Quilting Continues To “Blanket” Fashions

The world is becoming more and more aware that quilting is not a thing of the past or your grandmother’s hobby of choice.  Case in point, the Met Gala.  With the 2022 Gilded Age theme resonating glamour, white tie, opulence, excess and fame, how did quilting fit in?

Quite simply, whether a hand-pieced quilt or avant-garde fashion, each tells a story about a personal connection or a point of view.   For instance, Oscar-winning filmmaker, musician, producer and composer Questlove donned, beneath his oversized black coat, a hand-crafted jacket made with the love and skilled craftsmanship from the women of Gee’s Bend.  Questlove noted in an interview with Vogue magazine, “The gilded period is a little bit different for our story… I wanted to highlight black women who have sacrificed for the country.”

Or, Met Gala 2021, Venice Beach-based designer ERL, Eli Russell Linnetz, drawing a patchwork cape from the label’s spring collection for rapper A$AP Rocky, which coincidentally looked like Instagram user books_n_babe’s great grandmother’s puffy quilt. “It is amazing that something my great grandmother made out of love, donated to a local thrift store, ended up inspiring a statement art piece by an amazing designer who took it to the next level.” Now that’s a story.

This all leads to a fun little idea FreeSpirit Fabrics has been touting since October, based on quilting, fashion and the story behind what you make.  The #FreeSpiritCoatStory has challenged the maker to use Quiltsmart printed interfacing to create a quilt top, which magically transforms into the Tamarack Jacket from Grainline Studios. The best part, it needs to be made from FreeSpirit Fabrics.  The FreeSpirit team took the challenge to heart and we all made our own versions, telling our stories along the way which can be viewed here. 

Now we are getting down to the wire, as the #FreeSpiritCoatStory challenge deadline is around the corner, May 27. By posting your quilted coat to your own social media accounts and hash tagging the post #FreeSpiritCoatStory, your story and quilted coat can be entered to possibly win prizes valued at over $2,500.

If you use sewing, quilting and fabric to share your love and imagination with family, friends or neighbors, then your story is worthy and we would love to hear it. What’s your story?