October 21 – 26, 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:
- Fabric Width History — Members trace the transition from 36-inch to 45-inch cotton fabric, linking it to loom technology, postwar manufacturing, and personal memories of buying cloth by the yard.
- Body Measurement for Fabric — A long thread on the folk practice of measuring a yard of fabric from nose to outstretched fingertip, with contributors confirming it was taught across the U.S., U.K., and Australia.
- Spider and Web Symbolism in Quilts — Members discuss Victorian-era spider motifs in quilts and the folklore that spiders bring good luck and protect the home.
- Batting and Border Construction — Restorers and collectors compare notes on quilts with no batting in the border, the range of historical batting materials, and what these choices reveal about dating. (see the article on quilt batting)
- Corduroy History — A multi-day thread researches the origins of the word ‘corduroy’ and the fabric’s history, drawing on British Library sources and textile dictionaries.
- AQSG Conference Recap — A detailed report from the American Quilt Study Group conference covering lecture topics from missionary quilts to crazy quilts to colonial-era textiles.
- Bird Embroidery Quilt Identification — A member seeks help identifying a quilt with embroidered bird blocks, and others suggest the Ruby Short McKim ‘Audubon’ pattern from the Kansas City Star.
- Russian Museum Textile Curator Visit — A member hosts Elena Tzareva of the Russian Museum of Ethnography and shares her impressions of American quilting culture. (see the article on quilt museums)
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 22:10:48 EDT | From: [from unknown]
I know I learned to sew in Home Ec class, 8 th grade 1969-70, there was a lot of fabric sold in 36″ widths even then.
Carla Jolman,
Muskegon, Michigan
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 19:40:58 -0700 (PDT) | From: Katrina Worley <kworley [at] ns [dot] net>
I’m de-lurking in response to the discussion on fabric widths. I should start by giving a bit of background- I’m an anthropologist, with a strong interest in the relationship between textiles, the technology used to produce them and the cultural importance of this relationship….. When fabric is woven by hand, on a completely human powered loom, the most effecient width of fabric for a weaver to weave is that which the weaver can reach without rocking back and forth on her/his backside to throw and catch the shuttle. If a weaver spent long periods of time at a loom weaving fabric that was wider, the constant rocking back and forth on a hard wooden bench would lead to an arthritic condition of the hips, known as “weaver’s bottom” (when Shakespeare called the weaver in “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream”,”Bottom”, he was making one horrid pun; think about calling a tennis player “Elbow”). For most weavers, this comfort range will be roughly the length of one of their own arms, or about 24-28 inches. This width is referred to as an “ell”, which is the old English term for “arm” (since the old word “bow” literally means to bend, the word “elbow” refers to the bend in the arm). “Ell” as a measurement, came to be associated with cloth width. As the weaving technology changed, the ell was the standard width of fabric at the time, in that place, and “broadcloth” was whatever width was wider than the ell…. So if the ell was 28 inches (as it was in the mid-19th century) , broadcloth would be 36. When the ell became 36, broadcloth was 45. Currently, the standard width (the modern “ell”) is 45, and “broadcloth” in the old sense is the fabric which we see in the shops at 60-72 inches wide. Keep in mind that the “standard” width varied depending on fabric type (silks were narrower, wool often wider), time period, and region.
Oh, yeah… the shift from 36 to 45 as the standard width in the US took place in the mid- 1960’s. However, 36 inch wide cotton fabrics would have been available from the mid-19th century (as broadcloth), through last week (as narrow imported yard goods).
Katrina
Katrina in Loomis, CA kworley [at] ns [dot] net
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 19:37:22 -0700 | From: Denise Clausen <nadyne [at] oregoncoast [dot] com>
36″ fabric.
This is an interesting line, and a coincidence also….. today a lady visited the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center, who asked about 26″ fabric. She had purchased a very long piece of “stiff brown 26″ fabric” a while ago. She washed some of it and the brown just all melted out of it. Seems I’ve seen a similar comment before. She is going to send us a piece of the fabric. Her question was really about the width of the fabric and where she might find some references which discussed this….. any suggestions?
Thanks ever so much…..
Denise Clausen
Director LQTC
HKnight453 [at] aol [dot] com wrote:
> Hello all-
I think the change over took place in the late 60s onward in the US. A
> lot of English fabrics, eg. Liberty are still 36″/90cm wide. This is from studying vintage pattern evelopes. I was born during this changeover, and have no memories for backup.
> Heather
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 22:38:27 -0400 | From: Alan Kelchner <quiltfix [at] mail [dot] jax [dot] bellsouth [dot] net
Yes, spiders and their webs are a sign of good luck. I’m thinking (this was a verbal thing – I don’t have papers to prove it!) that it originated in Japan, and was taken up in the Victorian era after Japan opened its borders to trade. At that point the silly white people went nuts for all things Japan-esque (not that the designs were faithful to the originals!).
Alan
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 21:53:57 -0300 | From: KAREN BUSH <Birdsong [at] worldnet [dot] att [dot] net
I’m not sure, either. I bought my wedding gown fabric in l967, and it was 36″, but, that was Satin, the cottons were out, well, the poly/cotton blends, and I remember that it was such a treat to get more yardage on the bolt when it went to 45″…of course, then the Prices went up. I remember Some of it was ….gulp…$2.00 a YARD! The Gall!
haha…
Although, I Still see 36″…Walmart ticking is still 36″….now, THAT’s a bummer! It’s 4.50 a yard and 36 inches!
Could someone tell me, while we’re on the questions,…Is “Mummy/Mummers? cloth the same as Osnaburg/ Slave cloth??? Is the weave the same? And, Lindsy-woolsey…I have a LARGE piece of what we think is a linen type piece, I’ve cut some of it to make robes for my Father Christmas’s…and we ‘think’ it’s the real thing. How can I tell? It’s rather loose weave, almost a linen weave (course) but, feels almost silky, off white. It dyes Beautifully, so, I’m assuming it’s some kind of natural fibers. ?? If it is,…bet I shouldn’t have cut it, huh???
:O kb
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Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 14:01:26 -0600 | From: Sven Olsson <sven [at] pnc [dot] com [dot] au>
Hi all,
I have a friend who grew up in a very nice old northern suburb of Sydney in a Victorian Mansion.
There was a round Ball Room in the house with an inlaid parquetry SPIDER WEB floor. The room was about 40ft across. Yes the spider was there too.
Lorraine in Oz
Alan Kelchner wrote:
> Yes, spiders and their webs are a sign of good luck. I’m thinking (this was a verbal thing – I don’t have papers to prove it!) that it originated in Japan, and was taken up in the Victorian era after Japan opened its borders to trade. At that point the silly white people went nuts for all things Japan-esque (not that the designs were faithful to the originals!).
> Alan
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 23:28:34 -0500 | From: Mary Waller <mswaller [at] iw [dot] net>
I’ve always wondered if the change from 36″ to 45″ fabric wasn’t technology or economically driven; i.e., something changed that allowed wider fabric to be made or made it more economical to produce, ship, etc.
Mary Waller in SD
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 07:21:32 -0400 | From: Carole Spencer <spencer [at] bgnet [dot] bgsu [dot] edu>
This request for information came across an American Studies list I’m on. I thought maybe some of us could help her out. I’d be interested in more information as well, as I’m also working on my Master’s thesis on quiltmaking as cultural production (the commercialization of quilting, the growth in experts in the field and the shift in the perception of quiltmaking from domestic craft to “art”).
he only reference I have that deals with photo-quilts (and textiles) is: Threads of History: America Recorded on Cloth 1775 to the Present by Herbert Ridgeway Collins (Washington DC, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979).
Carole Spencer
>Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 10:27:55 -0700
>From: Elizabeth Hutchinson <hutchart [at] unm [dot] edu>
Greetings,
I have just joined the faculty in the Art History program at UNM and have inherited a graduate student writing a masters thesis on turn-of-the- century photo-quilts (normally cyanotypes contacted printed on fabric squares which are then pieced together). She has tracked down several examples in museum collections (notably the George Eastman house) and through auction catalogues, but is trying to get a clear view of how widespread this practice was. I would appreciate any pointers people can offer on tracking down more examples of photo-quilts or on any textual references to the practice, as well as any citations about women’s roles in constructing family albums and quiltmaking during this period.
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 07:36:16 EDT | From: [from unknown]
Fabric width used to be determined by the width of the loom – earlier fabrics were often 24 or 12 inches wide. I still see 36″ fabric, especially specialty silks.
Lisa Evans
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 07:07:16 -0500 | From: “Sehoy L. Welshofer” <sw4quilt [at] bellsouth [dot] net>
Sorry to post to the list, but have exhausted all other means to locate someone. I’m trying to contact Joy Baaklini of Austin, TX in reference to her wonderful quilt, Compass Rose from the cover of Quilting Today, Issue 18. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 14:37:02 -0400 | From: “Debora C. Wykes” <wykesfcn [at] tdi [dot] net>
I just purchased a full sized light aqua and white quilt with 15 of the white blocks embroidered with birds: eagle, cardinal, stork, nightengale, crow, etc. all done in an outline stitch. The embroiderey is somewhat simplistic or amateur but the hand quilting around the birds and in the other squares is very fine.
The quilt is well worn and used, not tattered, and looks old. Does someone know about embroidered bird quilts?
Thank you,
Debbie in Monroe, MI
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 17:35:49 EDT | From: QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
What color is the embroidery?
If it is different colors and cotton thread, it is probably after 1920. Toni B.
QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 18:12:20 -0500 | From: Maury Bynum <maurybynum [at] textileconservators [dot] com>
Dear Quilters,
I am hosting Elena Tzareva, Ccurator aat the Russian Museum of Ethnography. She was very impressed with my textile conservation facility and commented how difficult it is for Russian textile conservators to get materials. I am putting together a care package to send them, and am inviting any off you who may have extra textile conservation materials, ie, yarn, thread, needles, etc. to contribute to this package by sending your odds and ends to:
Maury Bynum
Textile Conservators, Inc.
Sotheby’s Building
215 W. Ohio, #6
Chicago, IL 60610
I thank you in advance and assure you that your donation will be appreciated and put to good use! Thank You, Maury Bynum
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 20:54:17 -0500 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co [at] mail [dot] airmail [dot] net>
To: EGinebaugh [at] aol [dot] com, QHL [at] cuenet [dot] com Subject: Re: QHL: Nostalgic novelty beach towel
Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19981022205417.006c7c2c [at] mail [dot] airmail [dot] net> Hi Liz, Can’t help you with the towel, but the quilt I can. I have a Southern Bell Quilt ( that’s what my grandmother called it…the ladies with the full skirts and parasols.. SB Sue all grown up <G>.) anyway, the batting stops at the edge of the quilt and the scalloped border has none, just like you described yours. I remember seeing it on my mothers bed at my GM’s house and the border was the drop…a dust ruffle immitation I guess…I always thought it kinda odd, especially when my cousins and I would sleep under it and I got the edge of the quilt…with nothing in it!
It appears on my DD’s bead occasionally….
Laura
>The other thing we found in a closet, was a beautiful applique quilt, in the 40’s green & white, with lengthwise stripes of appliqued flowers & vines (3 I think), a narrow green border, and a scalloped border. The unusual thing
about
>this quilt though, is that the batting stops at the narrow border. The scalloped border is backed, but no batting or quilting. Never seen anything like it.
>Hope someone knows something about the towel. Now back to lurkdom….
>Liz in chilly/warming/sunny/rainy/windy Michigan (if you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes)
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 10:28:56 -0400 | From: Jean Ann <quiltmag [at] mindspring [dot] com
I sort of place my past dates in context of who I was married to when, what children I had at the time, and how old they were.
When I was married to DH#1, I shopped at Sears for all my fabric. I could put my babies in the stroller and walk there from our house. My babies are now 36 and 33, so it would have been 1962-70. 100% cotton fabrics were 36″ wide. The exciting new, no iron, polyesters were 45″ wide. By the early 70’s you couldn’t buy cottons anymore… they were OUT and no-iron polys were in. Just look at the clothing photos from that time. UGH! Cottons started making a come-back in popularity in the late 70’s, early 80’s. We had an energy crisis and polyester was not as cheap and easy to make, we had to turn up the thermostats on our air-conditioners and polyester fabrics were too hot. The NEW cottons were now wrinkle-free (almost), more “natural” and cooler to wear.
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 11:02:38 -0500 | From: Beecharmer <mtm [at] snet [dot] net>
As a novice dealer, I am going to the Houston Festival with boxes of quilts. Most of these are on my Website, so if you care to see them in person, please stop by at Booth 1668. If DH is there, he’s not as scary as he looks. Give him a break!
We also went to AQSG and had the usual fun discussing old quilts. I thought the exhibition at the Cultural Center was no where as good as last year’s, unfortunately, but the talks were good as usual. We enjoyed meeting new folks and renewing connections with old acquaintances. A brief comment on 36 in. fabrics. Guess what! I had no idea cotton prints didn’t come in 36 anymore. What a shock! In a previous previous life I sewed a lot for my three sons, and always had to hope I could get something in 44-45 in., but usually not. After 1967 the kids wouldn’t have been caught dead in anything old mom made, and I was more into test tubes anyway.
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 11:59:09 -0400 | From: “John and Cinda Cawley” <cawley [at] epix [dot] net>
I’m off in just about an hour to Jane’s (Baglady) retreat at Eagles Mere in the glorious Endless Mountains of PA. The leaves are a bit past their peak, but it’s going to be a glorious weekend and Eagles Mere is a magical place (it feels like 1900 not almost 2000). Barb Garrett is doing a doll quilt workshop. I’m not really a small quilt person, but I truly didn’t care what the project was I just wanted the weekend getaway. Anyhow, I have a whole bunch of purples on the theory that all little girls of doll-playing age love purple.
Cinda in Scranton
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 11:52:31 +0000 | From: Shirley McElderry <tigersoup [at] lisco [dot] net>
To Debbie in MI: Your bird quilt may be the Ruby Short McKim pattern called the “Audubon” or “Bird Life” that was printed in several newspapers starting in 1928. There were 24 different birds, and they were designed to fit onto a 9-inch square of fabric. Have seen several of these quilts; some were embroidered in natural colors, and some have been embroidered in Turkey red or blues. If you would e-mail me privately, and send your home address, I would send a photocopy of the overall view of McKim’s version of birds.
Shirley Mc from IA
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 11:07:58 -0700 | From: “Mary Cross” <mbcquilt [at] web-ster [dot] com>
Greetings:
With all the comments on fabric width and then the history of woven cloth width, I can’t resist sharing my latest discovery.
My house has just been painted the same old exterior color it has been for 17 years. Then, I chose it because Mt. St. Helens had just erupted and the ash was everywhere and I didn’t want to clean it off and I feared it would erupt again. So I chose what I called “Volcanic Ash Grey”. Now, the painter informed me yesterday the color is called “Weaver’s Cloth” by the manufacturer Rhodda. Somehow, I’m not surprised.
Speaking of Mt. St. Helens, you may remember I inquired about a log cabin quilt made by Louise Townsend in response to the volcano eruption in the early 1980s. I wanted to locate it for my upcoming exhibition in Springfield, Oregon. I did the usual research of calling her contacts and family members. It turns out neither of her sisters has that particular quilt. They think one of her quilt friends has it because they gave many of her things to her quilting friends after the memorial services. So, does any one know where it might be? It’s probably too late for the exhibit but it would be nice to let her family know where it is in case someone else comes along inquring about it.
About the exhibit, after the AQSG bus tour to view Shelley Zegart’s quilt exhibit at the Kentucky Folk Art Center last week, I called Tom Pfannerstill’s gallery rep about getting some of his work using cigarette wrappers and popcans in log cabin -style quilts in my exhibit. While on the phone, the gallery called Fanner. The outcome is he is sending a broom-handle block with informaiton about his work for me to exhibit. He’s excited and so am I. It couldn’t be better to tie in with the logging industry of the Springfield area.
Oh, the advantages of membership in AQSG and being able to attend the seminar!
Mary
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 15:57:37 -0500 | From: [from unknown]
I have been reading the messages about a few quilts with out batting on the edge. I am wondering what the date of these quilts were. If it was when times were hard say the deppresion or a drought or a shortage of cotton than they may have felt that putting batting in the quilt where it would not be needed for warmth a waste. The battings of cotton and I would quess wool were carded and then placed over the backing and then the top was put on top of that. Thats why when you find an old quilt it is lumpy and has stains on it some are from use but some are from the seeds in the cotton. So if the housewife felt it important to be frugal then that may have been the practice to save on material where not needed.
Debbie russhill [at] ctesc [dot] net
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 16:56:08 -0700 | From: Frank & Inge Stocklin <stocklin [at] erols [dot] com>
I do a lot of quilt restoration and find many times that the batting doesn’t fit the quilt top. A blanket or thin flannel sheet was used. I always believed that the sheet was a given width and length so the quilter used what was available. I do not believe this was a trend or used during any certain time period. I look forward to further information on this. Inge
—
Visit our web site http://www.erols.com/stocklin
The Quilt Studio offers a full line of quilting services including appraisals, restoration, commissions, lectures and classes.
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 05:58:43 -0500 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co [at] mail [dot] airmail [dot] net>
Inge, I agree with you as far as using what batting was available…In the 20 years that I’ve been doing restoration I’ve seen lots of strange things. I picked up a quilt on the way to Paducah last year that has batting in only about 3/4 of the quilt…really hilarious. But what we are talking about…at least MY quilt has batting all the way to the edge of the scalloped border…and nothing in the border…and I do remember that being the drop over the edge of the mattress….My grandmother didn’t make many quilts, she had 3 daughters to sew for, as well as herself and 3 sisters that couldn’t thread a needle, so what quilts she did make were very “trendy” and possibly even a kit…very simple straight line diagonal quilting…
Laura
PM 10/23/98 -0700, Frank & Inge Stocklin wrote:
>I do a lot of quilt restoration and find many times that the batting doesn’t fit the quilt top. A blanket or thin flannel sheet was used. I always believed that the sheet was a given width and length so the quilter used what was available. I do not believe this was a trend or used during any certain time period. I look forward to further information on this. Inge
>Visit our web site http://www.erols.com/stocklin
>The Quilt Studio offers a full line of quilting services including appraisals, restoration, commissions, lectures and classes.
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Alan’s comments on spider origins bear out what Godey’s Lady’s Book was saying in the 1870s — they just kept repeating, whenever they offered a spiderweb pattern, that it originated in Japan. Unfortunately, they never bothered to say HOW or WHY!
Cindy
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 21:45:50 EDT | From: EGinebaugh [at] aol [dot] com
In regard to the quilt without the batting in the border, it looks to be made in the 40’s, by the green that was used.
Liz in Michigan
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 21:54:30 -0400 (EDT) | From: quiltsnbears [at] webtv [dot] net (Roberta Geanangel)
Arachne boasted that she could weave better than Athena, the Greek patron goddess of weaving, so Athena challenged her to a weaving contest.To shorten the myth: Athena won and turned Arachne into a spider (which means “spinner”) to spin in dark corners throughout the world. The Victorians picked up on the belief that the spider protects a household from harm (which has some fact in it since they eat disease-carrying insects) and even placed the spider and her web on their Christmas trees so it followed that she would find her place on Crazy Quilts.
Roberta
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 22:59:08 -0400 | From: [from unknown]
My Mom taught me to measure from my nose to my outstretched fingers, and I”ve been doing it all my life, well from the time I was 13 or so and reached my full height. The method is extremely accurate — at least my arm’s length — and so quick!
I’ve recently been buying 1940’s etc. yardage, and instead of getting out the old tape measure, the shop owner lets me do my own measuring that way. The first time I was in her shop she measured everything with her tape after I did the nose/finger thing. Now she doesn’t bother. She “nose” I am not gyping her.
Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrow [at] blast [dot] net
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 08:35:03 EDT | From: [from unknown]
<< The Victorians picked up on the belief that the spider protects a household from harm (which has some fact in it since they eat disease-carrying insects) and even placed the spider and her web on their Christmas trees so it followed that she would find her place on Crazy Quilts.
Roberta
Roberta,
Thanks for the mythology lesson 🙂
I was given a beaded spider and web to me as a Christmas ornament by a friend years ago; up until now I thought it was just a bit strange. Now the gift seems precious.
Patty
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 11:52:45 -0400 | From: “Debora C. Wykes” <wykesfcn [at] tdi [dot] net
It explains a memory for me, too. My mom and cousins have told stories of visiting bargain basements with my grandmother and seeing her “measure” yardage by stretching the cloth from the tips of her fingers up to her nose with the other hand.
A rough estimate of a yard, you might say?
My grandma taught me this, too! It’s something I do all the time at garage sales or to quick-find how much fabric is available in an unmarked piece. No one else has ever done this in my presence and the looks I get are really funny. I thought it was something SHE invented!
Debbie in Monroe, MI
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 13:49:01 -0600 | From: Sharon Harleman Tandy <harleman [at] micron [dot] net
Hello all,
It always amazes me that others find this so unusual. I’ve done it all my life and here in the Northwest, have seen hundreds of women do it. Once I measured from my fingertips to my nose just to make sure and found that my arms may be a little short, so now I just measure to the heel of my hand.
Maybe the practice is more regional?
Sharon.
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 20:10:53 +0100 | From: “Sally Ward” <sward [at] t-ward [dot] demon [dot] co [dot] uk
Certainly my grandma and mum taught me to measure a yard of fabric fingertip to nose – they also taught me that from thumb knuckle to fingertip was an inch. On me that wasn’t right, either! I still use the finger to nose to check out yardage if I am suspicious that it’s not what it should be.
Sally in UK
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 11:13:22 -0700 | From: Sven Olsson <sven [at] pnc [dot] com [dot] au
Sharon Harleman Tandy wrote:
Maybe the practice is more regional?
Sharon.
Hello All,
I think it must be a fairly universal “yardstick”. We, or at least I, do it here in Australia. Although our measure is the Metre which is slightly longer than the yard, so now I turn my face to the left and measure from my right hand. It is always so close.
Lorraine in Oz
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 20:04:00 -0600 | From: Sharon Harleman Tandy <harleman [at] micron [dot] net
Hi again, I just reread what I’d sent regarding tips to nose a yard. My arms are LONGER not shorter! A yard goes from nose to heel of hand. (PS-RG + T, I *am* writing, just resting!) Sharon.
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 21:15:36 -0300 | From: KAREN BUSH <Birdsong [at] worldnet [dot] att [dot] net
WEll,I’m trying to get caught up on all my e-mails, I’ve been gone for a while. This is interesting, I thought Everybody did this! It’s STILL done here in different places.
This is also where the saying ‘get down to brass tacks’ started. The general store would have the measurements on counter marked off, or a yardstick tacked to the counter. The measurements would be marked off in sections with the yard distinquisted by a brass tack from the inch to the 36 inch mark. If the shop keep was lazy, or didn’t want to bother, and try to use the nose to the finger, or whatever, they’d tel him…”Get to the brass tacks”….they wanted an ACCURATE yardage!
hahaha..kb
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 00:08:45 EDT | From: [from unknown]
We do it in New England, too, so it’s probably universal….
Lisa Evans
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 00:58:13 -0400 | From: “Judy Grow” <Judygrow [at] blast [dot] net
they also taught me that from thumb knuckle to fingertip was an inch. I just measured both my thumbs, nuckle to tip. One thumb was over an inch, the other under. Spooky
Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrow [at] blast [dot] net
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 12:02:36 -0600 | From: Maury Bynum <maurybynum [at] textileconservators [dot] com
As we are all different, I would suggest taking a tape or yard stick and measuringfrom the tip of our fingers to some known place that would be a yard, or from fingertip to elbow (Maybe a half yard?) Maury
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 13:05:03 -0600 | From: Russell-Hill <russhill [at] ctesc [dot] net
I am looking for some help. This is not really quilt related but it is fabric related. Does anyone out there know when cordoroy was available? I know that velvet dates way back but am not sure about cordoroy. I wish to use it in vintage clothes but if it is to modern I can’t. Thanks for your help.
Debbie russhill [at] ctesc [dot] net
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 12:26:01 -0700 | From: Sharon Harleman Tandy <harleman [at] micron [dot] net
Debbie,
Although I don’t have the dates, this I do know:
1. corduroycord du royroad of the king, from the French, referring to the corded (logs or tree trunks laid crosswise) road upon which only the king was to travel
2. corduroy was once known as fustian[old French: fustainetree trunk] which was A. a strong cotton and linen fabric, B. a class of cotton usually having a pile face and twill weave.
3. I believe I’ve read that Benjamin Franklin once wore a suit of fustian.
(I ‘edited’ the derivation part of the definition just a tad.) Now, if anyone else has the dates, I’d love to hear it also. Sharon.
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 12:31:15 -0700 | From: Sharon Harleman Tandy <harleman [at] micron [dot] net
Debbie, Sorry, left out part. Corduroy[origin unknown](1774) 1. a. a durable usually cotton pile fabric with vertical ribs or wales, 2. a road built of logs laid side by side transversely. Use of the word as a verblaying such a road has a date of 1854! All this came from my Webster’s Ninth Collegiate. Sharon.
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 14:36:45 EST | From: Palampore [at] aol [dot] com
The AQSG Conference was superb! The lecture topics were: 1)Mary Susan Rice and the Missionary Quilt (Very informative about 1840’s signature quilts of New England)
2)A stitch in Crime: Quilt Detective Fiction (I will surely be adding some books to my reading list.)
3) Learning to Quilt with Grandma Mary Sibley: Gift Labor, Traditional Quiltmaking, and Contemporary Art (A great tribute to a woman who began quilting in her 60’s is now in her 80’s and has made 200 quilts.) 4)The Life and Quilts of Ida Stover Eisenhower (They gave us a super overview of life as a mother and quilter during hard times.)
5)Stitches in Time: The Development of Cotton Sewing Thread (This will be used for years as a guide and to help further research.) 6)The Quilt Designers of North East England (I was a true novice to this and was totally fascinated.)
As you can see this is an UNCOVERINGS that many of us will be using over and over in our “quilt lives”. Go to their web page to order a copy. In addition to the wonderful lectures the other portions of the weekend were also outstanding. We got to meet lots of QHL folks and to recruit a few more. We all spent tons of money at the “stores” either from book dealers/authors, vendors of vintage textiles, or at the silent & live auctions. Show & tell was a learning experience for all. Lots more to add but just not enough time to cover it all.
I personally want to thank all of the folks who did such a grand job getting the weekend together. It was well worth the long drive from NC.
I am working on a restoration project this week and came up with a little helpful hint I wanted to share. I needed to know the exact size of the block I was duplicating. From there I needed to see if I had that much fabric in a vintage block I was thinking of cutting up to use in the restoration. Didn’t want to ruin fabric block to then find that it wasn’t quite right. Could have measured but wanted to also make the flowers fit just so. To solve this problem I cut out the side of a 1 gal. plastic milk jug. Placed the plastic over the block and traced what I needed with a permanent marker. Cut it out with the seam allowance I needed. Then used that as a template over fabric #2 to decide if it would work well in the restoration. The main idea isn’t new but I thought the use of the milk carton might be. Hope it will help others. I also use the sides of milk cartons to “hold” together color coordinated outfits for my mother in the nursing home. Anyone wanting info. on that email me privately.
I went to a quilt show yesterday in my county and saw 7 fabulous pre-1900 quilts which were done by a mother/daughter team. Family had pictures of the women, a diary, autograph book, etc. They also had a fabulous cigarette silk quilt. It was made of silks with only women’s pictures and signatures. They were from Old Mill Cigarettes. In the center was a large silk ad for Old Mill Cigarettes with a picture of an old mill. The older ladies there thought all of the women were silent movie stars.
Any thoughts on this? It was found in a trunk 2 years ago in a chicken coup. Sorry to run on so—-but it’s been a productive week and I wanted to share. Lynn Lancaster Gorges, Textile Conservator, NewBern, NC
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 19:19:11 -0600 | From: “Gail Richter” <richter2 [at] frontiernet [dot] net
I think it must be a fairly universal “yardstick”. We, or at least I, do it here in Australia. Although our measure is the Metre which is slightly longer than the yard, so now I turn my face to the left and measure from my right hand. It is always so close.
Hi,
I’ve been doing this forever, too. I can’t even remember who taught me, but probably my mother. I also have to turn my head to the left to get a yard. Short arms, I guess.
Gail R
In Wisconsin
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 16:56:28 -0500 | From: Alan Kelchner <quiltfix [at] mail [dot] jax [dot] bellsouth [dot] net
To: qhl [at] cuenet [dot] com
Subject: QHL: holding it at arm’s length
Message-ID: <36339E8C.2E6E [at] mail [dot] jax [dot] bellsouth [dot] net Content-Type: text/plain; charsetus-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
This guy does the nose to fingertip measuring, too, when he can’t find a size-label! Really handy. And I grew up in New York State, my parents in Pennsylvania.
Another general measuring tip I learned about a year ago – a yard of fabric wraps around the bolt *twice* (yard would be bigger on the start of a new bolt, and smaller at the end). I found this fantastic upholstery-weight fabric I wanted to use for curtains, but needed to find out if there was enough (everyone else seemed to love this particular bolt of Walmart $1/yd fabric). Needless to say, I was dumbfounded when the girl/lady/woman started counting the layers! I asked, and that’s when I found this out – I’ve even actually used it since. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough yardage.
Maybe the manufacturers planned it this way? (yeah, right).
Alan
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 00:50:08 EST | From: [from unknown]
My two cents…..such an interesting topic!
One of my favorite folk song’s refrain goes like this there’s a web like a spiders web made of silver, light and shadow spun by the moon in my room at night it’s a web made to catch a dream hold it tight til I awaken as if to tell me my dream is alright he Native American culture talks of Spider Grandmother as well…….
Terri
Oklahoma City
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 01:41:48 EST | From: [from unknown]
In history class (boy, this is pulling information out of the deep recesses of the mind!!!), we were taught that the English measurements differed slightly due to who was the King at the time……a yard was the measurement from the king’s nose to his fingertip…..the inch was the measurement from the outer knuckle on the thumb to the tip, etc.
Interesting if true……..
Terri
Oklahoma City
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 09:20:56 -0000 | From: “Sally Ward” <sward [at] t-ward [dot] demon [dot] co [dot] uk
My sources agree with Sharon about the King’s Road made of logs, but suggest that the road was named after the fabric rather than the fabric after the road. An old French dictionary says one of many meanings of ‘corde’ was a thread, – the old Fr. phrase for threadbare cloth being <cloth which shows its ‘corde’
Corduroy when worn by the King of France in the chase was corded silk, but could also be a coarse, thick, ribbed cotton or cotton/wool mix – which brings us to Fustian which seems to have been many things to many people. This is so interesting I am off to the British Library to do some research. (Its Monday morning and I should be ironing – can you tell?) I’ll let you know if I come up with some dates.
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 13:01:05 -0000 | From: “Sally Ward” <sward [at] t-ward [dot] demon [dot] co [dot] uk
On the BL Reading Room computer I found lots of interesting reference books, but from just two of them I got the following: ‘5,000 Years of Textiles’ – Hennifer Harris (1993)
George Cabot had an integrated mill (combining hand-carding, spinning and weaving) in Beverley, Massachusettes founded in 1787 which made a variety of cloths including corduroy, jean, denim, marseilles (double-cloth) quilting (can anyone tell me what that might have been?)
muslin and dimity.
‘Encylcopaedia of Textiles’ by the editors of American Fabrics and Fashions Magazine (does that still exist?) first published in 1960, with several reprints.:
1783 – popular textiles of this period included: Bed Tickings, Bird’s Eye, CORDUROY, Dimotys (sic.), Denim, Feathered Stripes, Fustian, Jean, Jeanett, Ribclure, Ribdurant, Royal Rib, Satin-Stripes, Satinett, Satin-cord, Stockinett, Thicksett and Zebray (I just *have* to go back another day and find out about some of these)
Cord-du-Roi originated in France during the 17th Century, It was first made in worsted yarn (so much for my source which said silk?) ‘Bedford Cord,’ of similar appearance to corduroy was first made in Bedford, England but is also claimed by New Bedford, Massachusettes where it was made as early as 1845 (Is there a reason why Mass. appears twice in these references – was it a weaving centre?)
‘Fustian’ was a low quality coarse cotton and linen cloth first made in the Fustat or ghetto area outside the City of Cairo (no date given). The Egyptians used an double-cloth construction to make this which, despite being regarded as an inferior material gave long wear. Some better grade cloths were made of linen.
The Fustian of today (written in 1960) has changed little from the original material and implies, as a generic term, the rather high pick heavy cotton goods on the order of beaverteen, CORDUROY, doeskin, moleskin and velveteen.
Which reminded me – when I visited a ‘living history’ castle jail in Scotland, there were ‘inmates’ walking around wearing clothes of moleskin, which we were told were authentic to the period (17-1800s). The chap wearing them told us they were very comfortable and hardwearing with great resistance to the Scottish winds.
Regards
Sally in UK (lucky enough to live minutes away from the British Library’s northern outpost)
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 07:05:38 -0700 | From: Sharon Harleman Tandy <harleman [at] micron [dot] net
Good morning QHLers,
This seems to be a good time to ask: Since I upgraded to Windows95 last May I lost many good websites, including the Canadian one with the textile terminoloy dictionary. Anyone out there have the URL? I’ve surfed for it and couldn’t find it.
In my post on corduroy, it was a surprise to find an older date for the textile than for the road in Websters! Back to ‘real’ work, see you later, Sharon.
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 08:59:01 -0600 | From: Russell-Hill <russhill [at] ctesc [dot] net
I want to thank everyone for the responces to my question on cordoroy. I make clothes for myself and husband for the periods of 1830’s to 1890’s. I also sew for the public concentrating on the 1890’s but will create any period that they need as long as it is in that range. I will be using the cordoroy for a short gown worn in the 1830’s. I have alot of it and needed some warm clothes since we are out side even in Dec and Feb.(this is Texas) and it can be nice during the day or it can be down right nasty. I have reenacted side by side with some who just don’t get the idea that 1776 styles where not worn in 1830’s. So if I have to be s stickler about wearing what is appropriate for the time period you are living than I need to be correct as well. I strive very hard in our clothing right down to your camp.
Again thanks and I will feel much better wearing my nice warm short gown.
Debbie russhill [at] ctesc [dot] net
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 15:01:54 EST | From: [from unknown]
</lurk
I accidentally deleted the wonderful bit of history and Shakespearean analysis re fabric widths and Weaver’s Bottom…Does anyone still have a copy to forward to me? Many thanks.
<lurk
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 21:03:08 EST | From: Kittencat3 [at] aol [dot] com
Corduroy is definitely pre-colonial. I’m not sure if it was used in quilts, but it’s certainly old enough that it could have been used in an applique or a utility quilt in the 19th century.
Lisa Evans
