November 6 – 13, 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:
- Beloved “Rescued Quilt” Stories — Members swap tales of saving orphaned quilts from dog beds, beaches, thrift stores, and even furniture-wrapping duty.
- Tobacco Premium Quilts and Ephemera — A thread on sourcing information about early 20th-century tobacco premium textiles and their history.
- Houston Quilt Festival Follow-Up — A fuller recap of the Houston show, alongside continued discussion of 9/11 memorial quilts.
- Dating a High-Value Auction Quilt — Members discuss the likely 1830-1850 date of a quilt that previously sold for nearly $15,000, and the symbolism behind the Prince’s Feather pattern. (see the article on dating quilts)
- Quiltmaking Techniques and Machine Values — Questions on yo-yo quilt construction and appraising an antique treadle sewing machine.
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 22:14:55 -0500 | From: seater@
At AQSG, I bought a silk tobacco premium with the flag of Turkey, 6.25 inch by 4.75 inch, as a present for a Turkish quilting friend. Printing says “TURKEY” and along one side: “FACTORY NO. 649, 1ST. DIST. STATE OF N. Y.” I’ve read a little about these flannel or silk inserts with tobacco products in the first quarter of the 1900’s. Where can I find detailed information on the silk flags. What’s a good source for finding out the year(s) this Turkey flag was made and distributed? Thanks in advance, Susan Seater in Raleigh NC seater@
Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2001 23:17:03 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xecord@>
Susan asked about sources of information on tobacco premiums. There are two good articles: the earlier one is Dorothy Cozart, “When the Smoke Cleared,” in The Quilt Digest, vol. 5 (1987), 50-57. And last year’s AQSG papers publication, Uncoverings Vol. 21 (2000) has an article by Ethel Ewert Abrahams and Rachel K Pannebecker called “‘Better Choose Me’: Addictions to Tobacco, Collecting, and Quilting, 1880-1920” (79-105). Xenia, trying to recover from Houston (details to come)
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 00:56:39 -0500 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
<Judygrow@>
Xenia, You are always right there with all the correct references. How do you do it? I have a picture in my mind of computer and screen in front of you, and above the computer stretching to the ceiling, and crowding you floor to ceiling to the left and right are all your thousands of reference books. You sit in a swivel chair with one of those old fashioned grocery store retrievers, just pulling down reference after reference! The 4th wall is mostly glass, as in a radio studio, so the tourists can look in and watch a pro at work! Judy in Ringoes, NJ
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 07:21:49 EST | From: DDBSTUFF@
Years ago, when I was actively door knocking, looking for Amish Quilts, I actually purchased a few quilts that were being used to cover strawberry plants. One was a wonderful old crib quilt. Over the years, I have seen quilts used for many things. I have seen them on car roofs being used as padding beneath ladders, on the beach used as beach blankets and even at rock concerts being used to sit on. I wonder how many were left behind at Woodstock in the mud? (Some of you may have heard of that) Also, I wonder how have been cut up and made into pillows? Of course as the values on these treasures have shot upwards, people have developed a new respect for them or should I say their monetary value. I guess one has to remember that when they were originally made, they were mostly considered utilitarian objects. Darwin
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 08:59:16 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xecord@>
Hi, Judy – you are nearly correct in your mental image of my work space, but it is much messier and more confining! At present I work in a converted small bedroom, with doors removed from the closet and shelves in there holding all my books, higgledy-piggledy. We are remodeling, and the mess seems to have extended to nearly every room in the house, but when we are done, my books and computer will be moved to a vast new family room with wonderful shelving all around the computer terminal space. I don’t really ‘walk on water’ – others have asked before about references to tobacco trade stimulators, and they are also an interest of mine so I have the references in my mind (which is just about as messy as my work space!) And after all, there are only 2 citations to remember! Xenia
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 09:08:31 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xecord@>
Since we appear to be on the subject of rescuing old quilts, my 3 favorite finds were:
1. in a dog bed – a nice (and very dirty!) Four Patch
2. wrapped color side down around a large piece of plywood, which was used as a table by someone pasting wallpaper. The blue and white Ocean Waves was stiff and nasty, but washed fairly clean, although it was not in perfect condition
3. in the back of a new pickup, protecting the tailgate from scratches from a load of lumber. That one I chased for several miles before he stopped, and we negotiated. It was a red and white Irish Chain. Xenia
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 07:34:13 -0800 | From: “Julia D. Zgliniec” <rzglini1@>
Dear Xenia, and All, My best rescue was from the beach ( no surprise since I live in So. Cal.) My son who surfs said one day, ” Hey Mom, I found a quilt washed up on the beach. Should we go look at it?” duh. We took it home where it was rinsed and rinsed to get the salt and sand out. It turned out to be a very lumpy tied Nine Patch c 1920s with a great feed sack back with the manufacturer’s logo still visable. The bag says “FEEDS” and “Manufactured for Chas. M Cox Co. Boston, Mass” Do you suppose it traveled overland or “round the Cape” as so may other immigrants to CA did? Julia Zgliniec – Poway, CA
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 09:50:06 -0800 | From: Laura Robins-Morris <lrobins@>
The Seattle Goodwill saves all the quilts they collect over the year and has an auction. They used to sell them for a song to the members of a local quilt guild, but then they got smart and found they could make thousands at an auction. You wouldn’t believe the treasures (quilts and tops) they received in their collection bins. One year I was part of the team of lucky quilters who went through them, sorting, identifying and attempting to date them to prepare the auction program. Bonnie’s stories (quilt nailed to the window and quilt under the car) reminded me of one. It was a nice quilt (navy bear paws) apparently made by a mother for a son who attended the Air Force Academy. We had great time making up scenarios for how it ended up at Goodwill. The concensus was that it was a petulant girl friend who didn’t like the young man’s attachment to his mother 🙂 I’m sure there were many interesting stories there. One side note: when Goodwill received quilts that were dingy or musty, they just threw then into the big industrial washing machines with lots of strong soap. Cringe. We attempted to educate them, but don’t know if it stuck. Laura in Seattle
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 19:46:51 -0000 | From: “Sally Ward” <Sally.D.Ward@>
>We had great time making up scenarios for how it ended up at
> Goodwill. The concensus was that it was a petulant girl friend who
> didn’t like the young man’s attachment to his mother 🙂
You could well be right. When we held the quilt-stroking day for Fran during her visit over here, one of the quilts brought in was a lovely Dresden Plate on a pale green background with many varied green depression-era fabrics in the plates, and lovely quilting. The present owner had been visiting the States and happened on a garage sale where a woman who had divorced her husband was selling everything that had any connection to him for a pittance. The quilt was rescued to a good home, but how sad that the husband hadn’t thought enough of it to keep it in his family. Sally W in UK
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 16:28:52 -0500 (EST) | From: Teri Klassen <teresak@>
Regarding Peggy Notestine’s found quilts, thankyou very much for sharing them, especially the photographs. I was interested to see that the totally charming 1878 ocean waves blue and white doll quilt is machine-quilted. Teri in Indiana
Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 16:51:11 -0500 | From: “pepper cory” <pepcory@>
I can vouch for Xenia’s encyclopedic ability to remember references but I attribute it to judicious doses of sugar and caffeine. Xenia actually has an antique Coca Cola machine, the kind that dispenses small ice-cold bottles, in her basement kingdom. I took full advantage of it when I visited her! Hope Houston was good, Xenia!
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 18:15:36 -0500 | From: “Alan R. Kelchner” <quiltfix@>
I actually rescued a family quilt ! My folks just happened to be using it to wrap furniture they moved here from my grandmother’s for me. I think it protected a 1930’s buffet. Anyhow, I remember the consternation they felt when I asked if I could keep it … It’s a c. 1900 pink and white shirting quilt, probably red and white originally. Nine-patch set on point, and a blue/white shirting and muslin sawtooth border. Not certain *who* made it, but it’s the only one I have from Dad’s side of the family. Now to get my paws on the one in my old bedroom at the folk’s house. It looks like it was made from the same scrap bag ….. Alan
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 22:30:47 -0500 | From: seater@
Linda Carlson “Yesterday Today Forever and Always” in American Qulter (Spring 2001) Vol XVII no 1 pp18-21. 4 Teal Lake Place, Mexico MO 65265 ,<jvcarlson@> Carol Williams Gebel “Final Rites of Passage Quilts: Quilts That Wrap the Deceased for Burial and Line Coffins” Uncoverings 1995 (AQSG). In the original ms in our guild library, Carol has 99 pages of mourning quilts she identified and catalogued by type. <cgebel@> Gail Andrews Trechsel “Mourning Quilts in Qmerica” Uncoverings 1989 or 1990 (AQSG).
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 22:33:58 -0500 | From: ” Kalmia@
I remember a couple of quilt rescue stories from when we doing the South Carolina quilt project (18 years ago! And, yes, there was a book; and, no, it’s out of print and I don’t have copies to sell–sorry.) When asked how she acquired a particular quilt, one woman said “I stole it!” Turns out, she was at the beach, saw a group of young people arrive, spread out the quilt on the sand, and walk off. She went to a nearby store, bought an inexpensive sleeping bag, substituted it for the quilt, and left a note about what she had done.
This one will make you cringe: In Charleston we photographed an early-19th-century chintz quilt which had been rescued from use as a house-painter’s drop-cloth. Still had the paint smears on it. makes you realize that other people don’t see what we see, doesn’t it? In Aiken, when we said we were interested in seeing any quilt that was made, owned, or used in South Carolina, one woman went home to get her _other_ quilts, including one used as a dog bed. I have a quilt I rescued from the garage floor of the friend of a friend. His grandmother had made it. He didn’t value that one, but he did treasure an obviously fancier one, a Southern Lady with the three-dimensional ruffled skirt. The quilt I brought home still smells like motor oil, but the 1950s colors (gray and yellow and others) are nice, and the pattern is a form of Indian Hatchet. And I used to have somebody’s lost picnic quilt (eight-pointed star) I picked up from the middle of the road in the Great Smokies National Park, but when I needed to clear out some stuff I gave several ratty orphans to Linda Harral, who wasn’t turning anything down. Do you still have that one, Linda? Laurel Horton
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 23:35:24 -0500 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
<Judygrow@>
I’ve got a saved quilt story too. I pass a house nearby in our rural community on my way to work. It is on a numbered county road, a major route for folks going to work in the Princeton area. One spring day I caught a glimpse of color on a huge old tree as I sped by, but I was past before I could see what it was. On my way home I slowed down and saw that it was a large piece of cloth, yellow and green in a small piecing pattern which I later learned is called, I think, Arkansas Traveler, and it was split jaggedly almost in half and tied around a large sugar maple tree. At first I thought it was cheater cloth. I wanted to believe it was cheater cloth, but in the slanting late afternoon sun I could see the seam allowances of a pieced quilt top.
Anyway, next morning I tried to study it some more, at 25 mph, and again in the evening. Then the weekend came and I didn’t drive that way. It was still there on Tuesday morning, so on Tuesday evening I pulled in the driveway and knocked on the door. I introduced myself as a neighbor and asked the young woman who answered why the quilt (top) was tied around the tree. She responded that the tree was to be taken down and since she would be at work when the tree men would come she had to mark the tree she wanted them to cut down. I asked if I could have the quilt top if I replaced it with another marker and she agreed. She had only found it crumpled on the second floor of the barn. She had no idea who had made it or when. I raced home, rummaged through my unwanted fabrics, found a long length of an awful calico, actually ripped it down the middle along the fold, sewed the 2 ends together, went back and replaced the quilt top with my new tree marker, tieing a lovely bow. A week or so later the tree was gone and so was the calico. The top, probably from the 1940’s or 50’s is still split down the middle and has mildew stains, but at least it still exists. I reported the incident at my guild meeting and showed the top for show and tell. Others from the guild reported that they had also seen it around the tree but maybe they were scairdy cats. Curiosity didn’t kill this cat though. Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrow@
Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2001 20:11:54 -0900 | From: Greg & Dawn Church <church@>
Hi All, I was referred to the list just over a week ago in order to help me find the answer to my questions. I understand there are several experts available in this one spot! 🙂 I purchased an applique crib quilt kit (circa ’30 ’40 ish) several weeks ago. All the pieces are there and about 2/3 of the applique work has been completed… nice stitches but not the best I’ve ever seen. It has a lot of embroidery that is also done well and partially complete. The questions… the embroidery floss was not with the kit and I can’t find an *exact* match… do you take out what has already been done and redo it all in the same color as close as I can find to the original? Or do I just match it as best I can and continue where it was left off?
Additionally, the embroidery was done differently than given in the directions… not poorly or ugly, just different… continue or take it out and start over?? The quilt has bias strips and claims to include the binding as well but I can’t see what’s there being enough to complete both. Is there a good source for replacement “parts” and what about backing?? As you can see, I am a first timer in this area and want desperately to do the right thing. Although I plan on keeping this quilt after I complete it I would like to complete it in a way that maintains it’s value not only monetarily but also as a piece of textile history. Any suggestions regarding it’s completion would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance. Dawn
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 00:27:28 -0500 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
<Judygrow@> To: “Quilt History List”
The other day I found what was probably once a nice quilt, 2 double pinks and the ubiquitous E.W. green print. Most of the pink blocks were terribly faded out from sun damage but I bought it anyway because the backing, also a double pink, was intact and a few blocks (on the side of the bed away from the window, obviously) were relatively unfaded. The quilt has a NJ Quilt Search label and number. Is there a way to research this quilt’s origins? Where are the archives held, and are they searchable? On another topic, we drove into NYC on Tuesday, and getting in and out through the Holland Tunnel was a breeze — as if it was 30 years ago. We got our business finished quickly and after leaving the city thought to go to Ellis Island. I should have known — both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are still closed. But what a breathtaking view of the city from Liberty State Park! Is it sacrilegious to say, even though I know there are 2 landmark buildings missing from the skyline, buildings that I’ve been used to seeing for years, the skyline is still as spectacular and beautiful. Judy in Ringoes, NJ
Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2001 06:07:12 -0500 | From: “Judy Kelius (judysue)” <judysue@>
What do you mean by the embroidery being different? Does it look OK? Will you be able to do it the same way? If so, I would leave it as is and use a close match to complete it. DMC makes hundreds of colors – did you check a shop that carries them all? I can’t imagine that you couldn’t find a close match. I would suggest buying a new 100% cotton fabric in a close color and making new bias – a lot of new bias tape is poly-cotton which you definitely want to avoid. The 30’s greens are often very hard to match up in new fabrics! If there is enough to do the stems, you could bind it in any color that looks good (and unless the edge is scalloped, straight edge will work ok on binding). Buy fabric for backing that is close to the front – which I assume is a white muslin – easy to find! Just be sure to use 100% cotton fabrics & batting for that vintage look!
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 06:18:57 EST | From: JBQUILTOK@
If you try to divide Orvus, be careful what you use to put it in. A friend gave me some in a baby food jar several years ago. Over time, the metal lid on the jar rusted. As for price differences between farm & ranch supply places and quilt shops, we always pay for the convience of smaller containers. If you’re cleaning a quilt or two a week, it makes sense to buy in bulk. For one or two a year, the little plastic bottle is nice. I don’t know how much of the markup is profit for the store & how much goes in the pocket of the company that put the label on the bottle, but it seems like another way to support those who save us from the curse of sewing with chain store fabric! Janet
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 06:20:01 -0600 | From: “Leigh Fellner” <hcquilts@>
Best find – a 1920s Tree of Life, perfect condition, used as a grill cover (barbecue is taken very seriously down here). Got it for a quarter.
Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2001 13:25:11 | From: “Anne Copeland” <anneappraiser@>
I was at a swapmeet–not even an antique swapmeet, but one of those “We have everything” swapmeets when I came upon a booth that had a quilt under the people’s merchandise on the pavement. I asked her if she would consider selling it, and she replied, “Well, I don’t know. We use this for our beach blanket.” I asked her if she would consider $20, and suddenly she decided that she could use something else for a beach blanket, and whisked it out from under her things. It was a scrappy 30s quilt, but I still felt good about it. Peace and blessings, Annie
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 10:29:27 -0500 | From: “anne” <datkoa@>
I took advantage of Xenia’s invitation to visit her booth at Houston. What a treat! To every quilt was attached a sturdy label providing a detailed description of the quilt. Several also had plastic envelopes which contained additional information – in one instance, a photograph of the maker and handwritten letter from her family describing the circumstances of the making of the quilt. I think this was the only booth at which the pieces were so carefully documented. I’d not met Xenia before but had marveled at her ability to provide references and suggestions to posts on QHL. Now I know that she is a true quilt lover also. AnneD
Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2001 12:02:43 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xecord@>
Aw, shucks (blush!). Thanks for the bouquet! Xenia
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 09:38:41 -0800 (PST) | From: Ark Quilts <quiltarkmv@>
> I am trying to find the publisher’s name and date
> for embroidered state bird & flower blocks. They were
> commercial blocks, stamped in blue, came in sets of
> 48, and were available circa 1930-1950. Can anyone
> in the group advise me where to look for this
> information? I email through an employer and they do
> not want us to subscribe to listserves. Can you post
> this information request to your group? I can be contacted at : quiltarkmv@ >
Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2001 10:16:17 +0000 | From: Bobbie Aug <qwltpro@>
I might add to Anne’s post that I am fondling my “new” chintz mosiac signed and dated 1851 quilt I purchased from Xenia in Houston. Ahhhhhhh… Bobbie Aug
Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2001 11:59:24 -0600 | From: “Jennifer Van Haaften” <jasvanhaaften@>
This is my first post, and I am enjoying the stories of saving old quilts. I am a historical museum educator. Our current exhibit at our museum is on quilts produced by our local quilt guild, called “Piecing Us Together.” Some of the ladies in this group are displaying quilts they have found and saved. One lady in particular likes to rescue quilt tops, put the batting and backing on and quilt them. We think it’s because she enjoys actual quilting more than piecing and we think she likes the challenge of looking for fabrics that help enhance each quilt top’s historical character. She picks quilt tops up at garage sales, flea markets, wherever they might be. Besides being a museum educator, I have a great interest in historic textiles, from clothing to quilts, to tatting, knitting or crocheting, actually nearly anything women worked on in the past either for necessity or pleasure. Because I like this so much, I have made reproduction historic clothing and have tried to the learn difference between fabric prints for various time periods. If I had the time, I would say I like to quilt, but I have yet to put together a project. Never mind all the patterns and pattern books I have laying around begging to be made. I also tat occasionally, though not as much as I used to. My husband is a museum director and we have a two year old son. Guess you could say the two year old is why I don’t do as much as I used to. I did manage to make him a costume for Halloween though. Nice to meet all of you. 🙂 Jennifer Van Haaften Education Coordinator Elmhurst Historical Museum 120 E. Park Ave. Elmhurst, IL 60126 tel: (630) 833-1457 fax: (630) 833-1326 email: jasvanhaaften@ jennifer.vanhaaften@ _________________________________________________________________
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 13:35:27 -0500 | From: “bonnie wilbur” <bonnie.wilbur@>
Hi, I’m thinking about acquiring a Singer treadle machine made in 1937, plus 4-drawer stand in good condition from a friend who inherited it from her grandmother. I don’t want to cheat her or be charged well over the going price. Does anyone have any idea of value for the machine and cabinet? Thanks, Bonnie Wilbur
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 11:09:52 -0800 | From: “Amerine, Anne” <amerinea@>
Bonnie, The problem with valuation of treadles is largely like that of quilts. Variables include: <ul> <li> Age of machine </li> <li> Condition of machine, including: Condition and completeness of decals</li> <li> Condition and completeness of machine: </li> <li> Are shuttle and bobbin present? </li> <li> Is bobbin winder complete and in working condition? </li> <li> Are the slide plates both there? </li> <li> Does the machine have a manual? </li> <li> In good condition? </li> <li> Are the attachments present? </li> <li> Is there a case? </li> <li> Rarity of machine </li> <li> Top of the line? </li> <li> What model number? </li> <li> Special features </li> <li> Style of ornamentation </li> <li> Condition of cabinet </li> <li> Is the wood in good condition? </li> <li> Is the finish in good condition? </li> <li> Rarity of cabinet </li> <li> Beauty/style of cabinet </li> <li> Center drawer only? 3 drawers? 7 drawers? Carving on the front of the drawers? </li> <li> Carving on the side of the drawers? </li> <li> Full parlor cabinet or free-standing treadle? </li> <li> Condition of the treadle stand: Is there rust? Is decorative/gold paint intact? Is the treadle pedal ornate</li> </ul>
And then, just to make you crazy, the part of the country you are in will also set the price somewhat. I suggest looking at machines in stores, in the paper, and at auctions if you have them in your area. Anne Amerine Los Angeles amerinea@
Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2001 16:27:33 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xecord@>
This is a cross post (of sorts) of the message I sent to the British Quilt History List earlier today. I see that no one has posted a long review of the Houston show, so here are a few words from one who had a great time. Houston was a lot of fun, despite the general emotional climate and the reluctance of some to travel. it was fun to put faces to several names from QHL, and I also got to entertain members of the British Quilt History List, among them Annette Gero of Australia. Annette signed copies of her book for all of us. Her book is a definitive look at Australian historical quilts, many of which are from her own collection (probably the best collection in Australia).
The show itself was lovely and diverse, as usual, and had a high energy level. There were enough award-winning quilts, competition quilts, artquilts, antique quilts, theme quilts to satisfy every eye and every taste, and it really does take all of the 4 days to get around and see everything. Best of Show was a quilt from Holland, and Zena Thorpe won again with her wonderful Book of Kells quilt that some may have seen at Paducah. For antique lovers there was a display of collector Sandra Mitchell’s acquisitions (remembering her, as she died in December last year and was well-known in the US as a dealer/collector), there was an exhibit of Marie Webster quilts, a display of Amish quilts (with garments and bonnets for accent), a wonderful collection of antique quilts from Joe and Mary Koval of PA, and more.
The most stunning exhibit, and one you will probably read more about, was the one with the 9-11 commemorative quilts. There were more that 100, I would guess, mounted on portable office cubicle walls set spaced down the main cross aisle where my booth was. All were created out of great emotional response to the attacks, of course, and some showed the haste with which they were made, but they were wonderful nonetheless. It was interesting (if one could distance oneself) to see the forms of response – some very different images. The quilt I admired most was by Diane Herbort, not for sale (many were offered in a silent auction). Diane lives just by the Pentagon, and one of the images in her piece was of a giant shadow of a plane, covering her home and garden. She says she came outside because her home is not usually on a flight path and she wondered at the lingering drone of large engines. She says the plane lumbered slowly overhead, so close she thought she could reach up and touch it. And seconds later she heard the crash.
The “shadow” image was created by sewing layers of gray veiling, so that one could see the house and garden through the “shadow” – one of the remarkably talented constructions I saw. I learned yesterday that I was the high bidder on one of the quilts, which will be photographed for a book (C & T Publishing) before being sent to the new owners. And I learned that the silent auction over all raised about $27,000 for the Freedom Education Fund (children of victims). Lest I forget, there were also more than 600 vendors at the show, selling everything from antique quilts (as I do) to stencils to fabrics to quilt motif jewelry, to garments and patterns, to…you name it! If you haven’t been to Houston, you should consider putting it in your travel plans for the future. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience (at least)! Xenia
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 10:15:28 -0500 | From: “anne” <datkoa@>
I’d thought I would post about the 9-11 quilts but just had not gotten around to it. Today Xenia has given an excellent description of the Festival and also these quilts. I had promised three friends who had made quilts for this display that I would take photos for them. This meant that I had to look at all of them to find these particular ones. This was a very difficult thing to do. I would try to focus on technique, use of fabric, etc but find myself instead remembering….Like Xenia, I thought Diane Hebort’s quilt was incredibly powerful. And, as far as I can remember, it was the only one which focused on the Pentagon attack (I may have had a senior moment about this). Also, there was one (and again, I think only one) that remembered the three elementary school children and their teachers from Washington, DC schools who were on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. Many of the pieces were of the WTC, and I understand that this will be the visual memory that most of us carry ….but there were other heroes and other stories ……. AnneD
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 10:38:28 EST | From: Chyral@
On page 232 of “New Jersey Quilts 1750-1950” it says that the NJ Quilt Project archives are held at the Special Collections and Archives of the Rutgers University Libraries (New Brunswick, NJ), and that the archives are “available to the public for research”. -Cheryl
Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 18:35:50 -0500 | From: LinK <linkot@>
Hi, Knowing you all might have felt scraps on hand . . . I thought you would enjoy putting them to use and make a lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece. With felt you make the turkey’s head and a fresh pineapple (symbol of hospitality) is the body and tail! Some Internet service providers have trouble with my GeoCities site . . . you can find the centerpiece at: http://lkk11.tripod.com or http://www.@/Heartland/Lake/2812/ Just click on “Centerpiece.” Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! Best regards, Linda
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2001 8:42:09 CST | From: jocelynm@
> >I just read an article about when a man celebrated his 21st
> birthday, the
> >New England Freedom Quilt was presented to him. It was a token of > >independence, which symbolized his freedom to leave home.
Kris, A day late and a dollar short (actually, quite a few of each!) but yes, I’ve heard of the tradition, but I always thought that it wasn’t a unique pattern. The way I heard it, was that at 21, a son no longer owed his labor to his father or master (if he were apprenticed) and he was ‘free and 21’ eligible to set up his own business. Because he was just starting out, he wouldn’t be able to take a wife right away, so that the women of his family would make him a quilt(s) so that he wouldn’t freeze while ‘baching it’. (See LE Wilder’s books for a mention of how Papa Wilder did Almanzo a great favor by letting him leave to go homestead with his older brother Royal, instead of requiring him to work for him until 21). At any rate, my understanding was that the women used any pattern they liked, not just one official pattern. I made my nephew an emancipation quilt(top) but he’d’ve frozen by now ’cause I haven’t even got started on the quilting. <G> Jocelyn
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 06:48:54 -0800 (PST) | From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
How about a 1930’s era quilt used to cover part of the deck of a boat that was parked with its trailer in front of the owner’s home on the street. No lie. Made me crazy. —
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 11:57:03 EST | From: DDBSTUFF@
This is for any of you that watch Ebay. Is this the same quilt that didn’t reach its huge reserve several months ago? Ebay Item # 1484381283 Darwin
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 12:16:27 EST | From: “Leigh Fellner” <hcquilts@>
Yes indeedy. Got a rather terse confirmation of that from the seller this AM. This is the one that went up to $14,850 a year ago last October. Here’s a messageboard thread on the old auction: http://community.otwa.com/3/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=386293084&f=936290905&m=309291 905 Opinions, please, as to whether this quilt is indeed 1830-1850?
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 11:17:23 -0500 | From: “Cinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
Only a month after organizing a wonderful weekend in Williamsburg for the AQSG Seminar Hazel Carter and Bunnie Jordan reconvened the Dating Club yesterday in Fairfax, VA. In honor of the approaching holiday season the topic was “Red and Green Quilts.” The afternoon was the fabric equivalent of champagne and caviar. With apologies to anyone whose treasures I omit or describe incorrectly, I’ll try to give you all idea of what we saw. I am always excited by a 4-block applique quilt; we saw four of them yesterday: a Whig Rose, a Prince’s Feather (don’t correct me, that’s what I choose to call them not Princess), vases spilling over with acanthus leaves and the absolutely most funky-looking border I’ve ever seen (it won’t do to speculate what the strange shapes attached to the trailing vine called to mind)–that one was my favorite. (I’ll take wild over pretty every time.)
I can’t remember what the fourth one was, but there were four. Even more unusual was a four-block pieced quilt. The blocks were probably 36″ square in a single black on red print with a variety of shirtings. I don’t remember what the block was (it looked sort of like the elements of Burgoyne Surrounded, just bigger), but it was very effective: four big blocks with sashing and a border, probably 1st quarter 20th century. One lady brought a quilt her husband had given her for her birthday: apple trees in pots, mid-19th century. We had never seen that block before! We not only envied her the quilt, but the husband too.
There were some fabulous tops: four eagles in cheddar, red and green with combs on their heads and snake tongues protruding from their beaks! (I loved it!); a more conventional top with lovely wreaths of flowers with a great border of huge green leaves on a serpentine red stem; beautiful Laurel Leaves set in an appliqued Garden Maze. Most of the quilts we see are from the mid-Atlantic states, but one New England top showed up that more than held its own. The center is a very large star surrounded by frames pieced almost crazy style. The fabrics are all 1830 or earlier.
From the Eastern Shore came a mid-19th century Orange Peel variation set on point with peacocks appliqued in the filler triangles along the edges. This treasure came to its owner because she’s the only one in the family who sews; sometimes things do work out right. There were a couple of quilts that stumped us on the dates. We all know that solids are tough and a limited palette makes it even harder. One puzzle was a very early framed center quilt. The center was a very large free-form cut star (obviously the maker just decided to cut a star shape out of fabric without any sort of pattern) of discharge or resist printed indigo surrounded by Flying Geese, assorted triangles and finally a border of appliqued chintz motifs, everything well-proportioned. The quilt was only about 60″ square. The big question was whether it had been cut down from a larger size. I thought not, others disagreed.
My own contribution was what I think of as my Moravian quilt. It’s a Sawtooth Star in cheddar, green and the peculiar brick red which is often found in quilts made in Bethlehem, PA. I was glad that Barb Garrett was present to second my comments about this localized phenomenon. All of this and more happened in less than three hours. I wish I had hours rather than minutes to examine each of these quilts, but it’s not a perfect world–just, thanks to people like Hazel and Bunnie, a pretty good one for quilt lovers. Cinda from the Eastern Shore
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 10:31:35 -0600 | From: “Leigh Fellner” <hcquilts@>
I’ve got to agree with you on this one, Cindy. Sticking my neck out here, but my undestanding is that the plumes of a Prince’s Feather are imitative of the plumes that historically have formed the crest of the *Prince* of Wales:pattern first become popular in the mid-19th century? The Prince of Wales made a tour of the US in 1860. Coincidence?
Date: 12 Nov 2001 11:33:37 MST | From: Diane Pitchford <dpitchford@>
Leigh I was not able to access the above site. However, I did follow the previous messages with great interest when this was previously discussed. I would love to have this quilt (wouldn’t we all) but unfortunately, it is out of my price range. I have started a replica though. As for the date, I have the book Quilts and Coverlets from The American Museum in Britain by Shiela Betterton. This is the book that has an almost identical quilt on the cover. I just checked to see what date the book listed and here is the info: “The materials used are mainly those of the 1820s and 1830s but at some time this quilt was remade – most probably 1840/1850. Fabric was hard to come by and thrifty housewives often remade their quilts.” Diane Pitchford
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 20:02:00 -0800 | From: Audrey Waite <awquiltr@>
I recently purchased a yo-yo quilt that is not the usual gathered circles. Although circular in shape, the yo-yo units are pleated. Each yo-yo looks like 10 slices of pie – no stitches are visible. Is this unusual? I have never seen one like it before. Other than the pleating it is assembled in the traditional way and pale solid fabric used is from the 30’s. Audrey Waite in sunny Sedona, AZ
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 20:09:42 +1100 | From: “kate knight” <kateknight@>
Cinda Cawley wrote:
…. My own contribution was what I think of as my Moravian quilt. It’s
a
Sawtooth Star in cheddar, green and the peculiar brick red which is often
found in quilts made in Bethlehem, PA. I was glad that Barb Garrett was
present to second my comments about this localized phenomenon…..
Cinda,
I found very interesting your comment about the brick red….I bought a
“red and green” quilt top last year made with this strange (solid) dark
red/brown and green on an off-white background…think cactus baskets
standing on their tippy-toes (they remind me of the Statue of Liberty’s
torch), the person from whom I bought it dated it to around 1860. Thanks
for a possible clue to origin !!
Kate
(in Jacaranda purple Sydney)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 09:54:06 -0500 | From: “Cinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
Did anybody see the Maryland quilt on the Roadshow last night? A family
name, the date 1812 and “Fredricks” Maryland was written on the back. The
appraiser was not an expert on quilts, although he did know enough to be
very impressed. Many fabulous quilts were made in Frederick County, MD
during the first half of the 19th century. This quilt is similar in style
to those made by Anna Catherine Markey Garnhart, several of which I’ve seen
at the DAR. The Roadshow quilt appeared to have at least some reverse
applique. I am a bit suspicious of the date. 1812 seems too early. How
about 1825-30?
Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 11:35:59 EST | From: Chyral@
> > >As for the date, I have the book Quilts and Coverlets from The American
> > Museum
> > >in Britain by Shiela Betterton. This is the book that has an almost
> > identical
> > >quilt on the cover.
> >
> The ebay quilt is “almost identical” to a museum quilt? Does this raise
> anybody else’s eyebrows?
That’s a provocative question… didn’t this come up the first time this
quilt was offered on eBay?
My random disorganized 2-cents:
No raised eyebrows here…. the “museum quilt” is one that is not especially
well known, and it has a provenance that associates it with a venerable
NJ/mid-Atlantic family name… my gut feeling that it (the quilt in the
American Museum in Britain) is probably a NJ quilt, and that the Pennsylvania
attribution is probably incorrect. (NJ decorative arts are very often
misattributed to both NY and Pennsylvania, for what that is worth…)
The eBay quilt was purchased, very publicly, at auction, from a well-known
“little old lady” estate in NJ; said little old lady was from a prominent,
moneyed family. (Here’s an article about the sale: <
http://www.maineantiquedigest.com/articles/cros1200.htm>)
Here in central NJ, a sale like that is where I would expect a quilt of this
quality to surface (though usually the auctioneer’s staff will just stuff all
of the quilts into a cardboard box or draped them “artfully” across some farm
machinery, after dropping them in the mud for good measure…..)
But I digress….. the one caveat emptor eyebrow-raiser I get from reading
the eBay listing is that I *do* get the impression that the provenance being
offered with the quilt is a history of the family it was purchased from, and
not a provenance of the history of the quilt… Not that it is a
misrepresentation, just that there is a lack of clarity in the statement of
what is being offered there….
I’ve not seen the quilt in person (more fool me… this is probably a good
place to interject that I don’t know the dealer who owns it, either), but I
have spent some time studying the photographs; the fabrics look “right” to
me (and in some cases are identical in both quilts, most particularly the
dark blue w/ white “Turks head-ish” print), and the amount and quality of the
quilting is consistent with the mid-19th c. NJ quilts I’ve seen and owned.
The overall “look” of the quilt is also consistent with “good” NJ quilts of
the period: the diagonal set, the appliqued Oak Leaf motif, the applique
border, and the lack of “white space” are all strong indicators a NJ origin.
The eBay quilt is actually “better” than the American Museum quilt, in that
it has not been cut down and re-bound (I believe that this is what is being
referred to in the Betterton book when it says the quilt was “re-made”…
the eBay quilt has a second sawtooth border which is missing from the
Museum’s quilt).
To summarize (for the moment at least, I’m sure I’ll think of something else
I meant to say, once I’ve dug out my file on this quilt from last year), my
amateur and long distance (and long-winded) take on this quilt is that it is
“good” and worth every penny that the dealer spent on it. Whether it is a
$14K + quilt is another question (at least in a venue like eBay!); that looks
like a price from the crazy ’80s to me. 😉
-Cheryl, who wants to know what raised Leigh’s eyebrows…. 🙂
