From Publishers Weekly
The unoriginal premise guiding this catalogue of "California" quilts (those that were either made in California or brought there by pioneers or their descendants) is that an investigation of these artifacts illuminates social history, particularly that which concerns ordinary women. Thus, reproductions of the 101 quilts are accompanied by brief texts that identify the creator, where possible; the story of the quilt's journey to California; and salient historical data. Readers are left to rummage through colorless minutiae coffey: i took out "attached to each quilt"/didn't seem necessary to me/pk/your cuts and changes are much appreciated/pk in order to find some arresting scraps (that one quilt was stuffed with love letters; that another was fashioned by a seven-year-old). Many will wish that quiltmaker Laury had snythesized her information; hobbyists will bemoan her tendency to omit construction details. But aficionados of this art will not mind--the works themselves are generally stunning, and even Andy Warhol would have appreciated the Pop beauty of a 1930s quilt pieced from flour bags vividly emblazoned with manufacturers' logos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
