Gabriele Heinz

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Traditional quilts
2024
Artist's country: Germany

For Gabriele Heinz, the urge to sew her first quilt started some 40 years ago while living in the United States, watching her Amish neighbors quilting.

While sewing full size quilts in traditional patterns, over the years, she gradually developed her own artistic way of sewing.

Gabriele Heinz not only switched from using store bought fabric to antique and vintage textiles, but also from full size to dollhouse quilts, miniature reproduction, doll and crib quilts with all the details of their full-size counterparts.

Gabriele Heinz has always opted to create her very own original designs.

Her work is heavily influenced by her work of restoring antique textiles for museums and private collectors.

It leads her to being very meticulous in her attention to detail.

Gabriele Heinz has exhibited in several solo exhibitions and lectured on textile related subjects in Europe for the past 15 years.

Perfectly imperfect - with soul

Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines

Crib, doll, miniature reproduction and dollhouse quilts.

It was a real pleasure for me to select quilts from my ever-growing collection for this exhibition.

My presentation focuses on the variety of quiltmaking and the historic importance of doll and crib quilts in Europe and the United States to include signature, chintz, appliqué, log cabin, crazy, broderie perse, yoyo, wholecloth, white work and Amish, just to name a few.

Each quilt was chosen for its individual technique, place in history and to honor all quilters in past times.

The quilts are all made by hand the old-fashioned way with antique and vintage fabrics.

They are small versions of full-size quilts, similar in color and style and with the same fabrics.

Each quilt starts with a rough drawing to determine pattern, size and color placement. Everything is cut by hand, the templates are all individually cut from paper or cardboard, the batting is homemade of natural fibers and the layers then hand quilted using old quilting patterns and vintage thread.

The exhibition is accompanied by antique quilting-related items and sewing tools, antique beds, Amish children’s clothing and toys and should appeal to all levels of quilt enthusiasts and also those interested in history, design and folk art.