Skip Navigation Website Accessibility
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
 


A Common Thread

A-Common-Thread

A Common Thread: A Collection of Quilts by Gwen Marston.

You may know Gwen Marston as a living legend in the quiltmaking world. Perhaps you followed her illustrious “Liberated Quiltmaking” phase. If you’re lucky you’ve heard her lecture, participated in one of her workshops, or otherwise met her in person. Or maybe you’re about to discover her for the first time.

No matter how you’ve come to know Gwen’s work, this in-depth journey into her lifelong love affair with fabric, color, and design will inspire you for as long as you create.

A-Common-Thread-front-interior

A Common Thread chronicles five decades of Gwen’s fascinating work. From her beginnings as a traditional quilter to her “liberated” quilt era; from her series of spectacular string quilts to her exploration of minimalist design, this magnificently photographed collection of more than 65 quilts—curated by Gwen herself—invites you to enjoy her journey, her artistry, and her process like never before.

Traditional-Patchwork---A-Common-Thread
From the Traditional Patchwork chapter

As you savor each page, the common threads woven through Gwen’s quilts will come into focus—her thought-provoking color and design choices, her perfectly imperfect piecing, her delightfully tiny surprises, just waiting to be discovered! And you just might find that you share many common threads with Gwen.

Applique--A-Common-Thread
From the Appliqué chapter

The scope of Gwen’s work is vast, yet she’s come to each of her quilts with the same intentions:

To happily create without a goal of perfection.

Liberated-Quiltmaking--A-Common-Thread
From the Liberated Quiltmaking chapter

To evolve and grow:

String-Quilts--A-Common-Thread
From the String Quilts chapter

And to put heart and soul into expressing a unique perspective of our world.

Abstracts-in-Solids--A-Common-Thread
From the Abstract Quilts in Solids chapter

You’ll coax out your creativity, fire up your imagination, and gather inspiration when you immerse yourself in Gwen’s world through the pages of A Common Thread. Treat yourself, your quilting friends, and all the artists you know to this extraordinary retrospective of a celebrated American artist—who we are now overjoyed to call part of the Martingale family!

Gwen-Marston