Unconventional and Unexpected - American Quilts Below the Radar 1950-2000

''Some experiences leave a permanent mark in your brain, they change the way you think and process, they remind you of who you are and supposed to be..Going through the pages of your book has confirmed my values as far as this art is concerned. Thank you for collecting, writing and putting this book together. It will be forever in Shah family collection. Some day my budding artist/writer daughter will inherit it.''

Above was my reaction in an email to Roderick Kiracofe's within first 20 minutes of it's arrival at my doorstep.

I had been anticipating my shipment of ''Unconventional and Unexpected - American Quilts Below the Radar 1950-2000'' for so long, I did a happy dance when I saw the UPS truck stop at the front of my house.

Turning to the first page itself was an emotional experience. I froze for a few minutes and then carried on to the next page. I was trying to hold back the crazy excitement and mad rush of wanting to go through the entire book to see all at once. Every quilt made me think of one or more elements of design.

Importance of contrast

 Does this make you wonder what the back of the quilt looks like?

Mix of hard and soft lines

Can you see the movement?

Texture within texture

How about here?

colors

 Doesn't this make all you wonder about the definition of modern design? The concept of making do was just a way of living.

Why figure 8? Seems like a form of expression but what? Did she leave a label on the back with an explanation?

Am I the only one who sees a nose and an eye of a puppy here?

How about this chest of drawers? Doesn't that remind you of some furniture in some Asian import store?

Totally unexpected, right? 

Every page screams HAPPY. Yes, that's with all caps! It's like one big celebration between cover to cover. it is filled with pictures of the quilts' front and back, essays written by quilt designers, authors and educators in the field.  I could keep posting pictures of the quilts from the book and talk about it for next few posts but there is nothing like actually holding the book in your hands. I had seen many images on various blog posts and fb groups but nothing is as satisfying as having it in my library.

Here is the link to Amazon to purchase the book. Make sure you click on the reviews by customers and read what others are thinking too. I hope you already have the book. If not, it's on its way. If you like unexpected results, thinking outside the box and surprises that come along the way of improvisational quilting, this is the book for you.

Let me know what you think.