Sunday, October 2, 2011

Beauty Secrets


When I was in Oregon recently, I got to see Bill Volckening's collection of New York Beauties at the Benton County Museum.  We call them "New York Beauties," but they haven't always had that name.  Nevertheless, they are BEAUTIFUL!!  Here are my favorites.  There are many!

This appears to be a rescue of a piece from a larger quilt.

Look at that green patch.

The tiny gingham on this is just precious.


What could be a better color scheme?

The cockeyed sashing really stole my heart.


Oh!  The quilting!

I think he said these were 1950's fabrics.





Can you believe how they quilted some of these?!

Love this clam shell design.

I'm going to have to make some of these zigzag flower stems.



 

At first, I thought this was a really nice use of reproduction fabrics.  Then I realized they're the real thing, from the 1800's!
Oh! That zigzag border.
 
 If you want to see more of these quilts, you can order the book on blurb.
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32 comments:

  1. reganOctober 2, 2011 at 6:01 PM

    Nope....I can't pick a favorite! They are all so gorgeous! I want to make so many of them, that I don't even know where to start! LOL

    Thanks for all the great pics! I've been following Bill's blog for some time now, and he's just amazing, isn't he? What a collection, and he's so generous in sharing it with all of us! :o)

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  2. VesuviusmamaOctober 2, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    I can pick a favorite - that white, yellow and orange one! It looks so happy! Thanks for sharing. After just leaving Mexico City yesterday, which was all decked out in red, white and green, several of those quilts seem like they were made to celebrate Mexico.

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  3. Julie FukudaOctober 2, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    That is an amazing collection! I can't believe the variety and shear number of them!

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  4. KimOctober 2, 2011 at 8:28 PM

    Wow I can't believe you were able to take so many pictures to share........
    what beauties!

    Thanks :0)
    Happy Sewing

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  5. RachaeldaisyOctober 2, 2011 at 8:36 PM

    What an amazing collection!! They're all so striking!!

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  6. Maureen T.October 2, 2011 at 9:49 PM

    Thanks for sharing your photos of those fantastic quilts!! They are all so inspiring. I think I'll need that book. :-)

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  7. ClareOctober 2, 2011 at 11:31 PM

    Truly beauties. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. BéaOctober 3, 2011 at 12:33 AM

    WONDERFUL ! Thanks for sharing. XO

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  9. lizOctober 3, 2011 at 1:01 AM

    Two great quilt show posts. They couldn't be more different but I love them both. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your own personal exhibit.

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  10. meli BOctober 3, 2011 at 3:26 AM

    Great photos. I'll have to check out his block. Amazing collection and crazy designs. When did they ever find the time to do such intricate quilting?

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  11. Victoria Findlay WolfeOctober 3, 2011 at 4:32 AM

    ooh! So many beauties!!! I love the crazy one with the 50's fabrics! fantastic! and I also love that green and navy... I plan on making another green and nave quilt soon... awesome pics! thanks for sharing the eye candy!!

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  12. BonnieOctober 3, 2011 at 5:14 AM

    I have always love this pattern, but there are just so many terrific variations in this show. It boggles the mind. Hmmm, another design to explore. I loved the scrappy one naturally. Bonnie

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  13. NancyOctober 3, 2011 at 5:57 AM

    Thanks for posting these photos. It's great to see them all together this way. And, wow, the quilting! I'm showing some old quilts on my blog post currently, too, if you get a chance to take a look. Those old quilts are wonderful.

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  14. BarbOctober 3, 2011 at 6:24 AM

    what a amazing collection! It's just incredible. My favorite is the one with the streak of lightening border, I love the color combination!

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  15. HelenOctober 3, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    Wow, I have never wanted to make a NY Beauty until now. All those points are so worth it!!!

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  16. smazoochieOctober 3, 2011 at 7:18 AM

    All I can say is, "WOW!" And, "thanks for sharing!"

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  17. Tonya RicucciOctober 3, 2011 at 7:18 AM

    love love love. wish I could see them close-up in person! great photos though - thanks!

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  18. Sujata ShahOctober 3, 2011 at 7:21 AM

    They are so pretty! I have hard time picking one as favorite! What a treat for you to see them in person and for us to see them here all at once!
    Thank you!

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  19. AlexisOctober 3, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    These are amazing! Thanks for sharing!

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  20. LisaOctober 3, 2011 at 8:15 AM

    WOW! Those are some wonderful beauties. Thanks for the peek!

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  21. Bill VolckeningOctober 3, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    Thank you for blogging about and commenting on my exhibit. I'm glad you all enjoyed the quilts! It was my first museum exhibit, and I had a great time doing it. The folks at Benton County Museum were a lot of fun to work with, and I'd do an exhibit with them again in a heartbeat.

    You may be interested in knowing: less than half of my New York Beauties were in this exhibit. I have 46 of them now, and there were 21 in the exhibit. 42 of them are in the catalog. I've continued to collect this pattern, and have decided that 100 New York Beauties is my limit. But then, rules are made to be broken. :)

    This month I'm starting to sell some old quilts to make room for all the new ones arriving on my doorstep. I'll be launching a web site called Willy Wonky Quilts and will announce it on my blog. All types of services: appraisals, assessments, consignments, photography, etc. Stay tuned...

    Willy Wonky
    aka Bill Volckening

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  22. ann hermesOctober 3, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    What an amazing collection!

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  23. MaritOctober 4, 2011 at 3:23 AM

    so much beauty... and thank you for sharing

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  24. Pinkadot QuiltsOctober 4, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    So beautiful, they look antique and contemporary at the same time. I love the black and red one.

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  25. Bill VolckeningOctober 4, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    The exhibit included quilts from 1850 to 2011, so they are both antique and contemporary. Most of the ones in this blog post are antique. The more contemporary ones look like Karen Stone inspired quilts.

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  26. AnonymousOctober 4, 2011 at 7:33 AM

    What a great design ! The mix of thin picks and curves make it awesome.
    Your pictures are great, I love to see closely such quiltings, my fave being the double clamshell.
    I just read Willy Wonky's post, what a stunning collection !

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  27. AnonymousOctober 4, 2011 at 7:34 AM

    What a great design ! The mix of thin picks and curves make it awesome.
    Your pictures are great, I love to see closely such quiltings, my fave being the double clamshell.
    I just read Willy Wonky's post, what a stunning collection !

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  28. Mary KeaslerOctober 4, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    Thanks for sharing yet another group of eye candies for everyone. How inspiring. Drool drool

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  29. EmOctober 4, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    What a feast!!! I am in awe seeing the photos and can only imagine how it was to enjoy them in person! Thank you posting all of these photos!! Em

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  30. DianneOctober 4, 2011 at 2:47 PM

    Oh my goodness, they really are beauties! Something to really aspire to. The quilting is a amazing and perhaps most of the piecing would be done by hand? Like you, I loved the zig zag stems for a bit of fun. They certainly give that quilt movement. Thank you for sharing these wonderful quilts with us on the other side of the world. Dianne.

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  31. MulticoloredPiecesOctober 7, 2011 at 5:15 AM

    Smashing show! Thanks for sharing it--almost as good as being there. I have to admit that I've got a soft spot for NY Beauties (who doesn't?)...something about those little spikes lined up, and the contrasts of color.
    best, nadia

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  32. TeodoOctober 10, 2011 at 6:07 AM

    Fantastic quilts, I love all.
    ciao ciao

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