Q-BITS: Outdoor Quilt Photos

In the early 1980s, I heard a lecture on documenting quilts. I don't remember the speaker or the occasion; but what stuck in my mind as an amateur photographer was that at least one photo of each quilt should be taken outside, because that would give a true representation of the colors of the quilt.

In 1991, my father asked me to go with him to our family's 1876 homestead south of Rocky Ford, Colorado. I was hesitant because I have never been the outdoor-type traipsing around the prairies. However, I agreed to go if I could photograph quilts for documentation purposes. The idea of a quilt juxtaposed against God's creations and my predecessor's endeavors appealed to me.

Thousands of photos since that day has not made me an outdoor-type as I still prefer to stay in my sewing room making quilts. However, I have learned to enjoy Colorado's architecture, prairies, mountains, and rivers -- I just don't want to commune too much with them. I still get excited after all these years at the juxtaposition when I place a quilt on a fence, a pile of rocks, or with an old building that has survived the ravages of time. All photography was done in the beautiful state of Colorado.

I realized recently that most of these photos have not been seen except by my family and close friends in several self-published photo books made as gifts. So, I'm adding this page to my blog to document not only some of my favorite quilts but also my fascination with outdoor quilt photography.

(All quilts were designed, made, and photographed by me, Sally Jeanne Haines Saulmon.)

I'll begin with photos I took that day in 1991, and then continue with assorted photos taken over the years with locations noted.

HAINES HOMESTEAD