If I had to sum up the new quilt exhibit Quilts and Color at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts in two words I'd say the quilts themselves are fantastic and the colors vibrant. These two quilt collectors, Gerald Roy and Paul Pilgrim, are both artists. They definitely have an eye for design and color. There isn't a ho-hum quilt in the collection.

The elevators to the exhibit are are sporting a quilt design

Each room of the exhibit was paired with a painting which helped explain the use of colors and design in the quilts in that room. There was also a handout with the exhibit which had color wheels that showed how the colors in the quilts related to each other to create various effects.

Here are some of the quilts which I particularly liked.

This is a Pennsylvania Mennonite quilt made in the 1880s. It was in the collection of quilts that are in the "Vibration" room.

Ocean Waves

I really like the daisy quilting in this Double Irish Chain, a Mennonite quilt dated 1880-1890.

Double Irish Chain

This was one of the "quietest" quilts in the exhibit. It was in the "Mixtures" room.

Flying Geese

From the "Harmonies" room.

An Amish Quilt from the 1930s. I particularly like this quilt.

Thousand Pyramids

In the "Gradations" Room:

This quilt was made in Pennsylvania in the 1880s. The quilt's design is based on the story of Joseph in the Old Testament of the Bible. He was given a coat of many colors by his father which made his brothers very jealous.

Joseph's Coat

This quilt was also made in Pennsylvania in the 1880s.

Sunshine and Shadow

The next room was "Variations."

From Pennsylvania, 1983, this is a log cabin quilt.

Log cabin, Barn Raising Variation

And another Log Cabin quilt from Pennsylvania in the 1870s.

Detail from Log Cabin quilt, Straight Furrow variation

Isn't this amazing? And these are only a few of the quilts on exhibit. There are still several more rooms to visit. I'll share some more of my other favorite quilts in my next post.