Quilty as Charged: Undercover in a Material World represents another valuable addition to the burgeoning literature on the Do-It-Yourself phenomenon in the Western world. The renaissance of DIY and handicrafts, by now in its second decade, is manifested in the increasing popularity of craft festivals and in the rising number of pattern books and manuals. It has also brought prosperity to smaller local businesses that make yarns and fabrics and sell them to practitioners. More importantly, however, the interest in the handmade has helped in many cases create communities of like-minded people, often but not always women who exchange ideas, bring together their concerns, and express their emotions through making objects and socializing with others.
Quilty as Charged tells the stories of many such people. Gillespie looks at quiltmakers in the United States and explores their work through personal interaction. She catalogs the experiences of others using witty titles such as “Caveman Quilting,” a chapter on novice quilters learning from experienced and inspiring instructor Ricky Tims, and “Je ne sais pas Quilt,” which tells the story of the quilting expertise and proficiency of a French expatriate in the USA. The chapters are very readable, with some self-deprecating humor on the part of the author and with abundant detail on the décor and surroundings of the venues, such that the reader feels almost part of the gatherings and conversations. Gillespie, a journalist who has published in the Smithsonian and the New York Times, makes sure that her reader is both well informed and also entertained.
Unity and the feeling of communal undertaking is one of the threads of the book. Many of Gillespie’s respondents also mentioned their desire to continue family traditions of making quilts. Memories can be physical, as when a quiltmaker uses her grandmother’s clothing in every quilt she makes, or mental, expressed either through particular patterns or techniques; these features help the reader to realize the importance of this craft in the lives of practitioners. Literature on hobbies, quiltmaking, and collecting often concentrates on practical advice or tells the story of only one individual. It is a pleasant surprise to see that here the reader receives a much broader picture of a variety of practitioners from numerous cultural and social backgrounds. Rather than writing a history of quiltmaking, a task that has been addressed by a few scholars but still has significant apertures, the author creates a lively narrative that tells a story of contemporary quiltmakers.
I have two concerns regarding this book. One is relatively minor and relates to the title. Although witty and easy to remember, it does not adequately reflect the content of the book. Quilty as Charged leads the reader to think of a controversy, which is not to be found in the book. My second concern is more serious and has to do with the potential audience of this book. Although it is a fascinating mosaic of contemporary quiltmaking practices, it is not an academic work and hence would not be picked up by university libraries and professional researchers. As a non-fiction book written from the perspective of one person, it represents a personal archive of impressions, inspirations, and associations--something that only a few would find fascinating enough to read in its entirety.
Nevertheless, this survey of contemporary quilters and their aspirations is a great contribution to our understanding of material culture and the significance of the making and preserving of material memories.
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[Review length: 571 words • Review posted on December 3, 2008]