

Colours ranged mainly through the earth tones during this time, with gold, rust and brown showing up the most, however avocado green came into vogue as well to match the new appliance colours being introduced. Tye dye taught many the basics of dying fabrics and creating new shades and tones to be used in their projects.

In the late 70's, all of the major department stores had extensive fabric departments. Sears, Towers, Eaton’s, Zellers, Marks and Spencer, Woolworth and Kresge’s all threatened the existence of the community fabric shops. Many closed their doors through this period, to emerge in the eighties as specialty quilt shops.

While the quilters were enjoying the newfound sources of products and patterns the needleworkers were also feeling a revival through the 70's, though not to the same extent. Knitting and crochet remained popular for sweaters, vests and afghans but macrame and weaving were the current fads. String art was all the rage. Needlepoint remained a popular pastime but counted cross-stitch was virtually unheard of except by those who sent overseas for supplies and patterns from the Scandinavian countries. Most cross-stitch was being done on pillow cases and tablecloths using transfer patterns that printed tiny x’s onto your choice of fabric.

Embroidery stitches were being taught to a new generation of teenagers who wanted to stitch flowers, leaves and vines onto their new blue jeans, peasant blouses and cowboy shirts. Crochet and tatting were still being used as edging for the popular shawls, towels and pillowcases as well as for doilies to cover the new end tables and coffee tables. Smocking was being revitalized with the introduction of elastic thread for tube tops and peasant dresses that reached the ankle. Many of the needlearts passed down through generations were loosing their following as mass produced articles imported from third world countries took their place.

The 80's-

The eighties were time of change for both the quilting and needle arts. Quilters were introduced to the rotary cutter, the cutting mat and plastic rulers and templates. Needleworkers were offered glass beads, new thread colours and aida cloth. Quilt shows sprung up in major centers across the country unrelated to the fall fairs. Craft shows were held in large fields led by artisans practicing their craft to earn pin money. Women all over the country were exposed to beautiful pieces and wanted to learn how to replicate them. Classes appeared in the community calendars for quilting, embroidery and weaving. The fabric industries responded with specialized quilting fabrics, VIP made an appearance as the leader and prices jumped through the roof.

Pattern books were being printed as fast as the leading authorities could write them. Traditional blocks were being used in innovative ways, scrap quilts were passe- everything had to be colour co-ordinated with dusty rose and country blue leading the choices. Machine quilting was in its infancy and colour wheels were popularized to extend the palette. The American influence poured into Canada with Quilters Newsletter Magazine, RJR fabrics, C&T Publishing and That Patchwork Place. Quilt shops sprung up across Canada offering classes, new products, an outlet to meet others like us and to gather creative ideas. Quilting guilds emerged in smaller cities. Stitchery shops opened in malls and smaller locations carrying specialty products not available in larger department stores, catering to a select few who kept the needlearts alive.

The 90's-

The nineties were a time of excess for the quilters and stitchers. A “Stash” was popularized where in prior years such a large financial investment would never have been justified. Quilters and stitchers purchased more and more for projects that could not possibly be completed in their lifetimes. Quilt and stitchery shops sprung up in every town and city across Canada. Classes were full, schedules and calendars were published for each shop. With the computer becoming mainstream, newsletters became a way of reaching customers, guild members and peers across the country. Mail order thrived and pattern companies became self-publishing, increasing the available projects, tempting the quilters and needleworkers with new techniques, new patterns and new ways to spend their disposable income. Specialty magazines emerged for every interest. Counted cross-stitch led the needlearts, with new flosses and threads, beads, buttons and charms. Samplers came back into vogue as the old stitches were revived with a new twist. Metallics and silks were introduced to tempt even the thriftiest stitcher. Specialty fabrics, linens and heirloom cottons were made available and classes taught. Sewing machines became computerized, to the point where you didn’t even have to be there to stitch a pattern. Machine quilting became an art in itself and hand quilting took second stage at the major quilt shows. Mass-produced quilts were imported but this also led a revival of caring for and documenting our antique and existing quilts.

Many more quilt guilds sprung up across Canada- in small towns and country concessions, the Canadian Quilters Association membership grew to 2000 members and quilt shows increased in frequency and numbers- to the point where if you liked, you could attend one or two every summer weekend. Schools and community centers were producing quilts with children with great enthusiasm and imagination. Community groups and guilds quilted for the less fortunate, the sick, the elderly and the abused. Quilts were sent overseas to war-torn countries.

Debbie Mumm, Thimbleberries, Mill Hill and Dmc all became household names. Fabric swaps and internet groups became the new breading ground for extending the “stash” and many, many projects were completed, but UFO also took on a new meaning.

The 00’s-

When I wrote this article 10 years ago, I never envisioned the excess that was to come. Quilters evolved into mass consumers of tools, gadgets, of course fabric, but also accessories- from Jim Shore santas, angels and other quilty items, to notecards, posters, even socks and license plates. The Ott-Light was the must have light source.

We had moved beyond UFO’s to FUFO’s, or Future UFO’s as we purchased kits, patterns, fabric, borders, binding and everything needed for a project that we would like to make sometime in the future when we finally got caught up. Fabric designers ensured that we purchase it immediately as they were not doing another print run of any particular line. Storage became a problem as quilters and stitchers purchased solutions including boxes, bags, cupboards, and even full studios to accommodate the stash.

Not only were we not buying one project at a time, we were rushing to finish the ones that we had by taking a shortcut- have someone else quilt it! Hundreds of long-arm quilters across the country set up shop to fill this void. A new sub-culture had emerged.

Quilt shows now allowed display of quilts where the top was pieced by the owner, but the quilting itself was farmed out. The view shifted from the proficiency of the Quilter, to the Quilt itself. Entry forms were updated to include credit for the quilting. This led the Designer of that particular pattern to also want credit for the quilt. Copyright became the cause- du- jour for much of the decade, and permission was required from the Designer before we could hang a quilt in public.

Despite these issues, shows flourished everywhere. I joined my quilting buddies in travelling to Paducah, Chicago, Edmonton, Ottawa, Waterloo, or just traveling on Shop Hops. The internet and a credit card ensured that anything we wanted, liked or just might use in the future was at our finger tips.

Quilt Artists flooded the internet with their websites, teaching packages and their own lines of fabric to accompany their books and patterns. The $100,000 Quilt Contest was launched pushing quilting as an art form and raising the value of art quilts everywhere. The traditional quilts were rarely found at the National or International shows, or in the many other contests being held by the advertisers. The only traditional holdout was the wholecloth quilt, but it too ultimately fell under the jurisdiction of the long-arm quilters. Art Quilt magazines were the new offerings, and the divide between quilters and stitchers narrowed as projects reflected both disciplines.

We were able to purchase exotic fabrics- batiks, bali, textures, African, Asian, as well as many revivals of historical fabrics and conversational prints. Fabric companies scoured their past for designs that could be revived and used by the shops and teachers to continue the growth of the industry. They played to our childhood memories, the depression, the civil war, and then to specifics like the millennium and patriotic fabrics. Block of the Month quilts flourished with quilters shelling out hundreds of dollars for the monthly patterns and fabric- No decisions to make- it was all done for us. Some of the fabrics were even pre-cut for us using laser technology. Stitchers were re-introduced to redwork, goldwork, blackwork, and crazy patch. Beads and buttons flourished.

What will we see in the next decade? Quilt shops and internet stores are shutting down with the turn in the economy and the massive unemployment in the US. Boomers are retiring and finding that their pension doesn’t stretch as far as they thought it would. Shows are being crippled by rising insurance premiums, space rentals and lack of volunteers. Magazines are merging and book publishers are holding Clearance Sales. It is getting more difficult to justify additional purchases with all of the stock sitting in our cupboards. Fabric designers recognizing this movement have offered Fat Quarter packs, Roll Ups, Layer Cakes, and Sample Packs. Half price sales are used to clear out old inventory. Husqvarna, the maker of my relatively new sewing machine has already picked up and moved out of Canada. I now need a passport to go shop-hopping in the Northern States.

I consider my stash as my pension plan. I have enough supplies to make at least 20 quilts, and then another 50 scrap quilts from the leftovers. Scrap quilts will be the wave of the future, as we mix together different fabric lines, different colour schemes, and perhaps even learn to hand quilt them to save a few bucks.... And as long as the shops are still around, I will add periodically to my personal pension plan, whose value can only go up as inflation and shortages occur in the industry.

I hope that I am wrong....