July 26 – 31, 1998
These restored messages come from the Quilt History List, an online forum where quilt historians, collectors, researchers, appraisers, and enthusiasts discussed antique quilts and related textiles. The archive dates from 1996 through approximately 2016 and is being restored gradually. Sign up in the form at the bottom of the page if you want to know when a new page is added. Original spelling, opinions, formatting, and inactive links may remain unchanged.
Primary topics of this QHL Digest:
- eBay Controversy — A heated multi-day discussion about eBay selling practices, feedback systems, ethics of quilt resellers, and whether the list should engage eBay management.
- Swastika Quilts — Members discuss the pre-Nazi history of the swastika motif in quilts, including examples from Indiana and German-American communities, and debate whether the symbol can be reclaimed.
- King-Size 19th Century Quilts — Discussion of oversized antique quilts, bed sizes, and how historical bed dimensions explain larger quilt dimensions.
- Pine Tree Block Research — A request for Pine Tree block history prompts references to Brackman’s Encyclopedia and colonial-era pattern origins.
- Bed Rugs History — An explanation of bed rugs as a distinct textile form, with references to examples at Sturbridge Village and in historical collections.
- Quilts of Provence — A mystery about the book Quilts of Provence and its connection to Provençal textile traditions.
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 18:31:40 -0400 (EDT) | From: JOCELYNM [at] delphi [dot] com
On 25-JUL-1998 14:34:37.5 quiltcollector said to JOCELYNM > Integrity is important, yet, I have found that many well known > dealer/appraisers, even some who are well versed on quilts, have not > signed or agreed to any sort of a code of ethics…yes, I have asked. > So, why not? My thoughts exactly. If someone refuses to agree to a > code of ethics, then I don’t think I would want them appraising my > quilts. Pamela, I think that would depend very much, on ‘why’. A ‘code of ethics’ is the opinion of (usually) a small group of members of a profession, about what the ethics of the profession should be. A person might refuse to agree to it because they believed that it permitted actions that ought to be banned, or because it omitted any mention of actions that ought to have been discussed. For example, in my own profession, I am required to subscribe to our code of ethics. OTOH, I’ve had the opportunity to read the CoE of allied professions…some of which state that things that I would personally call unethical, are permitted. If I had a choice in the matter, I would refuse to sign such a CoE, in protest of what I thought were lower standards than my own. A dealer/appraiser might refuse for a similar reason, or for many others. For example, if ‘signing’ means just signing a piece of paper, that might seem to her to be a silly, pointless exercise. OTOH, if it meant that she had to send money to a national registry, it might strike her as being a rip-off. She might be refusing to sign, because she saw it as a method of enriching its authors, not of protecting the public, especially if there is no enforcement capacity. Jocelyn
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 18:32:11 -0400 (EDT) | From: JOCELYNM [at] delphi [dot] com
or Centennial > commemorative fabric Crazy quilt? One sold recently on EBay, and I >had never heard of one before that. Cindy, I quit going to the eBay after I had a dealer tell me all about how many stitches per inch were on his quilt, and then posted a close-up of the quilt in response to my questions. I looked at the picture, then asked him point blank: I can’t see ANY signs of quilting on this ‘quilt’…is it a quilt or a top? Welllllll…it was a top. Machine pieced, too. Now why anyone would brag about 14 stitches/inch in the seams of a machine-pieced top, I have no idea…but I sure felt that the reason was to fool me into believing I was buying a quilt, not just a top. My other theory, that he knew so little about quilts, that when he heard others talking about stitches per inch, he didn’t realize they were referring to quilting stitches, not seams, wasn’t much more flattering. Jocelyn
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 21:49:42 -0500 (EST) >P.S. Has anyone ever seen a Civil War commemorative or Centennial commemorative fabric Crazy quilt? One sold recently on EBay, and I had never heard of one before that. Cindy, There is such a quilt in the exhibit “Still Crazy After All Those Quilts” on display at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts (978-452-4207) through August 16. The center of the quilt is a silk bandana from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, which is why I was so interested in the quilt. (I am researching quilts that were exhibited in Chicago in 1893. Please let me know if you know of any.) Anyway, it also contains a ribbon from the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. The quilt is in the NEQM collection and is labeled as follows: Lowell Crazy Qui1893-1904 Blanche Wiggin Staples (Robinson) 72″x60″ crazy gift of Judith Hall, 1989.02 I wanted a photograph, but (alas) they do not allow photography and I didn’t have time to talk to them about aquiring one. Joanna Evans Bloomington, IN
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 01:35:41 -0400 | From: “susanlk”
QHL-Digest Digest V98 #212 Yes, ebay is certainly a topic these days!! I go there for some humor. Although the experience of Jocelyn who was told stitch density when the object wasn’t even quilted is so bad as to not be funny. When you think what kind of money sellers are expecting on the strength of very poor if not downright incorrect descriptions!! One doll auction recently described the doll as in excellent condition, but missing an arm. I find that a ridiculous use of the word “excellent” in describing the doll overall. And of course quilts are CONSTANTLY being described as in wonderful condition, considering their age…and then the seller goes on to say there are only a few holes, of sizes MANY inches large. If it weren’t so sad, these amateurs, thieves and incompetents ruining ebay as a place for good quality collectible textiles, it would be funny the descriptions are often so outrageous. I actually did write to one seller who claimed an item was particularly valuable because it’s out of production, and the item IS in production. The seller flamed me for trying to be God by telling her what she could or could not say!!! People like that have driven SO many people away from ebay..who wants to get flamed when you correct an erroneous description, which is the ONLY data you have to base your purchase decision on. Ebay management seems to think self policing by buyers will drive out the bad guys. They probably believe in the tooth fairy too. SusanLK
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 08:12:08 -0700 (PDT) | From: Pamela Robersson
I think that would depend very much, on ‘why’. > A ‘code of ethics’ is the opinion of (usually) a small group of members > of a profession, about what the ethics of the profession should be. A > person might refuse to agree to it because they believed that it permitted > actions that ought to be banned, or because it omitted any mention of > actions that ought to have been discussed. > For example, in my own profession, I am required to subscribe to our > code of ethics. OTOH, I’ve had the opportunity to read the CoE of allied > professions…some of which state that things that I would personally call > unethical, are permitted. If I had a choice in the matter, I would refuse to > sign such a CoE, in protest of what I thought were lower standards than my > own. > A dealer/appraiser might refuse for a similar reason, or for many > others. For example, if ‘signing’ means just signing a piece of paper, that > might seem to her to be a silly, pointless exercise. OTOH, if it meant that > she had to send money to a national registry, it might strike her as being a > rip-off. She might be refusing to sign, because she saw it as a method of > enriching its authors, not of protecting the public, especially if there is > no enforcement capacity. > > Jocelyn > > What Jocelyn says may be true, however, I do not think that ANY nationally recognized appraisal organization would have any ambiguity in their code of ethics, which should be a priviledge for a competent appraiser to sign, indicating he/she is a member of such an organization. Pamela _ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address athttp://mail.yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 12:22:56 -0500 | From: Swede
JOCELYNM wrote: >She might be refusing to sign, because she saw it as a method of enriching its authors, >not of protecting the public, especially if there is no enforcement capacity. Quite true! Take the BBB for example. A lot of people are under the impression that reporting a business to the BBB is something that will bring swift action for an alleged wrong. WRONG! The BBB has no enforcement powers and if a complaint is received they will contact the merchant and tell her what you said and ask you to resolve it. End of story. If they receive lots of complaints, they’ll keep a file and tell you if you ASK. But probably by the time you’re asking, it’s too late anyway. We all have our personal, internal code of ethics. And you might compare this to being a member of a certain religion, [Catholic, Baptist, Hindu, whatever]. Altho each religion has their own teachings on conduct and morality, we all know that not every [Catholic, Baptist, Hindu, whatever], follows the rules – or individually interprets (rationalizes) their behavior to fit the rules. So I don’t think a lot of us judge people we meet by saying, “Oh, she’s [Catholic, Baptist, Hindu, whatever], this person has my implicit trust!” It may be a factor in making you feel comfortable with the person, but it is no guarantee or indicator of their trustworthiness. And so it is with an appraiser who has signed something. If signing something could make a person adhere to a code of ethics, most lenders would write one into their lending contract to insure that the borrower would not become delinquent. Instead, they rely on an agreement that states very real legal consequences and fees in the case of delinquency or default The agreement is only as good as the person who signs it. Just my .02�. Annastina
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 13:02:42 +0000 | From: Jocelyn
Robersson <quiltcollector [at] yahoo [dot] com> charset=US-ASCII however, I do not think that ANY > nationally recognized appraisal organization would have any ambiguity > in their code of ethics, which should be a priviledge for a competent > appraiser to sign, indicating he/she is a member of such an > organization. Pamela, If the American Psychological Association can have a Code of Ethics that I don’t agree with, as a social worker, I think it is HIGHLY likely that even a nationally recognized appraisal organization might have content in their code of ethics that a particular person might find unacceptable. Ethics is nowhere near an exact science, and people aren’t all the same. A code of ethics typically is written to specify the absolute minimum standards, and omits what someone with higher standards might consider as absolutely essential. For example, in the realm of dual relationships with clients, some mental health workers would say that a therapist can never, EVER initiate a dual relationship, even after the client ends the therapeutic relationship. Others would say that it’s OK if the therapeutic relationship ended, and the second relationship began later. Still others would say that it is acceptable to end a therapeutic relationship for the purpose of beginning a second relationship.
So let’s say we have three therapists. Mary says, ‘I don’t think it’s right for me to date a former client, ever. As a matter of fact, I try not to socialize with former clients.’ John says, ‘I worked with my wife for awhile back in 1981. After she quit seeing me for therapy, we lost touch with each other. In 1995, she saw the notice for my divorce in the paper, and gave me a call. We started going out, and now we’re married.’ Pat says, ‘I started to work with Chris, and immediately realized I was sexually attracted, so I made a referral to a colleague. A couple of months later, I ran into Chris at a dance. To my surprise, Chris told me that the attraction was mutual, and now we’re going out.’ None of these examples violates the rule against ‘no dual relationships with clients’, because both Pat and John had terminated their professional relationships with their clients before assuming a social/romantic relationship with them. But is there ANY code of ethics that Pat or John could write, that would suit Mary? If she refused to sign off on their code, because it wasn’t strict enough in her opinion, that wouldn’t be a statement about her lack of ethics. Every code of ethics WILL contain ambiguity. It is absolutely impossible for the authors to detail every possible situation. For example, the above ‘dual relationships’.
Most people would say, ‘Oh, that’s clear, you shouldn’t have sex with your clients.’ But it goes much further than that. If you asked 100 professionals if it would be ethically wrong to hire a student/client to mow their lawn if the kid was trying to get started with a lawn-mowing business, I daresay that you wouldn’t get 100% agreement that it would be an ethical violation.Suppose one of my teenaged clients wants to get a lawnmowing business going. I need someone to mow my yard. If I hire Josh, I can serve as a reference for him. Doesn’t that seem like a nice thing to do? But is it ethical? Even if Josh and I agree on the amount of money per mowing, there’s still potential for problems. Suppose Josh does a sloppy job? Can I legitimately refuse to pay him? Can I refuse to hire him again? Suppose there’s a lot of rain, and Josh can’t get to the yard for awhile. When he does, it’s really tall and requires a lot of work. Is it fair for me to pay him the regular amount, or do I owe him more money? I’ve been paying LawnsRUs $20 a mowing. Josh says he’ll do it for $15. Am I exploiting him? LawnsRUs does a better job, though. Suppose I’m planning a 4th of July party, and I want my lawn mowed. It’s 105 degrees out. Am I exploiting Josh to expect him to mow my lawn? Suppose he takes psychiatric medication that makes him more susceptible to sunburn and heat stroke.
Am I exploiting him to expect him to mow my lawn on schedule, in a heat wave? If he refuses to mow, am I justified in hiring LawnsRUs so that my party guests aren’t knee-deep in grass? Or am I retaliating against Josh, cheating him out of his $15 for that week, punishing him for refusing to mow when he thought the heat and sun could endanger his health? On the other hand, what will Josh think if I refuse to hire him? Will he question whether I really like him, or believe this is a sign that I don’t want him to succeed, or I don’t think he’s capable of succeeding? Is the damage I may do by refusing to hire him, more or less than the damage that may occur if things go badly? The ambiguities are there, because life is ambiguous. To say that there is only one possible reason for a person to refuse to sign a code of ethics, and that is that they are unethical, ignores those ambiguities of life. There are lots of reasons. Jocelyn
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 21:01:17 -0500 From: Swede <kittyboxers [at] toledolink [dot] com> Jocelyn makes a valid point. There are many fine doctors who have refused to take the Hippocratic Oath because they believe abortion should be a legal alternative for women or that euthanasia is an acceptable choice. Regardless of what your views on arbortion or euthanasia are, you can not deny that the technical skill and experience of these physicians may be impecable. At the same time, I know at least one physician who has taken the Hippocratic Oath and does perform abortions [legally]. I would trust this doctor with my life (and have). I judge him on his professional EXPERIENCE. (No, not as an abortionist, but as a surgeon). Annastina —
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 07:20:56 +0930 From: Karen Bush <birdsong [at] worldnet [dot] att [dot] net> To: QHL [at] cuenet [dot] com Subject: QHL: Good Message-ID: <35bcf640.41c8 [at] worldnet [dot] att [dot] net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Morning all! Whew! I just finished catching up on my digests, quite a thread going! Welcome to the new people! I don’t have anything to say/add/ to the discussion, I just wanted to say ‘Hi’ before everybody forgot me, it’s been so long since I posted! One question,though. I’ve been hearing “E-bay” quite a bit,too, on different lists/digests…and wondered, is there ANY way, we as a group, or individually can go to the e-bay police and let them know of the inconsistencies in the ‘write up’ of the quilts that are on there? I had a friend who bought from there, and the quilt was Nothing like described. I know…Buyer Beware, but, like someone else said on this list, they’re ruining the reputation of an otherwise good place to go. I can’t remember who posted about getting the ‘flaming’ e-mail after she was caught falsely describing the quilt, and the man who was describing the PIECING stitching (machine) as Hand Quilting….THAT’S Scary!
I’m just glad Kris has her page on her site with great quilts, we can at least trust HER knowledge…I’m just worried about the others buying from E-bay…”Buyer Beware, but it seems like it’s getting to be a ‘given’ that the quilts are NOT what they’re represented. I’m SURE there are some great quilts on there, it’s a shame that there are sellers ruining it for the honest seller,though. “Ethics/Morals” don’t seem to have a place in some people’s dealings, but at least a Standard of Quality would be a BIG necessity . Has anyone actually talked with any of the e-bay management?? Maybe if they were bombarded with e-mails from unhappy buyers, they would re-think…??? I haven’t had enough coffee this morning to think/type straight, but you catch my drift, I hope. Boy, and I said I wasn’t going to post, and wrote all of this! Sorry, it took so long to say so little! haha..kb
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Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 11:24:29 EDT From: QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com To: QHL [at] cuenet [dot] com Subject: QHL: A change of subject, back to quilts Message-ID: <8c27385b.35bded2e [at] aol [dot] com> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I recently was offered a quilt to buy that was supposed to be turn of the century. It certain looked like it was from that date. However, it was big enough for a king sized bed. Since it was very expensive, a little warning light flashed on for me and I did not buy it. Do any of you know some information on sizes of quilts from that time and how common it would have been to have made such a large quilt.? My first thought was that the blocks were original, but they had been made into a larger quilt more recently. Toni B. QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 11:41:02 +0000 | From: Jocelyn
> of the e-bay management?? Maybe if they were bombarded with e-mails from > unhappy buyers, they would re-think…??? Karen, There’s a mechanism on eBay, where you can register your opinion of merchants. Unfortunately, I think a lot of folks just don’t bother. I know I didn’t say anything about the piecing stitches, because the man readily admitted when I asked it point-blank, and it was certainly vague as to whether I’d misunderstood or whether he was intending to cheat. The fact that it WASN’T clear, IMO, was indicative that he wasn’t both knowledgable and honest…but I couldn’t testify as to which trait was missing. I agree, there are good Internet quilt merchants out there. My decision was to shop with Kris, and at least then I know what I’m getting, and for how much. I also didn’t think there were ANY bargains on the eBay…not the way the bidding zooms in the last few hours of a sale! You may think you’re bidding on a bargain, but the quilt that’s going for $30 on Tuesday, may sell for $450 on Saturday. Jocelyn
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 12:52:49 -0400 (EDT) | From: dcl924 [at] mindspring [dot] com (Diane Lockwood)
suggestions for permanently marking the antiques we inheritied. Bottom line is that we won’t permanently mark the antiques. We will take very good photos and place the photos with detailed descriptions into our safe deposit box. There is good provenance (?) with many of these, thankfully. We hired an appraiser to value the toys we found in the attic. DH was kind to his childhood toys and we were astounded at how valuable they are. We asked the appraiser how to sell them. He did not offer to do so. He suggested we contact a couple of toy appraisers in the New England area but did not name any. He said to look in publications like “Maine Antique Digest”. Then he said, “I’m off the clock now. Please tell me about all your antiques!” Turns out he is an antique dealer and collector, not just a toy appraiser. He purchased 5 items and then came back the next day with his wife and bought 13 more! We had a warm and fuzzy feeling with him and will happily recommend him to anyone who is interested. He is in the Marietta, Georgia area. We had the toy appraisal done prior to all the recent discussion regarding appraisals/buyers. If he had offered to sell our toys, we probably would not have hesitated but after reading the comments, it’s good to know we should not deal with the same person for appraising and selling. Diane Lockwood Usually in Pollock Pines, Calif temporarily in North Georgia
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 10:07:55 -0700 | From: “fall”
regarding the various dealers on Ebay- I have tried to leave comments, but it’s pretty tough. You first choose to leave a negative, positive or neutral comment, then it gives you a line for typing your comment. Trouble is, this line only allows for very few characters – nothing more than a short sentence. It’s difficult to leave much of anything! Has anyone else been able to leave a more detailed comment? If so, how did you manage it? Cheryl
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 14:12:49 +0000 | From: Jocelyn
what allows it to continue. It’s well > known that people will say nastier things when no one’s looking than > when it must be shown to others. Annastina, That’s true. OTOH, we may not know the whole truth of the matter. Suppose I write a note to you that’s rude. You write back to me, and are equally rude. I post your note—without MY original note– to the list, and call you a flamer. At that point, anything you say or do is suspect. Odds are, you didn’t keep a copy of my note. If you did, and you post it, what happens if I say, ‘I NEVER!’ Basically, by being the first one to object, I get the benefit of presumed innocence. If a note is published without the context, judgments will be made that may not be fair to the sender.
I still resent Mrs. Ellis, my 3rd grade teacher, who set me in the hallway for telling her ‘pet’ that the deer she was making looked like a mule. I did it…after that little brat had turned to me and made a derogatory comment about my work. The fact that the teacher’s pet responded to my tit-for-tat by bursting into tears instead of acknowledging that she’d picked on someone who could give as good as she got, and the teacher assuming that the crying child was 100% victim and the child who was taking her lumps was 100% victimizer, resulted in a very unjust situation that still rankles decades later. We don’t need that to happen here. > One of two things happen when the flames are posted to the > list. One, the group will tell the offender to please back off and not > be so nasty or it is revealed that the victim is no victim at all and is > over-reacting to another’s opinion. In either case, the subject is > usually dropped then and there. The first thing can happen without naming names, and without betraying someone’s confidence. If you think you were unfairly treated, you can ask the list publically for feedback. The ‘flamer’ can see whether the list supports her opinion or not. Second, more often than not, if you don’t answer, the flamer shuts up. Some people have the fantasy that the flamer will continue to attack them, day after day after day. Personally, I’ve never seen it happen. If I ignore a message I feel is argumentative, I’ve never had that person email me again saying, ‘You ignored my last message!’ Not saying that it can’t happen…just that, ignoring usually works. Jocelyn
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 14:25:57 +0000 | From: Jocelyn
buy that was supposed to be turn of the > century. It certain looked like it was from that date. However, it was big > enough for a king sized bed. Since it was very expensive, a little warning > light flashed on for me and I did not buy it. Yes, some very old quilts were very large. Beds were not a ‘standard size’. If you made your own mattress from a sack of ticking and stuffed it yourself, you could make it whatever size you liked! I would guess that a very tall man might have an extra-long bed in his room, whereas his children’s beds might be shorter than average to give more floorspace in tiny Victorian bedrooms. I have friends who have a Victorian child’s bed, that’s both shorter and narrower than a twin bed, by about 2″. So the wife of the aforementioned Victorian gent, would have made quilts in varying sizes for the household. She also might have made a huge quilt for the master bedroom, if she wanted to use the quilt as a bedspread, particularly if the bedstead had very tall legs. Jocelyn
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 15:25:59 +0400 | From: Xenia Cord
all, of the 100″ square quilts (or thereabouts) that I have seen have been from before the middle of the 19th century. After that they seem to get smaller and more rectangular – set 5 x 6 or 6 x 7 smaller blocks, instead of the classic 2 x 2 or 3 x 3 large, with borders. It seems to me that the closer we get to the end of the 19th century, the “busier” the quilts get – more, smaller blocks, smaller pieces, more involved designs – as though there were a movement to cram as much as possible into the design surface. Since this was certainly a Victorian decorating ideal, it makes sense that it also carried over into quilts. Also, although beds may not have been standard size, they were factory made (as were mattresses), which created a certain standardization. And while double beds were the norm for most marrieds, the healthful single bed of simple design and washable surface became more popular toward the end of the century, especially for children. (Remember that a generation of young men had been wiped out by the Civil War, so families and children were very important). I think quilts would follow these trends, as form follows function. We don’t begin to see larger, or standardized quilts until the rise in popularity of the kit quilt in the ’20s. Most “standard bed” kits were 72″ or 74″ x 90″. My feeling is that Toni’s instinct may have been correct – she was offered a quilt with late 19th century blocks, augmented with borders or whatever to make a larger quilt. Just another view. -Xenia, in Indiana
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 18:58:07 GMT | From: celia [at] eddy [dot] u-net [dot] com (Celia Eddy)
Could we have more contributions from this side of ‘the pond’? > >: Has anyone been to the Shipley Art Gallery exhibition ? Is it as = good as it sounds? If you are going to either of the Harrogate shows = this year would you care to meet? What about the new Quilters Guild of = the British Isles (don’t you find the new name cumbersome?!) Quilt Study = Group – I’ve got my ticket for the inaugural meeting, have you? > >Hi, Sally, Don’t despair! I’m sure more UK quilters will eventually come on-line but it IS a bit slow to happen. Yes, I’ve been to Shipley. Went to the launch in fact. Interesting. Weel worth a visit by any overseas visitors if they’re here before 30th August. It’s very much the personal choice of the curator, Helen Joseph, although she gave the quilters she chose freedom to exhibit anything they liked. Result: eclectic is one word. Love to know what you make of Dinah Prentice’s work, to mention just one of those involved. Unfortunately there’s no catalogue and my memory isn’t good enough o give you a quilt-by-quilt run-down. I’m hoping to go back for a longer consideration. If you CAN get there, I’m sure you’d find it worth while. Of course, the antique quilts, exhibited in a seperate room, are wonderful as ever. Trouble is, I always come away feeling they outshine the modern stuff! (Just my idiosyncracy, I expect.) Posting this to QHL just to prove that UK quilters are wired up! Look out, everyone, for my new Website, QuiltStory. Not on-line yet but soon. Watch his space! Greetings to all QHL ers, Celia in UK
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 16:47:48 -0500 | From: Swede
large. Beds were not a ‘standard >size’. True enough. My Swedish grandparents lived in a virtual timewarp until the 1960’s. All of the furniture, linens, etc. were early 1900’s or made in the same style. Gifts from their own parents were still in use. The thing that always struck me as quaint was it was very common for them to push two single beds together, or two singles and a full, or one single and a full. And my grandmother who made her own quilts and feather ticking, had all the different sizes to accomodate the different sizes. Annastina —
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 16:49:07 EDT From: AMDOODAH [at] aol [dot] com I vote for ending the flame thread, too, and will offer up a new subject for discussion. It has become more and more the norm for quilt shows NOT to inform their contestants whether they have won a prize. Many times, quilters find out only upon receipt of the quilt upon its return home. We are all aware that AQS has changed its policy the past two years. I can understand their wish to heighten the suspense by announcing the winners from the stage during the banquet. But the actuality has been that there are very few winners in the audience –they didn’t know to come! It seems a bit anti- climactic, to me, to have all the sponsors standing onstage to present awards, only to stand with the award in hand, no one to award it to. Last year, I received a call from a friend who had gone to the Wmsburg show. She insisted I had won a ribbon, and of course, I kept asking why had she REALLY called? As it turns out, I actually had been awarded –my first ever “big” win –I slept three hours, and drove 20 hours just to see for myself. Spent all my prize money just to see if it was true — DUH. Another list that I am on has been discussing the high cost of entry to national shows –and the fact that hundredsof people pay the fees, even tho they do not get accepted. Wouldn’t you think that it would be feasible for them to notify the winners? I’m not too worried about it myself — the chances of me ever winning again are pretty remote. But I do have a lot of friends/clients who WANT to know, and WANT to go to the shows and share in the joy and excitement when they win. Any thoughts from you all? Teddy Pruett, WInter Garden, FL.
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 17:25:41 -0400 | From: “Phyllis Twigg”
is a multi-part message in MIME format. ——=NextPart000000601BDBA4C.BE835200
Quilt Guild. We are seeking a picture of a nice classic quilt to use as = the background (watermark) of the page. This would need to be a = non-copyrighted photo or picture. Any suggestions for accomplishing this = task would be appreciated. Thanks ! Phyllis Twigg ——
the process of helping to = set up a web page for the Annapolis Quilt Guild. We are seeking a picture of a nice = classic quilt to use as the background (watermark) of the page. This would need = to be a non-copyrighted photo or picture. Any suggestions for accomplishing this = task would be appreciated. Thanks ! Phyllis = Twigg
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 15:32:16 -0600 From: Sharon Harleman Tandy<harleman [at] micron [dot] net> to: qhl [at] cuenet [dot] com subject: qhl: solomon’s choice message-id: <35be4360.1f7d [at] micron [dot] net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello QHLers, Another new thread and a request for information regarding Solomon’s Choice. Somewhere in the last ten years I’ve heard (or read) of the cut-up quilts which were distributed among family members referred to as Solomon’s Choice. Q.#1. Can anyone give me a reference as to book, magazine, workshop, seminar, etc where I may have read it? Q.#2. Can anyone tell me of any research (aside from Mary Cross’ recent 16th century find!) on cut-up quilts from the early-to-mid 19th century? I’ve already checked all of Uncoverings titles (did you all know that their website has a complete listing of subjects/authors?) and most of my own books, but I do remember reading about them somewhere. Thanks for anything you’ve got! Sharon Harleman Tandy
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 18:47:29 EDT | From: Qltldy10 [at] aol [dot] com
past few weeks: Northern Comforts at Sturbridge Village. Wow, gasp, is all I can say. Now, chintz and block prints, early 19th century, are my favorites, and there they were!! They are hung/set so you can get pretty close, although the alarms were going off all over during the breaks between lectures (I was at “What’s New England About New England Qults?”). The colors are stunning, and makes me wonder why those colors and glazing can’t be/aren’t done today. OK, cost. But I am the woman wanting a redo of Hewson’s vase! They will be doing an all day lecture on printing fabrics in Colonial America, somewhere around the third of October, I think. Vermont Quilt Show. While it sure seemed like there were fewer quilts (but I think they were just smaller), the antiques, once again, were superb. If you are an antique lover, and of course you are, the VQS always brings antiques that may never be shown elsewhere. Some of the small town hostorical societies loaned quilts for this one.
One caveat- non made me gasp… Oh yes- I bought the little black box at the Lowell Museum booth, a four patch applique, and guess what?!? the swag is on the other way!! Shelburne Museum on Saturday- the cover quilt from Enduring Grace is out! I looked for so long, I found my DD sitting on the bench just watching me. More great chinztes, although no allover chintzes. At least 4 red and green appliques, though. Also out was the sunflower that Hoopla did the pattern for. In addition, they had some of the winners from their fabric contest displayed as well. REally nice to see things made from the fabrics… easy to see the color differences, althoguh would have been better to have had the Ann Johnson quilt there too, which it was not, just a big picture. Good news: they had the Japanese magazine/show catalog from the Japaneese tour they sent. I didn’t buy it in Vermont last year due to price, but the Shelburne had it at a price I could afford… I came away wanting to stop at the local antique mall and the buy the hunk of copperplate “Joan of Arc”- only one weeks worth of grocery money needed… Sorry for the bandwith Beth in MAine qltldy10 [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 09:10:34 -0600 | From: Sven Olsson hi toni, i have three very large 1870s quilts in my collection. each measures over 2 1 meters square. they are originally from pennsylvania. figure the beds were high to fit these quilts. lorraine australia,(in blue mountains, where roads closed due a snowstorm overnight!) quiltfixer [at] aol [dot]
com wrote: > I recently was offered a quilt to buy that was supposed to be turn of the > century. It certain looked like it was from that date. However, it was big > enough for a king sized bed. Since it was very expensive, a little warning > light flashed on for me and I did not buy it. Do any of you know some > information on sizes of quilts from that time and how common it would have > been to have made such a large quilt.? My first thought was that the blocks > were original, but they had been made into a larger quilt more recently. Toni > B. > QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 19:51:13 -0700 | From: Kathleen Ballard
Beth wrote: In addition, two of the bed rugs in Stafford and Bishop’s Quilts and Coverlets have slices for the bedposts, also… Beth, What are bed rugs? How are they different from coverlets, bed spreads and quilts? Kathleen
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 17:47:05 -0600 | From: Kathy Gaul hi everyone, boy, i guess not reading my mail for a few days gets one behind on all=”that” is happening! but am rather glad don’t know about this=”flaming thing” happening and can chat quilt just got.=”20″ it double irish chain pattern made in scrap bag of pinks,=”offset” with white! ( really like their combination=”with” browns.) has simple black print white shirting the=”backing.” estimating mid-1880’s. very cross-hatch quilting,=”and” no additional borders. fine shape, nice quilting seriously use bath. grey yellowed, need cleaning. since clean quilts professionally concerned doing work, curious those you=”who” value. believe that cleaning might brighten up,=”and” possibly release some stains then could enjoy more, or=”maybe” sell down road. anyone strong feelings leaving=”it” alone?=”20″ fortunate to even have gotten quilt. found nh passed by. called 2 weeks later had sent still toying whether should keep (i worst buyer’s remorse!!!) because want be wise purchases. do love pinks though!!! thanks all! kat date: tue, 28 jul 1998 20:18:21 0700
sewing machines off of ebay, and after todays >arrivals, I’m sworn off! After about 8 purchases of Singer related things, I >can’t say I would have bought them had I seen/handled them in person. My DH >says “Neither did anybody else. That’s why they are on ebay.” Of course, >some folks deal only on ebay, but they are probably not quilt “dealers”… > > Beth in Maine > qltldy10 [at] aol [dot] com >
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 20:37:48 +0400 | From: Xenia Cord
<qhl [at] cuenet [dot] com> charset=”us-ascii” one of your bashful lurkers who has a question and a = mystery to be solved. First off, many thanks to all the comments about getting quilts = appraised and how to “appraise” the appraiser. With several old family = quilts and tops, it’s prompted me to get most of them appraised. Does = anyone know of an appraiser that lives in the Toronto (Canada) area ? I = don’t mind driving for an hour or two, or to send quilts locally via = special delivery. Also, I’d appreciate information about a family quilt mystery. About 6 = months ago, a cousin set about to clean an old quilt that had occupied = the family bassinet for multiple generations. When she opened it up, she = discovered that it was in fact a two-colour quilt, approx. 40″ x 54″ = that consisted of 12″ blocks of pale pink swastikas on pale muslin. – 36 = swastikas in all. By working backwards through memories of family usage, = we are only able to date the quilt as sometime before the mid 30’s. The = pink fabric looks somewhat like a double pink, and the entire quilt is = also hand pieced and hand quilted. Has anyone run into this block design = before ? Haven’t been able to find it in Brackman, or else I’m just not = looking in the right chapters. Please also know, that it is not my intent to directly or indirectly = disparage anyone who is German or of German extraction – but to simply = place the quilt in historical context and see if there is a story behind = this design. Could this pattern be of a regional nature, since there is = a large German population west of Toronto, or does anyone know of it = being used in the States? Is there anyone out there that still have, or = has had, a quilt of this design in their family? Many thanks to all for your educational and entertaining comments. = Cheers, Bizmark – the happy “lurker” in Toronto.
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 21:26:23 +0930 | From: Karen Bush
pictures to see??? I can’t Imagine having all that wonderful history around me! Not to mention the toys! I LOVE collecting old toys, mostly farm machinery, I have scaled miniature tractors all OVER my kitchen! LOL….kb
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 22:43:02 EDT | From: QuiltEvals [at] aol [dot] com
I was lurking around the web this evening and I found a site called “Covered Wagon Quilts”. http://www.coveredwagonquiltworks.com Does anyone know anything about them? Had any experience buying from them? They had some VERY nice quilts listed….wonder (from all of the ebay discussion) how accurate they are with their descriptions. Any questionable comment should probably be made privately to avoid potential problems. Thanks, Debbie
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 22:44:10 -0400 | From: anniedes [at] juno [dot] com (Annette Desautels) We
have a swastika quile in our family. It was made in 1920 by my grandmother. She was German and the swastika was a good luck symbol at that time. This pattern was also published in the Kansas City Star and I have the clipping from that paper. Annette Desautels
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 22:45:41 -0700 | From: arlenegg [at] icanect [dot] net
I agree with Joan about E-bay. I’ve become quite addicted to it, always checking to see what’s new, and have purchased quilts and other things. I love looking at old quilts and feel I’ve gotten an education just from following the auctions. I honestly think that most the dealers are not dishonest, but merely ignorant, and some clearly state that they know nothing about quilts. I often find their descriptions funny. For example, I’ve often seen twin-size quilts described as very large, or extremely common patterns refered to as “quite rare”, and the term”near mint condition” to describe what is basically a cutter quilt. On the other hand, some sellers give extremely detailed descriptions and go out of their way to describe faults. If you read the description and ask questions, and if you know something about quilts, you should be able to determine it’s worth (or it’s worth to you.) Just to protect yourself, deal only with sellers who will except returns. Arlene
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 01:54:30 -0400 | From: “susanlk”
more than 80 characters on ebay feedback, the simplest way is to leave two comments .That gives you 160 characters which will accommodate a good concise factual description of the transaction. I think that’s better than just negative opinion which would easily be washed out by the over 850 positive comments one dealer I was warned off has! For ex., I suggest saying ” edge was frayed over half its length; there were more than 10 holes of over 1/4″ diameter” etc. rather than what MOST of the comments are, e.g.,”wonderful to deal with, would deal again” or “prompt, courteous..” all subjective opinion rather than factual, specific to the item. I think it’s important to point out that the “feedback” on ebay is very limited in its value; I have read strong complaints on their bulletin board from people who are afraid to put negative feedback because of threats of retaliation. Then it’s ” he says, she says” and the value of a rotten deal is lost as a warning to others. I have been on a couple of lists for long enough to have established relationships with several people who have provided both warnings and in also names of sellers who have been scrupulously careful and who value their reputation more than a quick sale (or steal!!) and stand behind their item, with a good return policy.
Also, I’d like to say I won’t bother with the people who insist on POSTAL money orders; I’ve asked one person why and she tells me bank money orders are easier to fake…when I ask why not accept a check since she would wait for it to clear, and what protection by the way does the buyer have who sends off money and then hopes for the best!! Her reply (to buyer risk) was : “feedback”, which for some reason doesn’t apply to the seller, at least in her case!!! I’d rather deal with someone who is willing to take my check and the small risk (compared to my risk sending my money FIRST and hoping to get product later) that the check will bounce and they’ll pay a fee. There needs to be some balance in the risk sustained by the parties to the transaction it seems to me…it shouldn’t ALL be on the buyer. ( I hope this doesn’t become another tempest in a teapot…just a buyer’s response to that policy!!) SusanLK
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 07:36:40 -0700 | From: “fall”
I looked at the book catalog mentioned, also, and noticed QUILTS OF PROVENCE, which has had glowing reviews, and a few other heritage/technique titles. Also, some Kaffe Fassette titles. Kaffe’s work (though I did not care for his patchwork book — too simplistic, though the colors were terrific) is very inspiring, even if you don’t do needlepoint or knit! Hang in there, everyone, and let’s support each other, instead of tearing down. Cindy P.S. Kat, the double-pink quilt sounds lovely. If the price justifies keeping it, then yes, I’d wash it. Becky Herdle’s method from TIME-SPAN QUILTS (AQS) might be just the ticket, if you don’t have the resources to do it the conservators’ way.
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 07:36:40 -0700 From: “fall” <fall [at] teleport [dot] com> I have a little mystery here. I received a lovely piece of fabric, solid, offwhite with a brocade-type of patterning woven into the piece. I did a standard butn test to try to determine the fiber content because I thought it might be fun to incoporate this fabric into a quilt I’m currently designing. It came from an estate sale my mom happened to visit. Anyway, I cut a 1/2-inch square and flared her up! Instead of getting a burn – no smoke, no woody odor, no melting, no bead of melted fiber – nothing. Just one very large poof and then it was gone! I thought I must have missed something, so I tried again – same results. What the heck is this stuff? I think I’ll make a runner for the dining room table instead. Cheryl
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 16:32:52 GMT From: celia [at] eddy [dot] u-net [dot] com (Celia Eddy) Thought it might be time to give a progress report on the (proposed) British Quilt Study Group Bookings are good for the Inaugural Quilt Study Day at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, 31st October. (E-mail me privately if you want to know more.) The Study Day IS OPEN to visitors as well as to members of the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles! It will PROBABLY be alright to just turn up on the day, but it’s as well to book in advance if at all possible. The programme for the Day includes Dorothy Osler, internationally renowned as the leading expert on North Country Quilting, and three members of the Guild’s Heritage Committee speaking about aspects of Turkey Red, ANDa Show and Tell of antique quilts in the Guild’s Heritage Collection. And there’s more!! Running concurrently at the Whitworth, from 11th September to 15th November, is a major exhibition by four leading British Quilt Artists: Pauline Burbidge, Jo Budd, Dinah Prentice and Michele Walker. Called TAKE 4: New Perspectives on the British Art Quilt, it includes both new and restrospective work by all four artists. Overseas visitors who want more information about this and other aspects of quilting activity in UK can e-mail me AND look at the next issue of The Virtual Quilt website, which will have some UK content. Greetings to you all, Celia.
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 14:20:45 +0000 | From: Jocelyn
Anyway, I cut a 1/2-inch D
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 14:20:45 +0000 From: Jocelyn <jocelynm [at] sw1 [dot] socwel [dot] ukans [dot] edu> > Anyway, I cut a 1/2-inch square and flared her up! Instead of getting a > burn – no smoke, no woody odor, no melting, no bead of melted fiber – > nothing. Just one very large poof and then it was gone! I thought I must > have missed something, so I tried again – same results. > > What the heck is this stuff? I think I’ll make a runner for the dining room > table instead. Cheryl, For some reason, as I read your note, the word ‘cellulose’ popped into my mind. It’s been 20 years since I had organic chemistry, so I can’t retrieve any more information than that. Perhaps one of our fabric fibers persons will know more, but I seem to vaguely recall the use of organic plant fibers in making fabrics, with the results being called ‘cellulose fibers’. FWIW, if you make a table runner for your dining table, I wouldn’t dine by candlelight if I were you! Jocelyn
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 15:41:40 +0100 | From: “Karen L Martin”
I am intested in any information you may have on the Pine Tree block. Finley’s book says that it is colonial and the icon for the 13 colonies before they took on the stars and bars. Have you seen any colonial pine tree quilts? — Karen Martin, Executive Secretary
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 09:46:13 -1000 (HST) From: Bruce Hughes <bruce.hughes [at] mccada [dot] mauicc [dot] hawaii [dot] edu> To: QHL [at] cuenet [dot] com Subject: QHL: Hawaiian Quilt Patterns Is this permissable–to send it out this way to the list and to also list it in the digest? If so, please do it for me; if not let me know Aloha, C. Aloha quilters, Now I am researching another project and wonder if you can help. I am an active member of the Hawaiian Quilt Research Project which is a non-profit organization registering and documenting Hawaiian appliqued quilts, Hawaiian flag quilts and red-and-white embroidery quilts. Were any of your husbands at one time in the service and stationed in Hawaii? If so, did you attend any classes in Hawaiian quilting at that time? Do you have any patterns stashed away? These patterns are being lost because they are old and sometimes not valued. Please contact me if you have patterns that you would copy for me or send me the pattern and I will copy it and return it. I will of course pay for postage to and from Maui and the cost of copying. Also, tell me whom you took lessons from, for how long, where, how you were taught. Did you do any Hawaiian quilting? Do you have any photos? Most of our research has been here in Hawaii, using “Quilt days” for folks to bring their own quilts in. But I think there may be old patterns on the Mainland and I am asking you to hunt yours up, if you have any. Would any of your friends or relatives have such patterns? Also would you ask about this in your guilds? Mention it in your newletters? Put it on other chat lists for me? THE HUNT IS ON! and you can be an assistant HUNTER………………… Aloha pumehana (warmest aloha), Charlene Hughes on Maui
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 15:48:28 +0400 | From: Xenia Cord
Some quick, down-n-dirty research on the Pine Tree pattern in Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Qilt patterns yields an entire section on trees with triangles for leaves, in which she notes that the earliest example of a quilt with this block is a sampler dated 1865 in Telegraphics 7/5/1978. I don’t knowe this publication, but perhaps a university library would have resources. Finley had a lot to say about quilts, some of which may not be based on the kind of resources we have available today. The fact that the pine tree was a colonial icon does not necessarily lead to colonial quilts of Pine Tree design, I think. Does anyone have a primary reference to the pattern before 1865? Xenia, in Indiana
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 18:06:29 EDT | From: Qltldy10 [at] aol [dot] com
I’ll attempt to explain bedruggs for Kathleen, but please all help is appreciated. Bedrugs (bedrugg, bedrugge) are bedcovers, probably thick and heavy, some crewel, others knotted loops (?). Very few survive today, those that do are dated mostly to 18thish to early 19th century. Luckily, many of the survivors are dated. Some have been made in America, and were thought by some to be an American evolution. More than likely, though, they were also imported, and, I think, show up in Scandanavia as well as Central Europe. Don’t know where I remember that from. My latest perusing was last two nights, multiple pages of them in Stafford and Bishop. Usually see just a few in other quilt related texts. To me, many of the patterns seem related to Indian prints….. any others? Beth in Maine qltldy10 [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 22:18:06 +0400 | From: Xenia Cord
related to the swastika are Fly Foot and Crazy Ann. A lot depends on the set – which way the pinwheel turns, and whether the angles follow the edges of the block or are on point to them. Xenia
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 23:48:47 -0500 | From: Mary Waller
This design has been around in many cultures, including Native American, Chinese, Peruvian, (East) Indian, and others I can’t recall immediately, up to 10,000 years ago. The four arms are sometimes correlated to a four-footed or four-legged design, the Wheel or Circle of Life (Native American), the Eye of God, a sunwheel, etc. It’s still use a lot in India. It is a symbol of good luck and the four arms can represent Life, Love, Luck and ? In Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Designs, the version with half-square triangles is listed as Flyfoot, 10,000 Chinese Perfections, Wind Power of the Osages, Whirligig, Catch Me if You Can, Battle Ax of Thor, Peruvian ??? and others. The version more like the Nazi symbol is #2577. “Flyfoot” seems to be a derivation from German or another East European language word, “flyfootn”, “flyfoodn” or something similar and again, I can’t remember the details here. “American Quilter” had an aritcle approx. 3 or 4 years ago on symbols that appear in many cultures and uses this as an example. I can locate that if someone wants to know the issue. The QRS journal had an article about a year ago. Apparently, there were many quilts of this design as signature quilts. There’s a wonderful 1930’s red and white signature quilt with names embroidered on in the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, South Dakota. There were 4 of these started by the participating women, and one of that set may be in the CHC’s collection as a top only. Although this was a popular pattern, many quilts of this design are believed to have been destroyed or recovered because of the association with Hitler and Nazi Germany. I’ve seen this design printed on double pink fabric and in green and blue on a light background in a 1930’s DWR top. It’s also a registered cattle brand for a ranch in South Dakota (don’t know if it’s still an active one). I also have a yellow and white quilt with 25 of these blocks and a zig-zag border, probably 1920’s and it’s one cheery quilt! I’ve thought about making quilts with this design, and perhaps as a beginners’ class or project, because it’s so easy to piece and would be a vehicle for some education. Any offense is in the interpretation and I certainly wouldn’t try to minimize the meaning of this symbol in connection with the Nazi’s, but IMHO, that’s just a very small part of the history here. Mary Waller in SD
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 21:59:11 -0700 From: Barbara <qwhiltr [at] earthlink [dot] net> To: QHL [at] cuenet [dot] com I usually lurk here, but I’d like to tell you all about the swastika quilt that was pulled from the display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, CA. Back in May, both a swastika-motif quilt and a “Demise of Sunbonnet Sue”-type quilt were pulled from their then-current quilt exhibit. Because a handful of people complained about the quilts, they were taken down. According to an article in the 5/30/98 Ventura Star, “The Spirit of St. Louis quilt…was stitched in the 1930s, when tributes to Charles Lindbergh were in vogue.” The exhibit, “America Remembers: Quilting the 20th Century”, opened in April and was scheduled to run until Oct. 4. Then in a small article (“Quilt Exhibit down early”) on 7/11/98, it was revealed that the “exhibit has been quietly removed”…three months before it was scheduled to close. Library officials would not comment specifically as to why the popular exhibit was taken down. There were no press releases announcing the exhibit’s early departure or giving the reason for the action. The exhibit was intended to show how women this century began to use quilting for personal, political and artistic expression. It included a 21-foot by 10-foot memorial quilt to victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. If anyone would like to contact the Reagan Library, their email address is library [at] reagan [dot] nara [dot] gov. Some members of my guild helped hang the show, and at our last meeting, the motives of the curators were still a mystery to us. I thought the members of this list might be interested in this information. Thank you! Barbara Wunder Black, Ventura, CA
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 06:25:42 EDT | From: JBQUILTOK [at] aol [dot] com fall [at] teleport [dot]
com wrote: >I received a lovely piece of fabric, solid, offwhite with a brocade-type of patterning >woven into the piece. I did a standard burn test to try to determine the fiber content >because I thought it might be fun to incoporate this fabric into a quilt I’m currently >designing. It came from an estate sale my mom happened to visit. > >Anyway, I cut a 1/2-inch square and flared her up! Instead of getting a >burn – no smoke, no woody odor, no melting, no bead of melted fiber – >nothing. Just one very large poof and then it was gone! You said it poofed when you lit it? And you’re going to make a table runner? Hope you don’t plan on using candles on the table! And a warning label on the back might be helpful when the next owner goes to use it. Sounds pretty, though. Janet
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 08:48:21 -0400 | From: “Peggy
O’Connor” The term I’ve read for a swastika, in conjunction with PA Dutch designs, = is ‘fylfot’ (no, that’s not a typo). Those designs have curved ‘arms’ = on the swastika. See figure 1.23 in Anita Schorsch, Plain and Fancy, = Country Quilts of the Pennsylvania-Germans for a painted example (a = chest of drawers from 1818). Interestingly, this example shows two = swastikas, one with arms bending right, the other with arms bending = left. I’ve been wondering if there are any applique examples of this = design, with the curved arms – anybody seen such quilts? I’m just settling into my new home, and building space for quilt = storage. I do have archival boxes for quilts. My question is should I = worry about what the boxes sit on? I planned on shelving of painted = plywood, but should I cover that with something else before putting the = boxes on them? Peggy The term I’ve read for a swastika, = in conjunction with PA Dutch designs, is ‘fylfot’ (no, that’s not a = typo). Those designs have curved ‘arms’ on the swastika. See figure 1.23 = in Anita Schorsch, Plain and = Fancy, Country Quilts of the Pennsylvania-Germans for a painted example (a chest of drawers from 1818). Interestingly, this example shows two = swastikas, one with arms bending right, the other with arms bending left. I’ve = been wondering if there are any applique examples of this design, with the = curved arms – anybody seen such quilts? I’m just settling into my new home, = and building space for quilt storage. I do have archival boxes for = quilts. My question is should I worry about what the boxes sit on? I planned = on shelving of painted plywood, but should I cover that with something else = before putting the boxes on them? Peggy
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 07:17:21 -0700 From: “fall” Don’t worry about the burn-test all. I decided to just give that mystery hunk back to mom and let her deal with it. I think it should just be tossed (I know it hurts) rather than risk anything. I was thinking it may have been exposed to something unusual for it to have poofed like that. Possibly a finish that maybe disintigrated into chemical residue or something far-fetched like that? Oh well. Thanks for all of the input. I appreciate it! Cheryl
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 13:30:31 -0600 | From: Sharon Harleman Tandy
O’Connor” who have the digests may be able to pull up the thread we had (was it last fall?) on swastikas. Here in Idaho I found a quilt with a curved-arm swastika quilted into the alternate blocks of a Carolina Lily made about 1850-1870. Found out afterwards that this shape is very common in the Basque culture as a religious and good luck symbol. It is called a laburu in their language and apparently is also common in their homeland in Spain and France. Since then I have seen it on seveal quilts but not appliqued. A slide of the Carolina Lily is included in one of my presentations, _Historic Quilts of Idaho: 1813 to 1990. Sharon Harleman Tandy, Quilts & Answers, Boise, Idaho.
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 16:46:40 -0400 | From: “John and Cinda Cawley”
On page 12 of the September Quilter’s Newsletter there’s a picture of = Marie Webster’s Pointsetta which is part of an exhibit now in Japan = featuring the work of Webster, Carrie Hall and Rose Kretsinger.. The = article says that a 128-page catalogue called American Quilt = Renaissance: Three Women Who Influenced Quiltmaking in the Early = Twentieth Century is available from the Quilters Hall of Fame, P.O. Box = 681, Marion, IN 46952. No phone # or price info. Kris, could you check = this out for us? It sounds like something I’d like to have. Cinda in Scranton ——=NextPart00000AE01BDBBD9.A0771CE0 page 12 of the September = Quilter’s Newsletter there’s a picture of Marie Webster’s Pointsetta which is part of an = exhibit now in Japan featuring the work of Webster, Carrie Hall and Rose = Kretsinger.. The article says that a 128-page catalogue called American Quilt Renaissance: Three Women Who Influenced Quiltmaking in the Early = Twentieth Century is available from the Quilters Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 681, = Marion, IN 46952. No phone # or price info. Kris, could you check this = out for us? It sounds like something I’d like to have. Cinda in = Scranton
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 18:14:14 EDT From: JKusnitz [at] aol [dot] com Darwin I tried to retrieve your site but couldn’t get it. I was so excited because I just came home to find your mention of pincushion chairs and I found a rocking chair in an antique store in Virginia. I would like to see what yours looks like. Mine is wooden with a cushion seat and back. A hole in the back for a scissor, a drawer that pulls out underneath and a section on each side that holds six spools of thread. Helene (exhausted from Colonial Williamsburg and 2 days of roller coasters at Busch Gardens with the kids-but fun)
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 20:01:30 -0400 | From: Jean Ann
don’t look in QUILT Don’t look in QUILT magazine for an article about swastika quilts. Sadly, this symbol has forever become a symbol of evil because of what Hitler did in Germany. Before WW2 it was a good luck symbol. Words and symbols do change through use and this is one that has been vilified for all time. QUILT magazine will never, ever print an article about Swastika quilts as long as I am the editor. I have too much respect for my Jewish brothers and sisters and the loss they all suffered to risk offending them in this manner. Jean Ann Eitel, Editor
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 22:44:40 -0400 From: godzilla [at] ns1 [dot] uconect [dot] net (Robinson) To: QHL [at] cuenet [dot] com Subject: QHL: CT’s heritage quilt project Message-Id: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii” Earlier in the year, someone on this list asked for information on Connecticut’s quilt heritage project (Connecticut Quilt Search). This past weekend, I attended the Northeast Quilt Festival in Cromwell and stopped by at the Quilt Search table to see how they were progressing. They have finished with their public quilt documentation days, and are now in the process of writing their book on the quilts that they have documented. Right now they are trying to raise funds to put out the book — the woman I spoke with said it costs $100 for each color photo they want to include. They have just been contacted by Yankee Magazine, who will give them $10 for each magazine subscription they can sell as part of Yankee’s “Community Partners” program. I visited Yankee’s web-site, but “Quilt Search” hasn’t been added to their on-line list of community partners as yet. Quilt Search doesn’t have an on-line address that I know of, but their contact person is Sue Reich, 28 Scofield Road, Washington Depot, CT 06794. Sue Robinson godzilla [at] ns1 [dot] uconect [dot] net
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 23:18:10 EDT | From: [from unknown]
I acquired a turkey red and white swastika quilt top from Indiana a few years ago, and Merikay Walkvogel had examined it at a conference in Midland, Michigan, and was quite impressed with the top. She suggested that I just back it to use as a coverlet rather than trying to quilt it. I have it stored at the moment, but now my interest has peaked again with the current thread in QHL. Thanks for the reminder! Nancee Grand Rapids, Michigan
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 23:19:25 EDT | From: Kittencat3 [at] aol [dot] com
idea about the fabric having been treated is probably correct. Recently a chemist did some tests on a remaining scrap of fabric from the envelope of the Hindenburg. He’s a former staff member of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an expert on hydrogen explosions, and he noticed that the burn rate (and color of the flames) during the Hindenburg disaster did not match a standard hydrogen fire. It went way too quickly and burned orange, not white. What the chemist learned on testing the remaining scrap was that it had been waterproofed and painted silver using some of the same chemicals in nitro cellulose! That’s right – the Germans encased a few million cubic feet of flammable gas in gun cotton. The only mystery is why the Hindenburg didn’t go up several months earlier. I saw film of the tests on the remaining fabric, and it basically vaporized when touched with a flame, just like Cheryl’s fabric. Heaven only knows what’s doing it (especially on a pseudo-brocade), but washing the fabric might help remove whatever chemical agent is causing the poof effect. I’d also tell your mother to keep it away from flame. Pretty is nice, but having part of your house turn into a miniature zeppelin pyre is not my idea of fun…. Lisa Evans
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 09:52:31 -0500 (CDT) | From: Marcia
Kaylakie interesting question for our group. I recently purchased an antique quilt privately and the former owner said that when his mother bought the quilt in 1947 from the original owner, that it came in a beeswax bag and that he remembers seeing it. The quilt is certainly from the 19th century and I wondered if anyone had heard of a beeswax bag before. I can not find any reference to this item anywhere in my resources. Any takers on this one? Marcia Kaylakie in Austin, TX (yes, it will be over 100 again today)
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 11:28:33 EDT | From: Palampore [at] aol [dot] com
husband is a dealer and yes, he also appraises. When he appraises he gives the person a replacement value based on what the going retail is which is what insurance folks want. With this he gives a written report and a list of the organizations his is affiliated with in the antique world. He also charges a fee for this service because he is tired of the public being dishonest. Too often people come in and say they want to sell an item when in fact they just want a free appraisal. That wastes lots of his time. So he is up front immediately and tells them if they decide later to sell the item and he decides to buy it, he will refund their fee. But mind you the most important credential is looking around his shop. People wanting info. on a fine antique Oriental rug should not ask us for market value of one because we don’t have any therefore our only knowledge would come from a book. He does best on appraising items he knows and sells. Then if they want to sell he tells them what he and other dealers would pay. They are then free to go out and see other dealers to check and see if he is being honest. He encourages 2nd opinions, just as any good doctor would do. If people would research and compare doctors, car dealers, real estate brokers, antique dealers, etc. they would all be forced to be more honest, but instead people are often too lazy, too gulible, and also greedy. There are people out there who will sell a car in a car paper for a price and feel just fine until they see one the next week sell for $— MORE and then they think they got stiffed! It is called business! So who ever you go to—-look for honesty and longevity. We operate out of a building not a PO box so we can be found if anyone has any questions. End of soap box—- Now on to antique quilts—-I never heard from anyone (and I asked) about brown fabric being used as backing. When was it in “style”???? Brown as in floral, striped, solid. I was at the SE Reg. meeting of the Costume Soc. of Amer. this weekend at Harpers Ferry WVA. Took a class on “huswifs”—-sewing kits used during the 1800’s and on into 1900’s. Saw a great slide presentation and many antique ones. I have 3 in my collection, but I never knew there was such a variety. My favorites are the ones of leather with the rolled pillow at one end. Mary Kay I need a copy of your new book. Where can I get one? My best to all, Lynn Lancaster Gorges, Textile Conservator, New Bern, NC
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 12:42:36 EDT | From: Palampore [at] aol [dot] com
apologize for saying 1 word about dealers/appraisers. Let’s kill the topic! Now back to burning of fabric to determine content. In most cases it is not very reliable for sizings, finishes, blending of fibers, etc. can alter this test. It should be combined with a microscopic examination and then chemical testing for a truly accurate test. The burn test probably works best on pre-20th cent. fabrics. Cellulosic fibers come from natural plants and examples are: cotton, flax, hemp, jute, ramie, rayon….. Rayon is a bit different from the others because a base raw material (such as wood pulp) is put into a solution that is then extruded through an extruder and hardened into a fiber. (Think of a pasta maker!) It can be modified to have many different textures, etc. Check out basic home ec. books in your library for fun reading about fiber production. On to moving boxes into my new studio. Lynn Lancaster Gorges, New Bern, NC
