Bold Expressions

Bold Expressions: African American Quilts from the Collection of Corrine Riley the exhibit displays stunning colors and wonderfully liberating patterns unique to the American Folk Art tradition and popularized by the perhaps, better known quilters of Gee's Bend. As with the other quilts in those collections, these celebrate bold improvisational skills and modern takes on traditional quilt blocks and patterns. Many of the quilts are made from found materials of old flour sacks, jean materials and old work clothes utilizing a variety of construction techniques and quilting styles.

Bold Expressions: African American Quilts from the Collection of Corrine Rileycan be seen at the Bellevue Arts Museum June 14 - October 7, 2012

I was lucky enough on my searching to find a downloadable pdf of all of the quilts and their info: Corrine Riley's Collection of African-American Quilts.

And while no truly liberated and unique quilt should be copied or come with a pattern, the pdf gives fabulous ideas for what blocks actually appear in many of the quilts and help us to see the non traditional mindset as it evolves through both creative expression and necessity of use of the materials available at the time to these amazing quilters.

See more at the website linked below or at the exhibit, itself!

Bold Expressions: African American Quilts from the Collection of Corrine Rileycan be seen at the Bellevue Arts Museum June 14 - October 7, 2012

Makes you want to cut up some old clothes, doesn't it. But then, if you have been previously inspired by other such exhibits, as I have been by the Gee's Bend quilters..you might be running out of old clothes! Beautiful visual delights no matter what!


Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska. Sharing thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join in the Liberated Quilting Challenge and make or donate small art quilts to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) Help us change the world, one little quilt at a time!