Antique Amish Quilts in Tilburg ...

....... don't forget to go.

You can see the exhibition till the 4th of october in De Pont Museum. I thought it was amazing. It brought back the good memories of my holiday in Philaldelphia we were visited an Amish community and had dinner.

The collection is mostly from one family the "Lapp" and "Zook" and dates between1890 - 1940.

 In this collection they used mostly dark quilt thread.

 I always thougt at Amish Quilts with dark solid fabric. The solid fabrics are right, but they also use very bright interesting colors. They say that they can only wear and use the colours allowed by the church for their own quilts. They love simple shapes, some say they are inspired by the fences, or the ploughed rows in the field.

 They use simple quiltblocks, like the bars, diamond in a square and the nine-patch. There quilting is amazing, very interesting and rich.

 One of my favorites: diamond within a square. Does it mean anything. Experts have different opinions about it: In many symbolic systems, the points of a diamond negotiate the realms between sky and water, the unknowable God and our physical world.

The quiltpatterns are amazing, very cheerful. They love stars, grapes, flowers, stars..... lots and lots of inspiration.

In the early 1700s Amish colonists began settling in the rich farmlands of Pennsylvania and the Midwest. They emigrated from Europe with the hope that they would be able to have the freedom to live according to the principles of their religion. Those early Amish women did not quilt, rather using the featherbeds traditionally used in Europe. Over time, contact with outsiders combined with necessity, Amish women began creating quilts with the characteristic beauty and craftsmanship that are the hallmark of amish quilts. Read more about Amish Quilts