Thursday, January 03, 2008


(no animal or niece was harmed in shooting this photo)

The Too-Much-O-Meter


How do you know when to stop? has to be the most often asked quilting question.

Unfortunately, it is not often asked ENOUGH when it comes to embellishing. Nowadays there is so much surface treatment on quilts that one wonders where the quilt is?

One wishes that the question came up much much sooner.

Embellishment is meant to be the whipped cream and cherry on the design. Not the full meal. Unfortunately I have noticed that the design of the quilt that is over-embellished, seems to have been ignored. Some quilters are so intent on using every new product and doo-dad that they all go on at once, like vegetable soup. It's a little soap box issue for me.

Good design can be enhanced with a little embellishment.

Bad design cannot be fixed with encrusted embellishment.

I am not allowed to show examples for fear of a shotgun to the brain, but you can see it regularly in certain quilt magazines.

22 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:49 AM

    Good morning,

    Spot On!

    Beth

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  2. Right on! I like your analogy of "chicken soup". Write on!

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  3. Your niece is just so cute.
    I think she should go out like that. MY own DD dressed up to the nines when she was little, got it all out of her system and now she dresses quite calmly in a way which suits her. Friends of hers restricted by their mothers now go out looking like a dog's dinner or worse. Early and preteen iIS the time for going OTT.
    I forgot my DD hasn't totally lost her sense of fun, New Year's day had her sitting ion the sofa in jeans but wearing a tiara (grin)

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  4. I totally agree! There's a duo in my backyard (one is a fairly big-name machine quilter and the other sells crystals) that over-do every quilt they enter into contests. My motto is "Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD.". Sometimes more is just more.

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  5. *Quietly applauding*

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  6. Anonymous9:20 AM

    AMEN!!! sometimes it looks like fiber vomit all over the quilt. sorry, but it does...

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  7. It could be that those who produce heavily embellished quilts are going through their pre-teen stage and will quiet down once they find their quiet, still, confident voice. Or perhaps they are the ones who weren't allowed to be a little outlandish when they were teens! There is place for all personal expression, whether it be outlandish or fine art quilts (such as those created by Mel). As someone who just found my creative voice five years ago (after thirty years in hiding) I understand and accept creative expression at every level. (IMHO) :-)

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  8. What? You can never have too much pink or boas! Can you?

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  9. Love the boots....

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  10. Anonymous11:15 AM

    I think Glory looks marvelous. She definately has a style of her own that that I would encourage.

    What a cutie.

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  11. Anonymous12:05 PM

    Glory lives up to her name! My girls love dress up too. The younger has outgrown the princess phase but the older, well, she will always be a diva....

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  12. It is one of my soapbox issues also. As Susan says, "Just because you can...." I particularly notice the over embellishing at the big QShows, but I don't see a lot of those quilts with award ribbons. I think Quilting Arts devotees do want to try everything, but, PLEASE, not all on the same quilt.

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  13. Anonymous1:58 PM

    Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD.

    Susan! That's my motto, too! It really is appropriate for all eventualities, from art quilt embellishment to, oh, I don't know, say...soloists 'embellishing' the melody of the National Anthem at a major sporting event?

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  14. My motto is Less is More.
    It stands me in good stead in a lot of areas. Apart from food! my weakness.

    Here to visit from Wanda, & I have enjoyed my visit, very much.

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  15. Glory Be Darling! Well put.
    Looks like you girls are having a blast

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  16. Anonymous3:42 PM

    For those of us who just aren't comfortable with encrustation this affirmation is very welcome. I have shied away from some guilds because I felt my quilts looked 'underdressed' by comparison, and I don't want to add all the trimmings. Some of them, and sometimes, yes- but making an Easter bonnet version of a quilt isn't for me.

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  17. Anonymous4:46 PM

    That picture reminds me of one of you with quite a few of your shawls on your shoulders!!!!!!

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  18. Anonymous4:57 PM

    Ms Mel, I just love your niece!!! Glory is a SCREAM!!!
    What a girl, I hope she grows up to be just the same 'a bit over-the-edge' adult.

    Ahhh yes, those quilts. But it is the same with many things for some people (and I won't call names) with some, if more is good then let's add the whole shebang!!!

    Happy New Year Ms Mel, in case I had forgotten to wish you one...lol.

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  19. Anonymous7:57 PM

    I agree, but I'm so bad at embelishing. I don't wear jewelry and I have no knick-knacks in my house. So everytime I try to embelish looks stupid to me. I kinda of admire the people who can go over the top. But to embelish solely so you can call your quilt an "Art Quilt" is sort od silly.
    Liz

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  20. Oh the beads and the angelina and the sequins and the sparkly stuff--eeeeee~! It's also my soapbox and I get in trouble with my friends when I say so. Glad you said it.

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  21. oh sigh...I use beads..I like the added sparkle. I do struggle with the over-done aspect. However, my next few ideas have no beads planned so maybe there is something to the 'pre teen' thing after all.

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  22. Okay, I have to say that I love beads and that I wanted to learn how to quilt just so I could sew beads on it!!! I love heavily encrusted beading and the sparkle! There is a place in the world of quilting for that and perhaps a show could divide the categories a bit because there is no way to compare a full trapunto quilt done in one material with an art quilt layered with beads, and funky fibers.
    Cheers, Denise

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Hello,
So nice of you to drop by. I love your comments, and if you would really like a reply, please email me at fibermania at g mail dot com