January 31 – February 9, 2001
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:
- Machine Quilting in the Smithsonian’s Collection — A Smithsonian curator’s statement is forwarded to the list addressing questions about machine quilting and conservation materials used on quilts in the national collection.
- Medallion and Framed Quilt Formats — Citing Janet Rae’s “The Quilts of the British Isles,” members trace the medallion/framed-quilt format’s history in British and American quiltmaking.
- Sourcing Reproduction 1930s-40s Sateen — A search for the blue cotton sateen common in Depression-era quilts leads to news of RJR’s new “Sateen Elegance” reproduction line.
- A Mystery Feedsack Logo — A member revisits an unresolved question about an “EMPIRE”-style andiron-and-flame logo found on an old feedsack, seeking help identifying its manufacturer. (see the article on the feedsack story)
- Researching 19th-Century Binding Techniques — A member researching quilt bindings from the last quarter of the 19th century asks for documented techniques and period-specific examples.
- A Klan Fundraiser Quilt Enters a Museum Collection — A quilt originally made as a Ku Klux Klan fundraiser is reported donated to the Great Lakes Quilt Center at Michigan State University, prompting discussion of its documentation. (see the article on quilt museums)
Date: [date unknown] | From: “Susan Myers” <myerss@
Linda–We would like to take you up on your offer to post the following for the quilters group. Thank you so much. I hope you are coming to the Februa ry Board Meeting and look forward to seeing you then. Susan Over the last 25 years, the National Museum of American History has develope d comprehensive and integrated strategies through our preservation program t o address physical, chemical, and biological risks to the collections. These strategies encompass activities that prolong the life of collections so tha t they are accessible to the public on-site and off-site, now and in the fut ure. They include measures that prevent or slow deterioration, such as contr olling storage and exhibition environments to keep temperature and humidity at steady, beneficial levels; to eliminate harmful ultraviolet rays; and to reduce visible light levels to a minimum. Other preventive measures entail s toring objects in appropriately designed housing units made from inert mater ials, and using handling practices that are suitable and safe for each type of object. At times, conservation treatment is determined to be the appropri ate preservation action for an object or collection to minimize or address c hemical and physical deterioration, to prevent loss, and ultimately to ensur e that objects are stable and that their integrity is maintained. In these c ases, all work conforms to the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Mat erials used in the course of conservation treatment are made of stable mater ials that will not contribute to the deterioration of collection objects in the long- or short-term and are selected for their suitability to address th e identified condition in the context of an approved treatment plan. With re gard to the conservation treatment of quilts in the collection, NMAH does no t perform machine quilting. Polyester thread is one of several appropriate c onservation materials used in treating textiles. Its selection for a particu lar treatment depends on the object in question, the condition of the object , and the goal of the treatment. Joan M.Young Manager, Preservation Services National Museum of American History, Behring Center Smithsonian Institution youngjm@
Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2001 21:11:46 -0500 | From: “Jan Drechsler” <quiltdoc@
When I went to visit my parents in NC recently, my Mom and I were looking through her recipe collection searching for something. Mom is a terrific cook and baker. Besides her hundreds of typed favorites, she has a large drawer of clipped recipes to try as well as her sister’s and mother’s scrapbooks of recipes. While going through Grandma’s recipe scrapbook, we found her hand written notes{circa 1915-1930} re: ‘Hints for Removing Stains.’ Since we often discuss special techniques for stain removal from antique quilts this may be of interest. Grass Stains Soak in alcohol or kerosene. Wash with naptha soap. For colored fabric, apply molasses or a paste of soap & cooking soda. Let stand overnight. Grease Spots Soften old grease spots with turpentine, oil or lard before washing the cloth. Dissolve the grease in benzine, alcohol, chloroform, ether, carbona or benzol. For delicate fabrics, dissolve the grease spots in ether, carbona, or benzol. Chloroform and benzol are useful, because non-inflamnable. Or, apply a paste of Fullars earth or chalk to absorb grease. Indigo Stains Treat as for coffee. (Sorry, the coffee page is missing.) Grandma was healthy and quick witted until her death at age 96. I guess she didn’t use much benzine or chloroform which are very nasty chemicals. Ether as a common household cleaner? Wow!! ‘Sorry dear. I started to clean the house but suddenly fell into a deep sleep.’ On the flip side of this list, under the title ‘Worth Remembering,’ comes this quilt tip. ‘After washing quilts & comforts, and whilst they are still on the line, but nearly dry, beat them with a carpet beater, and they will be wonderfully light.’ I have this image of cotton flying all over the yard and the chickens running to investigate this possible white food falling from the sky. These hints solve the mystery of the missing family quilts! — Jan Drechsler in very,very snowy Vermont Quilt Restoration; Quilting teacher
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001 22:28:54 -0600 | From: lessmann@ (Ellen Lessmann)
I am looking for information about binding techniques used in the last quarter of the 19th century. About the same time I started to read and learn about old quilts (and probably the reason for my interest) I fell heir to some old quilt tops from a friend of my husband’s family. Most of them date to late 1800’s, early 1900’s. I decided to quilt one of them (don’t worry, not nearly museum quality, lots of sewn off star points, and stretched out triangles.) We have not been able to identify the pattern, if you can imagine the Seven Sisters with only three stars, and set together with trapezoids into a triangle, that is it. –anyway, I have finally finished quilting it. I figure it has been sewn on in 3 different centuries, so was about time! I am looking for ideas for binding it. I backed it with a reproduction fabric that I could bring to the front and turn, I think I have seen that done, and I think usually very narrow (1/4″ maybe?). I thought of no binding, but I think the old fabrics in the top could use the reinforcement of a binding (or overedging) of some sort. What were the styles of the time? I have looked in the books I have handy and have found nothing. I am nursing a broken ankle (see why I have time to quilt?), so can’t get downstairs easily to go through the books down there. Thanks for any help you can give me. Ellen
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2001 10:47:09 -0500 | From: Lydia Hamessley <lhamessl@
Hi all. I just found a quilt that I’m guessing is c. 1915, but there’s a fabric in there that has me suspicious. It is a red fabric (turkey, or a later chemical dye) with white/cream hearts on it. The hearts are quite small, a scant 1/8″ across and they are set in straight/offset rows. Like this (if your computer does it right): * * * * * * * The space between the hearts is 1/4″ on the horizonal and 1/8″ on the diagonal. The hearts all face the same direction. There is one block that also uses the same fabric in an indigo blue. The colors look “right” for a first-quarter quilt, but what I don’t know is if hearts were used as decoration at that time. And if not, when were they introduced? If the white bits were just dots or some other little funny shape, I wouldn’t be nearly as suspicious of it, but the hearts just threw me, and I haven’t seen anything about hearts in my reference books. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Lydia Lydia Hamessley, Associate Professor Music Department Hamilton College Clinton, NY 13323 office (315) 859-4354 lhamessl@
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2001 15:10:00 -0600 (Central Standard Time) | From: Mary Persyn <Mary.Persyn@
A message on H-Quilt mentioned a kit quilt by Esther O’Neill from Indianapolis. That is not a name that I am familiar with and I’m curious because I grew up in Indianapolis. Can someone point me to a source about her? Thanks, Mary From almost sunny Valparaiso, IN
Mary Persyn (219) 465-7830 Email: Mary.Persyn@ Law Librarian School of Law Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN 46383 FAX: (219) 465-7917
Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2001 21:50:31 -0800 | From: Audrey Waite <awquiltr@
Ellen: I once took a class from Sandi Fox on 19th century Bindings, and other favorites besides the front to back, back to front, and both edges folded together, we did little samples of applied bindings. Generally straight grain rather than bias. The little piece of piping next to the binding in a contrasting color was popular mid-19th century. One of my favorites was the dogtooth pointing inward with or without a separate binding. Inward piping – I wish I could find my samples so I could explain how that’s done. Picot edge done with 2 inch squares – similar to our modern prairie points. And the Ledge – 2 strips of contrasting fabric, one wider than the other, folded in half and with raw edges together sewn to the top. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that on a 19th century quilt, but Sandi has seen lots of 19th century quilts so it’s an edge treatment to try some day. Other notes I made: Ruffles for an edge treatment usually not past 1850-60. Handmade netting and elaborate fringe work on broderie perse or whitework circa 1830-40. Double-sided rickrack with fringe 1835-40. Fringe not usually past 1830-40. Tape binding. She said piping with a fold-over binding was from the 3rd quarter. Soutache was a fashion craze and transferred to quilts. It was a fun class. I learned a lot. Audrey Waite Sedona, AZ
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2001 06:19:53 EST | From: KingsCalico@
Lydia.. I looked through my book “Dating Fabrics: a Color Guide 1800-1960″ (author: Eileen Jahnke Trestain) in the fabric sample section for 1880-1910, and found two fabrics that have hearts as part of the design. One is a butter yellow with small brown and red flowers, with hearts making up the leaves and petals of the flower. The other is a soft chocolate brown background, with abstract designs. A heart is part of the design. These hearts don’t stand alone, as in the fabric you described, but they are definitely heart-shaped, and look like they were purposely meant to look like hearts. I hope this helps…. Celine
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 09:01:30 -0500 | From: “Kris Driessen, Hickory Hill Quilts”
A QUILT AUCTION’S HAPPENING IN COLORADO!! Feb. 17 1 p.m. hosted by Pacific Auctions (OJ and Carol Pratt) OJ, by the way, is the person who acts as auctioneer for the AQS benefit auction every April. Carol is an AQS-certified appraiser. Carol asked me to mention this online, since her e-mail has not been cooperating lately. She said they will have more than 100 quilts for sale, and viewing begins at 10 a.m. Pacific Auction is located on Boston Ave. in Longmont, CO: go to <http://www.pacificauction.com for specifics. (Longmont is north of Denver, toward the Boulder area.) Appraisals will be available the day of the sale, though not on items offered for auction. I was at last year’s sale, and quite a few bargains went through the gavel –including some I purchased! This auction is well worth making the trip for. The Pratts are also accepting consignments; they’re asking a 10% fee on all sales, which is quite reasonable. Call OJ direct at 303-478-0246 or fax a list to 303-772-0642 e-mail to ojpratt@ <ojpratt@. They can tell you more about specifics. Cindy Brick
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 09:05:06 -0600 | From: bettina havig <bettinaqc@
In the Missouri project we noted the binding technique on every quilt and found NO bias binding before the 20th C. We did find straight grain binding, quilts bound from back to front and from front to back and quilts with a slip stitiched edge. Bettina Havig
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 09:09:40 -0600 | From: bettina havig <bettinaqc@
As I read the post again and paid more attention to the description it sounds like a pattern we found in a family of quilters in Missourt. At the time it had not appeared in print in any resource. You might check the Missorui Heritage Quilt Project book to compare the pattern of the quilt. It was called Triple Star by family tradition and certainly sounds like your description. We included the pattern in the book because it was so unique. Bettina Havig
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2001 11:55:31 EST | From: Chyral@
A press-release-y article about the upcoming exhibit of Baltimore quilts at the Maryland Historical Society is on the site of the Antiques and Arts Weekly (aka “The Newtown Bee”) The url is (sorry, this is gonna wrap): http://www.antiquesandthearts.com/GalleryHopping.asp?dArchive2000&sGalleryHo pping02-07-2001-09-33-07.htm The museum’s web site is at: http://www.mdhs.org/ The exhibit catalog (and the one from the “Lavish Lagacies” exhibit of a few years back) is available from the museum bookshop; there are also several “sample pages” online. -Cheryl
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 12:10:48 -0500 | From: Newbie Richardson <pastcrafts@
Dear all, I think that we should all take a moment and reflect upon the enormous loss of productivity that occurred as a result of the “rumor” of the Smithsonian’s machine quilting of old quilt tops for conservation. The staff in the textile conservation lab lost at least a whole day trying to respond, to track the source of the mis-information, and trying to get back to all who deluged them with inquiries. We have all commented on the under funding of our museums and the textile conservation that they can offer. That extends to limited staff and time available to work on the collections. So when the next “urban legend” comes our way, lets all resolve to take a deep breath, stop and think rationally about the premise, & communicate with those of us who have more knowledge than others before reacting publically. We tend to forget, I think, how many people have access to, and read, our posts. IMHO Newbie Richardson
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 10:08:00 -0800 | From: quilter@
when i first got interested in antique quilts i took notes from various places (lectures, magazines, articles, etc.) and made a timeline on my word processor. i can’t tell you where this information came from unfortunately, but this is the one note i have on bias binding: 1900 bias binding appears; readily available for applique in 1920s catalogue; used extensively after 1925 patti in used to be sunny san diego — monday 90 degrees, today hail!
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 15:40:02 -0600 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@
Newbie,etal…… I spoke with Linda Taylor, the machine quilting instructor that was referenced in the original post. I forwarded the message to her so that she could write a suitable reply, send it back to me to forward to QHL to “defend her honor, or state her case”. I have not heard back from her. I will not try to reiterate our 30 minute conversation except to say that she IS indeed pushing poly thread as stronger, sighting a study done by A&E Distributors several years ago. She was to get me the name of the people at A&E to contact to get a copy of the results of the “scientific research” so that I can pass it along. Bottom line, she IS telling her students that polyester thread lasts longer and that she has seen no evidence of damage caused by poly- or polycotton thread used on cotton fabrics. I told her that I’ve had at least 5 quilts come in that were quilted with poly thread where the thread literally cut the fabric. She’d have to see it to believe it…. Anyway, I have given her the opportunity to share her information with us and will contact her once again to see if she got the original post and would like to reply to the group. Until later……… Laura in windy North Texas
Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2001 08:47:54 -0500 | From: “Judy Kelius (judysue)” <judysue@
Hope this isn’t against list policies – I just found an excellent place to buy remaindered books on the web, and they have several on the QHL recommended list and others with an historic angle, examples: Quilts in Community ($9.95) Quiltmaking in America ($12.95) Small Endearments ($11.89) Quilted Gardens ($9.95) Plus if you buy three books now, they will give you the fourth free – can’t beat that. I have no affiliation with this web site and get no commission for referring you! http://www.allbooks4less.com
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 10:10:01 EST | From: Palampore@
I saw hearts recently on a CW period child’s dress, so I guess they have been around for some time. Oddly enough they were all upside down on the dress. Lynn Lancaster Gorges Historic Textiles Studio New Bern, NC
Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2001 17:33:46 -0500 | From: Paul and Nancy Hahn <phahn@
I’ve recently acquired a vintage wooden sewing box that is missing the pincushion that should be mounted on its top. The wooden pedestal for the pincushion is still in place. I would like to adapt a pincushion of era appropriate fabrics and stuffing. The fabric isn’t a problem, but I’ve tried a pure wool version of “fiberfill” and even with the wool, it is just too puffy and lightweight. My other vintage pincushions are very compact and heavy. Any suggestions what I should try? I’m imagining the finished pincushion to be 2″x2″ by 1″ high. Nancy Hahn
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 05:30:52 -0500 | From: “sue reich” <mreich@
Quite a few months ago, someone posted a French website that pictured historic toile or a toile museum in France. Did anyone save the site? If so, could you post it? Many Thanks, Sue Reich
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 06:24:07 -0500 | From: Marsha MacDowell <macdowel@
In December 2000, a quilt made as a fund raiser for Klu Klux Klan activities was donated to the Great Lakes Quilt Center at Michigan State University Museum. The cotton quilt carries the embroidered names of nearly 200 individuals who contributed to the fund raising effort. On one block is an embroidered depiction of a robed Klansman on a horse and the inscription “KKKK 77”; another block carries the inscription “Chicora K.K. K. 1926.” [Chicora is a town in the west side of Michigan]. According to the donor, a retired history teacher, this tied quilt was won by his grandfather at a raffle held at a Klu Klux Klan (KKK) meeting. The donor inherited the well-used quilt at a family reunion and, realizing its historical importance, began to collect additional information on it. On of the individuals he interviewed remembers at aged 16 years old being embarrassed at being enlisted, because of her fine handwriting and sewing skills, to stitch her family’s names on a block. She also recalled that each person paid 10 cents to have their name stitched on a block. Recently there was a thread running regarding quilts made for fund raising for schools. I am specifically interested in other quilts made to raise funds for or to show support for the Klu Klux Klan but would also like to hear about quilts made for other clandestine activities or activities generally perceived as not for the common good. Marsha MacDowell Michigan State University Museum macdowel@
