Two and a half years ago, I wrote a post about "The Principle of the Patchwork Quilt" on my primary blog at With Heart and Hands at a a time when the theme, the look, and samples first came out as a mere possibility for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi!
Guess what? It's the theme that was selected!
The beautiful rainbow...a symbol for all people, of all religions, cultures, and belief systems is especially meaningful during a time when a hosting country has chosen to denigrate an entire group of people, that the same country picked a theme celebrating the patchwork of diversity of cultures.
Here's a look at some of the clothing that the Russian athletes will be wearing. I made a general collage to share the overall look of some of the Olympic Russian apparel.
And I, for one, would love to own a piece of this as winter wear! I'm thinking the blue patchwork vest on the right near the bottom in my own collage their Olympic team clothing....oh yes, I could wear this!
As Bosco, the official licensing organization says:
"Olympic patchwork quilt, developed by Bosco’s creative department and given to the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, will be the official Look of Russia’s first Winter Games.
Our goal was to represent a diverse range of emotions and feelings, connecting concepts like Motherland, Family, Culture, Time, Olympism, Peace, Nobility, Friends, Memory, Honour, Dreams, Beauty, Freedom, Pride, Warmth, Happiness, Greatness, Reliability, Victory, Creativity, Hospitality, Creation, Future, Russia, Planet Earth. Every region in the world is proud of its unique origins, and it is no different in Russia. That is why there are so many different local traditions, songs and crafts that highlight the individuality of their creators, each valuable in its own right. Bosco had a wealth of choices to represent Russia’s rich diversity, but in the end we settled on something familiar, warm and welcoming: the patchwork quilt.
In the concept design, every patch was infused with the history and personality of traditional crafts from each of Russia’s 89 regions: in a single tapestry we combined Uftyuzhskaya painting and Vologda lace, Gzhel and Zhostovo painting, Kubachi patterns and the flowers of Pavlo Posad shawls, Mezenskaya painting and Khokhloma, Yakutsk patterns, fabrics of Ivanovo and other distinctive Russian patterns.
That is how we arrived at a modern, distinctive and unmistakeably Russian Look of the Games.
I
am quoting from the official 2011 press releases from Bosco, the
official licensed clothing company for the Russian Olympic Team apparel.
Their newest entry for 'the look' revolves around “the principle of the ‘patchwork quilt’ — a combination of 16 designs representing the most famous traditional Russian arts and crafts, ranging from Gzhel to Khokhloma.”
Using these compiled fabrics....
.....they created a design which the press release describes as....
"The
design was created from the motifs of ornaments of the most famous
Russian national crafts. Here we can see Uftyuzhskaya painting and
Vologda lace, Gzhel and Zhostovo painting, Kubachi patterns and Pavlov
Posad shawls, Mezenskaya painting and Khokhloma, Yakutsk patterns and
Ivanovo chintz. A new modern approach to the folk motifs, a thorough
work on the common algorithm for construction of the patchwork quilt -
“an individual net”, and on each of the 28 constituent fragments, and
an unconditional work of authorship of the BOSCO creative team add an
exclusive urgency to the LOOK OF THE GAMES."
Check out the fabulous unveiling photos...
.....they created a design which the press release describes as....
Let us hope and prayer that things will improve in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics in all ways and keep the country and all of the athletes in your positive thoughts in all ways!
Today, the official opening day for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, I am off making a patchwork quilt...it's all about "The Principle of the Patchwork Quilt"! Mine won't be like their ideas, just a patchwork quilt of my own.
But here are some ideas and links for you as I am receiving many requests for "How to Make a Sochi Quilt".
All of these Sochi designs for "The Principle of the Patchwork Quilt" resemble both the Thousand Pyramids and many of the Diamond quilts.
Thousand Pattern quilt block on my blog:
http://www.with-heart-and-hands.com/2009/12/free-quilt-block-patterns.html
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courtesy of : http://www.quilterscache.com/T/ThousandPyramidsBlock.html
But how pretty are these? Look at how differently, triangles make up into diamonds if you just change your fabric choices from each of these looks, below:
Park Slope Triangles Quilt, 49 x 61", free pattern by Michael Miller Fabrics
One reader even mentioned that she had taken a class from Jan Krenz where she showed a very similar idea. Check out that quilter and her own "Indian Summer" quilt made with the "Thousand Pyramid" idea at: Jan Krentz from the book Quick Diamond Quilts and Beyond
Road Well Traveled, 68 x 79", free pattern by Jean Ann Wright for Marcus Brothers
Skylark by June Pease at Red Rooster Fabrics
Chateau Rouge French General, free pattern at Moda Fabrics
Alfresco, 80 x 96", free pattern by Jean Ann Wright for Marcus Brothers Fabrics
Modern Ombre Triangle 42 x 48", baby quilt tutorial and pattern at See Kate Sew
And now, Lyn Brown, on her blog has created her own "Memories of Sochi" Quilt Pattern available for free through Craftsy!
As Lyn says:
"This design is simplified. There are only three panels. Each panel is made of just squares and quarter square triangles. It is the color and variety of the fabrics you use that will make this quilt fabulous!
If you want to make a bigger quilt, make the panels longer and/or make more panels.
So start gathering fabrics of all colors of the rainbow to make your memories of Sochi quilt… And don’t forget to download the FREE pattern from Craftsy!"Memories of Sochi PDF
Meanwhile, Hoffman Fabrics came up with a free quilt pattern inspired by the Sochi quilt,
Sochi Olympics banners as quilt inspiration | Inside Quilters Newsletter
www.quiltersnewsletter.com
...it's still all about the Principle of the Patchwork Quilt!
Have fun creating your own Sochi Patchwork Quilt!
Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska. Sewing, quilting, and wildcrafting, with small format art quilts, prayer flags, and comfort quilts for a variety of charitable programs. And best of all, sharing thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join her and make and donate quilts to charitable causes. Help us change the world, one little quilt at a time!