October 29 – November 2, 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:
- Feathered Star Reference Book — Continued discussion of feathered star quilt block history and a reference book on the pattern.
- Museums with Notable Quilt Collections — A crowd-sourced list of museums around the country with strong quilt holdings. (see the article on quilt museums)
- Hmong Story-Cloth Traditions — Discussion of Hmong story-cloth needlework and applique techniques, sparked by a graduate thesis.
- 2004 Election-Season Political Textiles — Members share examples of political quilts and textiles tied to the 2004 U.S. presidential election.
Date: Fri, 29 Oct | From: Midnitelaptop@
i live alone and don’t access the outside world much…and so my quilt lists are messages from friends and acquaintances interested in the same avocation as me…. pleeeeeeese no matter how clever, cute, funny, witty, sweet…you think any message might be unless it is directly related to quilts/quilting/quilt history….send it personally to one or all of your friends/family…but not to the qhl list….it will keep our wonderful list harmonious, informative and maybe spam free.. jeanL
From: “J. G. Row” <JudyGrow@>
I’ve tried to respond to Charlotte privately, but her e-mail keeps bouncing. Some of you may also be interested in her response to me, which follows my thanks.
Thanks, Charlotte,
So, I didn’t have to re-invent the wheel after all. I’ll have to buy the book. I’ll bet there is no fudging to make it come out right in M McC’s as there is in mine!
Judy, aka the Ringoes Kid judygrow@
From: “Lynne Z. Bassett”
Dear Friends,
Help!! I am working diligently on a lecture for the Litchfield Historical Society’s quilt symposium on November 12th, and I realize that I really need a slide of the 1836 anti-slavery quilt that is owned by SPNEA. The fellow who usually shoot slides for me is flat on his back with a herniated disk. Do any of you have a slide of this quilt that I could borrow? I promise to return it promptly! Please contact me off-list if you can help. Thanks!
Best, Lynne
From: Hazelmacc@
One of the most memorable exhibits for me was that “Quilted for Friends: Delaware Valley Signature Quilts, 1840-1855. They had a wonderful catalogue as well and in it is the following: “Signature quilts first began to appear in profusion in the early 1840s, beginning in the Middle Atlantic states where they preaked in popularity between 1841 and 1846. The mid-decade the fad had begun to spread north to New England, south to Virginia and west to Ohio.” The exhibit was in 1986. Perhaps with many quilt searchs having been completed, the above statement might now be altered. Has anyone studied these points?
Another statement: “The practice of writing on cloth did not begin with signature quilts. One precedent was the centuries-old convention of marking linens with owner’s name or initials”. And we know that many earlier quilts were marked with those delightfully cross-stitched names.
Rather late in responding but am enjoying this topic.
Hazel Carter in No. Va.
From: “J. G. Row”
I love the sub-title of McCloskey’s new book. She put it down at the very bottom of the cover where you can easily miss it — “Really Hard Blocks That Take A Long Time To Make.” I was able to pick it up at my local quilt shop today and am eager toturn off the computer and spend an hour with it.
I’ve always loved her books but I don’t know if I’ll make a feathered star quilt. It would be more likely if she’d have included some paper foundation piecing patterns.
Judy, aka the Ringoes Kid judygrow@
From: louise-b
I made several recently using Marti Michell’s template set P and included the star in the center so the idea has been around for some time. I probably have some in my picture files for that pattern also.
The Talula Bottoms books are a good example of family documented quilts.
Louise Bequette — in mid-Missouri
From: “Lucinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
Two great quotes from the newly arrived Blanket Statements (newsletter of the American Quilt Study Group): “It’s never the quilt you buy that you regret. It’s always the one you don’t buy.” Joyce Gross “Just looking at something is a perfectly valid excuse to pay a great deal of money.” Barbara Brackman Cinda on the Eastern Shore feeling like I really need to go to an auction
From: “Brenda & Roger Applegate”
I want to thank all of you that made suggestions Because the comments were varied, I wasn’t sure what to do. I went digging in some of my books and discovered that Brackman wrote that most log cabins were tied. That is what I have decided to do. I don’t think that the original was quilted nor tied on the front, so I am putting the ties on the back.
It is nice to be able to come up with a variety of ideas through this group! Again, many thanks.
Brenda Applegate
Two great quotes from the newly arrived Blanket Statements (newsletter of the American Quilt Study Group): “It’s never the quilt you buy that you regret. It’s always the one you don’t buy.” Joyce Gross “Just looking at something is a perfectly valid excuse to pay a great deal of money.” Barbara Brackman Cinda on the Eastern Shore feeling like I really need to go to an auction For Cinda and all the Mid-Atlantic folks wanting to see quilts for sale, there are 3 nice antiques shows this coming weekend at the York Fairgrounds. All have quilt dealers. Jim Burk’s Greater York Show opens at 3:00 PM Thursday, Nov. 4th. early buyers. Barry Cohen’s Show, York Country Classics opens Friday, Nov. 5th, 7:00 AM, early buyers. Frank Gaglio’s Pennsylvania Antiques opens Friday, Nov. 5th at 9:00 AM. Regular charge, no early buyers. All shows are open all day Friday and Saturday at regular $10 unlimited re-admission, discount with card.
Trish Herr 717.569.2268 2363 Henbird Lane Lancaster, PA 17601
From: Trishherr@
Got a call from Pennsylvania Antiques Show at York show promoter Frank Gaglio that the Keno brothers, Les and Lee of “Antiques Roadshow” and “Find” fame, will be at our show on Friday, Nov. 5th. They will be filming a segment of their TV show “Find.” Sounds like fun. Frank told us to “dress up nice.” Maybe they will look at quilts???
Trish Herr
From: Diane Shink
Dear Quilt Lovers It was great to see so many of you at AQSG ,what a super weekend, it added a greatly to our drive across North America. I am finally caught up with e -mails and loved the camel hair thread. I see a lot of wool quilts and ones stuffed with wool in Eastern Canada. The recent digest sent me to our cedar closet where I resurrected my Camel hair coat, purchased 20 years ago. The label states 100% camel hair and is navy , not the traditional fawn colour . I still wear it on occasion so will not cut it up for samples for our next seminar but it looks and feels like a wool blanket brushed nap, like we saw on the Pendleton woolen mill tour. I have vivid memories of my MIL and her mother ,dressed for a fall outing in their camel hair coats , matching brown purses, hats and yes gloves.
I am currently trying to avoid textile collecting ,concentrating on organizing and production but this would be an excuse to find a camel hair coat for samples, I gave my Mother- in -laws away 10 years ago but I am sure there are many in Montreal closets yet form the era when ladies wore coats in the fall, before it was cold enough to get out their minks . I checked Florence Montgomery and she has not listed camel hair in her textile dictionary. The oxford dictionary states it is fine soft hair used in artists brushes ,fabric made of this. Incidently Viyella ,a wool cotton blend in a twill weave is not mentioned in either book but I see quite a lot of it in quilts here and used it in my two colour study for the seminar. Great to be back on the list, how many years has QHL been in existance? Cheers and Happy Halloween Diane M Shink, Montreal
From: “Janet” <right2me2003@> Date
Thanks so much for the help. I have ordered the book about Talula Bottoms and eagerly await it’s arrival. I almost ordered ‘Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in History and Memory’, but didn’t. Will probably regret it by the time Legacy arrives, and will have to place another order.
Thanks so much for all your help. Janet
From: “Andi Reynolds” <andi0613@>
Hello List,
It is widely held that there are 12 quilt-specific museums in the US. I count nine: Kalona Quilt and Textile M., Latimer Q & T Center, La Conner Q.M., MAQS, NEQM, The People’s Place QM, Rocky Mountain QM, San Jose M of Q&T, Virginia QM. Can comeone fill me in on the other three? Does IQSC consider itself a quilt museum? Thanks.
Andi in Keota, Iowa
From: KennaleeM@
Hello – I’m a big-time lurker but I recently heard something about Camel hair brushes . . just not sure where I heard it, could it have been Jeopardy?? Anyway, camel hair brushes aren’t made of camel hair, but squirrel hair. They were named Camel after the guy who invented them, Mr. Camel. Kennalee, wondering if he invented Camel hair coats, too???
From: “Karen Evans”
I think the Hall of Fame would count.
Corollary: does anyone have a list of museums with good quilt collections? The ones I can think of in the Northeast are the Wadsworth Atheneum (Hartford, CT), Shelburne Museum (Vermont – and it might well be the largest), the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), the Met (New York), the Smithsonian (Washington), Winterthur (Delaware), Old Sturbridge Village (MA), the Museum of Our National Heritage (MA), Historic Deerfield (MA), Cooper Hewitt (New York), Colonial Williamsburg (VA), and the Textile Museum (Washington). The Brooklyn Museum (NY) and the Gardner Museum (Boston) have some very old quilts but are reluctant to give out information/let anyone examine them, to the point of paranoia in the case of the Gardner.
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 10:55:54 -0500 | From: “J. G. Row” <JudyGrow@>
Don’t forget the Newark Museum, Newark NJ, which has a fine collection and has mounted some spectacular shows.
And of course, the Heritage Center in Lancaster, PA, (Home of the ex-Esprit Collection)
Judy, aka the Ringoes Kid judygrow@
Date: Mon, 01 Nov | From: Joan Kiplinger <jkip@>
Art and brush supply houses describe camel hair brushes as a trade term for various inexpensive hairs such as pony, bear, sheep, and lesser grades of squirrel mixed together and supposedly named after the man who originated it. Actual camel hair is not used. But camel hair per se was mixed with other soft hairs for stuffing in vrious types of soft upholstery such as pillows.
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 | From: “Karen Evans”
Not to mention that the better grades of camel hair are used for tweedy clothing.
Karen Evans
Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2004 | From: Judy Kelius <quilts@>
There is also a book published in 1988 on Quilt Collections in the US & Canada, written by Karen Oshins – lists about 700 institutions with quilt collections. I’m not sure how accurate it is today – you can buy a used copy for less than $10 on Amazon. Nice book, hard cover with some color photos.
From: “Candace Perry” <candace@>
Well, you gotta know that I am going to put in my two cents. As we’ve found on the list and I know from personal experience, nearly any small historical society/museum/ and mayhap, historic house in the country is going to have a quilt collection…and some are quite large, I’ve come to find out, and some are tiny. I think it depends, when you’re venturing out to look at quilts, how you wish to see them; as part of their regional material culture, or as collections in art museums. Sure, the art museums are going to have bang-up collections…but I hope (and I am sincerely trying to do this with my institution’s collection) that in a smaller museum you will find that the quilts offer insight into local heritage…that even if they’re not masterworks you’ll leave with a better understanding of regional traditions. One of my greatest sadnesses is provenances that go missing from quilts, or are lost in the aesthetic environment of an art museum. Not to say that quilts dont have their place in such museums…I just personally want to believe that the maker is as important as the quilt. I shall now get off my local yokel soapbox, and go back to ruminating about why I dreamt of John Kerry…whups, politics… Candace Perry
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 08:43:53 | From: <chrisa@>
Hi Andi, This was recently discussed on H-Nets and 11 quilt museums were currently operating, with 2 in the works. You have listed 9. The Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museums is another, and IQSC was included. Wisconsin is starting a quilt museum, and I think the other will be in Washington State, but I’m not sure about that. Anyway, there would soon be 13 quilt museums.
The Michigan St. U. has the Great Lakes Quilt Center, which might be one to consider for a quilt museum, although they don’t always have quilts on display, as this center is part of the larger Cultural Museum. yet, they have a large collection and are a major source of quilt research and information, and related to the Quilt Alliance services.
Kim Wulfert www.antiquequiltdating.com
It is widely held that there are 12 quilt-specific museums in the US. I count nine: Kalona Quilt and Textile M., Latimer Q & T Center, La Conner Q.M., MAQS, NEQM, The People’s Place QM, Rocky Mountain QM, San Jose M of Q&T, Virginia QM. Can comeone fill me in on the other three? Does IQSC consider itself a quilt museum? Thanks.
Andi in Keota, Iowa
From: “sue reich” <suereich@>
“Are there any political textiles for the 2004 Election?” was a frequently heard question at AQSG this year. No one seemed to know. Well, Dah! to all of us. Just look on Ebay and you will find the 2004 designs for both parties. Type in your favorite candidate and the word flag or banner, and there they be. sue reich ——=_
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 | From: <gingram@>
Candace, Forget the nightmare you had last night and focus on the idea from which the observation above stems.
Isn’t it interesting how much effort a museum will put into determining the provenance of a newly discovered painting? how many art history m.a. theses will come out of such a discovery? how much the provenance increases the value of the painting?
And yet many of these same museums treat quilts and some other textiles as “pure,” somehow detached from a particular maker and her life.
I’m curious about what kinds of quilts are in the Gardner Museum (Boston), since I’ve never thought of Isabelle G. as someone who would be interested in domestic textiles of any sort and have never seen quilts displayed there. Perhaps their paranoia stems from that major theft of important paintings several years ago?
Educating the museum community about the need for provenance in quilts is perhaps something the AQSG could undertake in a focused manner. Would the “museum community” pay any attention to such a
From: “Candace Perry” <candace@>
Gail, you didn’t finish your thought…but I wanted to quickly interject… is there a standardized procedure that AQSG endorses for the documentation of quilts? I think Museums would adopt it if were made known, as many of us strive for standardization. Plus it would help small organiziations that don’t have quilty folk at their disposal. How’s this even…a panel discussion at one of our museum conferences…or ALL of them across the U.S. (we have regional conferences, then the granddaddy of them all, AAM) Now I’m excited… Candace
From: “Vivien Sayre” <vsayre@>
I saw some political textiles for the election at Fabric Place in Framingham MA this past Saturday. Sorry, I did not note the manufacturer, but would think it would be easy to find out. They were stars outlined in blue on a white ground with the year and candidates names in the center printed in red. Vivien
Date: Mon, | From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
Has anyone mentioned the collection at the DAR in DC?
Andi in Keota, Iowa
From: “Judy Anne” <anne_j@>
Does anyone here remember anything about Hmong needlework in either Uncoverings or Blanket Statements? I would swear there was something but I’ve dug through all of mine and can’t find any.
Judy Anne in sunny Tucson
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2004 00:35:43 EST | From: KareQuilt@
Please do add The Quilters Hall of Fame to your list as we do have a permanent quilt collection, albeit small at the moment but growing and, in keeping with our Mission Statement, strickly related to our Honorees.
Karen B. Alexander Press Secretary
From: Patricia L Cummings <quiltersmuse@>
No, but I wrote a huge article about Hmong history and needlework on my website: http://www.quiltersmuse.com/hmong_textile_art.htm
Pat Cummings www.quiltersmuse.com * * * * * * *
Does anyone here remember anything about Hmong needlework in either Uncoverings or Blanket Statements? I would swear there was something but I’ve dug through all of mine and can’t find any.
Judy Anne in sunny Tucson
Date: Tue, 2 | From: ZegrtQuilt@
My publication ,done in 1998 for Nihon Vogue in Tokyo, tiitled American Quilt Collections:Antique Quilt Masterpieces introduced many of the quilt collections in museums large and small, and also in some private collections. There were a number of museums that did not respond to the inquiries. Some of them are noted in the back. There were summaries of the holdings for many of them. There are two excellent essays on “what is a masterpiece quilt ” written by Celia Oliver and Jonathan Holstein. In addition I have written an essay on the history and the futre of quilt collecting in the US.. You might want to take a look. It is still available through Amazon and from me directly at my site _www.shellyquilts.com_ (http://www.shellyquilts.com) . Hope this helps.
Shelly Zegart
Shelly Zegart zegrtquilt@ 502-897-7566 _www.shellyquilts.com_ (http://www.shellyquilts.com/) _www.centerforthequilt.org_ (http://www.centerforthequilt.org/)
Date: Tue, 2 | From: ZegrtQuilt@
Hello all, Yes there is standardization available for documenting quilts. Go to _www.quiltindex.org_ (http://www.quiltindex.org) and look at the more than 2000 quilts already on the Index and searchable in many fields. There is a standardized documentation form available to all so that at some point your collection can also be a part of the ever growing index. Our partners at MSU museum and Matrix have been ,along with The Alliance ,letting people know of its availability for a couple of years now. We are fielding numbers of inquiries regularly.
Shelly Zegart Pres. The Alliance for American Quilts
zegrtquilt@ 502-897-7566 _www.shellyquilts.com_ (http://www.shellyquilts.com/) _www.centerforthequilt.org_ (http://www.centerforthequilt.org/)
From: “Andi Reynolds” <andi0613@>
Thanks to everyone who replied about the number of museums dedicated solely to quilts. I do plan to mention, if not discuss, both historical societies and places (not just museums) that house quilt collections. Consider also Shelley Zegart’s 1996 book, “American Quilt Collections, American Quilt Masterpieces,” Nihon Vogue, Ltd., ISBN4-529-02769-4 C5077, which mentions the American Folklife Center’s “Quilt Collections: A Directory for the United States and Canada.”
Andi in Keota, Iowa
From: Anita
Please come visit the New England Quilt Museum between November 4, 2004 and January 8, 2005 to view our latest juried exhibit, “Quilted Cuisine.” Teddy Pruett’s “Cook is a Four-Letter Word” is one of the 41 quilts on display. Nancy Halpern, Sandra Donabed, Sylvia Einstein, Ruth McDowell, Susan Shie & James Acord, & Ami Simms are among the other 45 artists from the US, Canada, Denmark & Japan with quilts on display.
“Quilted Cuisine” features a smorgasbord of quilts, traditional and contemporary, that relate to food. A testament to the versatility of the art quilt, the quilts vary from those that contain food fabric in traditional designs, to realistic imagery, to those using cutting-edge techniques, to abstract pieces that simply refer to food.
For more information on visiting the New England Quilt Museum, see http://www.nequiltmuseum.org
From: Paul and Nancy Hahn <phahn@>
An article in the 1988 “Pieced by Mother” symposium papers, by Sally Peterson is titled, “A Cool Heart and a Watchful Mind-Creating Hmong Paj Ntaub in the Context of Community.” Could this be what you were thinking of, Judy Anne?
Nancy Hahn
From: Patricia L Cummings
Dear Nancy:
Thanks for pointing this out! It is a wonderful article! Among other things, it discusses the sub-groups callec White Hmong, Green Hmong, and Black Hmong, and also includes a lot of information about “story cloths”. Oh what treasures lurk on my bookshelves, only waiting to be re-discovered. Well worth the look! Thank you!
* * * * * * * An article in the 1988 “Pieced by Mother” symposium papers, by Sally Peterson is titled, “A Cool Heart and a Watchful Mind-Creating Hmong Paj Ntaub in the Context of Community.” Could this be what you were thinking of, Judy Anne?
Nancy Hahn
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2004 13:05:16 | From: DDBSTUFF@
Hello all.
Just back from voting and hope you all have as well. Don’t need to know for whom, just hope it wasn’t for Bush.
However that is not my reason for writing.
I need a good rust remover. I used to have a friend in Australia who would send me a product called “Rustiout” (I think) but can’t find it around here. Does anyone out there have a good product or recipe for getting this stuff out of quilts without creating more problems.
I’d appreciate any and all suggestions.
Go Kerry!
From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
I googled “Rustout” and got the following. http://www.montgomerycleaningcenter.com/kleenco/product_details/rust_out.htm http://www.montgomerycleaningcenter.com/sitemap.htm http://www.montgomerycleaningcenter.com/kleenco/info/msds/Rust_Out_MSDS.pdf
The third link is a pdf file of the material safety data sheet. The first link will tell you “HARMLESS TO MOST FABRICS AND COLORS WHEN USED AS DIRECTED. DO NOT USE on metallic-weighted silk, fiberglass fabrics, or fabrics containing metallic yarns. Avoid contact with porcelain glass, enamel ware, etc.: before using on colors test RUST OUT on a small sample or concealed seam. Safe on most colors.” BUT the pdf file lists the ingredients as hydrofloric acid 70%. At least the solubility in water is listed as “complete”. Sounds like a no-no to me. Judy
DDBSTUFF@ wrote: Hello all.
I need a good rust remover. I used to have a friend in Australia who would send me a product called “Rustiout” (I think) but can’t find it around here. Does anyone out there have a good product or recipe for getting this stuff out of quilts without creating more problems.
I’d appreciate any and all suggestions.
Date: Tue, | From: “Jan Drechsler” <quiltdoc@>
The American Folk Art Museum in NYC has a collection of quilts. Thirteen quilts are on exhibit now. One of my regrets is that I didn’t visit that museum when I lived closer. I need to correct that! Anyone want to do a field trip to NYC?
The Peabody Museum in Salem, MA has a quilt collection. But it is not a ‘Quilt Museum’ so doesn’t neccessarily have quilts on exhibit.
What defines the word ‘collection’ as we think about this? Judy Sue wrote of a book with a list of 700 museums which owned quilts. Is a collection more than a certain number of quilts? Is a collection only of quilts in excellent condition or less common genres? I know individuals who own more than a hundred quilts, but they aren’t all of the same caliber as the Shelbourne collection.
As I wonder about the word ‘collection’ I can only say of the Peabody and the American Folk Art Museum that they own some wonderful quilts, but I have no idea how many.
A personal note re my new e-mail address, effective now:
quiltdoc@
Jan — Jan Drechsler in Vermont Quilt Restoration; Quilting teacher www.sover.net/~bobmills
From: “Jan Drechsler” <quiltdoc@>
Candace, Have you checked out the documentation forms at the Quilt Index? It is pretty thorough and while I haven’t used the actual input procedure, I bet it has more information than most museums, other than the 12-13 quilt museums, would think of documenting.
http://www.quiltindex.org/repos_example.php
It seems pretty complete. IMHO, folks who have been working on state documentations could always think of ways to change their forms – but half way through it is too late to rearrange or re-word forms. I like the idea that the Quilt Index folks collaborated with other documentation projects and I believe they asked state projects in progress for copies of their forms.
For those museums without ‘quilty folk’ at their disposal, some education of terms would be proper for consistency in use of any form.
Hope this helps. — Jan Drechsler: NOTE NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS Quilt Restoration; Quilting teacher www.sover.net/~bobmills
is there a standardized procedure that AQSG endorses for the documentation of quilts? I think Museums would adopt it if were made known, as many of us strive for standardization. Plus it would help small organiziations that don’t have quilty folk at their disposal.
