Solid Quilts

by Anne Brill @anneelizzy

When I first learned about the modern quilt movement, I was told that solid fabrics were a key feature. As a modern artist uses paint strokes of pure color, so does a modern quilter use solid fabric. Modern quilters were not the first quilters to use solids. Amish quilters have always used a palette of solid colors often combined with black. The quilters of Gee’s Bend have also made use of solid fabrics with a very different look.

Amish Quilts

The Amish do not use printed or patterned fabrics in their clothing or in their quilts. Their aesthetic is humility, simplicity, and practicality. Although their fabrics and piecing are plain and simple, their quilting designs are not. Here are two examples of Amish quilts.
The one on the left is Pennsylvania Sunshine and Shadow circa 1930s and on the right is Diamond in a Square dated 1959. Both Photos are courtesy of East Meets West Antiques.

Gee’s Bend Quilts

The Gee’s Bend quilters of Alabama also used solids in striking color combinations. The quilters of Gee’s Bend are Black women descended from slaves of the Pettway plantation in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, an isolated, rural community. Noted for their vibrant colors and improvisational designs, Gee’s Bend quilts are typically made from reused clothing such as denim, wool, flannel, and cotton.
Here are two photos that Meg took while visiting the Baltimore Museum of Art.
The one on the left is Four Block Strip circa 1960 by Loretta Pettway and on the right is Diamond in Square circa 1950 by Pearlie Irby Pettway.
There also is an article from a past Smithsonian Magazine “Fabric of their Lives” by Amei Wallach. Check out the pictures!

Modern Art

Modern art is a great source of inspiration for working with solid fabrics. Abstract art of the mid-century modern period is particularly notable for its use of many colors and geometric shapes. Op Art features optical illusions that can also be translated into fabric with great success. Quilters Nancy Crow and Maria Shell have created fantastic work inspired by modern art. Some artists to explore are: Sol LeWitt, Frank Stella, Gene Davis, Piet Mondrian, Josef and Anni Albers, Yaacov Agam, Bridget Riley, Stanley Whitney and many more.

It is always better to see art in person, and there are many museums in Washington, DC but here are some websites to explore:

Museum of Modern Art

National Gallery of Art

Hirshhorn Museum

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Now, back to our challenge:

Some things to know about solids: solid fabric has no right or wrong side. This can make it easy to work with but sometimes frustrating because when placing right sides together, the right side is not easily identified and it’s easy to get mixed up. Also, solid fabrics are less expensive than printed fabrics, always a good thing!

Most major fabric manufacturers have their own line of solids: Moda Bella Solids, Robert Kaufman Kona solids, Michael Miller Cotton Couture, etc. It is fine to mix different lines of solids but many quilters develop their own preference and stick to it. There are color cards that can be useful to have a reference to the myriad shades of solid fabrics and their colorful names, although I don’t use these. I do like to keep the various shades of white labeled by writing the manufacturer and color on the selvedge.
When using solid fabrics in a quilt, it is helpful to have a high contrast background fabric to give the eye a place to rest. Many Amish quilts use black. On the opposite end of the spectrum, white makes every color pop. One of the fun things about working with solids is seeing how adjacent colors are affected by one another. Time to break out your color wheel!

Canva has a little bit of background on color theory as well as a quick way to play with the color wheel. Pick a color, pick a color combination and see what you get. Click right over there and play a bit… it’s ok, we’ll wait for you!

In addition, limiting your fabric choices to solids emphasizes the geometric shapes of the patchwork since your eye is not distracted by busy prints. Quilts made from solids can be either minimalist or maximalist depending on the complexity of the piecing.

An important factor in a quilt made from solid fabric is deciding how to quilt it. Quilting is much more visible on a solid fabric than on printed fabric. Amish quilts are often elaborately hand-quilted with swags, feathers, and wreaths. The modern quilter may wish to do likewise but with free-motion quilting or with overall, straight-line quilting. Gee’s Bend quilts were often tied (giving a three-dimensional aspect) or quilted in a utilitarian fashion.

Solids Challenge: Make a baby quilt using only solid fabrics. Use one of the following as your inspiration:

Here is an Amish style quilt that Lynne @tinkingalong made
And then her updated version
Two quilts that remind me of the Gee’s Bend aesthetic, one by Melinda (@quirkygranolagirl) using an improv style
And the other by Jenn (@slightlybiasedquilts), using her own pattern, Wavelet, modeled after the Ocean Waves traditional block.
Silvia (@astrangerview) drew inspiration from Ellsworth Kelly for this quilt. Keep in mind, this is just the back of the quilt, but she creatively added gentle curves to large pieces of fabric. This would make a great, quick baby quilt.
And because I cannot resist even though this is not an all solids quilt, here is the front of the same quilt, clearly inspired by the classic Calder mobile. Thank you Silvia for the photos!
If prints are your default, follow a pattern you’ve been wanting to try but use all solids, as I (@anneelizzy) did with my Meadowland quilt
And Robin (@robinbirdrobin) did with her Showering Stars quilt. You may be struck by how much more the pattern design stands out!
Go rogue with your rotary cutter and just have fun as Lynne did with this one.