All tied up ! Quilts made from neckties

We're wrapping up our tie quilt series (and tying up the loose ends). Here are the fantastic quilts we've shown over the last two weeks, along with some invaluable resources: books, patterns, websites, blogs, and tutorials (whew !)

Row 1, L-R: Ira's Quilt, and Key Quilt, by Bet Ison at Home for Wayward Babydolls; Silk Orange Peel and Carnival, by Stacey Sharman at Peppermint Pinwheels.  Row 2: Tie Quilt by Bette Haddon at Studio Art Quilts; TieBurst by Matthew Spong at mspong.org; Corporate Attire, by Dale Fleming at dalefleming.com; Unwinding the MBA, by Caryl Bryer Fallert at Bryerpatch Studio.  Row 3:  Power Ties in Bloom, by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood, at Craft Sanity; Movement, by Louise Silk, at Silk Quilt; Tie Quilt by Renay Martin, at Purse Strings Patterns; Wedding Quilt, by Matthew Spong, at mspong.org. Row 4: Power Ties in Bloom, by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood at Craft Sanity;  Tie Repeat, by Louise Silk at Silk Quilt; Silk Tie Quilt, by Nancy Goodman, at nwgoodman.com; Tie Quilt, by Nancy Sturgeon, at Threads Through Time.  Row 5:  Catch, by Nancy Gamon, at nancygamon; Small tie quilt, by Nancy Sturgeon, at Threads Through Time; Silk Tie Quilt, by Nancy Goodman, at nwgoodman.com; Necktie hanging, by Nancy Gamon, at nancygamon.

Patterns for Tie Quilts

Row 1: Pieced Silk Tie Quilt from 1865, Shelburne Museum collection, pattern at Hoopla Patterns; "Untitled" and "Enticement", by Karen K. Stone (these out-of-print patterns can be found at Embroidery Etcetera).  Row 2: Making Memories, by Deb Rowden; Quilts for Guys, by Cyndy Rymer; Daddy's Ties, by Shirley Botsford.  Row 3:  Indian Orange Peel quilt, in Karen K. Stone Quilts; and Bella Bella Quilts by Norah McMeeking.

Memory Quilts: see Alix Joyal at Mamaka Mills (and her tutorial, how to sew a memory quilt using a silk tie); Lori Mason at Lori Mason Designs; Connie Bloom at conniebloom.com; and Cheryl Kirk at Sweet Dreams Quilting.

More necktie quilts and interesting blogs:  See "I've been working on the railroad", by Nann Blaine Hillyard, at With Strings Attached; Silk Treasure, by Barbara Hruby, at the Northern Lake County Quilters Guild; Sewing with Neckties and Woof Nanny are blogs written by Barb Lawrence.

Waste not, want not: a quilting tradition

Once upon a time... there was a magical place, just at the edge of the Appalachian mountains. A place where lost things are found; the discarded made useful. In this place, in Eastern Kentucky, quilting has a rich history and tradition that thrives to this day. This is the home of quilter Bet Ison and the Ison family, and where we found Bet's magnificent quilts.

Ira's quilt, by Bet Ison,  Home for Wayward Babydolls

We've always been fascinated by mathematical quilts, along with quilts made from ties and reclaimed clothing. This amazing quilt was made with denim, velveteen, neckties, and brocade. The quilt uses the golden mean to make a spiral, which you may know as a Fibonacci spiral. Did you also know that the golden mean was a fundamental principle in Greek philosophy? The Greeks believed there to be three 'ingredients' to beauty: symmetry, proportion, and harmony. They were very much attuned to beauty as an object of love. You can see this principle at work in Bet Ison's quilts.

Key Quilt, by Bet Ison, Home for Wayward Babydolls

We're enthralled by the Key Quilt, which is Bet Ison's masterpiece.  It took 7 years to make  (other quilts were made during this time.)  The quilt is about the things for which we all search, and about the epiphanies we have - those moments when suddenly the path to our goal becomes clear.  The quilt has a continuous line of color transformation  -- mostly made with ties!  Bet used other materials (old shirt, coat lining, scrap velvet, etc) for the repeating solid colors. The quilt is full of little games, stories and jokes.  For instance the border is a celtic "key" design.  In the photo above, the photo is shown hanging in Bet's former studio, where you can also see rows of neckties on the wall.  If you view the large image on Flickr you can read and ponder the embroidered quotations (e.g., "Chance favors the prepared mind"). 

Last but not least, here is a story about Bet Ison and her quilts from the Foothills Quilt Project (November, 2010)....

Image credits and links: Images are shown with the generous permission of Bet Ison.  You can also see a live interview of Bet Ison at the Eastern Kentucky Arts Project. There are some beautiful photos of the Home for Wayward Babydolls on Flickr.