As the daughter of a quilter, I can testify that those timeless designs go with everything. And you can't buy "made with love."

This post arrived at just the right time for me. Last week my husband and I got in a rather heated argument about the quilt my grandmother made me out of scraps from old flannel pajamas she had made for me, my mother, and herself over the years. There is a lot of pink, it is a log cabin like the one pictured up top, and it is not to our normal more modern tastes, but I love it and think it is beautiful. I had recently put it over the end of the bed in the guest room and thought it looked great. My husband told me it was "hideous" and of course I broke down in tears because it has so much sentimental value for me. He of course apologized and said how sorry he was for being insensitive, but he stood firm to his claim that it doesn't "go" with the decor. While we've let the argument go (no need to dwell on things that are not that important), I do feel very vindicated by this post, so big thanks!

I guess I don't understand why quilts would not go with modern decor. Quilts are goemetric, patterned, colorful (and awesome).

Handmade quilts are WONDERFUL for modern homes! A dear friend made one for us as a wedding gift and has been evolving her designs and quilted products since then.

Instead of purchasing from Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie, how about supporting an independent artist?

http://jessflegel.blogspot.com/

Aren't they great!?
She often posts new sales in her Etsy shop and on her blog. She also takes custom orders and sells in shops near to the Bellingham, WA area.

If everything is matchy in a home, there often feels like something is missing. If you are so lucky as to have something especially made for you - the love it would bring with it...
There are very modern patchwork quilts out there, too. Douglas & Hope here in Melbourne make them out of kimono scraps.

philosoknitter - Why such an argument over a quilt in a room he doesn't even sleep in?

Many of the Amish quilt designs are VERY reminiscent of modern art (Joseph Albers, Rothko...). Although I can understand where someone might think quilts are old fashioned, it has to do with the artistry and fabric choices of the quilter. There are many many examples of bold contemporary looking quilts that are actually a hundred or more years old.

My best friend made us a quit for our wedding, and I love love love it. Although, the colors don't work with my navy bedroom, so it wanders the apartment as an incredibly warm and cozy, large, throw. Old fashioned quilts add instant warmth and affection to any room :)

I know there are a lot of "country sampler" type quilts that are so 80's country nobody would want to have anything to do with them. But when you have a timeless design, with intricate hand-done stitching you have something not only beautiful but also valuable.

1. What is your bed?
2. How do I post a question with a photo? Can someone send me a link. I can't figure out where to do this?!?

I'm obsessed with these modern quilts:

http://leahevanstextiles.com/

Maps, roadways, etc. Pricey, but gorgeous.

Quilts rule, forever.

Bought two queen size quilts as presents from Garnet Hill. Under 200.00 dollars including gift wrap! That's a deal:)

For me the only beautiful thing in your bedroom is the quilt and the guitar, sorry no offence meant here but seriously nothing can compete with a handmade quilt, you are lucky to own one which was made just for you.

I am lucky enough to own a couple beautiful and amazing quilts that the boyfriends mother has made for me! We live in a pretty modern apartment and display them all around our house. They add a great pop of color to both our bedroom and living room.

@chrisgal
Well, it didn't sound like much of an argument. He thinks it's hideous. She has sentimental feelings invested in it, so this upsets her, probably beyond his own level of give a ****. On the other hand, why shouldn't he get to care about what's going in a room he's not even sleeping in (when she gets to)?

I have a quilt for my summer bedroom- in my family, you get a baby quilt, a kid quilt, a leaving home quilt, and a getting-married quilt. I'd always loved the double-wedding-ring pattern, which my mother always hated, but she found a contemporary double-wedding-ring pattern which she made with reproduction 1920s fabrics. It's awesome, and you just can't design awesome like that.

The love makes it match everything.

I made my first quilt over the summer two years ago and am so proud of it! I love being able to pick out lots of different patterns/prints and make something totally unique. You can make a quilt go with any style even if the quilt pattern is traditional by mixing in surprising prints.

I was raised Mennonite, so quilts were pretty much everywhere growing up! My grandmother has made each of my cousins a getting-married quilt. Since my sister and I have no plans in the foreseeable future to do so -- and because my grandmother is getting older -- we received our quilts a couple Christmases ago. Mine is a burgundy and deep green tulip pattern on white. I love it, and I love that I have something that links me to my family's history.

My great grandmother, who is Mennonite, passed down a beautiful handmade quilt to me and I think it fits wonderfully with our more modern decor. Although, I will admit, my style very much an eclectic mix of vintage and modern.

Love love love quilts. I have them in the living room, boys room and our bedroom. They are beautiful and timeless

Lucky are those that receive such personal gifts! That could be a family heirloom someday!

Lucky, indeed.

And that your grandmother is alive to pass on that act of love.

Quilts & handmade items add warmth & sentimentality to modern interiors... making it more like a home.

Love it. A few years ago I was turning up my nose at beds with quilts, but now I find them personal, adorable, and cozy. What a loving Grandma for thought, time, and effort.

This is another conveniently timed AT post for me. In preparing to move into a small apartment soon I as once again faced with the trash bag full of old band t-shirts I'd collected during my teens. Obviously they have sentimental value for me, but some also have great designs/artwork, some are for bands that aren't together anymore. So, I'm finally making them into a blanket/throw for me to use in the living when I'm constantly cold and the boyfriend feels fine. Luckily most of them are colorful and will fit right into our quirky, eclectic, neutrals & jewel tones aesthetic.

I recently took up quilting and I love it! It makes me at peace to create something "new" with modern fabrics that go together in ways, which have been truly created by generations before me.

A fresh and beautiful take on quilts in a very contemporary way can be seen at Oh Fransson! by Elizabeth Hartmann, whose book I will purchase as soon as finances are a bit better. I definitely will make her Tokyo Subway Map at some point as it won me over the very first time I laid eyes on it (and I've developed a small obession since). http://www.ohfransson.com/

That quilt looks perfect on that bed. I wish I had some quilts from family members, but I'm first and only one who quilts in my family!

http://www.brandeye.etsy.com

I was very excited recently to finish our guest bedroom, complete with the quilt my grandmother made for our wedding. My grandmother has a tradition of making quilts for graduations, weddings and new babies in the family. Being the 8th out of 10 grandchildren, it seemed like forever before I had a quilt of my own.

Here's a link to a picture of the bedroom.
http://thehouseonpennylane.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/guest-bedroom/

I am also a daughter of a massive quilter, and she made me a quilt for my bed, it's full of blues, greens, and yellows, so you can really match it with anything, prints or solids!

funny, I was upset that my wedding quilt wasn't complete until after my wedding! LOL my mom is a quilter, my sister has a quilting top stich business (she finishes other's piecings).

my biggest dilema is how to incorporate my wedding quilt into my decor on the walls. I have dogs that are bed sleepers no matter how hard I try to keep them off. i normally just keep the door closed but there's always the day its left open and there they are up on the bed with their heads on my pillow no less!

is it possible to hang a quilt on a wall and not look country?

I personally love the quilts from American Living @ JCP and Chaps @ Kohl's. They offer amazing value for the money (they are 100% cotton) and the look of vintage collector quilts!

my grandmother had 7 children, and has over 30 grandkids, and she still finds time to make a quilt for each grandchild at least once every 2 years. I have gotten quite a few in my lifetime, and each holds a special place in my heart.

her latest is an assortment of vintage fabrics in every color/pattern imaginable. For a time, it was hanging on our wall in the bedroom, but I have taken it down for fear that the quilt hangers will damage the borders of the quilt.

i can't imagine ever being upset that my grandmother had given me a quilt.

and quite frankly, my husband is aware how much they mean to me, and causes no fuss when i choose to bring it out of the closet for display.

@chrisgal and @lepidoptery - I think you just recreated the argument! I was also overly emotional at the time. We generally agree on most design decision and when we don't I usually get my way because my husband is in general a very easy going guy. My quilt is beautiful but it is made of leftover women's and girl's pajama material, so I see how a boy might not see it's beauty.

Oh! Quilts make me happy!!

My sister is a quilter and gave us an amazing quilt that we love--it lives in our reading room and we use it everyday. Mixing handmade with store bought and traditional with contemporary is such a great way to put your stamp on your home.

For some more antique quilt eye-candy, check out some of the quilts of Gee's Bend. Ah-mazing. Period.

http://tinyurl.com/2ay4d58

I also have two quilts that were made by a great-aunt and they are prominently displayed on our quilt rack since he also has quilts that were made in his family. Luckily we agree on them and anything that has a rich family history.

The way I feel about displaying things from my family or his is that I love him and I care about his family history and I wouldn't dare disrespect him in that way - and he feels the same.

Quilts are timeless and can go with any decor. I really love and appreciate all the handiwork that goes into them. There are so many talented quilters on Etsy. There's one that does all handpieced and handstitched pieces. I bought a couple of her quilts and are awesome in person. It's Bettsquilts on Etsy.

My dear mother-in-law is a hand quilter. When my husband was an undergrad 20 years ago, she made him a quilt of the periodic table. She followed that up a few years ago with a lap quilt of the elements discovered in the interim. When I graduated from college, because of my love of Indian cooking, she made me a spice-themed quilt, with spice bottle-shaped elements as a border. She made my husband, a jazz lover, a jazz-themed quilt with a meticulously hand-lettered border of the Charles Mingus piece "Reincarnation of a Lovebird." Whether it "goes" precisely with my decor, I don't care. I wouldn't trade her labors of love for any other gift I've been given.

@philosoknitter and chrisgal

Well I would agree that if it's apparent that it means that much to you, your partner should take that into consideration over/against his aesthetics (in a functional relationship....) But appreciation of the thing itself is not really a transitive property no matter how much it means to you. XD

(And of course, just because this sort of thing can work doesn't mean it'll work for everyone. Let's not overextend this. A gorgeous shabby-chic home is a gorgeous home I still wouldn't be interested in living in, for example.)

I'm a quilter but my first love is antique quilts. They are perfect for modern homes which can sometimes be cold and unappealing. Quilts add just what is needed. Here's a vintage baby quilt and an antique crazy quilt to make someone's home happy: http://www.beadofthemonthclub.com/beads/cn3.html

Good for you for seeing the beauty in your grandmas gift. For those of you not lucky enough to have quilting grandmas,check out Quiltville.com, look for the scrap quilt patterns free on the right hand side. A lot of these old patterns are very graphic and fresh. Also consider the Amish and Gees Bend quilts as a jumping of point for bespoke or your own work. Quilts have a lot of depth and soul, both visually and sentimentally.

It's Amanda here! Sorry for any misunderstanding, that first photo is not actually my bedroom. I just thought it was a nice photo to go with this topic. My bedroom isn't complete right now, as I just moved, but this is what it looked like a couple of years ago with Grandma's quilt: http://www.flickr.com/photos/candimandi/3074882318/in/set-72157610555316117/

There are more recent and also quilty pics of my bedroom in my flickr stream.

I love quilts and just started making them. I think they can look very modern. Check the top picture. http://anotherjennifermakingstuff.blogspot.com/
It's made of denim but it's geometrical and abstract. There's another made of corduroy further into the blog.

Surprising this surprises anyone...modern artists have cited quilts for inspiration...