Week of September 10, 2017 – Central Asian Quilts
Today is September 10 and it is my precious little granddaughter’s first birthday! What fun we will have celebrating. Speaking of celebrating, last weekend I went with my girlfriend Linda 
Rhodes to Lincoln, NE for a road trip to see the Edyta Sitar’s exhibit at the Quilt House. Her quilts were absolutely beautiful but what a surprise when we saw the Central Asian Exhibit. I had no idea I would admire them as much as I did. If you have a chance to get there to see them in person before they go down on December 16, I encourage you to do so.
I know I have been accused of loving tiny blocks – either half square triangles or flying geese but the people who made these 
went beyond my wildest expectation. If you can enlarge the photo of this stack of pillows you will see the little black and white geese. They can’t be more than 1/4” wide and 1/8” tall. The applique and piecing workmanship is incredible.
I love their use of vibrant reds set off with black and white. It makes such a striking design. This second photo makes it hard to see but what appears to be red blocks are really itty bitty pineapple blocks. 
This third photo shows six small dowry bags which might be filled with soap, needles, thread, thimbles or a hairbrush. What a lovely item in which to put your things!
This next quilt from Uzbekistan shares a lot of resemblance to a Western or American design. The biggest difference is the use of Ikat Silk for fabric where we would probably use cotton. It seems to glow in the light.
The last photo with vibrant reds also has more of my favorite black and white flying geese. Just like the others, it was made of silk. The most amazing 
realization for me was that most of these (from the photos we could see) were made by women sitting on the dirt, bent over their work and creating such beauty from simple means. The entire exhibit was quite inspiring.
Just for You – Quilt Quote (from the book about the Asian exhibit): “They are referred to as “internal migrants” – moving within their country. In the summer, they work agriculture…but in winter the craft income goes toward the education of their children, medical care and clothing.”
If you have any comments or questions, please contact Phyllis at: MtnQltr@aol.com