April 14 – 20, 2004
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:
- Snipping Seam Allowances — Quilters discuss when and why they snip seam allowances so a quilt lies flatter, on bulky seams like triangle points.
- “Knitting” Quilts, a Historic Term — Members trace the old term ‘knitting quilts,’ used in 1800s needlework books for a tissue-and-knitting-needle quilting technique.
- Storing Quilts on Pine Furniture — A long thread covers how to safely store quilts on or near pine furniture, including off-gassing risks, barrier films like Marvelseal, and polyacrylic sealant curing time. (see the article on caring for antique quilts)
- A Log Cabin Quilt’s Inscription — A member describes a Log Cabin quilt at the International Quilt Study Center bearing an inscription relevant to the block’s history.
- Museum Exhibit Recommendations — Members highlight the DAR Museum’s wedding-traditions exhibit in DC and the Milwaukee Art Museum’s ‘American Fancy’ show. (see the article on quilt museums)
From: “Sandra Munsey”
Just tuned in late to Simply Quilts (4/20/04) to discover Jacqueline Tobin and Serena Wilson as the guests. Ms Tobin’s explanation for the disconnect between the Double Wedding Ring pattern being post-Civil War is that Ozella told her, not long before she died, that the DWR was really the Double Irish Chain, which was symbolic of the slave chains. The definitions to each of the blocks, as explained by Tobin and Wilson on the show, are on www.hgtv.com, Simply Quilts episode QLT 540. Sandra
Date: Mon, | From: Karen Portwood <acornqlts@>
Hello all,
I am usually a lurker but a faithful reader. This past Saturday I experienced something I’m sure you will find of interest. No affiliation, just an impressed exhibit attendee. I heard about the exhibit in the American Quilt Study Group’s newsletter, Blanket Statements.
The Kentucky Historical Society’s exhibit “The Softer Side of Hard Times: Kentucky Depression-era Quilts” is on exhibit beginning this past Friday, April 16th and runs through August 28, 2004 at the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort, Kentucky. It is being presented by the Kentucky Historical Society. The exhibit features artifacts from the Depression as well as many wonderful Kentucky made quilts from the era along with lots of quilt related ephemera. See http://history.ky.gov/ for more information.
Upon entering the exhibit you immediately get a sense what life was like in Kentucky at that time by the many photos and the news reel playing in the background. There is a wonderful appliquéd and embroidered kneeling bench made by Margaret Potter Lissauer depicting a woman’s image from Godey’s Lady’s Book along with the sketch she used as a pattern. Hanging on the wall next to this display case is a photo of the Godey quilt also made by Lissauer. Just across the room is an interesting bedroom vignette featuring a beautiful princess feather quilt done in red, white and blue used to demonstrate the influence of the Colonial Revival. There were several examples of patterns from designers of the time such as Ruby McKim and the Louisville Courier-Journal. There was also a nice red work McKim quilt on display near by.
As you enter the next “room” of the exhibit, there is a very nice example of a “transitional” log cabin quilt done in black and pink with “rounds” of colorful dress fabrics. There are also two dresses that help illustrate the changes in fashion at the time.
The kit quilt hanging in this area called Elephant’s Child particularly made me smile . It depicts the story of how Elephant got his trunk and is taken from Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories. There is also a magazine ad for The Elephant’s Child kit taken from the 1934 Woman’s Home Companion hanging next to the quilt.
There is also a very nice appliquéd dogwood quilt done in the familiar 1930s “Nile” green used as the background. The appliquéd flowers really resembled the actual flowers we saw blooming along the roadside on the drive down!
One of the “show stoppers” of the exhibit is a quilt done by George Yarrall, an engraver for a Bowling Green jeweler. He took up quilting as a way to keep his hands limber! This quilt is hand pieced and quilted using the tiniest of pieces worked in a Trip Around the World or possibly postage stamp variation done in rainbow colors. The maker called the quilt Spectrum and it is very appropriately named. The gallery guide states there are 66,153 pieces in this quilt! Some of them appearing to be less than an half inch square and all matching up perfectly. This one is truly a “must see.”
As you round the corner, you enter the remaining three sections of the exhibit. The first shows examples of quilts made for the 1933 World’s Fair. The duplicate of the grand prizewinner, Star of the Bluegrass is on display. This is truly a magnificent example of Kentucky quilters at their best showcasing exquisite workmanship. As an aside, there is a binder showing photos of the ladies who actually did the work on this quilt. These ladies did not get credited for their work originally and did not share the prize money either. I must confess, this part of the exhibit brought a lump to my throat and I actually shed tears to think that these fine ladies are finally getting their due credit after all these years.
Along with the first prize winner, there was a local winner from Louisville done in a sugary pink with bleeding hearts and other colorful spring flowers in open weave baskets. The appliqué and stitching are superb as is the quilting and stuffed work. This quilt went on to Chicago where it took third prize. Along with the quilt is the maker’s sketch and watercolor of the basket pattern. This one was my personal favorite as it captures the feel of spring!
There are several interesting Century of Progress souvenirs on display. Such as engraved spoons, a scrapbook, a pillow and even a quilt pattern cleverly packaged in a small box complete with fabric! There is also a video playing showing actual fair site footage.
The next area of the exhibit showcased quilting as a business with items from Stearns & Foster (now Leggett & Platt), Louisville Bedding Co., Eleanore Beard Studio and Regina, Inc. My favorite from this part of the exhibit is the Dancing Daffodils quilt that was made by a Kentucky quilter for Stearns & Foster. Yellow daffodils truly seem to dance on a “Nile” green background. This quilt is featured in color on the back of the exhibit catalog along with the William Wadsworth poem, “The Daffodils” that inspired the quilt.
The final part of the exhibit is dedicated to utility quilts and “making do.” There were several examples of string pieced quilts on display. There were even some blocks with catalog pages still attached as foundation papers. This part of the exhibit had several photographs that really drove home the hardships people faced during the Depression and the things they held dear and important in their lives.
Overall, I would say this is a very thoughtful and thought provoking exhibit. Especially for those of us who were born long after this monumental time in our history. The free gallery guide alone is worth the trip. It really captures what is presented in the exhibit. I would strongly encourage anyone who can make the trip to Frankfort to do so. There is something for quilters and non-quilters alike in this exhibit. You will certainly be in for a real treat!
If you can’t already tell, I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and it was definitely worth the two hour drive from Oxford, OH. The museum is a really nice facility and the folks there couldn’t have been more helpful. A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
Karen Portwood
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 11:58:26 +0100 | From: “Audrey Cameron” <audreycameron@>
Dear All, Now crocheting quilts is another matter. My daughter is a crocheter & as “a joke” she crocheted me a lovely throw (dare I called it quilt) in a traditional quilt block pattern. But we have never thought of it as a quilt!
Audrey Cameron in Lincolnshire, England where Spring has sprung! audreycameron@
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 09:33:09 EDT | From: Trishherr@
Those of you who live near Milwaukee should certainly visit the new exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. American Fancy is a project that curator, scholar, and antiques dealer from Alexandria, VA, Sumpter Priddy has been working on for years, and was the topic of his master’s thesis at Winterthur. Funded by the Chipstone Foundation and exhibited in the Art Musueum’s great new facility in Milwaukee, it is up through June 20. It also travels to Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA and the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. There is also a wonderful catalogue just out in hardcover that sells for $75.
Sumpter has made some interesting observations about a lot of things concerning the public appeal of “fancy” things starting in the late 18th c. and running to about 1840. His comments on quilt patterns involve the developement of patterns related to the invention of the kaleidoscope. He also delves into the printed fabrics with machinery grounds and the use of “fancy” by coverlet weavers.
I greatly admire Sumpter. He has taken a point of view apart from that of decorative arts thinking of the late 20th and early 21st centuries and gone with it. He and I have had a number of discussions over the past few years about this term “fancy” in relation to textiles of the period.
I heartily recommend visiting the exhibit. I have not been out to the wonderful Milwaukee installation, only seen photos my friends have taken and the book. I think it will stimulate some discussion in the world of quilt and textile historians.
Trish Herr 717.569.2268 2363 Henbird Lane Lancaster, PA 17601
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 08:45:16 -0500 | From: “Carla Toczek” <CToczek@>
Hello Members,
Our List Mom, Kris, gave me permission to advertise two quilts I posted for sale on the Hickory Hill Consignment Page. Our 1 year Army school here at Ft. Leavenworth is finished and we’ll be moving in June. While our household items basically jump into boxes on their own these days, this overseas move is a bit more complicated and includes moving into smaller quarters. Thus, we must pare down our extraneous belongings. My folks took some quilts for me, but rather than submit others to warehouse storage or ocean voyages in crates, I hope to sell some to a good home. Recently on QHL we discussed Lancaster/double blue quilts and both for sale contain that particular blue. I am asking only what I paid for them, plus shipping and insurance. Listed as “Irish Chain” and “Mosaic.”
On a side note, if there are any QHL members near Heidelberg, Germany, I would greatly appreciate learning of any local quilting groups, American or international.
Best to you all,
Carla Toczek Ft. Leavenworth, KS
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 11:01:27 -0400 | From: Patricia L Cummings <quiltersmuse@>
Good morning!
Simply Quilts, Episode QLT-540, has jumped into the frayof the heated discussion about quilt blocks and the Underground Railroad by providing a show featuring co-author Jacqueline Tobin and Ozella’s niece, Serena Wilson.
I did not happen to catch this show but the summary on the www.hgtv.com webpage probably is a good indicator of what was said, or at least, one can assume that it is an accurate account (or should be!)
The first sentence refers to Ozella McDaniel Williams as “Ozella Robinson Williams”. Since she died before the book was published, did she change her name in heaven?
Sometimes it is not what is said, but what is not said, which would clarify what is said. Clear as mud? The interview summary states this, “Today, it is very difficult to find quilts from this era”… Really? (no) Why? (elaborate) What era exactly? (provide the reader with the time period in question) Is the sentence implying that some slave-made quilts that are documented as being linked to the proposed “secret code” Underground Railroad have, indeed, been found? If so, I am sure that all of us would love to hear about this “new” information.
The Crossroads block pictured on the HGTV website is not the same as that shown in a black and white graphic in Hidden in Plain View, on page 190.
To top it off, it is now said that the “Double Wedding Ring” block was not the name of the block in question. It was the “Double Irish Chain” which “symbolized to the slaves the chains that bound them to slavery”. Or, that is how someone is interpreting it, lo these many years hence. If Tobin has insisted that it is blocks that we are talking about here, and not entire quilts, how would “Double Irish Chain” fit in here? It is composed of two different configurations. Together, the block placements are what make the chain, so the quilt would have had to have been seen in its entirety.
Apparently, the information that was presented and initially interpreted in HIPV is not “good enough”. The “facts” keep undergoing a mutation, subject to the whims of those who would try to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit.
I stand in utter amazement of this whole discourse. These comments and observations will be added to the end of my current article on my website. That article, by the way, will be appearing in NeedleArts, June 2004 and runs ten pages.
Pat Cummings www.quiltersmuse.com
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 08:24:10 -0700 | From: Chris Flynn <lovechris@>
Hi Pat…. I’ve had your new WRC pattern sitting to the side of my printer for months, under another pile of books, quilt squares, etc. Spring cleaning found it! Please send me your address so I can get this better copy out to you. I enjoy your posts to the list! Hugs from California Chris
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 11:28:15 EDT | From: Midnitelaptop@
was watching a quilt show on tv and heard the phrase…”these quilts were made when the quilters were going west in covered wagons”… i contemplated a trip in a covered wagon, without any shocks to absorb the rough ride…and thought hmmmm i don’t think that was a conducive atmosphere for any hand sewing…besides most of the time, i think any adults that weren’t driving the team that pulled the wagon..were walking alongside to lighten the loads… and when they stopped for the evening…i think there might have been lots of chores to do for that evening/night and the next day’s start… so i’m beginning to wonder if most of the sewing(that wasn’t clothing mending) waited until after arrival…. has anyone read any journal/diary that described sewing during the trip? jeanL
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 09:19:32 -0700 | From: <chrisa@>
I really like the look of the wood when I open the armoire’s door. I remember Meg telling us about the tin foil, and I know I should change mine out, but for the last 11 years I have had three antique pine armoires filled with linens, fabrics, quilts, sweaters and towels and thankfully I have not had a problem except when a sweater touched the side for awhile. One is lined with flannel on the sides and shelf for the fabric, freezer paper on the shelf and old buffered tissue paper on the back for towels and sheets, and the sweater armoire has wallpaper covered cardboard sheets on the shelf only. This one left brown on two light sweaters and it doesn’t come completely out. I have one walnut and birdseye maple armoire that is filled with quilts and only upholstery fabric is laid on the shelves for protection, no problem so far.
Every time this topic comes up I wonder what the time line is for the damage that can happen? How long can I get away with these methods is the real question. I bought rubberized shelving covering for the freezer papered one, but I don’t know if it’s any better in the long run and I haven’t put it on. I worry it may have the moisture problem plastic does?
Kim Wulfert www.antiquequiltdating.com
Subject: [qhl] Re: storage – pine
The problem we have had with pine furniture is seepage of resin from the knots even when waxed…. one on my bedhead grabbed my hair every night for years ( I resolved it by swopping sides with DH) so I would never put fabric straight on it.
I wondered about using freezer paper, shiny side down?
Sally W
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 14:17:39 -0400 | From: “Newbie Richardson” <pastcrafts@>
Dear list, I want to second Trish’s opinion of Sumpter Priddy. He is a wonderful scholar who is very approachable. His exhibits are always a treat – even when just as a showcase for his wonderful antiques! I would also like to plug the new exhibit at the DAR musuem in DC.: “Something Old, Something New: The Making of the Lavish American Wedding” (closes Sept. 4th). The show features dresses and ephemera from 1790 to 2000 as well as six (?) quilts with strong wedding provenance displayed in the quilt cases. Newbie Richardson just emerging from mounting that show!
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 13:58:16 -0400 | From: “Pepper Cory” <pepcory@>
Yes, there are records of quilts being made along the trail west. See the book on Oregon quilts (“Quilts From the Trunk” I think) and the book on Mormon quilts. Fact is, quilting, at least portable piecing, was done anytime. Maybe not on a jouncing wagon but how about in a moment of private time after dinner? Never under-estimate our grandmamas’ fortitude and didn’t we have to get the quiltmaking gene from someplace? >From the sunny and beautiful Carolina coast- Pepper Cory (who has been known to piece while sitting at the beach!)
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 16:05:24 -0400 | From: “Gibson, Nancy” <ngibson@>
Just a minor correction: The title of the DAR Museum exhibition is “Something Old, Something New: Inventing the American Wedding.” It is getting lots of wonderful media attention so look for articles about it in your local newspapers. It is a very beautiful exhibition and includes delicious vintage wedding dresses as well as one of the most interesting selections of wedding shoes I’ve ever seen. The exhibition explores wedding traditions and customs. If you visit DC this summer it is a “must” and the quilts in the back of the main gallery, as well as those in the period rooms are well worth the trip. The museum is free and located two blocks from the White House.
Sumpter is one of the most knowledgeable dealers in the country and the DAR Museum has frequently purchased fabulous objects from him. He sold us the silk commemorative hanky inscribed with the Star Spangled Banner poem. The hanky was owned by Frances Scott Key. The museum also owns a quilt made by his wife, Mary Tayloe Lloyd Key.
Nancy Gibson Media Relations Manager DAR 1776 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 (202) 879-3238 (202) 412-3246 mobile
—–Original Message—– From: Newbie Richardson [pastcrafts@] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 2:18 PM To: Quilt History List Subject: [qhl] Fancy work exhibit
Dear list, I want to second Trish’s opinion of Sumpter Priddy. He is a wonderful scholar who is very approachable. His exhibits are always a treat – even when just as a showcase for his wonderful antiques! I would also like to plug the new exhibit at the DAR musuem in DC.: “Something Old, Something New: The Making of the Lavish American Wedding” (closes Sept. 4th). The show features dresses and ephemera from 1790 to 2000 as well as six (?) quilts with strong wedding provenance displayed in the quilt cases. Newbie Richardson just emerging from mounting that show!
