A very old craft is taking on some contemporary qualities, reports Texas Standard. It’s called modern quilting, and it’s inspired by modern art. Traditional quilts have followed a column and row format. But new, modern quilters are changing that pattern up.
These new quilts are just like traditional quilts on the inside. They have three layers of batting made from fabric. But on the outside, you’ll find improvisational shapes, or lots of negative space, or an organic, less geometric feel.
At the Texas Quilt Museum, you can see modern quilting up-close in a special exhibit. The museum opened in 2011, in LaGrange. At the museum, quilts are treated like fine art. But there is one important criterion: Modern quilts must be made to be used. One expert explains, “If it can’t make it through the washer and dryer, it’s not a modern quilt.”
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