August 2 – 4, 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:
- Clutch Quilting, Continued — Further explanation and reactions to the no-hoop “clutch quilting” hand-quilting method introduced in the prior digest.
- Hawaiian Quilt History — Members discuss the Hawaiian quilt exhibit at Mission Houses Museum and the missionary origins of Hawaiian quilting.
- Reenactment-Era Clothing Resources — A customer’s French and Indian War re-enactment project prompts a thread on period clothing pattern and fabric sources.
- Tobacco and Textile History — Xenia Cord points to an Uncoverings article on the history of tobacco-related textile advertising and addiction imagery.
From: Brenda Curtice <brenda_curtice@>
Jocelyn Martin <jocelynm@> wrote: >>I think of what I do when quilting my doll quilts as “clutch quilting” — I clutch the quilt in my left hand and needle with my right. Advantages — no hoop gets in my way, and I can quilt in any direction, always quilting right to left, just turning the quilt and grabbing a different part. Because the quilt isn’t held taut, I can flex the fabric onto the needle in the same motion as I’m pushing the needle thru the fabric.<<
this type of quilting sounds great. i have tried the floor frame–and had to put it in storage when we moved and the rooms are smaller. so, i bought a hoop and found the hoop edges getting in the way. i think i will get out one of my unfinished quilts and try this method.
thanks for whoever got this information to the list.
brenda
From: quilt2music@
Just got from a weekend jazz fest in Port Townsend, WA with my hubby. Would you believe the local quilt shop (Quilter’s Cove, Inc. – owner Sylvia Schulter) was RIGHT NEXT to our small late 19th century hotel in that lovely quaint town! I carried my copy of the QHF book with me everywhere all weekend and read by candle light at the table in the clubs while my husband listened to the jazz. (I enjoyed it as background music to my reading.) In the quilt shop the second day I got talking to one of the husbands who was sitting with nothing to read and showed him the QHF book. When I told him about our 4 male Honorees, including one who was a trained architect, he became very interested and started reading the chapter on Jeffrey Gutcheon while his wife shopped. Had a great time sharing about the restoration of the Marie Webster house and the Grand Opening of QHF two weeks ago. Another great reason why every quilt shop owner should own this book — husbands can read it while their wives are shopping!
Karen Alexander in the beautiful Pacific Northwest
From: quilt2music@
I just got back from the Grand Opening of The Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana, a week ago after being on the road 19 days. I finally decided I just had to write all of you and share a little bit. What an EXCITING event from the moment Hazel Carter and I arrived in Marion four days before it all began! It was a wild and wooly 10 days behind the scenes as all of us involved pulled this event together after almost two eyars of preparation, not to mention 12 years of restoring the Marie Webster House! Ten Honorees were present. Some actually had a chance to visit and become reacquainted for the first time in years! It was a trip down memory lane from the 70s and 80s to see all of that gang together!!
Jonathan Holstein gave an electrifying lecture at the Founder’s Luncheon and received a standing ovation. (He also had most of us on the verge
of tears at least twice as he graciously acknowledged and gave tribute to the late Gail van der Hoof, his wife at the time of the record setting 1971 New York Whitney Museum Quilt Exhibit.)
Their daughter Cassia was present, too, which made the whole event all the more moving for she was a small child in attendance with her parents at the Continental Quilters Congress in Vienna, VA, in 1979 when Hazel Carter founded The Quilters Hall of Fame and inducted both Jonathan and Gail
into the Hall of Fame. Jonathan was the speaker at that first induction ceremony so Hazel thought it only fit that he should be the speaker at the Grand Opening Founder’s Luncheon as well. I hope to be writing an article about his speech for the Quilters Hall of Fame newsletter so watch your mail box. (Sure hope you are all members!)
Donna Wilder borrowed gorgeous outfits that have appeared in the Fairfield Fashion Show over the years and put on a fabulous fashion show for us. Never having been to one of those shows myself, I was overwhelmed at what I finally was privileged to see in person. We had a small intimate crowd compared to Houston so everyone got to get up very close and really eyeball the outfits. They were absolute stunning. I know many of you would probably recognize them were I to list them all. We had 5 lovely local teenagers as our models from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and they really did Marion proud! (I can’t help but ask myself the question: will this experience of wearing and seeing such beauty change their lives in some way? Maybe inspire one of them to go into fashion design or some related career? One young woman with roots in Kenya is a natural to become a professional model.)
Then there was the history panel with Cuesta Benberry, Joyce Gross and Barbara Brackman with Georgia Bonesteel and myself moderating. (Carter Houck was unable to make it due to a conflict in her schedule.) What a treat to see those three particular quilt historians once again on a panel together. (How many more times can this particular panel of founding AQSG members possibly take place in the quilt world?) Cuesta brought up some very salient points about honoring early quilt research and researchers in the many aspects of quilt history, and not setting them aside just because later research proved some of the research incomplete. She used a fact from Marie Webster’s 1915 book as an example and articulated an excellent overview of how one particular fact was first said to be “false” by some later quilt historians but still later proved “true” by other historians as a result of much greater in-depth research by current researchers,
as well as the greater availability of materials for research, and reminded us that all research builds on what came before us. She also reminded
the audience that it is the responsibility of all readers to be “critical readers” and to weigh and evaluate what we read, knowing that future researchers will most likely continue to add to our present knowledge.
Fortunately QHF got the panel taped for the QHF archives (as did the Bonesteel Documentary crew), as were all the other wonderful lectures
by Yvonne Porcella, Jean Ray Laury, Karey Bresenhan, Jinny Beyer and Jeffrey Gutcheon as well. And then there were the workshops by Barbara Brackman, Georgia Bonesteel, Yvonne Porcella, Jean Ray Laury and Jinny Beyer. It truly was a history-making week in the quilt world as this group of “pioneers” of the late th century quilt revival came together to help us celebrate the grand opening of the renovated Marie Webster House as the home of The Quilters Hall of Fame.
We also launched our FIRST book about all 34 of our Honorees that same week!! We published in a binder format so that we can add each new Honoree to it, year after year. In addition, several of our Research Associates who wrote the stories about each Honoree plan to write supplements for the book as well which we will offer separately. Can’t wait to share the books at the AQSG seminar in Vancouver, WA. (If you aren’t coming to Vancouver in October, you can also order them now by going to our website at www.quiltershalloffame.com.)
We already have next year’s Celebration program sketched out and will
be inviting speakers within the month. Watch for that press release and the story in the next issue of the QHF newsletter.
See you in Vancouver in October!
Karen Alexander in the beautiful Pacific Northwest
From: “Nancy Ray” <nancy.ray@>
All, I have been just listening but love the list. My father (born in SC in 1905) told me once that his mother’s quilt frame was on the ceiling and she let it down when she wanted to quilt–and of course when friends came
to quilt. The farmhouse was small, so I’m sure this was practical for her. He was her next to the youngest–of eight–so she must have been doing this before 1900. She lived on a farm in Spartanburg County, outside the little town of Chesnee, SC in the upper part of the state. I’m sorry I never knew this grandmother; she died long before I was born. But Teddy, here is another quilt frame on the ceiling from the south! Nancy Ray in Alexandria, VA
From: louise-b <vlbequetmcmsys.com>
I prefer to hand quilt without a frame too either in my lap for small pieces or on a table for larger quilts. Of course this is (was) not the way to do it but Suzanne Marshall does it this way and we know what kind of quilts she makes. I simply cannot quilt in a frame, PVC or wooden,
as I can’t turn it – and, yes, I have a Grace frame with the square hoops and it’s hard to use also.
Louise Bequette
From: Patricia L Cummings <quiltersmuse@>
I have hand quilted many a smaller item and some larger ones without a hoop of any kind. However, for larger wall hangings, I prefer to use
a large, round, Harvest Hoop. It tilts so that I can see the underside of the quilt, and it will turn 360 degrees. It is on a stand and is easily transportable from one place to another in the house.
Pat
I simply cannot quilt in a frame, PVC or wooden, as I can’t turn it – and, yes, I have a Grace frame with the square hoops and it’s hard to use also.
Louise Bequette
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 04 09:12:33 -0400 | From: Margaret Wolff <info@>
I have a customer who is into re enactment of the French and Indian war and the war of 1812. Can any one share information and/or suggest where I
can look for information regarding quilt patterns, fabric, and clothing styles from these years? My knowledge and books seem to stop about 1840. Thank you for any information you can give me. Margaret
From: “Candace Perry” <candace@>
Margaret, in terms of clothing, Jas. Townsend & Son catalog is great…with patterns and useful info for GENERAL French/Am and War of 1812 stuff. www.jastown.com I’ll defer to a great quilt mind for that info! Candace Perry
From: “Barbara Obaker” <bobaker@>
I am trying to plan a customized mini quilt shop hop for eastern-central Ohio. Can anyone recommend shops not to miss? I’m considering the area around Berlin/Charm/Kidron, etc. So far I have put on my itinerary:
Miller’s Dry Goods in Charm, OH Seams Sew Simple in Wilmot, OH Grandma Fannie’s Quilt Barn in Berlin, OH
I’m trying to plan a full one-day trip from Pittsburgh, PA. I have been using the Quilter’s Travel Companion as a resource, but would value your thoughts.
Thanks you all so much for your input! Barb
As a “bonus” stop, is Lehman’s in Kidron any different than Lehman’s in Mt. Hope? In other words, if one better to stop at than the other? (Lehman’s sells supplies for the Amish www.lehmans.com)
From: “sue reich” <suereich@>
I just visited that area on my way to the opening of the Marie Webster House. Add to your agenda; Helping Hands in Berlin and Lone Star Quilt Shop on the road between Heini’s Cheese Shop (you can sample enough cheese
here to call it a lunch stop), and Wilmot. I envy you the visit. Mrs. Miller’s has amazing fabric. Eat at Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek and please have a piece of fresh blackberry pie for me. sue reich, a transplanted Ohioan
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 04 13:11:58 -0400 | From: “Lynne Z. Bassett” <lzbassett@>
Hi Teddy and All,
Just a little more about quilt frames hung from the ceiling. I had dinner Sunday evening with my friend the architectural historian and he said
that he knew of no architectural or documentary evidence for such a practice in New England, and he also got no responses to the question from his architectural history list. We wondered if the Maine house museum that interpreted a quilt frame hanging from the ceiling was possibly misunderstanding the purpose of hooks in the ceiling for hanging bed curtains (for those who didn’t have a high-post bed)??
Best, Lynne
> I want yall to know that I am keeping a list of your answers concerning > ceiling hung frames. SO far, there have only been one or two that did not > appear in the deep south. I just hate it when info like that skews
my > theory! >
From: Feedsackfanatic@
Lynne,
I posted an earlier message on this subject, saying that my aunt in Medford, MA had a quilt frame hanging from the ceiling. I know it was there in the 40’s and maybe earlier, but I wasn’t around then to know when she actually first had it hanging.
Paula
From: Sally Ward <sallytatters@>
Out of curiosity I asked well-known British quilter and quilt historian Lilian Hedley about quilt frames in the North East of the UK (home of
the Durham quilt). This is her reply. I’ve seen English illustrations of them on trestles and chair backs, but not suspended. I’ve not seen much evidence at all of the sort of X-frame stands you seemed to have.
Sally W
Hi Sally, yes frames hung from the ceiling in very small cottages, but they didnt work on them suspended. It was purely somewhere to store them because of lack of space, If you recall the old fashioned clothes pulley to dry washing, they used the same idea to store the frame, they would have been swathed in an old sheet to keep them clean. Lilian
From: “Monica MacDonald” <jmacdon6@>
Using a lap hoop with a quilt quite loose in it has always helped me get small, consistent stitches and I also like that it helps support the weight of the quilt. I never liked having to turn the hoop all the time and
after taking a trapunto class from John Flynn, I was inspired to learn to also quilt with my thumb. It was a horrible, grumbling struggle at first (I pulled out so many stitches!!) but it was well worth it. Now I can quilt in any direction without moving anything so now the quilting process goes much quicker, not to mention less wear and tear on the quilt itself. At John Flynn’s class, he called hoop quilting the “truck driver’s way” of quilting…all that hoop turning! Monica MacDonald in Maine – summer is finally here (with a vengeance!)
From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
This inquiry came my way, and if there is anyone in the Columbia, SC area who can speak with this man, he would be most appreciative.
Amazing timing!
Judy Schwender
Hi,
While cleaning out my grandmother’s house recently, we have found what appears to be an old quilting frame. We’re not exactly sure what it is to be honest, but I was hoping that you might be able to steer me in the right direction to finding out some more information.
Thanks, Rock Ratterree Columbia SC rratterreescana.com rratterreesc.@
From: Julie Silber <quiltcomplex@>
Hi, My fast-disappearing memory can not recall in which publication there was an article about quilts related to tobacco. I know there was an exhibition (and perhaps a publication…?) in Newton, Kansas at Bethel College seven or eight years ago. I believe it was called “Better Choose Me” — and the guest curator was Ethel Abrahams. Can anyone enlighten
me as to publications or articles on this project? Many thanks, Julie SIlber
From: “Newbie Richardson” <pastcrafts@>
The best book for clothing of the period is Linda Baumgarten’s : What Clothes Reveal, the Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America. Yale University Press and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 01. For detailed sketches of museum clothes with measurements see Costume in Detail: 1730 – 1930 by Nancy Bradfield. Also, there is a wonderful online source of info and classes offered by The Regency Garderobe.(www.regencygarderobe.com.) Louisa is an “amateur” scholar
of this period and nobody knows more about the minutia of the costuming – French or English or Colonial than she! The best source for patterns is a Canadian site : www.5rivers.org.
She sells every historic pattern still in print – with critiques of the authenticity of each line. She has done us all a great service. My favorite pattern is the one put out by Folkwear: “Empire Dress”. I alos like the early federal period dress by Kanik’s Korner Patterns. Finally, if you need plus sizing, the Mode Bagatelle has a regency pattern that goes up to size 24. Her pattern work is all wrong – but the look is right if
one is not being judged on authenticity. Fabrics are the exact opposite of the late 18th century. The fashion was for pastels and light weight cottons. However, there were also the “drab style” prints – all the ‘sadd’ colors which did not show the dirt: ochre, indigo, dark grounds with small repeats. A wonderful book is by our own Lynn Bassett: Textiles for Clothing of theEarly Republic: 1800 – 1850 – with real swatches to feel! Her bibliographyis right on the money. It is available from Q Graphics. teir website is: www.sallyqueenassociates.com. Actually, I have had luck shopping in the drapery department for reproduction fabrics. There are some wonderful curtain sheers imported from India and Pakistan that have the look and feel of of c 1810. Finally, this period has a devoted folowing thanks to Jane Austen, with all kinds of sites chock full of information. Newbie Richardson The Costume and Textile Specialists Appraisals, Conservation, & Exhibition Alexandria and Richmond, Va
From: Loretta Woodard <Lwoodard@>
There’s a brief write-up with a nice photo on the current Hawaiian quilt exhibit at Mission Houses Museum that appeared in the Sunday Honolulu Advertiser, online at http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/04/Aug/01/il/il17a.html. The photo shows a Hawaiian redwork quilt, embroidered over a wholecloth surface, a four-block style, appliqued over a wholecloth surface, and
a classic eight-fold Hawaiian applique. In the close-up image of the silversword, the narrowness of the needle-turned applique cut from grey Indian Head cotton is something else to see. No escaping threads, no obviously knobby end points.
I would also like to point out that the only “theme” the museum curator came up with was the title of the exhibit, expressed correctly in the
article as “I just noticed the majority of them [Hawaiian applique quilts] had floral designs,” said Vitarelli, who came up with this year’s theme. ” The development of the theme [which actually is The Nature of Hawaiian Quilts] as expressed in the room themes mentioned in the article and everything else in the exhibit except for the quilts themselves, and the truly wonderful photographs by two University of Hawaii students, were the work of the guest curator [moi]. Sigh.
I risk expressing this bit of frustrated egoism in the belief that I am among friends, many of whom, I know, have experienced, first-hand, being the best-kept secret of an exhibition. —– Laurie Woodard Hawaiian Quilt Research Project PO Box 691 Kailua, HI 96734
From: Xenia Cord <xenia@>
The tobacco article was in Uncoverings in 00: “‘Better Choose Me’: Addictions to Tobacco, Collecting, and Quilting, 1880-19,” by Ethel Abrahams and Rachel Pannabecker, 79-105. (That’s volume 21 of the Research Papers of the American Quilt Study Group).
Xenia
From: “Charlotte Bull” <charlou@>
re clutching! I sent private letter to person who asked me about what I meant when I said I “clutch quilted.” I’m glad others answered via list. I had no idea so many others enjoyed this Freedom!!! May I mention that I do a pretty good job of thread basting first! I have done big quilts, but I often do smaller ones for walls & cribs. My only comment is that I do not mix the two – clutch & hoop/frame as the tension varies. I prefer
to do the entire quilt by whichever method I choose – and 99 out of 100 of my quilts were CLUTCHED!!! I love to do extremely intricate quilt designs such as feathered plumes! So nice to be able to twist & turn and be flexible! cb
From: “Laurette Carroll” <rl.carroll@>
Hi Julie, Dorothy Cozart wrote an article in The Quilt Digest V, titled When the Smoke Cleared, that features some wonderful tobacco premium quilts. In addition to the article in Uncoverings by Ethel Abrahams and Rachel Pannabecker, they wrote an article for Quilters Newsletter featuring these tobacco related quilts and other items. Laurette
From: “Peter LEATE” <crafters@>
I lusted for a trip to see the Mission Houses Exhibition but could not find the slot to go. Having just done workshops with Mary Cesar in April I am still developing what I learned. the article give me a minute taste of what is being missed- thank you Peter from OZ (a QHL lurker)
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 04 23:01:48 -0400 | From: “Sharon in NC” <patchworksecrets2@>
Just wanted to drop a quick thank you for everyone’s top 5. I managed
to give DH a nice little list of books I don’t have yet for my birthday next week…lol.. Thanks again for sharing all your wisdom and knowledge.
Sharon in NC
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 04 17:52:39 -0400 | From: “Dana Bard” <mooseisland@>
I need to introduce myself as a new list subscriber. I have been a quilter for years and always very interested in the histories of quilters. Until last year, I was also working on a Ph.D. in Composition & Rhetoric in
the University of Illinois Dept of English with an interest in feminist issues. After a diagnosis of stage III breast cancer, my partner and I decided to change our lives. We’ve moved to his home state of Maine where we live on the Passamaquoddy Bay near the Canadian border–“way” Down East. I am thoroughly enjoying a quieter, more creative and more contemplative life than academia allowed, though I miss the intellectual work—and play.
My interest in this list is at least two-fold: I’m seriously considering pursuing certification as a quilt appraiser, and I’m very interested in listening to your engaging conversations.
Teddy, my mother was raised in Quinter, Kansas, in the s & 30s by her Dunker (Church of the Brethern) and German descent grandparents. She was raised in the simple life with a grandmother who quilted all the time. My mother told me about her frame that was suspended from the ceiling of
their parlor, a room the children were not normally allowed into. Quinter in is northwestern Kansas and is still a largely Dunker population. That grandmother was born and raised in Franklin County, Virginia, where I’m sure her family taught her how to use that ceiling frame system. I just wish I had that treasure as her great-granddaughter.
Dana Bard Perry, Maine
From: munsey@
Jean:
When I first learned Hawaiian applique from Deborah Kakalia back in the early 1980s, she used “Fiesta” 100% cotton in the pillow kits sold at
her Bishop Museum classes. On the same trip I purchased a pillow made by
a quilter on the Big Island in which a good quality polyester cotton blend was used. The 100% cotton is easier to turn under as the poly-cotton tends to “bounce”. However, after all these years with periodic periods of rest and display, my “Fiesta” pillow has faded and the poly-cotton
is still bright. That said, when I have inquired of Elizabeth Akana, Elaine Zinn, and Laurie Woodard, among others, the answers seemed to boil down to the fact that fabric could be hard to come by, at times, in the Hawaiian Islands, and choice of fabric and thread was limited by that factor. So, Hawaiian quilters did what quilters have always done – used what was available. “Fiesta” cotton seems to be carried mostly by shops which cater to customers using an Amish quilt palette. I rarely find it any more. Unless you are skilled in needleturn applique, you may find it difficult to avoid “whiskers” and bumps at sharp narrow corners when using some of the heavier available solids. The solution is to select a style which is less demanding at the points and curves. The Bali batiks make beautiful Hawaiian style quilts. Contemporary Hawaiian quilters like Mary Cesar use batiks with lovely results.
Perhaps Laurie Woodard can expand on this based on the findings of the Hawaiian documentation project.
Sandra on Cape Cod
From: “deb” <debquiltingposs.com>
I believe Benartex is doing the closest thing to a solid black Batik.
I have some at the store & it’s pretty nice. They are also doing a solid white.
Debbie in NJ
From: “Lloyd E. Miller” <lemillernycap.@>
Sorry I’m so slow to add this to the quilt frame discussion. Life does get in the way!
I have 3 examples of early New England frames: The first has “I” shaped ends, about 32 inches wide, carefully crafted with mortise and tenons. The rails are 8 sided rather than round, with strips of wool nail along the length. To hold the rail in place as it’s rolled, it has a hand made
wooden ratchet wheel, the teeth fitted with a tin strip to protect them. The base is shaped rather than just a rectangle in what I have been told by someone knowledgable in early furniture is a very early style. It came from a
Pawlet VT family.
The second is four legs, carefully chamfered, with a wooden clamp built into the top. Again, it is mortise and tenon construction, with a hand made wooden screw. The 4 rails are 1 x 2’s with blue and white mattress ticking nailed along the edge. To use it as our guild did this year to work on a raffle quilt, we pinned the opposite sides to two of the boards balanced on chairs. The other two boards would put in place, the legs put in place by fastening the clamps, and the chairs were removed. We then pinned the
sides in place. We ended with a stable frame the right height. For use in
the house as the quilt was rolled and was smaller, I substituted shorter side rails. Every time my husband sees the hand work the clamp-legs, he marvels at it. Interestingly, the wood seems to have been recycled from something else: the legs have some unexplained notches and pegs not explained by current function. It took less than 5 minutes to set it up in place, equally fast to take it down.
The third isn’t technically a frame, but instead are 4 hand-wrought c-clamps that my husband found at an antique show and fell in love with. What
is interesting is the note, dated with a postmark 1938: “These clamps with their screws father made when they lived in Rupert
Mt. (VT) and the quilting bars for mother when they were young and happily married. The thimble like ferrules are some father had before 1847.” The thimble like ferrules, 2 of them, referred to were included with the clamps and are what I would call a taylor’s thimble with no top.
The sense I get from all three of these items is someone created them
with love and care that went beyond just being functional. Isn’t it fun?
Linda Miller in upstate NY
From: Patricia L Cummings <quiltersmuse@>
Julie Silber asks:
Of Ann Orr quilts, — the ones made with little squares — is there a size of square she used or recommended?
I have a quilt made of squares in pink, red, and green and white. The overall picture ends up a wreath and bow. But the size of EACH PIECE is 1.75″ square – pretty big. Aren’t most Ann Orr quilts made with smaller pieces? Please inform us.
Dear Julie:
In the book, Quilting With Ann Orr, she states than any size square can be used and refers readers to page 28 for “Patchwork Patterns”. There, she has three templates: 1 1/2″, 1″, and 1 1/4″ unfinished size (size to cut, and then sew with 1/4″ seam allowance.)
Hope this helps.
Pat Cummings 🙂
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 04 07:39:30 -0500 | From: “Sehoy L Welshofer” <slw4quilts@>
Original email: Subject: Ann Orr quilts From: Julie Silber <quiltcomplexdirecway.com> Of Ann Orr quilts, — the ones made with little squares — is there a size of square she used or recommended?
I have a quilt made of squares in pink, red, and green and white. The overall picture ends up a wreath and bow. But the size of EACH PIECE is 1.75″ square – pretty big. Aren’t most Ann Orr quilts made with smaller pieces? Please inform us. Julie Silber ******************************************** Julie – I have my mother’s wedding quilt 1932- it’s called French Wreath by Ann Orr. It’s all made of squares, and I have the original sandpaper templates and all the leftover material which was kept in a Schrafft chocolates box. (and that’s where they are still kept) I just got them out and measured the templates (there are 2 of them) and they measure 1.25″. I would doubt that they used more than a 1/8″ seam allowance. Guess I’d
have to measure the squares to be sure.
There are some good books out there about Ann Orr’s quilts – especially by Merikay Waldvogel. Merikay gave a talk at the Music City quilt guild a few years ago (Nashville, TN) and she invited anyone who owned an Ann Orr
quilt to bring it to display. I was amazed at how many there were. Some of them looked liked they’d never been used. My mother always had hers on a bed.
What was especially nice was that she also invited Ann Orr’s grandson
and he gave a talk also – a very special day.
Sehoy
“All email scanned by Norton AntiVirus”
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 04 13:10:14 -0400 | From: “gb-best” <vitale@>
Hello,
I found this quilt at an estate sale this week.
I thought it had such an interesting design. Looks like a feathered broken star.
Has anyone ever found a feathered star that was designed this way?
Take a look.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category2221&item3740487228
Any information would be appreciated.
The best!
Donna
From: “BOBBIE A AUG” <qwltpro@>
Gerald E. Roy has a calendar that AQS has just published. It is an
engagement calendar called “Masterpieces in Cloth.” I think you will
find it wonderful. It should be out any day now.
Bobbie A. Aug Author, lecturer, teacher, AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser
From: Julie Silber <quiltcomplex@>
Hi, Does anyone have Barbara Brackman’s current e-mail address? Please e-mail me privately at my new e-mail address:
quiltcomplexdirecway.com (no “T” in direcway”) Thanks, Julie Silber
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 04 14:35:46 -1000 | From: Loretta Woodard <Lwoodard@>
In answer to the question of whether cotton sateen was used historically for Hawaiian quilts, I went into the HQRP database. Of approximately 10 Hawaiian quilts registered, 15 were made using cotton sateen for the applique fabric. A few also used sateen for the
background fabric. Cotton sateen, particularly yellow, also shows up as one of the accent colors in Hawaiian flag quilt medallions. The Kahili Me Na Peahi applique quilt on pp. 32-33 in Hawaiian Quilts, Tradition
and Transition is made entirely of cotton sateen. The quilt can also be seen on the Bishop Museum web site at http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnologydb/detailed.asp? ARTNO1961.105.002.
Kona cotton is very popular among Hawaiian quilters today because it is soft and needles easily. They tend to use a little heavier batt than is common with mainland quilters. The increased loft enhances the look of the contour quilting, increasing the play of light and shadow and also balances the heavier fabrics.
Batiks also are popular here, even with very traditional quilters. And Elizabeth Akana loves to use plain-colored cotton chintz as well, and
either side of the fabric; sometimes both in one piece. —– Laurie Woodard Hawaiian Quilt Research Project PO Box 691 Kailua, HI 96734
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 04 14:52:55 -1000 | From: Loretta Woodard <Lwoodard@>
Nineteenth-century Hawaiian quilters taught by New England missionaries, not surprisingly, used New England-style quilting frames. They adjusted the height of the horses (they refer today to the “quilting horse”) so they could quilt while sitting on the lauhala mat-covered floors. Hawaiian children also were the needle threaders,
played under the horses, and learned to quilt if grandma or mama thought they showed promise. I’ve seen a photo of a full quilt on a clamped frame and supported on chairs. The quilters are seated outside in the grass around the frame. The horses I’ve read about and seen are rectangular and the quilt is attached and rolled as described by others. These are chair height.
I just noticed in the photo of Mrs. Kalei Montgomery quilting at the Mokihana Club exhibit on Kauai in 1933, that she seems to have taken two rectangular quilting horses and placed them side by side to create a square frame so the quilt is opened out flat for demonstration purposes. You can see it in the photo on page 63 in Robert J. Schleck, The Wilcox Quilts in Hawaii. The frame Mrs. Montgomery is quilting on
is the width I’m most familiar with. —– Laurie Woodard Hawaiian Quilt Research Project PO Box 691 Kailua, HI 96734
From: “Dana Bard” <mooseisland@>
I’m hoping someone on the list might be able to help me in my search for Barbara Brackman’s Clues in the Calico. I’m looking for an affordable copy of the text. I know that it’s available via inter-library loan, however, because it’s such a seminal text, I’d like to own my own copy. I need this for appraiser education to become AQS certified.
Thank you for any help you can suggest.
Dana Bard mooseisland@
From: “Jan Drechsler” <quiltdoc@>
For those of you who have written so eloquently re this subject, after Jean brought up the HIPV connection, the person to e-mail referencing course HIS 131 is:
Ana M. Gaillat Associate Dean of Academic Affairs8BHumanities Ext. 1221 gaillatgcc.mass.edu
Greenfield Community College is a half hour from U of MA at Amherst, Smith in Northampton and north of Mount Holyoke College, considered the 5 college region. The paper copy catalog did not have as elaborate a write-up as wha t Jean sent. The two instructors are Anderson, where the class meets at Smit h and Heaslip at GCC.
Regards, Jan
— Jan Drechsler in Vermont Quilt Restoration; Quilting teacher www.sover.net/~bobmills
From: “Jocelyn Martin” <jocelynm@>
Dana, Welcome! Here in Eastern Kansas, we have the Dunkard church- with a D at both ends. :)They call themselves the German Baptists. They are ‘plain’ people, but not as strict as Amish, in that they can use electrical and mechanical equiptment for business but not for entertainment. For example, their tractors have air conditioning and radios, but the latter is used to get the farm markets, not for entertaining the farmer as he plows. 🙂 I know many of the women quilt, and they do fine hand quilting. I don’t know if quilting is considered business or entertainment, though! 🙂 When I was a child, Dunkard women wore dark plaids and patterns in their dresses. They still use the same pattern, but now use a wider range of colors. I’ve even seen them in dresses with floral prints on a mostly white background. I’ve not seen any in solid dresses, though; perhaps that’s to differentiate themselves from the Amish. The children also are wearing more fashionable clothes than they did when I was a child; it’s hard to tell a Dunkard child from any other child now (with the possible exception of manners!):)
From: “Karen” <charter.net>
I’ve seen either Dunkard or New Order Mennonites at the airport in Pittsburgh; I was visiting relatives and saw a woman and little girl. The woman was in a dark dress with a little cap, the girl was in a floral dress with a similar cap, and the man was conventionally dressed except for a full beard. The girl was wearing sneakers, too. 🙂
Karen Evans
