"Design Dynamics of Log Cabin Quilts: Selections from the Jonathan Holstein Collection"
Curated by Judy Schwender, IQSC Curatorial Graduate Student
May 28, 2004 - August 31, 2004
Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery,UNL
Log Cabin quilts became an extremely popular American quilt style during the last quarter of the 19th century. As early as 1863, Log Cabin quilts were being made by American women, as evidenced by commendations quiltmakers received for Log Cabin quilts at the Ohio State Fair. The increasing popularity of Log Cabin quilts throughout the United States is indicated by the addition of categories and premiums for Log Cabin quilts at state and agricultural fairs. At the Nebraska State Fair, for example, Log Cabin quilts were accorded their own category in 1886 and 1887.
A Courthouse Steps Log Cabin quilt included in this exhibition has the name "Mary Groff" and the date "1871" embroidered on it. This quilt is particularly important because it is one of the earliest known date-inscribed Log Cabin quilts.
The quilts in this exhibition showcased the abundance of fabric choices available to American women during the latter half of the 19th century as a result of the Industrial Revolution. By the mid-1850s, many American textile printing factories were bringing over one thousand new designs to market each year. Some quilts in this exhibition feature more than 100 different cotton prints.
The position of light and dark fabric pieces is very important in quilt block design. What the human eye seeks first when viewing an object or image is value contrasting at the point at which the darkest dark of a design meets the lightest light. In Log Cabin quilt blocks, value contrast usually occurs along a diagonal. This quality often translates into an overall diagonal movement across the surface of Log Cabin quilts, increasing their visual liveliness.
Also contributing to the dynamic quality of Log Cabin quilts is the fact that the human eye combines the myriad dark fabrics (and alternatively, light fabrics) into a single unit as it searches for patterns formed by dark and light areas. This visual involvement engages us psychologically and emotionally and contributes significantly to the dynamic quality of Log Cabin quilts.
