The signature Double Wedding Ring Quilt of the Pilgrim/Roy Collection on exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts Boston

While in Boston prior to the 2014 Marathon, we saw city buses sporting a colorful double wedding ring quilt.  We couldn’t help but notice.  The vibrant, pop-art quilt with its striking purple background and spinning wheels of color filled the side of the bus from top to bottom, luring us to the Pilgrim/Roy Collection of eye-popping quilts on exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts.  I couldn’t wait to see it.  Not only has my mom cut, pieced, and stitched quilts for just about everyone in the family, she has introduced us all to the fine art of combining colors and geometric shapes to produce art worthy of display in any museum.

Museum of Fine Arts Boston

To say the least, the exhibit dazzles the eye and stirs the soul.  You could be attracted to any of the sixty graphically bold American quilts just for the patterns . . . or the colors . . . or the workmanship.  But taken as a whole, this body of work takes your breath away. Displayed in dark rooms, the spotlighted quilts move those who stand silently or speak in hushed voices as they contemplate fabric choices, patterns, and hand-stitching.  The curated collection includes well-documented acquisition details and the names of makers, if known. We think you, too, will enjoy seeing these special American artifacts that are artistic in every sense of the word.

Visitor admires a Mariner’s Compass quilt: Massachusetts, about 1840

Bold Colors

Many quilts in the Pilgrim/Roy Collection — almost all, in fact — are notable for rich, vibrant colors that have stood the test of time.

Center Medallion tied child’s comforter: Missouri, 1910

Mennonite, Nine Patch: Pennsylvania (Bucks County), 1880s

Amish, Snail’s Tails: Illinois (Arthur) about 1930

Close-up: Snail’s Tails: Pieced wool plain weave and twill top

Chain Star: Midwestern U. S., 1940s

Close-up: Chain Star. Pieced and appliqued printed cotton plain weave top.

Optical Illusions

If you move one way and then another, you’ll note something different about the quilts that “fool the eye.” Whether it’s the pattern or the combination of fabrics or even how light comes into play, it’s fun to look more than once at the optical illusion quilts.

Yellow Baskets: New York, 1920s-30s.
Perhaps not intended to be an optical illusion, this quilt took on a different appearance as we moved from side to side.

Close-up: Yellow Baskets (At times, grays became more dominant in the background.)

Detail: Yellow Baskets

Striking Geometrics

Although many quilt patterns are quite traditional, the choice of colors can add a modern-day geometric quality or a bold statement as lights and darks contrast.

Lend and Borrow: Pennsylvania (Lancaster County), 1870s

Close-up: Lend and Borrow

Mennonite: Double Irish Chain on point: Pennsylvania, 1880-90

Stitching detail: Double Irish Chain

Log Cabin Variations

At least one long wall and then some was dedicated to quilts using the Log Cabin pattern — squares made up of tiny strips of fabric, half of them light and half dark.  But it’s placement of the squares that determines the overall pattern.

Log Cabin, Sunshine and Shadow variation: Illinois, 1870s. Maker: Rebexy Gray.

Close-up: Sunshine and Shadow

Log Cabin, Multiple Barn Raising variation: Pennsylvania, 1930s

Log Cabin, Windmill Blades variation: Ohio, about 1890

Close-up: Windmill Blades variation

Traditional

Even the traditional patterns became extraordinary with the bursts of color and attention to detail.

Fans: Pennsylvania, 1900-10. Pieced top of wool plain weave and twill with silk embroidery.

Wild Goose Chase: Pennsylvania (Lancaster County), 1880s

Detail: Baltimore Album Quilt, Maryland, before 1847

Detail 2: Baltimore Album Quilt, Maryland, before 1847

Quilts and Color: The Pilgrim/Roy Collection is on exhibit from April 6, 2014, to July 27, 2014.  Be sure to check the website for dates and times.  To purchase the book you see below, click here.

Quilts and Color: The Pilgrim/Roy Collection by Pamela A. Parmal and Jennifer M. Swope
http://www.mfa.org/collections/publications/quilts-and-color

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Avenue of the Arts

465 Huntington Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02115

General Information: 617-267-9300

Website: http://www.mfa.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mfaboston

To purchase Quilts and Color: http://www.mfa.org/collections/publications/quilts-and-color

My Pinterest board on Quilts: http://www.pinterest.com/rushasams/quilts/

Jim Miller, finishing his 100th marathon, gets a big hug from his ATO fraternity brother Bert Sams

He finished!  That’s right — Jim Miller completed his 100th marathon at Boston Marathon 2014, almost as planned.  (See “Run, Jim Miller, Run.“)  But if you had asked Jim the night before, he might not have been so sure his dream would become a reality. After walking back from the Museum of Fine Arts, Jim turned his ankle at the corner of the Omni Parker House Hotel. But with the help of an EMT who wrapped his ankle and good friend Mari who was ready with ibuprofen, Jim rallied. On race day, April 21st, Jim Miller completed his 100th race, a total that includes runs in each of the 50 U. S. states and raised over $20,000 for the Liver Foundation.  Congrats, Jim!

But there are other reasons why this race, this Boston Marathon 2014, will be remembered as one of our favorite all-time trips of a lifetime.  Here are five of them.

Reason 1.  Pre-race activities get you fired up and ready — even if you’re not running!

Getting ready for any race in any city is an ordeal, but Boston was dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy following the 2013 bombing.  With increased security and down-to-the minute details guaranteed to make this larger, more emotional run a unifying event, pre-race activities endeared us (and the other one million spectators) to the cause so we could truly live the mantra emblazoned on t-shirts and banners:  Boston Runs as One. TV reporters interviewed runners whose stories touched our hearts — runners injured last year, runners who rely on prosthetic limbs to carry them over the finish line, and runners who race — and raise money — for a cause.  Boston Public Library opened its doors to Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial, an exhibit of artifacts and photographs from the prior year. And since the 2014 marathon coincided with Easter, churches joined the celebration by scheduling Blessing of the Runners services for Sunday, April 20th, leaving many of us who attended (and many did!) teary-eyed and emotional the day before the marathon.  Races of lesser lengths kicked off on Saturday the 19th — like children’s races, 5K races, mile-long races — all with precision timing and heightened security.  And what we observed during pre-race days carried through the whole weekend event:  almost everyone was happy, passionate, encouraging.  Something special was in the air.

 Reason 2. John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo lets you peek into the commercial side of running — and it’s a BIG side!

No race of this magnitude occurs without sponsors and vendors, so when we headed over to the Hynes ConventionCenter with Jim to pick up his bib number (#23312), we also got a taste of what’s new in the running world.  Familiar companies were there (Nike, Reebok, PowerBar, etc.), but newcomers like Running Skirts had a packed booth, too. Long lines formed at Runners World with fans hoping to get autographs and to shake hands with editors. The blowaway booth, however, had to be Adidas, official sponsor and producer of those must-have electric orange jackets ($110.00)  and pullovers ($65.00) emblazoned with official logos.  Adidas apparel and gear moved out the door as fast as someone could swipe a card on a handheld.  Ka-ching!

3.  A Pre-race Pasta Party can pump you up and plump you up!

Sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association, the Pre-race Pasta Party at City Hall Plaza on Sunday the 20th, was the place to be!  Long — very long — lines snaked around city blocks leading runners and friends through rows of blue-shirted, swingin’-to-the-music young ladies passing out clam shell boxes for stations featuring salad, bread, and pasta: Penne Marinara,  Four-cheese Baked Rigotoni, and Rotini Greek Pasta Salad. Sponsors like Samuel Adams, Bertoli, Stonyfield Yogurt, and Newman’s Own piled it on, too, and, if you trucked your own empty clam shell to the trash, you were handed a goody bag of desserts bigger than most kids get at Halloween! Thumping vibes of constant good-time music kept people happy while waiting for a table decked out with blue and white balloons.  And no one went away hungry.  It was carbo-loading at its best!

Reason 4. Boston Marathon 2014 leaves you thankful you can run the course or cheer ’em on!

Race Day began at the crack of dawn when 36,000 runners left their bags behind (new procedure this year), boarded buses, and waited for their wave.  Mobility impaired racers came first. Then elite men and women.  Then the rest.  Spectators joined in any way they could — but mostly by the T (short for MBTA). Remarkably patient T employees (and one terrific policeman) helped us find the Green Line headed toward Riverside so we could get off at Newton and cheer runners near Mile 16 where PowerBar workers handed out thousands of bars to hungry runners as they ran by.  When you stand in one place for a while, you make friends — like the ones who joined us in yelling Mil-ler, Mil-ler as our friend ran by (He never heard us!), and then we, in turn, cheered on their friends and family members. Anytime a runner motioned to the crowd for “more noise, ” we pumped up the volume just like we did when a family like the Hoyts moved their loved one in a push-rim wheelchair down the 26.2 miles. For us, the race became emotional: we were moved by determination, spirit, and physical prowess all rolled into one big effort to make it to the finish line.  According to Boston Globe, 99% of runners finished, including one person who collapsed just short of the goal but was carried over the line by two runners willing to assist.

5.  Boston was at its best — and maybe it always is!

Even though we’d been to Boston before, it was fun revisiting the history, the architecture, the food just as if we’d never been.  We downloaded the app for Granary Burial Ground and searched for favorite sites while costumed tour guides told, in animated fashion, stories of famous people buried there.  We looked through Fanueill Hall and Quincy Market with new eyes focused on Boston Strong souvenirs, local foods (chowdah!), and people from around the world snapping pictures of top touristy landmarks. But it was, of course, the Bostonians themselves that we’ll remember: always kind, always working, always determined to make this what it turned out to be: “a moment in time that weaves together a unique fabric of emotion, accomplishment and togetherness.” (From the BAA: Thank you, Boston)

Thanks, Jim Miller, for running this race and inviting your friends to see Boston through one determined runner’s eyes.  It’s a race we’ll never forget.

Jim Miller posing at the Finish Line the day before

If you go next year:

• Book accommodations early.  Many hotels, rooms, and apartments (even through Airbnb, etc.) sold out months before.
• Plan your route using information and the map from the Boston Athletic Association‘s website:  www.baa.org
• Download the Boston Athletic Association app, enter the bib number of the runner you want to follow (up to 10) and check often.  You can keep up with progress easily!
• Know your mobility limitations.  Many streets/sidewalks can be challenging, and long lines mean long waits.
• Ask for help, especially if you use public transportation.  The Bostonians are quite willing to show you the best routes and how to buy tickets.  Just ask. (They even understand Southern accents!)

For more information:

Boston Athletic Association: www.baa.org

Facebook, Boston Athletic Association: https://www.facebook.com/BostonAthleticAssociation

Facebook, Boston Marathon: https://www.facebook.com/TheBostonMarathon

Article cited above: “From the BAA: Thank you, Boston” Retrieved from http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/04/23/from-baa-thank-you-boston/59zUnlFxb4BhnnLXADiLoN/story.html