August 25 – 31, 2000
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:
- Is Quilting Declining While Knitting Rises? — A long-running debate spanning both pages: members weigh whether quilting is genuinely fading in popularity versus knitting, citing cost of supplies, economic cycles, and shop/guild membership trends.
- Australian Quilts Exhibit Follow-Up — Continued discussion of Annette Gero’s Historic Australian Quilts exhibition and catalogue, with members recommending further books on Australian quilt history.
- Baltimore Album Quilt History Request — A member asks for research resources and sources on the history of Baltimore Album quilts and quilting in Maryland generally.
- Mystery Coverlet / ‘Mammy’ Figure Block — A member seeks help identifying a coverlet pattern featuring black figures in period dress, which other members recognize as a known reproduced ‘Mammy quilt’ design.
- Quilt History Websites & Bibliography Finds — Members share links to online resources: an animated quilt-block design site, a New York Times antiques column on Provence quilts, and a newly discovered online quilt bibliography.
- Ithaca, NY Guild Meetup Planning — Members traveling to the Ithaca/Elmira/Corning area coordinate guild meeting times and local quilt-shop recommendations.
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 06:43:35 EDT | From: JBQUILTOK@
I agree with Jean that the quilting hobby is phasing out again. Don’t think it will ever completely go away, but I don’t see where there’s much more expansion capacity. She suggested competion as the cause of dissatisfaction. I’m not sure that’s the reason. It has priced itself out of the hobby arena. It used to be respectable to show up for a sewing bee with scissors, needle, thimble, thread, material & a cardboard template. Now you can’t call yourself a serious quilter without a $2000+ Bernina, rotary cutter & associated gear, $10/yd Hoffman fabric, and a college degree in surface design. Those wanting to be innovative have to really work hard to come up with something that hasn’t been the focus of a book, magazine article or star of a big show. Knitting requires a pair of needles & some yarn. There’s plenty of room for trying something different. (Went to Toronto this summer & saw an exhibit where the artist had created a knitted cozy to cover the outside of a house. There was a living room covered in knits also – including the TV & vaccuum cleaner. Plenty of comments along the lines of “Why?” but we got those when art quilts first started showing up.) I suspect that as the knitting revival gains strength we’ll see more magazines, books and exhibits as we did with quilting. Knitting machines will become more acceptable, higher prices & have more accessories. I’ve had to work at building my library of old quilting patterns but have a head start for the Knitting History List – learned to knit at about 7 & have books that have been in the family since the turn of the last century. I’m not ready to turn in my fabric yet – I’m keeping my eyes open for the yard sale bargains as the rest of the country trades fabric stashes for yarn. Janet
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 07:16:28 EDT | From: @aol.com
This whole idea of “quilting is fading” strikes me as an exaggeration. Yes, the quilters who enter shows or write books or design patterns frequently use Berninas and rotary cutters and suchlike…but there are plenty of quilters who learn to make basic Nine Patches at the Grange or Girls Scouts or 4-H meetings. These quilts aren’t entered in shows, but they’re still being made. And not everyone uses Berninas, or $10 a yard Hoffman fabrics. Would Jo-Ann’s or Wal-Mart be selling calico at $2.29 a yard if no one was buying it? Hoffman and RJR and Alexander Henry are *not* easy to find outside of specialty shops, and not every quilter uses them or can get them. And there are still plenty of quilters who make scrap quilts that never make it into shows. A quilter can choose to buy expensive fabric, a fancy sewing machine, and plenty of fun accessories. Or she can just as easily rely on a mid-range Viking, Cranston Printworks, and a few spools of thread and a pencil. Just because some prefer the former doesn’t mean that the craft is being priced out of the latter’s range. And as for knitting, you can get just as caught up in specialty hand-dyed wool/ alpaca/cashmere blends, difficult patterns copied from Breton fishermen’s sweaters, and needles in a range of sizes/materials. I’ve seen skeins of yarn that were upwards of $25 for about half a sweater’s worth. Not to mention that serious knitters can just as easily buy the glossy pattern books, learn to spin (which means buying a spindle or a spinning wheel, whole fleeces, and so on), and start hand dyeing materials in specialty dyes. Let’s face it serious hobbyists can end up spending a mint regardless of the craft, or they can do things fairly simply. It depends on how much the crafter is willing or able to spend…. Karen Evans
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 08:42:21 EDT | From: JQuilt@
i’m sure there are many valid reasons for the new interest in knitting and the declining interest in quilting…one of the reasons is, that the pricing of all of the “things” necessary for quilting is way out of hand…i still use a Montgomery Ward and a Singer featherweight(which i adore) and buy Joanns calico for all of the backings of my quilts… i live on a fixed income and most of my money goes for food, lodging and keeping my 1980 toyota going… here’s a website to browse << http://www.eastsidejournal.com/sited/retr_story.pl/25131 >> Hot hobby for a nervous world – Local retailers report a boom in knitting 2000-07-28 by Tony Dondero Journal Business Reporter jean laino
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 07:45:29 -0500 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@>
I agree with Karen. When I teach my hand quilting class we go through all the notions that the shop carries….and I tell them up front that quilting is like cooking. You can have a good recipe, good knife, good heat source and good basic ingredients or you can have all the Cuisenarts, dicers, slicers, gourmet speciality stuff. Same here…. good needles, thread, good pattern, quality fabric (inexpensive is not bad unless it’s damaged<G>) a good pair of scissors and a reliable hardworking sewing machine. OR- the mulitmillion dollar sewing machines, several rotary cutters, rulers, mats, cutting tables, platinum needles…..yata, yata, yata……. Now….lets look at something else. Historically, quilting revivals have been during times of economic depression or slowdown. Don’t ask me why, but if you look at the economy though history you’ll find this to be true. (1933 Century of Progress Quilt Contest played a huge part too….) We’ve had a several years of an excellent economy….You’d think that there is more disposable income out there so more people would be quilting, or taking up quiltmaking….However, many of the shops I’ve talked with have seriously cut back or cut out classes. Many shops have closed down, too. People have the money to travel, buy big ticket items, etc. It seems that more fabric is sold from siphoning off the grocery money budget<G> than just outright impulse purchases. Quiltmaking will never go away. It may slow down. Dallas (city limits proper) has gone from 7 huge shops in the early ’80’s (including mine) to only one. There are several small shops in the metroplex area, but the city of Dallas is sorely lacking. I don’t think there is but one in Ft. Worth either. Fabric cost is also a huge factor. But that’s a whole other story…… Laura
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 09:14:02 -0400 | From: “Bonnie Wilbur” <Bonnie.Wilbur@>
Any occupation benefits from a better quality tool and those expensive tools can be found for any hobby as well as work at any economic period. How’s that for a ridiculously broad generalization? But I remember my dad buying $1500 saws for his stained glass in the mid-to-late 80s after the stock market crash and I remember seeing yarn for sale in the early 90s for $50 for one skein the size of my fist in Traverse City, Michigan. I think the upside to all the interest in quilting from the past few years is how many more specialized tools are now available, like this new iron the size of your thumb. I think the downside is all the people making quilts who are afraid to exhibit them, or even take them to show and tell at their guild because they aren’t incredibly detailed with perfect corners and a high art form. I just know that the quilts I make now with my Pfaff are MUCH better than the quilts I made with my Viking as it became unreliable, and I’ve lost physical skills due to age since changing machines. So, I’ve never taken one of my 27 quilts to a guild meeting, but I’ve really appreciated those professional or brave quilters who do, and I’ve made a bunch of less critical family and friends very happy with what I’ve produced. Bonnie Wilbur
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 08:39:42 -0500 | From: “Vergamini, Linda” <lvergamini@>
Now, on to the t-shirts….I found a website where you can send them any .jpg file you have and then see a “preview” of how it looks on a t-shirt, and then order it!! I got 2 shirts made with pictures of 2 of my antique quilts on them. They cost 16.00 each, which I thought was pretty reasonable. The site is www.ArtApart.com. Quilts are so colorful and make good graphics for t-shirts, and you can “wear” your collection!! So for all you collectors of quilts (antique or otherwise), I thought you might enjoy this!! No, I do not work for this company or have any ties to them…just thought it was a neat idea!! Linda Vergamini (lvergamini@)
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 14:30:03 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
If you can, check the TY Times today 8/25/00, (perhaps on their web page as well?) on page E35 there is an article by Wendy Moonan in the Antiques column on “Fine Quilts of Provence Les Boutis.” There is one very nice photo of a quarter of a highly stuffed whitework quilt, names and addresses of shops in NYC where they can be seen, and prices. In a quote from K. Berenson “The French started printing imported cotton in about 1640. By the 1680’s the Marseilles women were producing 40,000 to 50,000 quilts a year for export to Germany, England, Italy and Spain.” These should not be confused with pieces woven on machine-driven looms to obtain a textured character.” I would assume that these were quite costly, so why don’t more survive today than actually do? Also, — buyers beware — “there are now reproductions on the market. The store Rue de France in Newport R.I., sells contemporary French bouti covered in a 19th-century-style cotton, which reverses from a subtle floral pattern to a blue and tan stripe. The queen size costs $695.00, and it can be machine washed and tumbled dried. Information (800) 777-0998, or on the Web at http://www.ruedefrance.com”
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 13:58:32 -0500 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@>
Judy, These are also available through the Pierre Deaux showrooms in Dallas, NY, LA and Paris………..wholesale price is @ $6-900…..but the largest they make is double….I have seen 3 of these and if you didn’t know better you’d swear they were antiques that had been gently loved. They are washed! Baby quilts seem to be the hot item. and go wholesale for about $2-300 Laura
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 16:14:22 -0400 | From: “John Cawley” <cawley@>
Annette Gero’s catalogue for the exhibit of Australian quilts is absolutely beautiful to look at and fascinating to read. I was struck by how very similar many of the quilts are to those made in Great Britain. The evolution that took place in the U.S. did not happen in Australia. There were almost no repeat block quilts except for Log Cabins. It seems that patchwork was the focus; very few were actually quilted and many pieces were intended for show rather than practical use. In her essay Annette comments that few women made more than one quilt. She notes that Baby Blocks in paper piecing were done in the 1840s; Brackman writes that the pattern did not appear in the States until the 1850s. I was struck by the number of Crazy Quilts. I have always thought that the impetus for the Crazy phenomenon was the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia with its wildly popular Japanese pavilion. I simply never considered that the Crazy Quilt was an international fashion which, of course, it was. The Crazy Quilts in the Australian exhibit are dated 1877, 1883, 1887, 1890. So…how did the craze for Crazies spread around the world so quickly? Or did it spring up in different places simultaneously? Did women’s magazines circulate internationally? Answers please. Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 16:52:55 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
You can read the entire article on the “Fine Quilts of Provence ” at this address http://www.nytimes.com/00/08/25/news/arts/antiques-notebook.html No photo, though. Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrow@
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 21:16:28 +1000 | From: “Suzy Atkins” <satkins@>
Laura wrote >Now….lets look at something else. Historically, quilting revivals have >been during times of economic depression or slowdown. Don’t ask me why, but >if you look at the economy though history you’ll find this to be true. >(1933 Century of Progress Quilt Contest played a huge part too While this is true and probably came about through necessity of using scraps, I think that you also need to factor in today’s pace of life and the current trend now towards what they call in Australia the desire to ‘nest”. The hypothesis is this.. as the worlds pace becomes more frantic and mass produced, there has been a swing towards ( back to) things that represent the simpler life. The trend towards country decor is an example. But lets not forget the very real need for humans to create and to compete. I belive both these needs have an effect on the popularity of quilting. Of course, it will all become clear what is actually happening today in about 20 years. Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? Suzy
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 20:30:20 -0500 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@>
> I think that you also need to factor in today’s pace of life and the > current trend >now towards what they call in Australia the desire to ‘nest”. In the states we call this cocooning……another fabric kinda thing….<G>
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 12:20:22 +1000 | From: Lorraine Olsson <sven@>
Hi Cinda an all, I think Annette Gerro’s Exhibit was fabulous (it closes today), BUT, there are other Australian quilts. Have you seen the book “Australian Quilt Heritage” by Margaret Rolf ? There is a larger range of patterns seen in this book. Also there were about 20(?) quilts in the Exhibition that were not photograped in the catalogue. Jennifer Manning’s book also gives a different perspective. As to Aussie quilts bearing a major likeness to English quilt, you must realise that Australia was an English colony. (Note the emphsis on was, I am a replublican). Many quilts were made on the ship coming to Australia from England. Even now, in classes here in Australia, we have “English Piecing” or “American Patchwork” Till later, Lorraine in Oz John Cawley wrote > Annette Gero’s catalogue for the exhibit of Australian quilts is > absolutely beautiful to look at and fascinating to read. I was struck by > how very similar many of the quilts are to those made in Great Britain. The > evolution that took place in the U.S. did not happen in Australia. There > were almost no repeat block quilts except for Log Cabins. It seems that > patchwork was the focus; very few were actually quilted and many pieces were > intended for show rather than practical use. In her essay Annette comments > that few women made more than one quilt. She notes that Baby Blocks in > paper piecing were done in the 1840s; Brackman writes that the pattern did > not appear in the States until the 1850s. > I was struck by the number of Crazy Quilts. I have always thought that > the impetus for the Crazy phenomenon was the Centennial Exhibition in > Philadelphia with its wildly popular Japanese pavilion. I simply never > considered that the Crazy Quilt was an international fashion which, of > course, it was. The Crazy Quilts in the Australian exhibit are dated 1877, > 1883, 1887, 1890. So…how did the craze for Crazies spread around the > world so quickly? Or did it spring up in different places simultaneously? > Did women’s magazines circulate internationally? Answers please. > Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 04:37:40 EDT | From: KANSIER1@
Hi Everyone Was I ever shocked to read that quilt making is on the way out! From the looks of my sewing room, you’d never know it. Please don’t tell my husband that all the money I’ve spent is for a hobby that’s not popular and all of this could be in a garage sale next year! Actually, when I see the growing amount of people at quilt shows, the growing membership in our guilds, and all the books, notions, and fabrics available, I think quilting is here to stay in a big way. I’m sure there are all sorts of reasons quilt stores go out of business (poor management, high prices, competition … the list goes on.) I hate to see any shop close its doors – it’s one less place for me to find that perfect fabric I need! Many shop owners started out as quilters and their hobby became a business. They soon found that they had no time to spend actually doing what they enjoyed – making a quilt. They eventually burnout from the pressure of their business, close, and attempt to reclaim their hobby (which they may never learn to just enjoy again because they feel like it made them fail in a business venture.) We have a driving force within us to create, make things with our hands, and to compete. I recently heard that there are redwork stitch groups starting up in Silicon Valley. Perhaps people who sit in front of computers all day get home at night and want to make something with their hands. They may also long for the social aspects a good quilting group can offer. The more our technologies advance, the more we will see a longing for those simple times of days past. The increase in competitive shows (and prize money) has had a direct correlation to the excellence of quilt making we are seeing at the shows. Today we are seeing some of the most creative quilts ever made. Even when the prize is a ribbon at the county fair, we each try our hardest to be the one that wins it. Our quilt making skills increase each year because of the competition. We demand good fabric, rotary cutters, and excellent teachers so we can make those prize winning quilts. It’s pretty obvious why the 1933 Sears Quilt Contest had so many great entries – the prize money. That money could go a long way in the Depression Years! Today, every quiltmaker that enters the big money shows hopes have a prize winning quilt. The prestige and the prize money are sought after by many. Years ago, quilts were made to be used. They also gave women a chance to be social, creative and have a feeling of accomplishment. Today, our quilts still give us the same things but now we hang them on our walls instead of needing to use them for warmth. Some hobbies come and go but quiltmaking has withstood the test of time. You won’t see my fabric in a yard sale – it’s here to stay and I’ll probably buy much more before its over. Hopefully I’ll make some good quilts along the way! Kathy – a quiltmaking diehart!
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 13:06:10 +0200 | From: Ady Hirsch <adamroni@>
Hi everyone Having just received both my copy pf Annette Gero’s Historic Australian Quilts and “Down by thw Old Mill Stream”, I’d like to share my impressions of both. Annette was kind enough to help me purchase the book (it’s brand new, a catalog of an exhibition she has curated). It is a truly enjoyable book – clear, highly readable text and first rate photographs. The quilts are closer to British quilts (Hexagon “mosaic” quilts, Log Cabins, Crazy quilts, all beautiful. My particular favorites are a hexagon top started by Lady Mary Fitzroy, wife of the Biritsh Governor of Australia between 1845-1855. lady mary was tragically killed in a carriage accident, and the top was left unfinished. Another beauty is Mrs. Keens quilt (1879), a mix of patchwork and applique. Perhaps the most touching is an embroidered army blanket made by an Australian corporal during his incarceration in a German POW camp. Although not strictly a quilt, it is incredible, all the more so when one considers it was done with thread taken from towels and jumpers he’d traded bits of his uniform for. It has detailed scenes of the camp, as well as landscapes from countries he’d been stationed in (the pyramids, Crete, Palestine). What I enjoyed most about this book is the glimpse of the people behind the quilts – the quiltmakers. And now to the most expensive quilt book I’ve ever bought – Down by the Old Mill Stream. The jury is stil out on this one… First I must stress that mine is a layman’s (or is the PC term layperson’s?) impression. I’m still reading the text, a collection of papers on textile production in RH. The one I find fascinating is Martin Bide’s “Secret of the Printer’s Palette – Color and Dyes in Rhode Island Quilts”, with beautifully clear explanation of the various dyeing processes. For me, that alone was worth buying the book for. The photographs are quite numerous and excellent in quality. The quilts, however, (and I beg all Rohde Islanders’ forgiveness) are… well, not THAT impressive. The photographs in the first section of the book serve to illustrate the text (very well), whereas the 2nd part – a selection of RI quilts is much shorter (1/3 of the entire book) and pretty drab. IMHO, unless (like me) you collect all State Documentation project books, or (again like me) are addicted to quilt books, the price is quite prohibitive, and I’m not sure it is warranted. Perhaps a slightly less lavish production (paper quality etc.) would have made the book more readily accessible to more quilters (a polite way of saying it’s too #@*&% expensive). I think any of the AQSG and Oral Traditions publications can prove this particular point. Ady in Israel
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 10:05:01 EDT | From: Bethquilt5@
Dear List, When money is tight, less is spent on expensive activities like travel and big ticket luxury items. When recessions and depressions occur money is still spent on leisure activities, but they tend to be things done closer to home. People are also willing to spend more time on their leisure activity, like knitting, quilting, stained glass, etc. since they’re not spending their time traveling and driving their expensive cars. Also if you are making a project, there is always the opportunity that it can be sold at a later date if money is particularly tight. This is a phenomenon found in all crafts. As for knitting overtaking quilting. Crafters are fickle and like to try different things. After all the walls, beds, and closets are full of quilts, it is natural to look for something new to do. I’ve been quilting for 25 years and will probably never stop, but I also enjoy beading, knitting, embroidery, crochet, tatting, mosaics and stained glass. I’d still like to learn bobbin lace and too many other things to list. Once you create with your own hands, you never want to stop. Beth Donaldson Lansing, MI
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 08:04:25 +1000 | From: Gail Chalker <chalker@>
Good morning, I am trying to find as much information as possible on the History of Baltimore Quilts as well as the history of Baltimore and Maryland in general around the time of the Baltimore Quilt era. If anyone has any sites it would be most appreciative. Further to the discussion Re Australian quilts similar to English…. is true. As Australia was intended by the British to be a convict settlement so we evolved. Even today there are Australians still thinking of England as ‘the mother country’. I am not one of them. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s patchwork and quilting become ‘americanised’ that is we copied everything we could find. Back then we could only buy Stitch n Sew magazines (in black and white) and the occasional Quilter’s Newsletter. I feel Australians have a blend of all aspects of p & q although we have our own distinct style. Thank you for any help, Gail Chalker (Gatton, Queensland, Australia)
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 21:10:13 -0400 | From: “John Cawley” <cawley@>
7bit I seem to have given a lot of people the impression that I did not know that Australia was a British colony. Please, believe me I did. That is why I commented that, unlike the USA which was started with the Thirteen Original (and very British) Colonies, Australia seems to have followed British fashion in quiltmaking very closely. The US declared its independence in this, as in other ways, and the flowering of American quilt making in terms of design (2nd quarter 19th century) began before the era of mass immigration, at a time when the overwhelming majority of the population traced their origins to the British Isles. . Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 12:57:14 +1000 | From: “Ruth in the Blue Mountains” <rathgarr@>
Looking around the Stitches and Craft Show at Rosehill (NSW, Australia) last weekend, at what was engaging the people and what the stallholders were selling, I could see the usual trend one or two ‘new’ crafts or new approaches, and then the crafts with longterm aficionados. It is at that show, in the words of a pal, “the hot glue gun crowd”, and many people are after something that they can make themselves and make without needing too much time. Scrapbooking has been gathering speed in the last couple of years, and is a sideways slip for the rubber stampers. Some people will remain happy forever with simple crafts simply done, and that’s just fine. Part of the pleasure of patchworking for me is the fact that I can take years, days or hours to make a quilt. Knitting? (don’t ask me to excavate that partly knit jumper circa 1986 from the depths of the garage!) Another part is patchwork’s versatility – from a potholder to a big bed quilt, wearables, decorations, you can make quilted items large or small, and a bunch of blocks has infinite possibilities. This also gives the craft longevity. There will always be people who travel on the crafting tide, taking up the new, leaving behind the old – just yesterday a colleague was talking about her daughter, who made a quilt, then went to folk art, gave her mother the paints and is now onto something else, having dabbled in several other crafts too along the way. Most quilters I know have had experience in other crafts – I’ve cross stitch samplers on the wall, and projects in cross stitch that I will get back to, one day. I think what can happen, though, is that you find a craft that is particularly satisfying to you, and so you stay with it longterm – the overall numbers interested in a particular craft rise and fall, but there will remain a core group of enthusiasts. I’ve never won a prize for patchwork, and don’t know that I ever will, and that’s fine by me. I do take my quilts to show and tell, because I enjoy so much seeing the work of others that I feel a responsibility to share too. Just for the record, my 1986 Olfa cutter has only just been replaced, the 1986 mat is still doing just fine along with the 1986 ruler, and my twenty year old Elna is plugging away happily too after much dressmaking and many quilts. I can remember how hard it was to find patchworking fabrics in the 1970s, even pure cotton fabrics – Laura Ashley was almost the beginning and end of the options available. The cornucopia of choice now is so very great that it will take a long time for things to dwindle to that stage, if indeed they do. Along with the explosion in enthusiasm for patchwork has come a bevy of designers exploring the possibilities – just the other day I was thinking about the recent enthusiasms I could see in my work over the last few years – I spy, bugs in bottles, pickle jars, mystery quilts, hand-dyeing, bullseye blocks. I’ve had fun with the fads, and fun with the classics too. Through this craft, I’ve become a member of several online lists, and they remain a source of entertainment, information, inspiration and friendship based on the common ground of quilting. Looking at the shops, the magazines, the shows so on here in Australia, I don’t see a fading interest at this time – within an hour’s drive I can reach a good variety of quilt shops, newsagencies stock a good range of quilting magazines, long may it remain so. (At nearly $20Aust/$10 US per copy, though, some like McCalls Quilting and Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine are becoming subscribe or ignore propositions). Another aspect of patchwork which will ensure its longevity is its emotional resonance and historical significance. To refer to an old thread, the way quilts are used in films shows the cultural meanings they carry for society in general. On the question of Australian quilts, an influence on the types of patchwork done would have to be the magazines available. I can remember my sister buying McCalls Needlework and Crafts in the late 1970s/1980s, which had block patterns and ‘American patchwork’, but the English magazines which were much more readily available – eg. the (English) Women’s Weekly – and the Australian women’s magazines were far more likely to have hexagon/English patchwork than anything else – if they had patchwork at all. Cheers Ruth (who is pondering the ethics of an Olympic event of which I was previously unaware Equestrian Shooting. Or maybe it’s just the the venues are close to each other, and the horses/riders have nothing to worry about… Sydney is becoming festooned with fluorescent Olympic signage for routes and venues, the banners and bunting can’t be far behind – and the blue line marking the marathon route has just been painted. If you’d like an Olympic-quilts connection, Quilts 2000 is selling quilts online to benefit the Paralympics, and they’re selling fast. http://www.quilts2000.org.au) *********************************** Ruth in the Blue Mountains, NSW Australia, not far from the whitewater/canoeing/kayaking venues at Penrith – but I will cheer the Americans for you at the Italy/US baseball preliminary game!
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 21:07:36 -0500 | From: The Dougherty Family <dttes@>
I was also surprised to learn that quilting is on the wane. In the latest Quilter’s Travel Companion, there are 400 more quilt shops than in the previous edition (some may be new, some just not in the previous edition). When I talk to our sales reps, they say that the shops are doing well. We have fewer classes in our shop, but more quilters all the time. And I think that there are over 20 shops in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, even though there may only be one in metro Dallas. Quilting has something for everyone. You can do it by machine or hand, send it out to be quilted, make durable bed covers or art for your wall, make it big or small, have beautiful applique or raw edges showing–there just aren’t too many rules. Our shop has been around for 27 years, and we expect to see many more! Teri Dougherty The Back Door Greenwood, IN mailtodttes@ http://www.backdoorquilts.com
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 23:23:33 EDT | From: @aol.com
I asked a store owner at Craftadventure today about this subject. Craftadventure is the annual screening competition for the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and it attracts entries from all the local guilds. Winners are exhibited at the Big E itself, the six state New England agricultural fair. The store owner, from Thimbleworks in East Longmeadow, said that any decline in quilting was news to her. The shop is doing well and class attendance is up. Speaking strictly for myself, the only decline I could see in Craftadventure entries was in the embroidery categories and in quilted clothing, and the latter was largely because most of the quilted clothing was cross entered in the special East Meets West theme competition or the Hoffman Challenge. The number of quilts was about the same as it has been for the ten years I’ve been going. There were fewer quilt *stores* at the show, but there weren’t as many merchants as usual. I also talked to a woman who had spent a week in Lowell at New England Images, and she said the place was packed. If there *is* a decline in interest in quilting, it sure doesn’t seem to have reached Massachusetts. Karen Evans
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 08:34:51 EDT | From: ThreadDog@
I take comfort in the face of the rumored demise of quilting that I have enough fabric and books to keep me and my friends happy for the length of time assigned to us.
Threaddog@
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 19:31:25 -0500 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@>
Hi folks, Let me clarify my statements….seems that we’ve had that going on today.<G> I did not mean to insinuate that quilting was dying out. Quiltmaking is alive and well! However, the approach to quiltmaking has taken a turn. We have so many venues available for instruction other than the local quilt shop that it is hard to use the shops and classes as a barometer. We have wonderfully produced shows on television, videos available as well as classes at quilt shows. I think what Jean was alluding to earlier this week is this…. I started quilting in 1977 while running a home based business hand painting needlepoint canvases, and teaching first grade. I had been doing needlepoint since the early ’70’s when my mother introduced me to it. With in 2 years I had put away all the needlepoint and was knee deep in fabric…(I did grow up under the cutting table at the original Gem Fabrics in Austin. Mother spent so much time there we thought it was our second home<G>) so some things never change. Anyway, I have not picked up a piece of needle point since. I’ve tried knitting….not my thing. Never tried cross stitch because I just had too much going with quilting to start another “hobby”. But those of us that are tactile people, that love the feel of cloth, yarn & threads are always pulled to the latest “resurgence” within the home sewing/craft industries….what we choose to try our hands at lends to market trends (anyone remember candlewicking circa 1982ish? or stenciled quilts?) Lord knows I’m too busy for quilting to be on the wane…….but I could use a couple of weeks on the beach in the Bahamas…………..
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 22:39:02 -0700 | From: “Christine Thresh” <christine@>
“Olympic event of which I was previously unaware – “Equestrian Shooting.” Good heavens, what is that? Christine Thresh on an island in the California Delta
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 07:37:30 EDT | From: Baglady111@
<A HREF=”http://www./Heartland/Acres/6986/GorgeQShow.html”>Click hereQuilt Show in the Columbia Gorge</A> I have had alot of inquires after posting the announcement for the ‘morning glory’ block contest..for the contest and for info in general for the quilt show so click on the blue and ENJOY!!! Jane
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 09:11:09 EDT | From: QuiltAlive@
Hello This is Merikay Waldvogel. There are two other quilt exhibits I hope will interest QHL folks. Bets Ramsey and I coordinated the two exhibits housed at historic homes in the Nashville area. We hope EVERYONE coming to the AQS show at Opryland this weekend will make an effort to see them. If not then, both exhibits will be on display beyond the Labor Day Weekend. “Quilts from the Anne Orr Studio of Nashville15 quilts, needlework, and stuff!” August 1-September 30, 2000 Travellers Rest Historic House Museum 636 Farrell Parkway, in SE Nashville off I-65 615-832-8197 Hours10-4 Tues-Sat; 1-4 Sunday; closed Monday Admission $4.00 “Civilians Under SiegeAn exhibit of mid 19th century quilts” May 5-September 4, 2000 Belle Meade Plantation 5025 Harding Road, Nashville 615-356-0501 Hours9-5 Mon-Sat11-5 Sunday Admission $10 adults; $8.50 seniors (65_); $4 (6-12 yrs) Have fun in Nashville!!! –Merikay
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 10:31:26 -0400 | From: “Bozena Wojtaszek” <bewu@> (by way of List Mom <qrs@>)
Hello, I’m a lurker (what can a Polish quilter add to Quilt History?) but this time want to put my 2 cents about quilting as a hobby. I live in Poland when quilting is not popular (I can take a risk and say that is not known at all) – we don’t have any quilting supply, magazines, anything. At the beginning I was using Polish cotton fabrics and Polish sewing machine. And I will never forget the questions from American quilters (the lucky possessors of Berninas)how do you achieve such a beautiful satin stitch? Out of my inner need! Now, when I’m a lucky possessor of Singer (very simple model), working with American cottons (thanks to the on-line ordering), fulfilled with knowledge about American quilt history and techniques (thanks to the Internet, books and magazines) I can still follow my “inner need” but have more opportunities how to achieve the satisfied result. And I still remember the discussion about colorful TV – it will kill our imagination (!). Please, enjoy the “fan of opportunities” you have. Greetings from Poland, Bozena Wojtaszek
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:02:04 EDT | From: Baglady111@
I was so surprised as to the response to the contest in WA this fall. Below is the address you can send them to..and please be sure you put your name/address on the block and I would mark the envelope ATTENTIONSHERRY COOK, BLOCK CONTEST.. JANE Send to CRQ Quilt Show, PO Box 328, Stevenson, WA 98648.
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 19:22:16 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
http://music.acu.edu/www/iawm/pages/quilts/#A I love this site! Click on a block and watch how it is designed and built and colored in animation! Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrow@
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 19:42:39 -0400 | From: “Nancy Roberts” <robertsn@>
After posting some info regarding a textile exhibit in Kennebunkport, Maine, I received more complete information which follows. Hope some list members can make it to see this display. Nancy Roberts copy of e-mail Hi Nancy, Thank you very much for placing our Threads of History exhibit on your listserv for quilt fans. Our year round hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 – 4 we are just not open Saturdays Nov. – May. I hope you can correct that in the site. The exhibit will remain in place through February 2001. Thanks again, have a great weekend. Ellen D. Moy QHL-Digest Digest Volume 00 Issue 239 Today’s Topics ny state Underground RR Administrivia This is the Quilt History mailing list. For information on members services, including subscription changes, visit our website at http://www.QuiltHistory.com.
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 22:44:26 -0400 | From: Alan Kelchner <quiltfix@>
I’ll be in NYS the week of Sept 11, in the Ithaca/Elmira/Corning area. Is there anything going on near there I don’t know about? Thanks. Alan
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 10:01:39 -0500 | From: “quilt97” <quilt97@>
I guess this was bound to happen . . .Following is a website for teaching children about the underground railroad. Dobard, Raymond G. and Tobin, Jascqueline L., Hidden in Plain View, New YorkDoubleday, 1999 is used as a reference. http://www.beavton.k12.or.us/Greenway/leahy/ugrr/quilts.htm EKarenbeth
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 11:06:24 GMT | From: “Ann-Louise Beaumont” <albeaumont@>
I went to the site Judy recommended in issue 238 called the Archive of American Patchwork Quilt Designs and found a link to “Quilt Bibliography” compiled by Valerie S. Rake. Its address is http://www.prairienet.org/quilts/quiltbib.html. The list is described as including “both books and articles and leans toward academic sources”. There are 5 pages of references which seem to go up to about 1995, and you can tell it was written a while ago because the American Quilt Study Group address is the old California one, not the Nebraska one.There are the old standbys of course, but also lots of authors, titles and journals that are new to me. If you’re a bibliography buff, it is worth checking out. Best Wishes, Ann-Louise Beaumont in Murray Harbour, PEI.
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 00 09:11:53 -0600 | From: woodford <haq@>
Hello, I need help again. Recently I bought at auction a 23×31 inch coverlet with 12 black figures dressed in 1900-1910 simple dresses, hand-pieced. Each block alternates with brown print patches and the border is red. Just as I sent off an ad with the photo of that coverlet on it to Maine Antique Digest, thinking it is a rare piece, LO and BEHOLD, an auction house in Lafayette Indiana has a photo of the exact pattern in an ad for their next auction. What gives, says I. Have any of you seen a similar coverlet? Is it some sort of kit? or did one person make several? or what? All of you who have flipped a lot of quilts, please give me some clue. Thanks, Barbara Woodford Historic American Quilts
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 14:30:17 -0400 | From: “John Cawley” <cawley@>
Hi Alan et al. The Tomkins County Quilters Guild meets at 730 Tues., Sept. 13 in Ithaca at the Women’s Community Bldg. It’s going to be a great program–me (VBG) talking about dating antique quilts. Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 18:11:57 -0400 | From: “Nancy Roberts” <robertsn@>
There’s lots to see and do in the Ithaca area. Here are a few suggestions you might want to look into. Visit Quilter’s Corners shop in Cayga Heights (Ithaca burb) and Patchwork & Pies Shop in McLean (several miles out in the beautiful countryside). Visit Cornell Plantations www.plantations.cornell.edu Johnson Museum of Art www.museum.cornell.edu Tompkins County Museum www.lakenet.org/dewitt Stop by the local Wegman’s Supermarket in Ithaca to see a display of small quilts, minis, soft sculptures made by local quilters for an auction to benefit breast cancer research/treatment efforts–it’s history in the making. I believe both shops will have more info on this event. Cornell also has a lovely trail for anyone interested in birds and the environment- it’s called Sapsucker Woods and is just outside Cayuga Heights. A pleasant walk and educational, too. Enjoy your trip north! We’re headed to your area for the long weekend in Ocala. nancy
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 19:14:13 -0400 | From: “Phyllis Twigg” <ptwigg@>
Hi! I am delighted to see that the new issue of Traditional Quiltworks magazine (page 22) includes a pattern from one block of my Victorian Redwork Sampler Quilt (c.1890). They chose the “Boy and His Dog” which has always been an intriguing motif to me. On the actual quilt, the boy is wearing two different shoes. In actuality, the shoe on his left foot should look more like a pump. The hat on my quilt also appears to have letters on it beginning TEF…but I cannot decipher a word. I’ve always thought that a story must go along with this block…like some long lost nursery rhyme or Scottish tale. Phyllis Twigg
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 19:16:25 -0700 | From: Julie Silber <quiltcomplex@>
Hi Barbara et al, If it is the one I am thinking of, it is a design that has been reproduced in great numbers. Is it a box-y pieced person who fills his whole square? I have seen it numerous times, usually about the size you describe. I will be checking my library — I believe I have seen it published — maybe in Woodard and Greensteins “Crib Quilts and Other Small Wonders”? Or maybe in another book. (My dear departed memory — I miss you so…) Julie Silber
Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 09:33:21 +0200 | From: Ady Hirsch <adamroni@>
Hi Barbara What you are describing sounds very much like a Mammy quilt – seeTeh American Quilt Story, Susan Jenkins and Linda Seward, pp. 100-101 for a photo and a brief history. She says there that these (black figures) figures appeared in both published quilt designs and folk art. The figures included Black Boy, Little Browk KoKo, Sugar Pie, Kinky and Aunt Jemima (Mammy) – the latter probably the figure in your quilt . The patterns were published by the Capper Publishing Company of Topeka, Kansas, the McKim Studios and the Aunt MarthaStudios. Hope this helps – if you can’t get the book, Email me privately. Ady in Israel
