I have rescued 6 quilts from THE LANDFILL. They would be en route to the clothing mountain overseas without my intervention. I will use the textile I saved however I please.
I have quilts from the 1930’s that are family heirlooms but I’m the last person on that side of the family. Selfish enough to want to use them for something… I have cats who would ruin them if they were on my bed. So… what should I do according to this video? Waste them? And what about the other ones that I have - made in the 1980’s and, while handmade, were machine washed too many times and parts are falling apart- but not worth enough to repair? Oh, yeah, gonna repurpose. I’d rather that rather them going to waste.
Yeah being sent to other countries as waste, then the people of that country pretends that they invented quilting and try to appropriate the entire history of quilts, the materials, and quilters.
it could be argued that reconstructing these quilts into new configurations does far more for preserving the legacy and interest in quilting than conserving them in collections and museums. someday these clothing items will be collected and adored by future generations
My quilt chore coat was an investment. I paid for quality & supported a working woman. I picked my coat based on the wear & stains knowing I was going to appreciate the hands that originally put it together, & the hands the brought new life into it shaping into something to be used & loved in a new way. I hope my daughters fight over who gets my quilt coat. They will know the story of their mother celebrating her birthday as a self employed woman investing in another self employed woman. The story continues & evolves. It doesn't end with the original maker.
@@ianszymczak1823 instead of chopping it up. I don’t totally agree with everything on this video but I do feel sad that perfectly good quilts are being decimated for fashion when we have so many alternatives
I'm a quilter and i love making them for people. I don't sell them for any profit. But seriously, when a gift (a quilt or anything else) is given, the receiver can do whatever they want with it. There is no condition on the gift when I give it. I watched the whole video, and it seems to me there are so many more issues in the world to give emotion and passion to. I'm thankful my hands can sew and work a needle and all the other parts of quilting that create. I have sent a few of my grandmother's 1930's quilts to the quilt museum in Paducah. They say people take them and restore them or rework them. I will never see them again so if they cut them up to make another quilt or another craft, that's great!!! There's so much more to life than fabric.
A quilt getting musty in the basement is saved if it is repurposed into a garment worn daily. Would you rather see the quilt tossed in the municipal dump?? This makes me ill listening to this nonsense.
"Slicing up women's history"? That's a loaded opinion, for sure. I'm a male quilter. I gave my sister a huge Christmas quilt and she hates it. My own fault for giving a handmade gift to someone who doesn't appreciate those. I fully expect her to sell it for $10 when I "buy the farm". If the buyer cuts it up into an ugly ruffled collar, a tote bag and sweatpants, I like to think I'd be happy to see my hard work given a new adventure by another creative person who saw more opportunities for it than I did. I just made this quilt, but it's already vintage 2021. Keep your eyes peeled for a Christmas-themed dog sweater in a few years' time. Please don't stab the maker because they have my blessing to make as many ugly things their hearts desire from my quilts.
Yes tho I think she makes the point that while there are men quilters -current and past- the history of quilting, quilts and needle work is where you find, read and learn womens history. And in the taking apart of these documents without understanding what you have on your hands is destroying that which cannot be remade and women's history. A contemporary quilter on the other hand can have a say (like you did) in what happens to their quilts.
Nothing lasts forever. I LOVE quilts and have many of them, some over 100 years old. My mom made quilts and her advice was “use them” dont hide them away or put on the wall. She would have been thrilled to see one of her much loved quilts, worn to bare threads in some places, cut up and made into a wearable. Nothing lasts forever.
As a quilter, I often make bags, and coats out of quilts and orphan blocks. The fact that so many quilts wind up at Goodwill, and flea markets for sale, for next to nothing, tells me that a lot of non-quilters simply don't value our finished product.
Please find me one of these fabulous goodwill quilts. (most of the ones you see are not handmade or they are whole cloth blankets, not quilts) Feedsack quilts sell for $200 and up. They are becoming super scarce
Laura I totally agree. Wish I could reply with a picture of the bottom of my linen closet which is full of hand made quilts and unfinished tops I have thrifted, paying at most $25. ( yes a lot are damaged And yes I chop them up into other thing. )
Where do you live? I'm in CA USA, I check thrift shops regularly & I have seen NOTHING IN THE WAY OF HAND SEWING QUILTS, FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS. She's not talking about a quilt from Nordstrom's, Harrah's, Gottshalks, or any other mass manufacturers. And yes beauty is recognized, the old patterns and designs, everything the Amish make, everything hanging in museums, the individuals invented stitching designs, are copied by mass manufacturers. They are absolutely gorgeous. However they are not the topic, this is NOT what she's talking about ON THIS TH-cam VIDEO. You must be working the docks where the donations come in, & snatching them up for your goody-to-go bag. What state do you live in?
@@pennytull7578 I live in Oklahoma, and as someone who has been quilting for 30+ years, am offended that you consider a stitched blanket from mass retailers, a quilt!
Actually that is a thing. Thrifting and antiquing is much better off of the East and west coasts. Wichita, amazing antiques and everything coasts a nickel. If you are looking for stacks of hand made quilts for a few bucks try a rural south thrift store.
And, another thing...Weren't quilts made by deconstructing worn clothing? Think about that. Women, cut up garments, made by a woman's hand, and turned them into something new and functional when they outlived the original function. What the heck? That's what quilts were. Extending the life of fabrics that had a previous life. But once that fabric makes it into a quilt, it's now a quilt forever? End of the line? Can't be cut up, like the garment it came from, and reused? Absurd. But, I think Mary's point is in the context of trends and fast fashion. She didn't make that point by lumping things all together. Gosh, this really has me worked up.
I absolutely love my quilt coat. I wear my coat everyday to do chores-tending the chickens, raking in the fall, shoveling in the winter, chopping wood, and anything that needs to be done indoors on chilly winter days. If I could thank whoever made it and tell them how much it means to me and how if I was buried I’d choose to wear it of all things, I would. I didn’t know it was a trend gaining steam, I just figured it had to be ridiculously comfy given it was made from a quilt and I wasn’t mistaken.
As an artist, sometimes I create for the joy of creating. Not everything I make has sentimental value or purpose, a-lot of it gets discarded or given away. I feel like you are forgetting that sometimes it's the process of making art that holds importance to the creator, the finished product is not the main focus.
I understand how you feel but let's be real - these quilts are not being STOLEN from people to make clothes. The quilts have been freely given up for sale (either by the maker or the family) and rather than them sit somewhere unused or worse, be thrown out, they are being used for clothing. I don't see the issue with it.
Exactly. I told my husband if someone stole the quilts, then I understand the angst Mary has over them being cut up - but I've not heard of any collection of quilts being stolen and then sold in bulk to use as clothing.
Right Sharon. Because if you made a quilt, gave it to someone, and they cut it up into reusable butt wipes... you'd be peachy about it. After all you gave it away, it belongs to them now, they can do what they want with it.
@@devon6294 When I give someone a quilt then it is theirs to do with whatever they see fit. In my opinion quilts are made to be used - and it's up to the owner to decide what that means.
I understand the point but I think it is a bit dramatic. There are quilt museums, and still are quilters around, like yourself and many others. I value their history and you convey their meaning very clearly. I value all things that stand the test of time in terms of aesthetics and design. Yet If quilts ended in the thrift store because someone didn't want them (ad but true), should it stay there until someone who wants to use it as a cover and a cover only (sure picnic seating, or wall hanging) buys it? If my family member had made a heirloom piece, I would keep it like a treasure. But why is wearing it not an honourable solution to an orfan quilt? The owner will love it and wear it and parade it. Quilt garments are also quite pricy and they are handmade so not everyone can afford to partake in the trend. To those quilts that no one wanted, who have now become wearable items, will come the quilts of new makers.
I agree, and would also like to add that this is what clothes fashion has done for centuries. We have so many historical small size dresses remaining because those were the garments that could not be remade into the newer fashion. Larger dresses were cut up and made into something new. Quilts are art that have resulted from hardwork, but are still ultimately just a thing. Goodwill has deadstock and contributes to landfills too, that is part of why thrift stores can be so problematic.
I would love to have one of my quilts cut up and used as a “bum bag” rather than folded up and put somewhere “safe” until the fold lines are permanently etched on the fabric - never would look right on a bed again.
Sure. But you are still living and are able to make that choice for your work. The people who's quilts are being cut up don't get that choice, and who are we to just go ahead and decide for them?
@@halleysanders9129 really? All people? Each one of them? What about works of art by Monet, Rembrandt, Klimt, etc. They are dead, too. Should we cut up their work and 'repurpose' them into postcards. Someone's death does not give us ownership of choice over their work. We can make a good bet that those quilts were made to be in tact and likely either wall art or coverings. Beyond that we don't have the right to place value-based assumptions on another person's work, living or dead.
@@katiemartin6625 Isn't saving the work a value based assumption? Why are a select few dead dubbed as "artists" when so many do art? Someone's death does not automatically add value. Value is assigned by the living.
I agree with you. My daughter is interested in a quilt coat and showed me pictures. She was a bit dismayed when she realized they were made from cut up old quilts. I told her I’d make a new quilt then use it for clothing.
Judy, your comparison is like comparing apples to oranges, it's not the same. Many antique quilts were made from repurposed clothing too, but they are history, many hand pieced, hand quilted. Goodwill clothing is generally commercially produced. It's not destroying history, as cutting up antique quilts, esp if they're in excellent shape.
Not all quilts are keepers. Not all quilts are irreplaceable objects. Not all quilts are records of the people who made them and to be honest in the 20 years I was a quilter very few of the hundred quilts I made told my story, let alone the story of our nation! Having moved from the quilt world to the art world I have learned that once a piece is done and has moved from your hands . . . it is no longer yours to control. Some of my quilts are in museums, some on my bed, others have, I am sure, crumbled to dust . . . and I am okay with that. I have passed all of the antique quilt tops and blocks that I collected to an artist who I know will cut them up, will mold them, glue them, paint them and create something wonderous from them. Ralph Lauren was selling clothing made from antique quilts in the 80's and he didn't make a dent in the supply and I truly doubt the current trend will have much impact either.
Yas! If a quilt has been commercialized and sold, it is now a consumable good. Rules no longer need apply. Treating all quilts like precious historic artifacts across the board is impractical and silly. I think the idea that quilts are art is true and to stay that way, there needs to be permission for experimentation and seeing quilts in new interpretations, even ones we don’t like and approve of.
I live next to a goodwill outlet, its basically where they sell unwanted donations by the pound. It's the next step before they get sent overseas or end up in the landfill. I buy quilts to resell, if they are in good condition I will sell them as is. if they are not antique or anything special but have stains and/ or rips I will repurpose them or sell them in bulk to crafters for them to repurpose. Its better than them ending up in the landfill.
My best end-of-quilt story was watching one that was made as a wedding quilt by my mother for her grandson (my nephew) being used to take the sick dog to the vet. Quilts are a labor of love, and the love goes out the door when it is gifted. The quilter is on to the next project. My personal standard over the years has been “I don’t repair quilts. Once they are out of my door, I don’t want to see them again.” I hope the quilts I’ve gifted will be well used, and if the end user takes it beyond my creativity, so be it!
I personally love the idea of wearing & showing off something like this. It’s a treasured piece that now can be worn everyday! It’s a conversation starter & a beautiful item of clothing.
Yes! The number of young people brought into our craft that had otherwise failed to appeal to that generation who started because they wanted to make a quilt coat is staggering. I’d actually argue we should credit the trend for helping to preserve an art form
@@ashlee0lee hi new quilter/sewist here! I started quilting because of the popularity of quilt clothing items. I think Mary is a mean and hateful on the topic in this video. Quilt clothing is the reason why myself and so many others have flocked to the craft! It’s truly the younger generations (gen z myself) that are keeping quilting alive.
@@ashlee0lee I was wondering the same thing. it seems like wearing quilts is making them everyday for younger set and away from "that's only for old people" like so many think.
I’m going to make a quilt coat out of the bedspread I grew up with. It’s just a store bought one, but it’s a lovely pattern and very sentimental to me. I’m gonna get a few quilts from goodwill to practice, and when I’m sure I have it down, I’ll use that one.
When you buy your pattern you'll find on the side recommended fabrics to use. The reason is because different fabrics hang differently stretch differently and it will look nothing like the picture, if you don't use something close to what is recommended. There are many sewing shops that give lessons, If you don't have anyone to help you. You can buy yardage of the recommended material type, with colors, patterns, batiks etc.. for a hell of a lot less money than you can a quilt or a blanket at Goodwill / Salvation Army. Walmart carries fabrics to practice with, as well as some famous name designer lines. Your time is valuable. YOU can make something you really like & enjoy wearing for your practice. It won't fall apart or shrink in Laundry or dry cleaning either.
A mass produced bedspread and a pieced quilt aren’t the same thing. I think the video is about the wholesale destruction of handcrafted quilts, (including those sewn by machine by individuals).
Well, all I have to say is, who died and put her in charge of the quilts of the world? People have been cutting up quilts for Years, and I don't mean just the last five years either. She would be really upset if she had any idea of how many quilts are given to the homeless, and how many are distributed to victims of hurricanes. In the comments I rad this referred to as a first world problem. Ain't it the truth? Lets all just take a breath, chill out, and run down to the thrift store! I need some flannel shirts for some child size quilts I plan to donate to the local children's cancer center. I hear no outcry about using up those flannel shirts, do any of you? It is only little pieces of fabric sewn together. Lets make use of them in whatever format we can. Everybody have a great day!
This is the worst take I’ve ever seen. Embarrassing. Your personal morality associated with the lives of quilts is no more important than anybody else’s just because you bear the last name Fons. If people value quilts in another form, bully for them. It’s better than those quilts sitting discarded in thrift stores, ultimately ending up in landfills. Almost all of the jackets I’ve seen are made from mass produced patterns, the same kinds of quilts you and I make today buying a pattern in a quilt store. They are NOT cornerstone pieces of culture. It’s the same as finding a canvas that a hobby artist used in a thrift store and painting over that painting - actually, it’s better because the original quilt is preserved in some way. If the alternative were that these quilts were being cherished in their original form, you’d be close to having a point, but they aren’t. I love and value antique quilts, you love and value antique quilts, but without this “trend,” society does not. They. End. Up. As. Garbage. I’ve seen it my entire life. It breaks my heart, so I’m elated to see these items be given a second shot. Also your argument that this is appropriating quilt culture is unbelievably problematic, and is harmful to minorities who experience actual appropriation. This is not appropriation, check your privilege. For this reason alone you should take this video down.
As an art quilter since the ‘70’s, a collector of old tops and quilt blocks as well as a lover of antique pieces, I confess to being ok with using a quilt for any purpose I see. It’s a way to keep a piece in the world as either a new quilt or pieced into something else. I would not cut into just any old quilt, but if it can be used again in a new life, so much the better. I will agree with part of your thesis, but add one word.SOME quilts should not be cutters as you say. SOME beg to be ‘renewed’. Some should probably never have been made. Recently I was in an exhibit where I cut up 200 of my old quilt works to make a point of things…and art…being transient. My ‘muse’ for this was a 100 year old beautiful silk log cabin I bought in PA quilt country. I hung it and watched it rotting and dropping pieces every week until all that was left were the seams. Now several of the surviving pieces are framed behind glass to enjoy it a few more years. Do you feel the same way worrying about Indian Kantha pieces? They were also representative of some woman’s work, pieced and stitched. They seem to appreciate them as a way to make money from their skills to support their families. Why are our quilts any different? In addition, when one buys quilt fabric, or old clothes at Goodwill, or indeed, cutter quilts OR fabulous antique examples, it is up to the current owner to decide how to use each. And I applaud anyone who appreciates the work done, whether by some unknown woman, a quilt guild, or even me. I love reworking old and useless scrap pieces- things long past their viewable life.
I have been a proud quilter for several decades. I could not finish this video as I found it quite offensive. Mary Fons does NOT speak for all quilters. Mary, would you really rather these old quilts go to landfills instead of being re-purposed?
I'm with you. I have so many issues with this video that it's eye-opening. When she made reference to life and the m word, I couldn't believe exactly what I had seen.
I have a costume design background and study historical fashion. Textile items have been recycled, up-cycled, and cut apart since the beginning of clothing itself. Historically, fabric was expensive to produce and purchase. Hence quilts being made up from small scraps of offcuts in the first place. Nothing was wasted. If grandma had a dress from the 1780s, a woman might refashion it into a style fit for the 1820s. We have many extant refashioned and reused textiles in museums. Similarly, if there are piles of unappreciated quilts sitting in landfills and thrift stores that aren't being used or seen by anyone, and someone comes along and upcycles it into something that will be used and appreciated, it only prolongs the legacy and sustainability of that item. Something our ancestors did all the time.
I watched your video entirely. I am a quilter and love quilts as well. Most are gifts that I hope are loved and cherished. But at the end of a day, it is a gift with the owner to do as they see fit. I have bought several items made from old quilts and I love them too. Pincushions and stuffed animals are my favorites. I think about all the pincushions that were made from a worn out quilt that are now being enjoyed by a lot of people not just stuffed in a closet with no one to enjoy any part of that quilt. The reality is quilts do get worn, do wear out. If parts can be saved, why not? I love to go to garage sales and i have not run across many quilts, not many at all. At one point, i did purchase a worn out quilt with the idea of cutting it up and stitching it onto something else. But i have to admit, i cant bring myself to do it. So it sits on a shelf. I would never offer it up as a source of warmth to a guest, i would not want to hang it on a wall. It just isnt enjoyed by anyone. I once bought a quilt at an antique store. It was old, and dirty - crunchy even. Stained and worn. I didnt think it would survive a washing. I donated it to a museum. There was no date or signature - just understood that someone at some point made it. So does it just go on a shelf somewhere too? I also can say I've never seen anyone wear an old quilt as a garment and not sure I'd get too upset over it. The man you showed wearing the quilt as a giant cape looked like it was getting drug along the ground - thats kind of a mis use of a quilt too. I didnt much appreciate your use of profanity and although I got your point, those words didn't help your case. These quilts are being used and enjoyed. Not sure this is truly a crisis or even a disgrace.
I thought the same thing about 'wearing' a quilt while dragging it over concrete. It is now pretty much ruined and ready to be cut up and made into other things.
if a quilt is sitting in someone’s basement for decades or tossed to a goodwill, it’s clear that it wasn’t being loved. i don’t see anything wrong with it being turned into something else that someone new will love for a few more decades
You really think this trend will last a “few more decades”? Because it won’t. So someone will have cut up a quilt and made a coat and someone may wear it for a while and get some joy from it and then it will sit in someone’s basement or be tossed to a goodwill. Why not donate the quilt to someone who needs a quilt? 🤷🏻♀️ If you need a coat made of a quilt…. It makes more sense and is less wasteful to make a new quilt.
It was in goodwill. If it's not bought, it's going to the landfill ! So no if you want to use it better than the landfill. And most people who want a coat will keep the coat. I plan to make one and will wear it until I die or give it to someone who wants to wear it. . People who want one could careless about trends. They want what they want. The fact that this lady decides that she gets to decide what a person does with what they bought is beyond me. When I find one I'm making me a coat. If that item was so important to the person or family they wouldn't have given it to away.
As someone who is quite educated on upcycling, zero waste and is a fast-fashion activist, I find your video highly offensive. The art of turning something used, worn, and turning it into something usable or wearable is a decades old practice that literally is saving our landfills. That is something we should be encouraging, not making fun of or discouraging. The immature nature of your video and “jokingly threatening“ people who repurpose quilts is childish and disconcerting. It’s one thing to be knowledgeable about quilts and share your knowledge while encouraging people to save a beautiful art. But shaming people is not the direction to go in. We live in a world of fast fashion where our landfills are being littered; and encouraging people to use quilts to turn into clothing or other items is a positive step towards a zero waste future. We have an environmental responsibility to this earth if we want to undo what has happened to it. Not to mention the benefit it has on mental health, and how we should not be discouraging to that factor. I am certain that the makers of these quilts would not want them to be thrown away, or go into the landfill, so relax and please stop shaming people for their creative choices.
I appreciate your love of quilts, but to make fun of people for their fashion choices is just being a bully. If someone loves jumpsuits, bucket hats, or collars, regardless of what it is made of, good for them! We should wear whatever makes us happy.
If you don’t know what a chore coat is, you may be very out of touch with the women who needed to make quilts to communicate. These hard working women would have had outside chores early in the morning such as tending animals and collecting wood. Even if they did not make these coats from quilts in the past they probably wouldn’t have been offended by the idea. If you were not wealthy, quilts were made from scraps. Basically they were thrifty fashion and that thrifty fashion is still happening today. We can’t save it all or we would all be hoarders. I’m sure the hard working women of the past would embrace reuse. A museum piece makes me believe that this must be true. It was a quilt made from donated clothing that did not fit anyone in the family. The clothes were made into strips and turned into a quilt even though clothes were time consuming to make and could have found a second life as they were. People created what they needed with what they had.
For heaven's sake, not every quilt is precious. I make quilts. Regular everyday quilts. I have no delusions of grandeur that my quilts are such untouchable high art that they should be preserved for eternity. I'm so happy when I visit my daughter and see 2 or 3 of my quilts in various stages of clean and on the floors and furniture, left there by grandkids. Quilts I made years ago sometimes make me cringe even though at the time I loved them, or at least liked them enough to finish them. I am also a bag maker and grandmother, so I have used quilt blocks to make bibs (that will be covered in food!) and tote bags, and I am pleased with how they turned out. I continued to watch long after I realized you're in it just for the drama and I have seen a few of your other videos so I expected that. Also, the awkwardly dropped F bombs and Bull$*t are just annoying and really don't have the aura to pull that off so don't do it.
you’re right, these points are incredibly patronizing. to say that fashion isn’t serious and to demean independent designers really subtracts from every point you tried to make. many of these points could be flipped on their head and turned back at your arguments too, but from the perspective of designers, even without the condescending commentary. fashion is history, fashion is art, fashion is culture, in the same way that quilting is. many of these arguments conclude that a seamstress, a designer, a clothing maker or whatever you want to call it is less than a quilter. reducing beautiful pieces of wearable art to garbage. designers don’t fail to recognize the art of quilting but you fail to recognize the art of fashion.
Right. Fashion is totally historical and important. But so are quilts. When you cut up a quilt you are altering forever that piece of artwork without the designer's consent.
Would you cut up a Monet to make a scrapbook? Something to use one season and toss? Clothing is fashionable one season and then we’re on to the next fad. Quilts are works of art. They are treasured and memorialized in museums. Women spent years collecting these treasured scraps of fabric, many holding cherished memories of baptismal dresses, a deceased husband’s dress shirt (maybe the only one he owned). To cut these precious works to pieces, to wear when a million alternatives are available, is a slap in the face to every woman who has ever held a needle in her hand and lovingly joined her precious memories into an historical fabric canvas called a quilt.
I couldn't resist. At 17:15 in you mention that 'you can repair them' as a solution to what to do with an old quilt that has problems. As a quilter, I really don't want to spend my time repairing a quilt. I was given one one time "to repair' because that person found one and just thought of me. I didn't want to do it. I gave it to my husband to use in his garage - just like I give all my old quilts to him for such use. I did not ask permission either - I just did it. The person had given it to me. I find it interesting that you don't seem to think that "old quilts can die". They are fabric. They will wear out. They will become irrelevant. If there are millions of quilters in the USA and each one makes only 1 a year, that means there are 'millions' of quilts being produced yearly. And frankly, most quilters I know make far, far more than 1 a year! I don't think we are running the risk of running out of supply any time soon. I've been quilting now for about 15 years and made hundreds and hundreds of quilts. I would not care if anyone cuts one of my quilts I've given them up to make into a coat.
This is offensive to me and I’m sure to many other quilters. Are you saying I shouldn’t have rescued the quilt from our Savers .. that was going in the dumpster .. and made a coat with it? Do not judge when people are using quilts to make lovely items. They are not lambs to the slaughter and I don’t appreciate your language either!! I am a quilter but love my jacket for working in my garden. I can’t wear my quilts but I can wear my jacket to get others asking questions and maybe beginning to quilt themselves!
So her arguments don't really hold water particularly well - she says "who are you" to decide this quilt should be turned into fabric? Um, "who are you" to decide it can't be? Pretty sure the Quilt Gods didn't come down and mandate quilted material must always stay in it's original shape. This is what capitalism is and if you don't want people to buy quilts to turn them into fashion, buy it yourself and put it in a museum. She's also mad at the argument that not everyone would want their quilt to be used in fashion, but how does she know the creator's intention? Again, if there's a huge concern, I don't understand why not put it in your will to donate to a museum so you don't have to be concerned about an unappreciative family member giving it away. Also, "appropriation" of quilt culture? Really? So quilts must be relegated to a blanket shape - no one is allowed to display them differently and show the art off to a different audience? Also, she's saying a designer didn't "work" for the art - is clothing design somehow not considered work now? Pretty sure they likely put a lot of effort into showcasing the best part(s) of the original quilt design if they're good at what they do. Who is she to decide fashion "isn't that serious"? She doesn't want to "cancel" anyone? Than what is the point of her video - at least be honest with your intentions. LOL, it's not sustainable because death is a thing? That doesn't even make sense...assuming the energy taken to turn a quilt into a duster is less than the energy it takes to create a duster from scratch (which it's a safe assumption in this case), that's literally the definition of sustainable, but ok...based on that theory no one should upcycle anything. Don't touch that wedding dress and make it more fashionable so someone might actually wear it again! Someone might have once loved it the way it is and died so OFF LIMITS!!! That's just nonsense...should we stop taking currency out of circulation too - there could be a collector's item hiding among the thousands of regular bills and coins. Going to say if it's sitting at a garage sale or Goodwill, it's not currently "of use" - does that mean I can't buy furniture and re-upholster or re-stain/paint it because it "could be" historic? You know what can be as useful as a blanket? A jacket. Also, a quilt "rescue", really? One: she could do that herself. Two: most people don't have the money to afford to do that. Three: quilts are now on the same level as living, breathing animals who do need care and affection to survive? Four: the quilts likely weren't at Goodwill because there's a large audience who appreciates them so who's going to buy and care for all these "rescued" quilts? In summary this lady's "arguments" are not well founded. She clearly has a passion, but one person's passion doesn't mean no else can go against that passion, ESPECIALLY when she's not using well founded arguments. If it bothers her this much, she'd better start buying up every quilt she can find since it's all sacred material. Also disclaimer that I have never personally cut up a quilt to use as a garment or purchased a garment that came from a quilt - I simply dislike poor arguments.
Preach! There are documentation projects around the world that are preserving and archiving quilt history. Plus not every quilt is wanted by a museum. They aren’t all historically significant that’s not how museum collections work. Just because a quilt exists doesn’t mean it is telling a fully realized history. Someone needs to interpret it. Maybe the fashion trend of quilt clothing is significant to history, and adds to our understanding of the importance of quilts, who is to say? What is quilt culture? There is quite a debate among quilters about what even constitutes a proper quilt and what quilt culture is or should be. Three things that honestly shocked me in this video: 1. comparing the act of cutting a quilt to actual murder (yikes, not ok, pretty flippant regard of victims of violent crime) 2. That fashion isn’t serious-it absolutely is serious, economies around the world rely on fashion. People express themselves through fashion, it is art. 3. That this is somehow misogynistic? I don’t see it. Textiles are repurposed all the time regardless of who made them. The same quilts being cut may have been made of old handmade clothes. What does that say about the the effort put into making that clothing? Or weaving the fabric that made that clothing? Quilts don’t last forever the fabric degrades it will eventually decompose why not use it. If it makes you happy, make a coat. I don’t understand the emotion behind this, we cut books up for collage, furniture is reupholstered, woven blankets might be repurposed for clothing too. Why are quilts more precious?
She's not deciding it can't be cut up. She's saying it shouldn't be. Kinda like when someone says you shouldn't cut old growth trees down. You could reply with 'well whoever owns them should be able to do whatever they want to to it' I guess sure if that's your argument you could and would win. I think she's trying to express that the value of them is not recognized and therefor they are seen as something that can be 'used however you want'. So, she's trying to express that there is a value there that people dont know about. Also, do look into the history of wills (men and women's )and then especially women's wills (and then women's creative work who have no real connection to the world of wills or museums or wouldn't even think that what they're making is of any value). She's just making the argument that as a historian/writer/quilter working in the quilt world for many many years she is seeing that people don't know what they are cutting up. They just dont even know what is in their hands. Also, it's not sustainable because there is a fixed amount of quilts made prior to say 1960 - it's not sustainable because you can't make more of those it's a finite number. I think that was her point regarding sustainability.
@@selah5792 If she wanted someone to appreciate the art of quilting, she went about it completely wrong. She _is_ deciding quilts cannot be cut, and _she's telling you_ not to do it either. You say "They just dont even know what is in their hands" but she's not spreading her quilting passion through education and history to grow wonder and love in others. She's just shutting people down.
A quilt isn't an old growth tree. Comparing an inanimate object to a living organism just highlights how ridiculous the argument is. That being said, still how capitalism works - you get to use what you own in the manner you see fit. You could regulate it, but I doubt most people are going to be on board with that considering how many quilts are being thrifted. Are you doing to dedicate your time to saving and researching all the "saved" quilts with no historical documentation to go on? In terms of sustainability, it actually still is sustainable because of this thing called time. If quilts from the 60s are now vintage, in about 5-10 quilts from the 70s will become vintage opening up more options. I'd also bet plenty of people are making clothes out of non-vintage quilts which will eventually get tossed if they don't sell.
I think it is kind of silly, because quilt coats don’t really do anything for me, but I also think if the people who are inheriting the quilts don’t want them anymore, and no one else is wanting to have them to use as a quilt, even for a couple of bucks at an auction, I would rather they go into a quilt coat than a landfill. My mother-in-law has a couple of vintage family quilts, and she doesn’t like them or use them (or store them properly/refold/air them, and she knew the makers). My husband also doesn’t like them, and I make quilts…I want to decorate my home with things I make and love, just like my mother-in-law has chosen to do. Why should I be burdened with a quilt that I don’t like that I didn’t know the maker of just to preserve it, when it isn’t of a quality that any museum or anything would want? I don’t have enough storage space as it is, and what good is it doing anyone sitting folded incorrectly in her closet? If someone wants to use them to make something functional/fun that someone is willing to buy, I just don’t see that that is so wrong. Anyway, I hear your argument, and while I wish I had quilts from my grandma because she was special to me, quilts from a stranger just don’t hold that appeal for me…especially when they haven’t been cared for properly. Having said all of that, I have been working on a quilt for my mom that is EPP, completely stitched and appliquéd by hand, and yes, with the number of hours I have put into it, I hope she enjoys it and that when she is no longer here I can find another relative who will enjoy it for as long as it holds up. But it’s not my style of fabric. I had fun making it, because I know she will love it, but I don’t expect my kid or grandkid to have to keep it forever just because I made it. I’d rather people enjoy what I make, use it up, wear it out, and give me an excuse to make another quilt. 🤷♀️
Ellie, those are good points. Not all quilts can find loving homes or appreciative descendants to pass them down to. Sad. But Mary is focusing largely on quilts which are being cut up even though they are of high quality, rarity, and in good condition, and that destruction is a loss to quilt history. True, we can’t keep them all, but….
@@noelquentin57 If that was her argument, I'd agree but she references hating "quilt drops" and from her photos *most* of those quilts are NOT historic. She seems to think every quilt ever made should somehow be kept in perpetuity
@@kaitinearnest1719 I think its not that the quilts are historic in the sense that that are famous quilts - its that quilts are womens history -untold and devalued -and when you read them that way it's cutting up history and historic documents. That's my sense of what she means by they are finite objects of history.
This video is ridiculous. My grandmas quilts told no story. Neither did my great grandmas. Nobody wants old quilts. You need to check your privilege and keep your crazy quiet.
Hate to tell you, but you don’t speak for me and I’ve been a quilter for 50 years. I’ve made many quilts over the years, and I inherited probably 100 tops and 50 quilts hand quilted. Every one of them were made from scraps in the 30’s-50’s. We used many over the years of raising kids and grands. But times have changed in my 70 years. Our beds have become king sized and these small quilts fit none of our beds. Also, our homes are much warmer! I have donated many to charities and shelters, but now I’ve given the remainder of my stock to a niece who sews them into gorgeous pieces. These quilt makers would be thrilled to see them come to life again. I hate to disagree with a fellow quilt lover,, but we all have different views. Don’t speak for all of us!
You are one person, with one opinion, to which each is entitled their own, however you chose to express this opinion in an incredibly disrespectful, judgmental, absolutist, and bullying way. Images of my work and my body were used without my consent, and those images were insulted and made assumptions about. I would have appreciated being reached out to and engaged in a meaningful conversation, but that was not the case. If you used even an ounce of your, time, and energy, and directed it towards one of the many crises going on (included, of course, but not limited to the fast fashion industry and the impact that is having on our planet), I am confident you would be on a path to creating positive change.
WOW! Sorry that happened to you. The video was image heavy and no credits were given - so isn't that taking slices of women's work without working for it yourself?
Yeah the irony that she was so dramatic about it being an act of destroying woman's art but then... spends a few minutes insulting and degrading what's mostly probably women's art...... this video came up in my recommended because I sew, but it felt like a fever dream or a parody of outrage
You are waaaaay overreacting 🤦🏼♀️ no one is cutting up their BELOVED grandmother’s quilt. I would never. But I’m totally taking a quilt that is partially destroyed by heat because it was improperly stored and turning the parts I can salvage into a jacket for my oldest son. I will pass it down through all my children, then save it for my grandchildren. Most people making quilt coats are salvaging old, unloved, partially destroyed coats. You are trippin 😂
I'm obsessed with those statement collars and can't wait to purchase one from one of the lovely small businesses you showed off here. Same with the jumpsuits and all the other items you've shown that have been lovingly repurposed into new items I would wear every single day. In fact, I recognize some of the images you used and have actually bought pieces from those super lovely, amazing, creative, and crazy talented women! They are some of my favorite items of clothing and I wear them all the time! How awesome is it that these indie creators are creating something new and loved from something that someone else discarded. I have several quilts from my grandmother and great grandmother. Once I'm gone if someone wants to turn them into clothes that they would love and wear often I'd be thrilled! Right now they're just sitting on a shelf in my room, waiting to come down for the occasional cold day inside the house. How awesome it would be if one day one was turned into a coat that someone wore out and about, showing it off to the world.
Thank you for your opinion. Quilts are not irreplaceable objects. Let's put this in perspective (and I'm sorry if this has been addressed). Let's say there are 10,000 quilters (a complete understatement) and they quilt for 10 years and they make 5 quilts a year. At the end of that 10 years you would have 500,000 quilts (5*10 = 50 (per quilter) (50 * 10,000 = 500,000)). There are not enough quilt museums or private collectors that could absorb that quantity of quilts, and that's not even a rough estimation of how many quilts have been made in the even the last 20 years. How many books, videos, classes that promote how it's fast and easy (and I'm not saying that that is a negative), but that plays into this as well. It would be one thing if every quilt produced was handpieced and hand quilted, but most are just not important to the overall history of quilts. If someone took a 100-year old quilt and cut it up, I can see the issue with that. One of the reasons that old quilts are valuable is due to their scarcity. There is a huge distinction between quilts made for function and say those made purposely to be heirlooms, memory quilts or competition quilts. Once the quilt leaves the makers hands, it no longer belongs to them. Repurposing a quilt is just a continuation of what a quilt was to begin with, a way to not let something go to waste.
I've seen people on Instagram that truly are buying vintage, hand-stitched quilts, beautiful ones and chopping them up to make and sell bags and Christmas ornaments and other things. They will post a picture with a date when the items will be up for sale and the items will all be sold within a couple of hours. They are beautiful and nostalgic to look at but so disturbing to see that beautiful hand-made quilt destroyed for a few trinkets that will be tossed aside later when the fad is gone. I love those things but I'm with Mary on this. Cut up the mass produced quilts. Not the old hand-made ones.
@barbaraolm2570 so what? The person who sewed it is dead and there's plenty pf quilts in a museum. If it was so precious, why was it ever for sale or available for someone to purchase, no strings attached?
I made stockings for my family from my Daddy's clothes. He passed almost 3 years ago. There was a ton of time and love going into something that small. My grandma made a of us grandkids 11 of us a quilt totally by hand. So much love and time went into each top.
Does the fact that these generic quilts made with mass produced fabric in the 80s and 90s are stacked several feet high in people's garages not make you pause and think, maybe these aren't particularly rare and worth preserving? I understand preserving quilts with genuine historical value but...what history being lost here? Also, several of your examples of repurposed quilts are recognizably projects made by quilters in that form. E.g., several of those vests, tote bags and skirts were patterns I remember available at Joann's. There are hundreds of project designs sold to quilters to make with quilting squares.
I made a coat out of a quilt my grandma made for me and she loved it. To each their own I guess. Maybe next time you could approach the situation less hatefully. ♥️♥️
I think a big portion of her point is that the original designers of most of these quilts didn't get a say. It seems like maybe your grandma did and was happy to have her work altered. We can't assume the same for every quilt.
Thats funny - defund the quilt police. But its true, I think the quilt police have ruined our craft for a lot of people. My sister is always referring to how her quilts will be judged. That's just sad.
I promise you that your grandmother who labored making a quilt for you with love did not appreciate you cutting it up for a coat that you could have purchased from the local five and dime.
More than enough has been said about the callous delivery of your views here that I won't add to them (other than to say how callous you have been!) Here's what I will say. I have spent the last decade creating what I believe is a beautiful garden where I live. We built our house from the ground up and our land was previously part of a sheep paddock. I've spent maybe too much money on plants, I've created compost, I've planted seeds, I've weeded, I've lamented plants that didn't work, I've hauled rocks and bricks to edge the beds, so on and so on. You get the picture. We've created a gorgeous garden that has won prizes. This garden is a record of our blood, sweat and tears. We're now looking at selling our much loved property and moving elsewhere. Perhaps I should write into the sale contract that the garden should never be altered by the new owners? Or should I let it go so the new owners can make it their own? When we are no longer here, the garden is no longer ours. Permission to alter is implied and granted by change of ownership. Like it or not.
I kept thinking of the house analogy while watching!! one can hope that the new owners will find a way to keep your garden alive, or at least honor the work you’ve done. this is something we hope with lots of architecture that gets into new hands. but it seems like Mary is advocating for some psychic/aesthetic policing that just doesn’t make sense
Just some food for thought. I came across your video in an upcyclers group. The post hasn't been up for long and already there are hundreds of comments. I didn't see any who agree with you. You have however, given many people new found inspiration. Your video may be doing more damage than good.
Please!? The other side of the coin is - What beautiful gowns, blouses were cut up to make those quilts in the first place? You could say that those garments are lost in history! Historically, Quilts were made purely for warmth when times were hard! “Who are you to make that call?” 🙀🙀🙀🙀
Your claim that this is appropriating quilt culture is harmful to minorities who experience actual appropriation. This video is cringeworthy and filled with entitlement and privilege. The amount of misinformation is disturbing.
Please then, tell us what to do with grandma’s quilts? I have stored them for 30, years as have the prior two generations of my family. I need to downsize and my sons and their wives have absolutely no interest in the. They are just country quilts. Nothing unusual or museum quality. Where do they go for the next 100 years?
Who in the world do you think you are virtue signaling on how people decide to honor or profit from objects they buy or inherit ! Think about the enormous implications of your high horse judgementalism ! Is it a sin to appreciate , cut up , and re-create ANYTHING from the detritus of our past /culture/heritage/ ? Stop making moral judgements about a personal and private decision. Just go on marketing, exploiting,and commercialising in your own fashion.You are enriching yourself on the backs of those exploited in the ridiculous billion dollar quilt industry The waste is disgusting ! Let those of us who want to unravel a sweater to make our own, cut up shirts to make quilts, take apart ladders to make stools,respectfully make collages , journals, and greeting cards out of old, abandoned books, ephemera from bygone days, and maps; in short , to do exactly what our grandmothers (who you imagine you are defending) did..... re-purpose, re-use, re-create: giving new and fresh life to cast-offs or discarded objects. I have made countless legacy -quality quilts by hand for posterity , each loaded with significance and love.If I came back from the dead a hundred years from now I would rejoice if my efforts were reborn into a contemporary expression of my own labors of love and creativity.You certainly do not speak for all of us,
How is this a virtue signal? Isnt she putting her self as a public figure on the line which is the what it means to 'walk the talk'? Also, all the things you list that you like to do are the things she is saying people should do. She's just trying to protect women's history due to the volume of older quilts being cut up.
I feel your pain! I would be devastated if a hundred years from now someone cut up my quilts and turned them into fast fashion. I will continue saving as many vintage and antique tops and quilts so future generations. Thank you for putting this out there. I will share this video with all of my quilting and sewing groups. Thank you!!! 😊
Sorry but things get repurposed all the time. I work in a bar that used to be a welding shop. You can turn someone’s ashes into a diamond. My mom makes flower planters out of old tires. Does that make the original form less meaningful? No. Also, I believe using old blankets or quilts to make clothing is actually much more sustainable than sourcing from brand new fabric, which ultimately contributes to the wastefulness of the fashion industry. Saying you want to stab someone for making clothing out of quilts is a bit insane. Please let your high horse run off on his own.
I just found this video and appreciate your heart. I was going to make a quilted coat but with my own scraps of fabric. I love seeing all the quilts behind you!
I listened. I'm kind of on the fence here. Personally I think quilt clothing is ridiculous looking and you're right in saying that the people who bought those "designer" pieces have probably never worn them. Is it murder? Mmmm...that's a stretch. The quilts have been discarded by their owners. They weren't wanted. Someone else picked them up and said "I can use that". What they use it for is their business. Don't forget the Gees Bend quilters actually burned a lot of their quilts when they weren't wanted anymore. Yes, a lot of time, talent and love go into making a quilt and someday some of those significant quilts will be priceless gifts from the past worth their weight in whatever currency we're using. But the majority of them will just be old quilts that aren't worth saving or preserving because they just aren't remarkable. So while I feel your pain and certainly understand where you're coming from...I also feel that there can be new life in things unwanted. And if another creative eye can see that quilt in a completely new way, go for it! And yes, I am a quilter. And yes, if someone took something I had made and cut it up to make something they felt was more useful to them, COOL! I'll make you another one and see what else you can do with it, lol!
yes. I feel the same. If someone wants to take one of my old quilts and cut it up and make a coat out of it - as long as they don't steal it from my house - I'm 100% fine with it.
Some one needs to get a perspective on life! She does not speak for all quilters especially those of us around the world who do not see the quilt world through your American centric viewpoint.
Totally disagree. These aren't museum pieces a lot of the time...I'm a quilter. I make quilts especially to cut up to make clothes. I have some vintage quilts that are falling apart. It's better to upcycle them than to let them rot in a closet or someone's attic. I don't know who made any of the quilts, I don't have any emotional tiles to them.
You actually took this too far. You sound so self righteous. As a woman who also quilts and loves old sewn items, it's not as serious as you're acting. Some quilts are treasured and should remain whole, others can be cherished as a different item. Clothing is not disposable and a coat can be used by multiple generations. It's so much more important to use items that already exist and find new ways for them to take care of us than to treat a single item like its so precious. For example a great life cycle for fabric could be clothing is sewn by home sewers, those scraps make quilts, that quilt makes a jacket when it is no longer wanted as a quilt, and then it becomes rags for cleaning when that jacket is falling apart. Embrace change.
I think your video makes for valuable conversation as the comments show. I'd love to own an old quilt but the cost is pretty high when I look online. I've picked up three basic ones in thrift stores here in Australia and now my grandsons use them as nap blankets when they come to stay. You are obviously passionate about what you do and love. There's nothing wrong with that. I hope the discussions held here help others express their ideas too and that everyone is heard. I'm making my own quilt. It's a long slow process handstitching it but the joy is in the making for me and the telling of our cultural backgrounds and our family stories. And if my next generation do not wish to hold onto it, that's ok because it served it's purpose helping me through this crazy time in our world and my anxiety. x
Former goodwill employee here! I can't speak for all locations, but at the store I worked anything that didn't sell within a certain period of time was pulled off the sales floor and thrown away. I understand feeling icky about cutting up your grandmothers favorite quilt or destroying an antique, but a quilt you find at a thrift store usually has little, if any, identifiable information on the date made and the person who made it. It is so much better for a teenager to buy the quilt and make something they'll use than have it be thrown away after a month on the sales floor. Sewing a jacket or a pair of pants is just as much a labor of love as quilting.
Hay Bella Z, Who worked at a Goodwill store. I guess you couldn't figure out a way to Google up the value of any quilts you were looking at to make a profit, or save a piece of art. You Still can't, you have to be familiar with textiles. This video has important REAL information. Your not interested, could care less.
@Sewing With Lawayne She didn't work there long. No doubt about that. Goodwill & Salvation Army's across USA practice the same procedures for the retail outlets.
I am not a quilt maker but i am a quilt lover. I love the colors and the patterns and love the time someone put into it. They are beautiful pieces of art. Unfortunately not everyone agrees with that. There are a lot of people out there who could care less about them and have no interest. Otherwise you would not see so many at goodwill, flea markets and being sold online. A few years ago i won a vintage quilt that was auctioned off for charity. I cherish it and would never cut it up flaws and all. But some of us see no beauty in quilts and have no passion for them and might even toss them. I would rather see those quilts made into a usable item rather than being discarded or packed away somewhere never to see the light of day. Besides that if you bought it and own it you should be able to do anything you like with it.
There are more quilts than you can shake a stick at. People don’t want to pay for the work put into a quilt and are always looking for bargains. Not all quilts are gorgeous works of art or have a family history. It all comes down to the market. Simple as that.
In the Midwest quilt coats and other quilt clothing has been worn for many many years. Use it or it just rots away. Who are you to bash people for using the quilts that no one else wanted. Shame on you for not wanting others to enjoy quilts no matter how they are used. I am a quilter, does not bother me one bit. Get off your high horse!
Mary Fons, your moral plea in this video raises a serious question for me. If cutting a quilt is murder, then how would you describe the various, endless, brutal, and bloody wars and interventions waged abroad by the US military? And how, then, are we to view a project like "Quilts of Valor" which endeavors to award the literal foot soldiers of America's disastrous and murderous foreign policy with jingoistic little star-spangled quilt trophies once they get home? I'm squinting hard to see the moral/fashion issue here, especially when I don't see any tears for those murdered by the US military in our never ending misadventures abroad. Mary, your heart aches for the history and craftsmanship of American women. But can you spare a thought or a tear for the history of the women in the Middle East, in Latin America, in Asia? Who have been actually murdered, not metaphorically, but actually murdered, by the recipients of your quilts of "Valor"? Does the thought of celebrating the US war machine not get you going quite like fanny packs...? lmao what an extremely clueless, disingenuous person
I personally don't see anything wrong with creating something new from a quilt that nobody wants. It's better than it ending up in the landfill. I would want someone to give one of my quilts a new life if it became old and dusty and nobody wanted it. Plus, who are you to tell others what they can and cannot do.
@@angelavaladez6450 You obviously did not get my point. If a quilt is just sitting in someone's closet taking up space and collecting dust why shouldn't they turn it into something they'll actually use? And other people's quilts are none of her concern, she should stop telling people how to live there lives and butt out.
Respectfully, you are appropriating the word appropriation. Also aren’t all those little pieces being made from the scraps from making other things. I have made things out of quilts - quilts made in China. Has this been addressed? The mass made quilts? This is a trend and it will pass.
It is recycling, same as using up crocheted dollies, hand knitted sweaters and old wedding gowns. Just because you inherited a name does not make you a the highest authority to dictate what happens to the old quilts.
Relax, Mary. There are far more important issues in life than making a jacket out of a quilt. Far better for a quilt to be loved as a jacket than ending up in a dusty museum where few people ever sees it.
We can't collect every thing, and today's work becomes tomorrow's antiques, in the past quilts were constructed from other old garments or used fabrics, the cycle of fabric life. We need representation of each generation, and then use the rest in new creations to be loved again. If the antique or older quilts aren't preserved properly, silverfish and time will ruin them anyway.
I have a vintage star quilt made by my grandma and possibly great grandma from the 30s and I would never be able to cut it up and would cry if someone did. I totally agree with you on the upcycling argument.
Here’s the thing: most of these quilts being used would have ended up in landfills if they weren’t repurposed. There are more quilts than we know what to do with and families of legacy quilts are clearly not interested in them. This trend is environmentally friendly and the clothes will be long-lasting. Because of the sheer volume, quilts really aren’t worth all that much financially. And really, a rising tide floats all boats. This will inevitably create renewed interest in the art of quilt making in a new generation.
True I buy quilts from a warehouse where they sell used textiles before they send them over seas or to the landfill. There are so many quilts there, and if I don't buy them they will just get sent over seas.
This would have had a very different impact if you had shown that the quilts being repurposed are actually historical/cultural items rather than items just going to a landfill. And then applauding target for producing a fast fashion dupe? Many others have said this far more eloquently than me, but this was not a convincing series of arguments in the slightest. To equivocate small designers making one of a kind hand made clothing items and fast fashion is beyond bizarre. Also, anthropomorphising objects does not aid your position, all it does it expose the privilege from which you are speaking.
Here's the deal, it is obvious that if a quilt is on the market, in the charity shop, or blah, blah blah...Nobody 'values' that quilt. If those quilts next stop is a landfill, then cutting it up to make garments extends those quilts life cycle.
I think why people like Mary and myself get so upset is because we're seeing a beautiful tradition we love lose it's value. Quilts are an important part of our history, but they're not as important to people any more. Most people think it's silly that I love spending years hand sewing intricate quilts when I could go buy something cheap for $30 from kmart. It is upsetting to see the loss of value in something that had held so much importance in history. I think that's the core issue here
This video has my heart pounding. I would like to challenge any person or designer to make their own quilt and then watch someone cut it up. Great job Mary. I stand with you on this emergency. Preserve our quilt history!
Wow this is one of the most dramatic “first world problems” videos I’ve seen in a while. It’s almost like repurposing old quilts that would otherwise live forever in storage or in landfills could actually bring lots of people joy. Who is going to repair every old quilt out there? No one. There are lots more people who are willing to breathe new life into old quilts and transition them into other forms. It is also much more sustainable to use pre used fabric and quilts than to make things from new materials.
Your comment doesn’t make me think you are a quilter. People that do not actually make quilts usually do not understand the love, labor, time, and self that goes into every single stitch. The value is just not understood and this trend shows, it’s not respected. It’s so very sad and destructive.
Coming from a “younger” quilter I know the love and labor that goes into quilting. And when I’m gone and someone somewhere finds my pieces and decides to put their own love and labor and their creativity into giving that piece a new life. Well. The thought of it brings happy tears to my eyes and comforts me to know a piece of me lives on somewhere, and will bring joy to someone I never would have been able to reach otherwise.
@@spiveytina no this isn't a unique sentiment in this video. If you have 100 of any item a museum's will only take maybe a dozen. The rest should be reused repurposed, recycled. Yes love goes into the making, but if that love is forgotten or lost let it be revived.
I may have to watch this video two or three more times just to look at the quilts again. I love the one with the ties. I recently bought 48 quilt blocks from a nice old quilt that had been cut up because I want to put it back together. The most fun part is finding the right fabric to replace the damaged parts.
So your saying your art is more important than someone else's. We paint over old canvas, break pottery for mosaics, break up jewellery, Cut up old clothes Recut diamonds and precious stones Reuse old lace / embroidery / rugs Revive furniture Do I live all of people's choices?, no. Do I think its a waste?, sometimes Do I think its better that landfills or rotting in a store, cupboard, basement or attic?, yes.
I've been thinking about making a jacket with 'quilt parts,' but I'm going to make the separate pieces I need (I do make quilts too) I'm glad you mentioned that this was a perfectly ok thing to do. I bought a pattern, Love Notions Coda quilted coat, and first I'll use what they have, and then create on my own - and hold me head high! I have some of my husband's great grandma's creations, and a few I got from a Lutheran Children's home from about the same period, that though some are just tops, would NEVER think of cutting them up. Thanks for this video, I didn't realize how huge this has gotten.
I agree with a lot of this (and personally, will probably skip a quilt coat now) but a huge part of this argument requires viewing a quilt as a historical document and treasure and a piece of clothing as disposable. But I think apparel carries far more historical relevancy and speaks more to context and personal history than a quilt (for most of us non-quilters). And you mentioned quilts as women's' history-- Clothing is also women's history and made mostly by women (especially these small designers in the vid). And while we are all wary of trends, clothing trends when viewed in a historical context are just as important as pop culture trends, lifestyle trends, etc and are a reflection of current events. SO I agree with your thoughts but would be more "on board" if the reasoning and tone wasn't so dismissive of the importance and meaning of fashion and clothing.
Great. Do the trend but stop cutting up quilts you didn't make. One if the main points here was the egocentric notion that it is ok to decided to alter the original purpose of the quilt. To alter the design by cutting it apart. These are pieces of art history. Preserve and protect them as you would any piece of art. Would it be ok to cut up a gown worn by princess Di for the sake of 'historical preservation ' via fashion? Did anyone obtain permission from the person who made these quilts to chop them up? No. We are assuming it's ok and using this nostalgic notion of historical preservation to justify destroying quilts. There is a finite ammout of historical quilts. You want the fashion, then make your own quilt and cut it up. Don't make that choice for another quilt designer.
@@katiemartin6625 "a gown worn by princess Di" really? Equating everyday quilts with that?? If any quilt was created for such a lofty recipient as a gown for Lady Diana, it's probably already in a museum. In most cases, beautiful quilts would have been created for the pure joy of the making (and quite likely thinking about who the quilt was being made for), but somewhere down the line, the owner of the quilt has *made their own choice* to sell it or give it away. Therein lies explicit permission for the new owner to do with the quilt what they will.
@@katiemartin6625 if you die or give your quilt away your forfeiting the right to say what happens to your art. Unless you attach a memo these are my wishes no one can know what your thoughts are on repurposing quilts. So stop putting your opinions onto others work. As demonstrated in the comments here alot of us don't have the same belief as you. If I made a quilt for a special occasion and someone cut it up with in a few years. I'd be upset but the same could be said for many presents. But most of my quilts i have just given to those who would appreciate them if they cut those up fir this purpose I would see it as a compliment.
My grandmother became a multi-millionaire creating her artwork in the form of quilts - Smithsonian Hall of Quilts. So, for anyone to choose to cut up artistry from a woman's labor is MURDER!
My parents own a thrift store. My mom came across a bunch of quilts with names on them that I don't even know. It's fully intact and hanging on my wall. I appreciate you making this video.
Could only watch 10 minutes of this video. I don’t understand what the problem is with repurposing quilts. It’s not like people to go a museum and steal historical quilts to make clothes out of them.
I am a quilter and am sickened to think finished quilts are used for cutting up to create clothing for pets and people, etc. These items - bags, pet clothing, coats, ‘collars’, etc can be made from scratch purposefully. But cutting up a finished product is sad. Thank you for your passion and covering this topic. ❤️
This is hilariously unhinged. Hope the actual grounded arguments being offered in this comment section inform you on the privilege you're speaking from.
Cows give up their lives to become a leather jacket or a pair of boots. In comparison, quilts aren’t sentient beings. When people won’t pay a quilter their worth, reinvention pays the bills. Desperate times.
As I rest in bed tonight under a $4 worn out quilt I bought at the thrift store, I am grateful for your courageous voice in behalf of women who joyously labor to create the best quilt they can in hopes it will be pasted forward and remind future generations that we are connected.
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Judy, I promise you, Grandma Barbara is up in heaven, more excited than ever that this random girl is prolonging the life of her quilt.
I have rescued 6 quilts from THE LANDFILL. They would be en route to the clothing mountain overseas without my intervention. I will use the textile I saved however I please.
I totally agree
But according to this Mary nut, sewer's aren't women.
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
I have quilts from the 1930’s that are family heirlooms but I’m the last person on that side of the family. Selfish enough to want to use them for something… I have cats who would ruin them if they were on my bed. So… what should I do according to this video? Waste them? And what about the other ones that I have - made in the 1980’s and, while handmade, were machine washed too many times and parts are falling apart- but not worth enough to repair? Oh, yeah, gonna repurpose. I’d rather that rather them going to waste.
Yeah being sent to other countries as waste, then the people of that country pretends that they invented quilting and try to appropriate the entire history of quilts, the materials, and quilters.
it could be argued that reconstructing these quilts into new configurations does far more for preserving the legacy and interest in quilting than conserving them in collections and museums. someday these clothing items will be collected and adored by future generations
My quilt chore coat was an investment. I paid for quality & supported a working woman. I picked my coat based on the wear & stains knowing I was going to appreciate the hands that originally put it together, & the hands the brought new life into it shaping into something to be used & loved in a new way. I hope my daughters fight over who gets my quilt coat. They will know the story of their mother celebrating her birthday as a self employed woman investing in another self employed woman. The story continues & evolves. It doesn't end with the original maker.
I agree. This video is so shortsighted, even narrow minded.
Or you could put it on your bed and use it?
@@paulinehutchinson1122 yes, you can. what's your point?
@@ianszymczak1823 instead of chopping it up. I don’t totally agree with everything on this video but I do feel sad that perfectly good quilts are being decimated for fashion when we have so many alternatives
you've inspired me.... to go to a thrift store and buy a well kept quilt and try to make my own quilt coat! maybe even 2. Thanks mary!
Thats very mean
@@paulinehutchinson1122 yes. So is her TH-cam.
@@paulinehutchinson1122 but not any meaner than Mary was. And, not near as arrogant as she was.
@@paulinehutchinson1122 Well deserved.
I'm a quilter and i love making them for people. I don't sell them for any profit. But seriously, when a gift (a quilt or anything else) is given, the receiver can do whatever they want with it. There is no condition on the gift when I give it. I watched the whole video, and it seems to me there are so many more issues in the world to give emotion and passion to. I'm thankful my hands can sew and work a needle and all the other parts of quilting that create. I have sent a few of my grandmother's 1930's quilts to the quilt museum in Paducah. They say people take them and restore them or rework them. I will never see them again so if they cut them up to make another quilt or another craft, that's great!!! There's so much more to life than fabric.
A quilt getting musty in the basement is saved if it is repurposed into a garment worn daily. Would you rather see the quilt tossed in the municipal dump?? This makes me ill listening to this nonsense.
"Slicing up women's history"? That's a loaded opinion, for sure. I'm a male quilter. I gave my sister a huge Christmas quilt and she hates it. My own fault for giving a handmade gift to someone who doesn't appreciate those. I fully expect her to sell it for $10 when I "buy the farm". If the buyer cuts it up into an ugly ruffled collar, a tote bag and sweatpants, I like to think I'd be happy to see my hard work given a new adventure by another creative person who saw more opportunities for it than I did. I just made this quilt, but it's already vintage 2021. Keep your eyes peeled for a Christmas-themed dog sweater in a few years' time. Please don't stab the maker because they have my blessing to make as many ugly things their hearts desire from my quilts.
Yes tho I think she makes the point that while there are men quilters -current and past- the history of quilting, quilts and needle work is where you find, read and learn womens history. And in the taking apart of these documents without understanding what you have on your hands is destroying that which cannot be remade and women's history. A contemporary quilter on the other hand can have a say (like you did) in what happens to their quilts.
But....you are alive and able to offer your opinion about what happens to your quilt....
Nothing lasts forever. I LOVE quilts and have many of them, some over 100 years old. My mom made quilts and her advice was “use them” dont hide them away or put on the wall. She would have been thrilled to see one of her much loved quilts, worn to bare threads in some places, cut up and made into a wearable. Nothing lasts forever.
You didn't listen, perfectly good quilts are being cut up.
@@paulinehutchinson1122 , if they are being cut up, it is because no one else wants them.
@@evmcelroy who says?
As a quilter, I often make bags, and coats out of quilts and orphan blocks. The fact that so many quilts wind up at Goodwill, and flea markets for sale, for next to nothing, tells me that a lot of non-quilters simply don't value our finished product.
Please find me one of these fabulous goodwill quilts. (most of the ones you see are not handmade or they are whole cloth blankets, not quilts) Feedsack quilts sell for $200 and up. They are becoming super scarce
Laura I totally agree. Wish I could reply with a picture of the bottom of my linen closet which is full of hand made quilts and unfinished tops I have thrifted, paying at most $25. ( yes a lot are damaged And yes I chop them up into other thing. )
Where do you live? I'm in CA USA, I check thrift shops regularly & I have seen NOTHING IN THE WAY OF HAND SEWING QUILTS, FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS.
She's not talking about a quilt from Nordstrom's, Harrah's, Gottshalks, or any other mass manufacturers. And yes beauty is recognized, the old patterns and designs, everything the Amish make, everything hanging in museums, the individuals invented stitching designs, are copied by mass manufacturers. They are absolutely gorgeous. However they are not the topic, this is NOT what she's talking about ON THIS TH-cam VIDEO.
You must be working the docks where the donations come in, & snatching them up for your goody-to-go bag.
What state do you live in?
@@pennytull7578 I live in Oklahoma, and as someone who has been quilting for 30+ years, am offended that you consider a stitched blanket from mass retailers, a quilt!
Actually that is a thing. Thrifting and antiquing is much better off of the East and west coasts. Wichita, amazing antiques and everything coasts a nickel. If you are looking for stacks of hand made quilts for a few bucks try a rural south thrift store.
And, another thing...Weren't quilts made by deconstructing worn clothing? Think about that. Women, cut up garments, made by a woman's hand, and turned them into something new and functional when they outlived the original function. What the heck? That's what quilts were. Extending the life of fabrics that had a previous life. But once that fabric makes it into a quilt, it's now a quilt forever? End of the line? Can't be cut up, like the garment it came from, and reused? Absurd. But, I think Mary's point is in the context of trends and fast fashion. She didn't make that point by lumping things all together. Gosh, this really has me worked up.
I absolutely love my quilt coat. I wear my coat everyday to do chores-tending the chickens, raking in the fall, shoveling in the winter, chopping wood, and anything that needs to be done indoors on chilly winter days. If I could thank whoever made it and tell them how much it means to me and how if I was buried I’d choose to wear it of all things, I would. I didn’t know it was a trend gaining steam, I just figured it had to be ridiculously comfy given it was made from a quilt and I wasn’t mistaken.
Bless you, at least you LOVE it so much.
As an artist, sometimes I create for the joy of creating. Not everything I make has sentimental value or purpose, a-lot of it gets discarded or given away. I feel like you are forgetting that sometimes it's the process of making art that holds importance to the creator, the finished product is not the main focus.
I understand how you feel but let's be real - these quilts are not being STOLEN from people to make clothes. The quilts have been freely given up for sale (either by the maker or the family) and rather than them sit somewhere unused or worse, be thrown out, they are being used for clothing. I don't see the issue with it.
Exactly. I told my husband if someone stole the quilts, then I understand the angst Mary has over them being cut up - but I've not heard of any collection of quilts being stolen and then sold in bulk to use as clothing.
Then you didn't listen to the video.
@@paulinehutchinson1122 I stopped listening at 18 mins, that was enough. She never said quilts were being stolen.
Right Sharon. Because if you made a quilt, gave it to someone, and they cut it up into reusable butt wipes... you'd be peachy about it.
After all you gave it away, it belongs to them now, they can do what they want with it.
@@devon6294 When I give someone a quilt then it is theirs to do with whatever they see fit. In my opinion quilts are made to be used - and it's up to the owner to decide what that means.
I understand the point but I think it is a bit dramatic. There are quilt museums, and still are quilters around, like yourself and many others. I value their history and you convey their meaning very clearly. I value all things that stand the test of time in terms of aesthetics and design. Yet If quilts ended in the thrift store because someone didn't want them (ad but true), should it stay there until someone who wants to use it as a cover and a cover only (sure picnic seating, or wall hanging) buys it? If my family member had made a heirloom piece, I would keep it like a treasure. But why is wearing it not an honourable solution to an orfan quilt? The owner will love it and wear it and parade it. Quilt garments are also quite pricy and they are handmade so not everyone can afford to partake in the trend. To those quilts that no one wanted, who have now become wearable items, will come the quilts of new makers.
I agree, and would also like to add that this is what clothes fashion has done for centuries. We have so many historical small size dresses remaining because those were the garments that could not be remade into the newer fashion. Larger dresses were cut up and made into something new. Quilts are art that have resulted from hardwork, but are still ultimately just a thing. Goodwill has deadstock and contributes to landfills too, that is part of why thrift stores can be so problematic.
I would love to have one of my quilts cut up and used as a “bum bag” rather than folded up and put somewhere “safe” until the fold lines are permanently etched on the fabric - never would look right on a bed again.
Sure. But you are still living and are able to make that choice for your work. The people who's quilts are being cut up don't get that choice, and who are we to just go ahead and decide for them?
@@katiemartin6625 But how does a person know that these are 'all' old quilts that are being cut up?
People who are dead do not care what is happening to old quilts they made, they are dead. I value quilts of all types and I value quilt clothes.
@@halleysanders9129 really? All people? Each one of them? What about works of art by Monet, Rembrandt, Klimt, etc. They are dead, too. Should we cut up their work and 'repurpose' them into postcards. Someone's death does not give us ownership of choice over their work. We can make a good bet that those quilts were made to be in tact and likely either wall art or coverings. Beyond that we don't have the right to place value-based assumptions on another person's work, living or dead.
@@katiemartin6625 Isn't saving the work a value based assumption? Why are a select few dead dubbed as "artists" when so many do art? Someone's death does not automatically add value. Value is assigned by the living.
I agree with you. My daughter is interested in a quilt coat and showed me pictures. She was a bit dismayed when she realized they were made from cut up old quilts. I told her I’d make a new quilt then use it for clothing.
I buy clothes from Goodwill and cut them up to make quilts.
Same ! Amazing patterns at times
That's the RIGHT way to do it.
You're not honoring those clothes!
@@newmooncrafts2927 Yes I am. They appear proudly as airplanes on the Spirit of St. Louis quilt.
Judy, your comparison is like comparing apples to oranges, it's not the same. Many antique quilts were made from repurposed clothing too, but they are history, many hand pieced, hand quilted. Goodwill clothing is generally commercially produced. It's not destroying history, as cutting up antique quilts, esp if they're in excellent shape.
Not all quilts are keepers. Not all quilts are irreplaceable objects. Not all quilts are records of the people who made them and to be honest in the 20 years I was a quilter very few of the hundred quilts I made told my story, let alone the story of our nation! Having moved from the quilt world to the art world I have learned that once a piece is done and has moved from your hands . . . it is no longer yours to control. Some of my quilts are in museums, some on my bed, others have, I am sure, crumbled to dust . . . and I am okay with that. I have passed all of the antique quilt tops and blocks that I collected to an artist who I know will cut them up, will mold them, glue them, paint them and create something wonderous from them. Ralph Lauren was selling clothing made from antique quilts in the 80's and he didn't make a dent in the supply and I truly doubt the current trend will have much impact either.
Very well stated. I agree with you and clearly many others have different feelings about the subject. Thanks again.
Yas! If a quilt has been commercialized and sold, it is now a consumable good. Rules no longer need apply. Treating all quilts like precious historic artifacts across the board is impractical and silly. I think the idea that quilts are art is true and to stay that way, there needs to be permission for experimentation and seeing quilts in new interpretations, even ones we don’t like and approve of.
I live next to a goodwill outlet, its basically where they sell unwanted donations by the pound. It's the next step before they get sent overseas or end up in the landfill. I buy quilts to resell, if they are in good condition I will sell them as is. if they are not antique or anything special but have stains and/ or rips I will repurpose them or sell them in bulk to crafters for them to repurpose. Its better than them ending up in the landfill.
My best end-of-quilt story was watching one that was made as a wedding quilt by my mother for her grandson (my nephew) being used to take the sick dog to the vet. Quilts are a labor of love, and the love goes out the door when it is gifted. The quilter is on to the next project. My personal standard over the years has been “I don’t repair quilts. Once they are out of my door, I don’t want to see them again.” I hope the quilts I’ve gifted will be well used, and if the end user takes it beyond my creativity, so be it!
Maybe *YOU* can establish a quilt rescue since you are so passionate about preventing quilt murder and appropriation? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
lol maybe she can rescue all the quilts herself that she deems to only be worthy of beds.
I personally love the idea of wearing & showing off something like this. It’s a treasured piece that now can be worn everyday! It’s a conversation starter & a beautiful item of clothing.
Yes! The number of young people brought into our craft that had otherwise failed to appeal to that generation who started because they wanted to make a quilt coat is staggering. I’d actually argue we should credit the trend for helping to preserve an art form
@@ashlee0lee hi new quilter/sewist here! I started quilting because of the popularity of quilt clothing items. I think Mary is a mean and hateful on the topic in this video. Quilt clothing is the reason why myself and so many others have flocked to the craft! It’s truly the younger generations (gen z myself) that are keeping quilting alive.
@@ashlee0lee I was wondering the same thing. it seems like wearing quilts is making them everyday for younger set and away from "that's only for old people" like so many think.
I’m going to make a quilt coat out of the bedspread I grew up with. It’s just a store bought one, but it’s a lovely pattern and very sentimental to me. I’m gonna get a few quilts from goodwill to practice, and when I’m sure I have it down, I’ll use that one.
When you buy your pattern you'll find on the side recommended fabrics to use. The reason is because different fabrics hang differently stretch differently and it will look nothing like the picture, if you don't use something close to what is recommended.
There are many sewing shops that give lessons, If you don't have anyone to help you. You can buy yardage of the recommended material type, with colors, patterns, batiks etc.. for a hell of a lot less money than you can a quilt or a blanket at Goodwill / Salvation Army. Walmart carries fabrics to practice with, as well as some famous name designer lines.
Your time is valuable. YOU can make something you really like & enjoy wearing for your practice. It won't fall apart or shrink in Laundry or dry cleaning either.
A mass produced bedspread and a pieced quilt aren’t the same thing. I think the video is about the wholesale destruction of handcrafted quilts, (including those sewn by machine by individuals).
Well, all I have to say is, who died and put her in charge of the quilts of the world? People have been cutting up quilts for Years, and I don't mean just the last five years either. She would be really upset if she had any idea of how many quilts are given to the homeless, and how many are distributed to victims of hurricanes. In the comments I rad this referred to as a first world problem. Ain't it the truth? Lets all just take a breath, chill out, and run down to the thrift store! I need some flannel shirts for some child size quilts I plan to donate to the local children's cancer center. I hear no outcry about using up those flannel shirts, do any of you? It is only little pieces of fabric sewn together. Lets make use of them in whatever format we can. Everybody have a great day!
Love this! People who think their name gives them a right to tell others what to do are narcissistic gas lighters!
This is the worst take I’ve ever seen. Embarrassing. Your personal morality associated with the lives of quilts is no more important than anybody else’s just because you bear the last name Fons. If people value quilts in another form, bully for them. It’s better than those quilts sitting discarded in thrift stores, ultimately ending up in landfills. Almost all of the jackets I’ve seen are made from mass produced patterns, the same kinds of quilts you and I make today buying a pattern in a quilt store. They are NOT cornerstone pieces of culture. It’s the same as finding a canvas that a hobby artist used in a thrift store and painting over that painting - actually, it’s better because the original quilt is preserved in some way.
If the alternative were that these quilts were being cherished in their original form, you’d be close to having a point, but they aren’t. I love and value antique quilts, you love and value antique quilts, but without this “trend,” society does not. They. End. Up. As. Garbage. I’ve seen it my entire life. It breaks my heart, so I’m elated to see these items be given a second shot.
Also your argument that this is appropriating quilt culture is unbelievably problematic, and is harmful to minorities who experience actual appropriation. This is not appropriation, check your privilege. For this reason alone you should take this video down.
Thank you. These are my thoughts exactly.
Amen. Finally some sense in this comment section.
I was just coming on here to say this very thing but you said it better than I ever could. And this is coming from a quilter for many years.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Yesss! All of this!!!
Thank you! I can’t believe the audacity of this woman.
As an art quilter since the ‘70’s, a collector of old tops and quilt blocks as well as a lover of antique pieces, I confess to being ok with using a quilt for any purpose I see. It’s a way to keep a piece in the world as either a new quilt or pieced into something else. I would not cut into just any old quilt, but if it can be used again in a new life, so much the better. I will agree with part of your thesis, but add one word.SOME quilts should not be cutters as you say. SOME beg to be ‘renewed’. Some should probably never have been made. Recently I was in an exhibit where I cut up 200 of my old quilt works to make a point of things…and art…being transient. My ‘muse’ for this was a 100 year old beautiful silk log cabin I bought in PA quilt country. I hung it and watched it rotting and dropping pieces every week until all that was left were the seams. Now several of the surviving pieces are framed behind glass to enjoy it a few more years. Do you feel the same way worrying about Indian Kantha pieces? They were also representative of some woman’s work, pieced and stitched. They seem to appreciate them as a way to make money from their skills to support their families. Why are our quilts any different? In addition, when one buys quilt fabric, or old clothes at Goodwill, or indeed, cutter quilts OR fabulous antique examples, it is up to the current owner to decide how to use each. And I applaud anyone who appreciates the work done, whether by some unknown woman, a quilt guild, or even me. I love reworking old and useless scrap pieces- things long past their viewable life.
I agree!
So very well sad. The art of reusing and making new is something to be applauded in all forms.
I have been a proud quilter for several decades. I could not finish this video as I found it quite offensive. Mary Fons does NOT speak for all quilters. Mary, would you really rather these old quilts go to landfills instead of being re-purposed?
I with you.
Agree 100%
Ooohhhhhh at one point she actually says: "you're appropriating quilt culture"
Wow.... a white person who has no clue once again.
I'm with you. I have so many issues with this video that it's eye-opening. When she made reference to life and the m word, I couldn't believe exactly what I had seen.
Absolutely with you
I have a costume design background and study historical fashion. Textile items have been recycled, up-cycled, and cut apart since the beginning of clothing itself. Historically, fabric was expensive to produce and purchase. Hence quilts being made up from small scraps of offcuts in the first place. Nothing was wasted. If grandma had a dress from the 1780s, a woman might refashion it into a style fit for the 1820s. We have many extant refashioned and reused textiles in museums. Similarly, if there are piles of unappreciated quilts sitting in landfills and thrift stores that aren't being used or seen by anyone, and someone comes along and upcycles it into something that will be used and appreciated, it only prolongs the legacy and sustainability of that item. Something our ancestors did all the time.
The person I buy from saves quilts from the textile waste plant so I’m pretty sure a coat is better than having them in a landfill.
exactly!
I'd be getting proof on that claim.
There is no appropriation. This seems too much like an ivory tower argument.
I watched your video entirely. I am a quilter and love quilts as well. Most are gifts that I hope are loved and cherished. But at the end of a day, it is a gift with the owner to do as they see fit. I have bought several items made from old quilts and I love them too. Pincushions and stuffed animals are my favorites. I think about all the pincushions that were made from a worn out quilt that are now being enjoyed by a lot of people not just stuffed in a closet with no one to enjoy any part of that quilt. The reality is quilts do get worn, do wear out. If parts can be saved, why not? I love to go to garage sales and i have not run across many quilts, not many at all. At one point, i did purchase a worn out quilt with the idea of cutting it up and stitching it onto something else. But i have to admit, i cant bring myself to do it. So it sits on a shelf. I would never offer it up as a source of warmth to a guest, i would not want to hang it on a wall. It just isnt enjoyed by anyone. I once bought a quilt at an antique store. It was old, and dirty - crunchy even. Stained and worn. I didnt think it would survive a washing. I donated it to a museum. There was no date or signature - just understood that someone at some point made it. So does it just go on a shelf somewhere too? I also can say I've never seen anyone wear an old quilt as a garment and not sure I'd get too upset over it. The man you showed wearing the quilt as a giant cape looked like it was getting drug along the ground - thats kind of a mis use of a quilt too. I didnt much appreciate your use of profanity and although I got your point, those words didn't help your case. These quilts are being used and enjoyed. Not sure this is truly a crisis or even a disgrace.
I thought the same thing about 'wearing' a quilt while dragging it over concrete. It is now pretty much ruined and ready to be cut up and made into other things.
if a quilt is sitting in someone’s basement for decades or tossed to a goodwill, it’s clear that it wasn’t being loved. i don’t see anything wrong with it being turned into something else that someone new will love for a few more decades
You really think this trend will last a “few more decades”? Because it won’t. So someone will have cut up a quilt and made a coat and someone may wear it for a while and get some joy from it and then it will sit in someone’s basement or be tossed to a goodwill. Why not donate the quilt to someone who needs a quilt? 🤷🏻♀️ If you need a coat made of a quilt…. It makes more sense and is less wasteful to make a new quilt.
@@karenp792 it's already lasted decades. Lol. It's just more popular now.
People will not be wearing trousers made from quilts for decades. Don't kid yourself.
@@paulinehutchinson1122 talking coats here (which have). Not trousers 😊
It was in goodwill. If it's not bought, it's going to the landfill ! So no if you want to use it better than the landfill. And most people who want a coat will keep the coat. I plan to make one and will wear it until I die or give it to someone who wants to wear it. . People who want one could careless about trends. They want what they want. The fact that this lady decides that she gets to decide what a person does with what they bought is beyond me. When I find one I'm making me a coat. If that item was so important to the person or family they wouldn't have given it to away.
As someone who is quite educated on upcycling, zero waste and is a fast-fashion activist, I find your video highly offensive. The art of turning something used, worn, and turning it into something usable or wearable is a decades old practice that literally is saving our landfills. That is something we should be encouraging, not making fun of or discouraging. The immature nature of your video and “jokingly threatening“ people who repurpose quilts is childish and disconcerting. It’s one thing to be knowledgeable about quilts and share your knowledge while encouraging people to save a beautiful art. But shaming people is not the direction to go in. We live in a world of fast fashion where our landfills are being littered; and encouraging people to use quilts to turn into clothing or other items is a positive step towards a zero waste future. We have an environmental responsibility to this earth if we want to undo what has happened to it. Not to mention the benefit it has on mental health, and how we should not be discouraging to that factor. I am certain that the makers of these quilts would not want them to be thrown away, or go into the landfill, so relax and please stop shaming people for their creative choices.
I appreciate your love of quilts, but to make fun of people for their fashion choices is just being a bully. If someone loves jumpsuits, bucket hats, or collars, regardless of what it is made of, good for them! We should wear whatever makes us happy.
If you don’t know what a chore coat is, you may be very out of touch with the women who needed to make quilts to communicate. These hard working women would have had outside chores early in the morning such as tending animals and collecting wood. Even if they did not make these coats from quilts in the past they probably wouldn’t have been offended by the idea. If you were not wealthy, quilts were made from scraps. Basically they were thrifty fashion and that thrifty fashion is still happening today. We can’t save it all or we would all be hoarders. I’m sure the hard working women of the past would embrace reuse. A museum piece makes me believe that this must be true. It was a quilt made from donated clothing that did not fit anyone in the family. The clothes were made into strips and turned into a quilt even though clothes were time consuming to make and could have found a second life as they were. People created what they needed with what they had.
This is soooo sanctimonious. I didn’t realize we could gatekeep QUILTS.
yes be careful, Mary is going to call the police on you!!
For heaven's sake, not every quilt is precious. I make quilts. Regular everyday quilts. I have no delusions of grandeur that my quilts are such untouchable high art that they should be preserved for eternity. I'm so happy when I visit my daughter and see 2 or 3 of my quilts in various stages of clean and on the floors and furniture, left there by grandkids. Quilts I made years ago sometimes make me cringe even though at the time I loved them, or at least liked them enough to finish them. I am also a bag maker and grandmother, so I have used quilt blocks to make bibs (that will be covered in food!) and tote bags, and I am pleased with how they turned out. I continued to watch long after I realized you're in it just for the drama and I have seen a few of your other videos so I expected that. Also, the awkwardly dropped F bombs and Bull$*t are just annoying and really don't have the aura to pull that off so don't do it.
you’re right, these points are incredibly patronizing. to say that fashion isn’t serious and to demean independent designers really subtracts from every point you tried to make. many of these points could be flipped on their head and turned back at your arguments too, but from the perspective of designers, even without the condescending commentary. fashion is history, fashion is art, fashion is culture, in the same way that quilting is. many of these arguments conclude that a seamstress, a designer, a clothing maker or whatever you want to call it is less than a quilter. reducing beautiful pieces of wearable art to garbage. designers don’t fail to recognize the art of quilting but you fail to recognize the art of fashion.
THIS!!!!!!!!
Right. Fashion is totally historical and important. But so are quilts. When you cut up a quilt you are altering forever that piece of artwork without the designer's consent.
Would you cut up a Monet to make a scrapbook? Something to use one season and toss? Clothing is fashionable one season and then we’re on to the next fad. Quilts are works of art. They are treasured and memorialized in museums. Women spent years collecting these treasured scraps of fabric, many holding cherished memories of baptismal dresses, a deceased husband’s dress shirt (maybe the only one he owned). To cut these precious works to pieces, to wear when a million alternatives are available, is a slap in the face to every woman who has ever held a needle in her hand and lovingly joined her precious memories into an historical fabric canvas called a quilt.
@@vanessamitchell6664 thank you Vanessa.
I couldn't resist. At 17:15 in you mention that 'you can repair them' as a solution to what to do with an old quilt that has problems. As a quilter, I really don't want to spend my time repairing a quilt. I was given one one time "to repair' because that person found one and just thought of me.
I didn't want to do it. I gave it to my husband to use in his garage - just like I give all my old quilts to him for such use. I did not ask permission either - I just did it. The person had given it to me.
I find it interesting that you don't seem to think that "old quilts can die". They are fabric. They will wear out. They will become irrelevant. If there are millions of quilters in the USA and each one makes only 1 a year, that means there are 'millions' of quilts being produced yearly. And frankly, most quilters I know make far, far more than 1 a year! I don't think we are running the risk of running out of supply any time soon.
I've been quilting now for about 15 years and made hundreds and hundreds of quilts. I would not care if anyone cuts one of my quilts I've given them up to make into a coat.
If someone cut up one of my quilts to make a jacket I would lose my goddam mind.
@@elizabethnevers3945 then you shouldn't gift any of your quilts. a gift is a gift and up to the receiver to decide how best to use it
This is offensive to me and I’m sure to many other quilters. Are you saying I shouldn’t have rescued the quilt from our Savers .. that was going in the dumpster .. and made a coat with it? Do not judge when people are using quilts to make lovely items. They are not lambs to the slaughter and I don’t appreciate your language either!! I am a quilter but love my jacket for working in my garden. I can’t wear my quilts but I can wear my jacket to get others asking questions and maybe beginning to quilt themselves!
So her arguments don't really hold water particularly well - she says "who are you" to decide this quilt should be turned into fabric? Um, "who are you" to decide it can't be? Pretty sure the Quilt Gods didn't come down and mandate quilted material must always stay in it's original shape. This is what capitalism is and if you don't want people to buy quilts to turn them into fashion, buy it yourself and put it in a museum. She's also mad at the argument that not everyone would want their quilt to be used in fashion, but how does she know the creator's intention? Again, if there's a huge concern, I don't understand why not put it in your will to donate to a museum so you don't have to be concerned about an unappreciative family member giving it away. Also, "appropriation" of quilt culture? Really? So quilts must be relegated to a blanket shape - no one is allowed to display them differently and show the art off to a different audience? Also, she's saying a designer didn't "work" for the art - is clothing design somehow not considered work now? Pretty sure they likely put a lot of effort into showcasing the best part(s) of the original quilt design if they're good at what they do. Who is she to decide fashion "isn't that serious"? She doesn't want to "cancel" anyone? Than what is the point of her video - at least be honest with your intentions.
LOL, it's not sustainable because death is a thing? That doesn't even make sense...assuming the energy taken to turn a quilt into a duster is less than the energy it takes to create a duster from scratch (which it's a safe assumption in this case), that's literally the definition of sustainable, but ok...based on that theory no one should upcycle anything. Don't touch that wedding dress and make it more fashionable so someone might actually wear it again! Someone might have once loved it the way it is and died so OFF LIMITS!!! That's just nonsense...should we stop taking currency out of circulation too - there could be a collector's item hiding among the thousands of regular bills and coins. Going to say if it's sitting at a garage sale or Goodwill, it's not currently "of use" - does that mean I can't buy furniture and re-upholster or re-stain/paint it because it "could be" historic? You know what can be as useful as a blanket? A jacket. Also, a quilt "rescue", really? One: she could do that herself. Two: most people don't have the money to afford to do that. Three: quilts are now on the same level as living, breathing animals who do need care and affection to survive? Four: the quilts likely weren't at Goodwill because there's a large audience who appreciates them so who's going to buy and care for all these "rescued" quilts?
In summary this lady's "arguments" are not well founded. She clearly has a passion, but one person's passion doesn't mean no else can go against that passion, ESPECIALLY when she's not using well founded arguments. If it bothers her this much, she'd better start buying up every quilt she can find since it's all sacred material. Also disclaimer that I have never personally cut up a quilt to use as a garment or purchased a garment that came from a quilt - I simply dislike poor arguments.
Preach! There are documentation projects around the world that are preserving and archiving quilt history. Plus not every quilt is wanted by a museum. They aren’t all historically significant that’s not how museum collections work.
Just because a quilt exists doesn’t mean it is telling a fully realized history. Someone needs to interpret it. Maybe the fashion trend of quilt clothing is significant to history, and adds to our understanding of the importance of quilts, who is to say?
What is quilt culture? There is quite a debate among quilters about what even constitutes a proper quilt and what quilt culture is or should be.
Three things that honestly shocked me in this video:
1. comparing the act of cutting a quilt to actual murder (yikes, not ok, pretty flippant regard of victims of violent crime)
2. That fashion isn’t serious-it absolutely is serious, economies around the world rely on fashion. People express themselves through fashion, it is art.
3. That this is somehow misogynistic? I don’t see it. Textiles are repurposed all the time regardless of who made them. The same quilts being cut may have been made of old handmade clothes. What does that say about the the effort put into making that clothing? Or weaving the fabric that made that clothing?
Quilts don’t last forever the fabric degrades it will eventually decompose why not use it. If it makes you happy, make a coat. I don’t understand the emotion behind this, we cut books up for collage, furniture is reupholstered, woven blankets might be repurposed for clothing too. Why are quilts more precious?
She's not deciding it can't be cut up. She's saying it shouldn't be. Kinda like when someone says you shouldn't cut old growth trees down. You could reply with 'well whoever owns them should be able to do whatever they want to to it' I guess sure if that's your argument you could and would win. I think she's trying to express that the value of them is not recognized and therefor they are seen as something that can be 'used however you want'. So, she's trying to express that there is a value there that people dont know about. Also, do look into the history of wills (men and women's )and then especially women's wills (and then women's creative work who have no real connection to the world of wills or museums or wouldn't even think that what they're making is of any value). She's just making the argument that as a historian/writer/quilter working in the quilt world for many many years she is seeing that people don't know what they are cutting up. They just dont even know what is in their hands. Also, it's not sustainable because there is a fixed amount of quilts made prior to say 1960 - it's not sustainable because you can't make more of those it's a finite number. I think that was her point regarding sustainability.
@@selah5792 If she wanted someone to appreciate the art of quilting, she went about it completely wrong. She _is_ deciding quilts cannot be cut, and _she's telling you_ not to do it either. You say "They just dont even know what is in their hands" but she's not spreading her quilting passion through education and history to grow wonder and love in others. She's just shutting people down.
@@selah5792 I say she shouldn't say they shouldn't be. I win.
A quilt isn't an old growth tree. Comparing an inanimate object to a living organism just highlights how ridiculous the argument is. That being said, still how capitalism works - you get to use what you own in the manner you see fit. You could regulate it, but I doubt most people are going to be on board with that considering how many quilts are being thrifted. Are you doing to dedicate your time to saving and researching all the "saved" quilts with no historical documentation to go on?
In terms of sustainability, it actually still is sustainable because of this thing called time. If quilts from the 60s are now vintage, in about 5-10 quilts from the 70s will become vintage opening up more options. I'd also bet plenty of people are making clothes out of non-vintage quilts which will eventually get tossed if they don't sell.
I had never thought about this and was looking for a pattern for a patchwork dress and this came up! I'm so glad it it! Thank you!
I think it is kind of silly, because quilt coats don’t really do anything for me, but I also think if the people who are inheriting the quilts don’t want them anymore, and no one else is wanting to have them to use as a quilt, even for a couple of bucks at an auction, I would rather they go into a quilt coat than a landfill. My mother-in-law has a couple of vintage family quilts, and she doesn’t like them or use them (or store them properly/refold/air them, and she knew the makers). My husband also doesn’t like them, and I make quilts…I want to decorate my home with things I make and love, just like my mother-in-law has chosen to do. Why should I be burdened with a quilt that I don’t like that I didn’t know the maker of just to preserve it, when it isn’t of a quality that any museum or anything would want? I don’t have enough storage space as it is, and what good is it doing anyone sitting folded incorrectly in her closet? If someone wants to use them to make something functional/fun that someone is willing to buy, I just don’t see that that is so wrong. Anyway, I hear your argument, and while I wish I had quilts from my grandma because she was special to me, quilts from a stranger just don’t hold that appeal for me…especially when they haven’t been cared for properly. Having said all of that, I have been working on a quilt for my mom that is EPP, completely stitched and appliquéd by hand, and yes, with the number of hours I have put into it, I hope she enjoys it and that when she is no longer here I can find another relative who will enjoy it for as long as it holds up. But it’s not my style of fabric. I had fun making it, because I know she will love it, but I don’t expect my kid or grandkid to have to keep it forever just because I made it. I’d rather people enjoy what I make, use it up, wear it out, and give me an excuse to make another quilt. 🤷♀️
I agree with you Elle.
Ellie, those are good points. Not all quilts can find loving homes or appreciative descendants to pass them down to. Sad. But Mary is focusing largely on quilts which are being cut up even though they are of high quality, rarity, and in good condition, and that destruction is a loss to quilt history. True, we can’t keep them all, but….
@@noelquentin57 If that was her argument, I'd agree but she references hating "quilt drops" and from her photos *most* of those quilts are NOT historic. She seems to think every quilt ever made should somehow be kept in perpetuity
@@kaitinearnest1719 I think its not that the quilts are historic in the sense that that are famous quilts - its that quilts are womens history -untold and devalued -and when you read them that way it's cutting up history and historic documents. That's my sense of what she means by they are finite objects of history.
Agree!
This video is ridiculous. My grandmas quilts told no story. Neither did my great grandmas. Nobody wants old quilts. You need to check your privilege and keep your crazy quiet.
Hate to tell you, but you don’t speak for me and I’ve been a quilter for 50 years. I’ve made many quilts over the years, and I inherited probably 100 tops and 50 quilts hand quilted. Every one of them were made from scraps in the 30’s-50’s. We used many over the years of raising kids and grands. But times have changed in my 70 years. Our beds have become king sized and these small quilts fit none of our beds. Also, our homes are much warmer! I have donated many to charities and shelters, but now I’ve given the remainder of my stock to a niece who sews them into gorgeous pieces. These quilt makers would be thrilled to see them come to life again. I hate to disagree with a fellow quilt lover,, but we all have different views. Don’t speak for all of us!
You are one person, with one opinion, to which each is entitled their own, however you chose to express this opinion in an incredibly disrespectful, judgmental, absolutist, and bullying way. Images of my work and my body were used without my consent, and those images were insulted and made assumptions about. I would have appreciated being reached out to and engaged in a meaningful conversation, but that was not the case. If you used even an ounce of your, time, and energy, and directed it towards one of the many crises going on (included, of course, but not limited to the fast fashion industry and the impact that is having on our planet), I am confident you would be on a path to creating positive change.
WOW! Sorry that happened to you. The video was image heavy and no credits were given - so isn't that taking slices of women's work without working for it yourself?
Yeah the irony that she was so dramatic about it being an act of destroying woman's art but then... spends a few minutes insulting and degrading what's mostly probably women's art...... this video came up in my recommended because I sew, but it felt like a fever dream or a parody of outrage
You are waaaaay overreacting 🤦🏼♀️ no one is cutting up their BELOVED grandmother’s quilt. I would never. But I’m totally taking a quilt that is partially destroyed by heat because it was improperly stored and turning the parts I can salvage into a jacket for my oldest son. I will pass it down through all my children, then save it for my grandchildren. Most people making quilt coats are salvaging old, unloved, partially destroyed coats. You are trippin 😂
I'm obsessed with those statement collars and can't wait to purchase one from one of the lovely small businesses you showed off here. Same with the jumpsuits and all the other items you've shown that have been lovingly repurposed into new items I would wear every single day. In fact, I recognize some of the images you used and have actually bought pieces from those super lovely, amazing, creative, and crazy talented women! They are some of my favorite items of clothing and I wear them all the time! How awesome is it that these indie creators are creating something new and loved from something that someone else discarded. I have several quilts from my grandmother and great grandmother. Once I'm gone if someone wants to turn them into clothes that they would love and wear often I'd be thrilled! Right now they're just sitting on a shelf in my room, waiting to come down for the occasional cold day inside the house. How awesome it would be if one day one was turned into a coat that someone wore out and about, showing it off to the world.
I love the corsets
Thank you for your opinion. Quilts are not irreplaceable objects. Let's put this in perspective (and I'm sorry if this has been addressed). Let's say there are 10,000 quilters (a complete understatement) and they quilt for 10 years and they make 5 quilts a year. At the end of that 10 years you would have 500,000 quilts (5*10 = 50 (per quilter) (50 * 10,000 = 500,000)). There are not enough quilt museums or private collectors that could absorb that quantity of quilts, and that's not even a rough estimation of how many quilts have been made in the even the last 20 years. How many books, videos, classes that promote how it's fast and easy (and I'm not saying that that is a negative), but that plays into this as well. It would be one thing if every quilt produced was handpieced and hand quilted, but most are just not important to the overall history of quilts. If someone took a 100-year old quilt and cut it up, I can see the issue with that. One of the reasons that old quilts are valuable is due to their scarcity. There is a huge distinction between quilts made for function and say those made purposely to be heirlooms, memory quilts or competition quilts. Once the quilt leaves the makers hands, it no longer belongs to them. Repurposing a quilt is just a continuation of what a quilt was to begin with, a way to not let something go to waste.
She's talking about vintage and antique quilts.
I've seen people on Instagram that truly are buying vintage, hand-stitched quilts, beautiful ones and chopping them up to make and sell bags and Christmas ornaments and other things. They will post a picture with a date when the items will be up for sale and the items will all be sold within a couple of hours. They are beautiful and nostalgic to look at but so disturbing to see that beautiful hand-made quilt destroyed for a few trinkets that will be tossed aside later when the fad is gone. I love those things but I'm with Mary on this. Cut up the mass produced quilts. Not the old hand-made ones.
@barbaraolm2570 so what? The person who sewed it is dead and there's plenty pf quilts in a museum. If it was so precious, why was it ever for sale or available for someone to purchase, no strings attached?
I made stockings for my family from my Daddy's clothes. He passed almost 3 years ago. There was a ton of time and love going into something that small. My grandma made a of us grandkids 11 of us a quilt totally by hand. So much love and time went into each top.
Does the fact that these generic quilts made with mass produced fabric in the 80s and 90s are stacked several feet high in people's garages not make you pause and think, maybe these aren't particularly rare and worth preserving? I understand preserving quilts with genuine historical value but...what history being lost here?
Also, several of your examples of repurposed quilts are recognizably projects made by quilters in that form. E.g., several of those vests, tote bags and skirts were patterns I remember available at Joann's. There are hundreds of project designs sold to quilters to make with quilting squares.
I made a coat out of a quilt my grandma made for me and she loved it. To each their own I guess. Maybe next time you could approach the situation less hatefully. ♥️♥️
true. I think it's time we defund the quilt police
I think a big portion of her point is that the original designers of most of these quilts didn't get a say. It seems like maybe your grandma did and was happy to have her work altered. We can't assume the same for every quilt.
@@katiemartin6625 Well, if they gifted the quilt or they are dead...they really don't care.
Thats funny - defund the quilt police. But its true, I think the quilt police have ruined our craft for a lot of people. My sister is always referring to how her quilts will be judged. That's just sad.
I promise you that your grandmother who labored making a quilt for you with love did not appreciate you cutting it up for a coat that you could have purchased from the local five and dime.
More than enough has been said about the callous delivery of your views here that I won't add to them (other than to say how callous you have been!)
Here's what I will say. I have spent the last decade creating what I believe is a beautiful garden where I live. We built our house from the ground up and our land was previously part of a sheep paddock. I've spent maybe too much money on plants, I've created compost, I've planted seeds, I've weeded, I've lamented plants that didn't work, I've hauled rocks and bricks to edge the beds, so on and so on. You get the picture.
We've created a gorgeous garden that has won prizes. This garden is a record of our blood, sweat and tears.
We're now looking at selling our much loved property and moving elsewhere.
Perhaps I should write into the sale contract that the garden should never be altered by the new owners? Or should I let it go so the new owners can make it their own?
When we are no longer here, the garden is no longer ours. Permission to alter is implied and granted by change of ownership. Like it or not.
I kept thinking of the house analogy while watching!! one can hope that the new owners will find a way to keep your garden alive, or at least honor the work you’ve done. this is something we hope with lots of architecture that gets into new hands. but it seems like Mary is advocating for some psychic/aesthetic policing that just doesn’t make sense
Just some food for thought. I came across your video in an upcyclers group. The post hasn't been up for long and already there are hundreds of comments. I didn't see any who agree with you. You have however, given many people new found inspiration. Your video may be doing more damage than good.
Some who disagree may be silent to avoid the barrage of people defending their opinion.
Please!?
The other side of the coin is -
What beautiful gowns, blouses were cut up to make those quilts in the first place?
You could say that those garments are lost in history!
Historically, Quilts were made purely for warmth when times were hard!
“Who are you to make that call?” 🙀🙀🙀🙀
Your claim that this is appropriating quilt culture is harmful to minorities who experience actual appropriation. This video is cringeworthy and filled with entitlement and privilege. The amount of misinformation is disturbing.
Yes! this was such a disturbing digression
Please then, tell us what to do with grandma’s quilts? I have stored them for 30, years as have the prior two generations of my family. I need to downsize and my sons and their wives have absolutely no interest in the. They are just country quilts. Nothing unusual or museum quality. Where do they go for the next 100 years?
You are meant to keep them forever because some person named *checks notes* Mary whowever says you should.
“Lambs for the slaughter” jesus christ
well, that offends me. I guess we all have the right to be offensive.
Who in the world do you think you are virtue signaling on how people decide to honor or profit from objects they buy or inherit ! Think about the enormous implications of your high horse judgementalism ! Is it a sin to appreciate , cut up , and re-create ANYTHING from the detritus of our past /culture/heritage/ ? Stop making moral judgements about a personal and private decision. Just go on marketing, exploiting,and commercialising in your own fashion.You are enriching yourself on the backs of those exploited in the ridiculous billion dollar quilt industry The waste is disgusting ! Let those of us who want to unravel a sweater to make our own, cut up shirts to make quilts, take apart ladders to make stools,respectfully make collages , journals, and greeting cards out of old, abandoned books, ephemera from bygone days, and maps; in short , to do exactly what our grandmothers (who you imagine you are defending) did..... re-purpose, re-use, re-create: giving new and fresh life to cast-offs or discarded objects.
I have made countless legacy -quality quilts by hand for posterity , each loaded with significance and love.If I came back from the dead a hundred years from now I would rejoice if my efforts were reborn into a contemporary expression of my own labors of love and creativity.You certainly do not speak for all of us,
How is this a virtue signal? Isnt she putting her self as a public figure on the line which is the what it means to 'walk the talk'? Also, all the things you list that you like to do are the things she is saying people should do. She's just trying to protect women's history due to the volume of older quilts being cut up.
I feel your pain! I would be devastated if a hundred years from now someone cut up my quilts and turned them into fast fashion. I will continue saving as many vintage and antique tops and quilts so future generations. Thank you for putting this out there. I will share this video with all of my quilting and sewing groups. Thank you!!! 😊
Well in 100s of years from now you'll be dead lol. Jesus get over yourself, rheyre probably not that great.
Sorry but things get repurposed all the time. I work in a bar that used to be a welding shop. You can turn someone’s ashes into a diamond. My mom makes flower planters out of old tires. Does that make the original form less meaningful? No. Also, I believe using old blankets or quilts to make clothing is actually much more sustainable than sourcing from brand new fabric, which ultimately contributes to the wastefulness of the fashion industry. Saying you want to stab someone for making clothing out of quilts is a bit insane. Please let your high horse run off on his own.
Agreed. I noticed that high horse in the 1st 3 minutes of this video. So bloody arrogant.
AMEN!!!
An old tire isn’t a historical object. I think you’re missing the point. She’s addressing historic quilts that are being used.
@@Lindsay8585 An old tire by definition is a historical object. Lol. You just aren't assigning meaning to it...that's the difference.
I just found this video and appreciate your heart. I was going to make a quilted coat but with my own scraps of fabric. I love seeing all the quilts behind you!
I listened. I'm kind of on the fence here. Personally I think quilt clothing is ridiculous looking and you're right in saying that the people who bought those "designer" pieces have probably never worn them. Is it murder? Mmmm...that's a stretch. The quilts have been discarded by their owners. They weren't wanted. Someone else picked them up and said "I can use that". What they use it for is their business. Don't forget the Gees Bend quilters actually burned a lot of their quilts when they weren't wanted anymore. Yes, a lot of time, talent and love go into making a quilt and someday some of those significant quilts will be priceless gifts from the past worth their weight in whatever currency we're using. But the majority of them will just be old quilts that aren't worth saving or preserving because they just aren't remarkable. So while I feel your pain and certainly understand where you're coming from...I also feel that there can be new life in things unwanted. And if another creative eye can see that quilt in a completely new way, go for it! And yes, I am a quilter. And yes, if someone took something I had made and cut it up to make something they felt was more useful to them, COOL! I'll make you another one and see what else you can do with it, lol!
yes. I feel the same. If someone wants to take one of my old quilts and cut it up and make a coat out of it - as long as they don't steal it from my house - I'm 100% fine with it.
Some one needs to get a perspective on life! She does not speak for all quilters especially those of us around the world who do not see the quilt world through your American centric viewpoint.
I appreciate your thoughtfulness and feelings on this topic.
Totally disagree. These aren't museum pieces a lot of the time...I'm a quilter. I make quilts especially to cut up to make clothes. I have some vintage quilts that are falling apart. It's better to upcycle them than to let them rot in a closet or someone's attic. I don't know who made any of the quilts, I don't have any emotional tiles to them.
You actually took this too far. You sound so self righteous. As a woman who also quilts and loves old sewn items, it's not as serious as you're acting. Some quilts are treasured and should remain whole, others can be cherished as a different item. Clothing is not disposable and a coat can be used by multiple generations. It's so much more important to use items that already exist and find new ways for them to take care of us than to treat a single item like its so precious. For example a great life cycle for fabric could be clothing is sewn by home sewers, those scraps make quilts, that quilt makes a jacket when it is no longer wanted as a quilt, and then it becomes rags for cleaning when that jacket is falling apart. Embrace change.
I think your video makes for valuable conversation as the comments show. I'd love to own an old quilt but the cost is pretty high when I look online. I've picked up three basic ones in thrift stores here in Australia and now my grandsons use them as nap blankets when they come to stay. You are obviously passionate about what you do and love. There's nothing wrong with that. I hope the discussions held here help others express their ideas too and that everyone is heard. I'm making my own quilt. It's a long slow process handstitching it but the joy is in the making for me and the telling of our cultural backgrounds and our family stories. And if my next generation do not wish to hold onto it, that's ok because it served it's purpose helping me through this crazy time in our world and my anxiety. x
Former goodwill employee here! I can't speak for all locations, but at the store I worked anything that didn't sell within a certain period of time was pulled off the sales floor and thrown away. I understand feeling icky about cutting up your grandmothers favorite quilt or destroying an antique, but a quilt you find at a thrift store usually has little, if any, identifiable information on the date made and the person who made it. It is so much better for a teenager to buy the quilt and make something they'll use than have it be thrown away after a month on the sales floor. Sewing a jacket or a pair of pants is just as much a labor of love as quilting.
Hay Bella Z,
Who worked at a Goodwill store. I guess you couldn't figure out a way to Google up the value of any quilts you were looking at to make a profit, or save a piece of art. You Still can't, you have to be familiar with textiles. This video has important REAL information. Your not interested, could care less.
@Sewing With Lawayne
She didn't work there long. No doubt about that. Goodwill & Salvation Army's across USA practice the same procedures for the retail outlets.
Bella where did you work for the Salvation Army? I mean what state and town in the USA?
I am not a quilt maker but i am a quilt lover. I love the colors and the patterns and love the time someone put into it. They are beautiful pieces of art. Unfortunately not everyone agrees with that. There are a lot of people out there who could care less about them and have no interest. Otherwise you would not see so many at goodwill, flea markets and being sold online. A few years ago i won a vintage quilt that was auctioned off for charity. I cherish it and would never cut it up flaws and all. But some of us see no beauty in quilts and have no passion for them and might even toss them. I would rather see those quilts made into a usable item rather than being discarded or packed away somewhere never to see the light of day. Besides that if you bought it and own it you should be able to do anything you like with it.
There are more quilts than you can shake a stick at. People don’t want to pay for the work put into a quilt and are always looking for bargains. Not all quilts are gorgeous works of art or have a family history. It all comes down to the market. Simple as that.
In the Midwest quilt coats and other quilt clothing has been worn for many many years. Use it or it just rots away. Who are you to bash people for using the quilts that no one else wanted. Shame on you for not wanting others to enjoy quilts no matter how they are used. I am a quilter, does not bother me one bit. Get off your high horse!
Mary Fons, your moral plea in this video raises a serious question for me. If cutting a quilt is murder, then how would you describe the various, endless, brutal, and bloody wars and interventions waged abroad by the US military? And how, then, are we to view a project like "Quilts of Valor" which endeavors to award the literal foot soldiers of America's disastrous and murderous foreign policy with jingoistic little star-spangled quilt trophies once they get home?
I'm squinting hard to see the moral/fashion issue here, especially when I don't see any tears for those murdered by the US military in our never ending misadventures abroad. Mary, your heart aches for the history and craftsmanship of American women. But can you spare a thought or a tear for the history of the women in the Middle East, in Latin America, in Asia? Who have been actually murdered, not metaphorically, but actually murdered, by the recipients of your quilts of "Valor"? Does the thought of celebrating the US war machine not get you going quite like fanny packs...?
lmao what an extremely clueless, disingenuous person
Thank you for your perspective. These clothing items can also be a way to spread the quilting fever. And they also preserve the quilt art.
I personally don't see anything wrong with creating something new from a quilt that nobody wants. It's better than it ending up in the landfill. I would want someone to give one of my quilts a new life if it became old and dusty and nobody wanted it. Plus, who are you to tell others what they can and cannot do.
You may need to watch again .. it showed that the items which were worn showed no signs wear n tear.. she argued that well !!!
@@angelavaladez6450 You obviously did not get my point. If a quilt is just sitting in someone's closet taking up space and collecting dust why shouldn't they turn it into something they'll actually use? And other people's quilts are none of her concern, she should stop telling people how to live there lives and butt out.
@@adriada3435 It’s social media where we are allowed to voice our opinions just like you did.
Ya i know, who's stopping you? I'm just voicing my opinions too.
Respectfully, you are appropriating the word appropriation. Also aren’t all those little pieces being made from the scraps from making other things. I have made things out of quilts - quilts made in China. Has this been addressed? The mass made quilts?
This is a trend and it will pass.
It is recycling, same as using up crocheted dollies, hand knitted sweaters and old wedding gowns. Just because you inherited a name does not make you a the highest authority to dictate what happens to the old quilts.
Relax, Mary. There are far more important issues in life than making a jacket out of a quilt. Far better for a quilt to be loved as a jacket than ending up in a dusty museum where few people ever sees it.
We can't collect every thing, and today's work becomes tomorrow's antiques, in the past quilts were constructed from other old garments or used fabrics, the cycle of fabric life. We need representation of each generation, and then use the rest in new creations to be loved again. If the antique or older quilts aren't preserved properly, silverfish and time will ruin them anyway.
I honestly thought this was a skit for SNL... So it would be better for these precious items to end up in landfills than be repurposed. ok.
I have a vintage star quilt made by my grandma and possibly great grandma from the 30s and I would never be able to cut it up and would cry if someone did. I totally agree with you on the upcycling argument.
Here’s the thing: most of these quilts being used would have ended up in landfills if they weren’t repurposed. There are more quilts than we know what to do with and families of legacy quilts are clearly not interested in them. This trend is environmentally friendly and the clothes will be long-lasting. Because of the sheer volume, quilts really aren’t worth all that much financially.
And really, a rising tide floats all boats. This will inevitably create renewed interest in the art of quilt making in a new generation.
True I buy quilts from a warehouse where they sell used textiles before they send them over seas or to the landfill. There are so many quilts there, and if I don't buy them they will just get sent over seas.
This would have had a very different impact if you had shown that the quilts being repurposed are actually historical/cultural items rather than items just going to a landfill. And then applauding target for producing a fast fashion dupe? Many others have said this far more eloquently than me, but this was not a convincing series of arguments in the slightest. To equivocate small designers making one of a kind hand made clothing items and fast fashion is beyond bizarre. Also, anthropomorphising objects does not aid your position, all it does it expose the privilege from which you are speaking.
Here's the deal, it is obvious that if a quilt is on the market, in the charity shop, or blah, blah blah...Nobody 'values' that quilt. If those quilts next stop is a landfill, then cutting it up to make garments extends those quilts life cycle.
I think why people like Mary and myself get so upset is because we're seeing a beautiful tradition we love lose it's value. Quilts are an important part of our history, but they're not as important to people any more. Most people think it's silly that I love spending years hand sewing intricate quilts when I could go buy something cheap for $30 from kmart. It is upsetting to see the loss of value in something that had held so much importance in history. I think that's the core issue here
This video has my heart pounding. I would like to challenge any person or designer to make their own quilt and then watch someone cut it up. Great job Mary. I stand with you on this emergency. Preserve our quilt history!
The rest of the world is NOT obligated to enshrine your quilts for eternity because of your intent when creating them - quilts aren't the pyramids...
Build a bridge and get over it
Wow this is one of the most dramatic “first world problems” videos I’ve seen in a while. It’s almost like repurposing old quilts that would otherwise live forever in storage or in landfills could actually bring lots of people joy. Who is going to repair every old quilt out there? No one. There are lots more people who are willing to breathe new life into old quilts and transition them into other forms. It is also much more sustainable to use pre used fabric and quilts than to make things from new materials.
Your comment doesn’t make me think you are a quilter. People that do not actually make quilts usually do not understand the love, labor, time, and self that goes into every single stitch. The value is just not understood and this trend shows, it’s not respected. It’s so very sad and destructive.
Coming from a “younger” quilter I know the love and labor that goes into quilting. And when I’m gone and someone somewhere finds my pieces and decides to put their own love and labor and their creativity into giving that piece a new life. Well. The thought of it brings happy tears to my eyes and comforts me to know a piece of me lives on somewhere, and will bring joy to someone I never would have been able to reach otherwise.
@@spiveytina no this isn't a unique sentiment in this video.
If you have 100 of any item a museum's will only take maybe a dozen.
The rest should be reused repurposed, recycled.
Yes love goes into the making, but if that love is forgotten or lost let it be revived.
Right? It's so cringe.
I may have to watch this video two or three more times just to look at the quilts again. I love the one with the ties. I recently bought 48 quilt blocks from a nice old quilt that had been cut up because I want to put it back together. The most fun part is finding the right fabric to replace the damaged parts.
So your saying your art is more important than someone else's.
We paint over old canvas,
break pottery for mosaics,
break up jewellery,
Cut up old clothes
Recut diamonds and precious stones
Reuse old lace / embroidery / rugs
Revive furniture
Do I live all of people's choices?, no.
Do I think its a waste?, sometimes
Do I think its better that landfills or rotting in a store, cupboard, basement or attic?, yes.
This videos embodies everything I think about when I hear the term white privilege ...
AMEN.
I've been thinking about making a jacket with 'quilt parts,' but I'm going to make the separate pieces I need (I do make quilts too)
I'm glad you mentioned that this was a perfectly ok thing to do. I bought a pattern, Love Notions Coda quilted coat, and first I'll use what they have, and then create on my own - and hold me head high!
I have some of my husband's great grandma's creations, and a few I got from a Lutheran Children's home from about the same period, that though some are just tops, would NEVER think of cutting them up.
Thanks for this video, I didn't realize how huge this has gotten.
I agree! Don’t turn history and art pieces into fast fashion that you will then put in the thrift shop or worse. Respect the art.
I agree with a lot of this (and personally, will probably skip a quilt coat now) but a huge part of this argument requires viewing a quilt as a historical document and treasure and a piece of clothing as disposable. But I think apparel carries far more historical relevancy and speaks more to context and personal history than a quilt (for most of us non-quilters).
And you mentioned quilts as women's' history-- Clothing is also women's history and made mostly by women (especially these small designers in the vid). And while we are all wary of trends, clothing trends when viewed in a historical context are just as important as pop culture trends, lifestyle trends, etc and are a reflection of current events.
SO I agree with your thoughts but would be more "on board" if the reasoning and tone wasn't so dismissive of the importance and meaning of fashion and clothing.
great points!!
Great. Do the trend but stop cutting up quilts you didn't make. One if the main points here was the egocentric notion that it is ok to decided to alter the original purpose of the quilt. To alter the design by cutting it apart. These are pieces of art history. Preserve and protect them as you would any piece of art. Would it be ok to cut up a gown worn by princess Di for the sake of 'historical preservation ' via fashion? Did anyone obtain permission from the person who made these quilts to chop them up? No. We are assuming it's ok and using this nostalgic notion of historical preservation to justify destroying quilts. There is a finite ammout of historical quilts. You want the fashion, then make your own quilt and cut it up. Don't make that choice for another quilt designer.
@@katiemartin6625 "a gown worn by princess Di" really? Equating everyday quilts with that?? If any quilt was created for such a lofty recipient as a gown for Lady Diana, it's probably already in a museum.
In most cases, beautiful quilts would have been created for the pure joy of the making (and quite likely thinking about who the quilt was being made for), but somewhere down the line, the owner of the quilt has *made their own choice* to sell it or give it away. Therein lies explicit permission for the new owner to do with the quilt what they will.
@@katiemartin6625 if you die or give your quilt away your forfeiting the right to say what happens to your art. Unless you attach a memo these are my wishes no one can know what your thoughts are on repurposing quilts. So stop putting your opinions onto others work.
As demonstrated in the comments here alot of us don't have the same belief as you.
If I made a quilt for a special occasion and someone cut it up with in a few years. I'd be upset but the same could be said for many presents. But most of my quilts i have just given to those who would appreciate them if they cut those up fir this purpose I would see it as a compliment.
My grandmother became a multi-millionaire creating her artwork in the form of quilts - Smithsonian Hall of Quilts. So, for anyone to choose to cut up artistry from a woman's labor is MURDER!
My parents own a thrift store. My mom came across a bunch of quilts with names on them that I don't even know. It's fully intact and hanging on my wall. I appreciate you making this video.
Could only watch 10 minutes of this video. I don’t understand what the problem is with repurposing quilts. It’s not like people to go a museum and steal historical quilts to make clothes out of them.
So sad.
This is what we call gatekeeping.
I am a quilter and am sickened to think finished quilts are used for cutting up to create clothing for pets and people, etc. These items - bags, pet clothing, coats, ‘collars’, etc can be made from scratch purposefully. But cutting up a finished product is sad. Thank you for your passion and covering this topic. ❤️
This is hilariously unhinged. Hope the actual grounded arguments being offered in this comment section inform you on the privilege you're speaking from.
Cows give up their lives to become a leather jacket or a pair of boots. In comparison, quilts aren’t sentient beings. When people won’t pay a quilter their worth, reinvention pays the bills. Desperate times.
Cows do not give up their lives. They are taken from them against their will.
@@kitlewis6748 true, but it doesn’t nullify my point.
Oh boy, I was done after “you’re appropriating quilt culture.”
Right? White women smh And I'm a white women. This video is peak cringe.
Really? Too much drama here. I'm a quilter and longarmer and love quilts.
As I rest in bed tonight under a $4 worn out quilt I bought at the thrift store, I am grateful for your courageous voice in behalf of women who joyously labor to create the best quilt they can in hopes it will be pasted forward and remind future generations that we are connected.