July 20 – 22, 2005
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:
- Sourcing Quilt-Themed Checks and Stationery — Members trade sources for quilt-design personal checks, address labels, and business cards.
- Watermelon Motifs in Antique Quilts — Discussion of watermelon and fruit imagery in antique quilts, especially Baltimore-style appliqué.
- Quilting-Thread Color on Red-and-Green Appliqué — Debate over whether antique quilters used white or colored thread when quilting across red-and-green appliqué designs.
- Identifying a Mystery Printed Portrait — Members work to identify a historical figure printed on a quilt, narrowing in on the Marquis de Lafayette.
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 00:13:38 EDT | From: PatKoerner@
Jessica and others interested in quilt checks I finally found them at Checks in the Mail and the number on the box is 800-733-4443 / www.citm.com I don’t find the name of the design but there are four different quilt designs that are repeated. Double Wedding Ring, Nine Patch, Star and Rolling Stone. Hope they are still available. I have had these for a couple of years. Dont write very many checks so they have lasted a long time. Pat Moore
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 08:16:56 -0500 | From: “Karan Flanscha” <SadieRose@>
Here are some ways I like to “surround” myself with quilts. I have address labels with quilt images: http://www.colorfulimages.com/ Type in Quilt in the search box. I have the BlockBase software by Electric Quilt, and have downloaded the BlockBase screensaver for both my home & work computers. I love watching those blocks spin by 🙂 I have a ‘quilt block a day’ perpetual calendar on my desk at work, always fun to flip it over & see what the new block of the day is 🙂 (A friend gave me another perpetual calendar that features a saying about chocolate for each day of the year, that usually brings a chuckle!!) Since I spend too much time at work, I try to have as much “quilty” stuff around me there as possible. My mouse pad has a Diane Phalen motif. I have 3 quilts that are on the walls all the time, and a small quilt that changes for each holiday/season. I tell my boss he should be paying me “rent” for the art work 🙂 He particularily likes the Amish Chinese Coins quilt I made, that hangs behind my desk. The large calendar on the wall is the Lang American Quilt calendar, in a frame http://www.lang.com/jump.jsp?itemID=5758&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C4%2C4 66&iProductID=5758 I have notepads with quilt motifs (but tend to ‘save’ them, just like that fabric that is too good to cut in to 🙂 I have coffee cups, greeting cards and postcards, jewelry, sweaters & t-shirts – even pocket tissue packs (Kleenex) with quilt motifs. I love the “Heartwood Creek” figurines, by Jim Shore, with quilty motifs. It isn’t hard to find decorative and functional items to keep you thinking quilts, even when you are at work 🙂 Now if some Quilt Angels would just come along & stitch while I slept 🙂 Happy Quilting!! Karan from hot & humid Iowa
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 16:35:16 +0200 | From: Margareta.Faustcec.eu.int
Thanks for the website, Karan! I remembered I have been looking for a place to order business cards, and qhl may be the very people to ask! Although I quite liked what was on this site, I would really like cards with a single colour and motive. I know I have some from dealres and collectors (maybe some of you who are reading this) with say, a basket or Sunbonnet Sue in one corner, slightly raised – I think you get my idea. Any ideas where I could order this – from Europe? Margareta
—–Original Message—– From: Karan Flanscha Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 3:17 PM To: Quilt History List Subject: [qhl] Quilting checks and other ways to show you are a quilting
Here are some ways I like to “surround” myself with quilts. I have address labels with quilt images: http://www.colorfulimages.com/ Type in Quilt in the search box.
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 08:20:51 -0700 (PDT) | From: stephanie drake <gsadrake@>
Checks in the Mail has a quilt design available.
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.@
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 12:09:40 -0400 | From: Sandra G Munsey <munsey@>
Yes, Gail, there definitely are watermelon quilts. Somewhere in my quilt “stuff” I have a contemporary pattern, probably 1980s or 90s, that makes half-square triangle watermelon slices. The blocks were fairly large, 10 or 12 inches maybe, and suggested for a picnic tablecloth or quilt.
Then, there is Rachel Clark’s watermelon outfit – skirt, jacket and accessories, as I recall.
Finally, I had the privilege of borrowing a Pre-Civil War “watermelon” quilt for display at an exhibit I organized in April for an historical society fund raiser. The provenance of the quilt is quite thorough as it is still in the hands of direct descendants. A wedding ambrotype of the maker and her husband exists. She was the daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner in Twiggs County, GA. The quilt was made in 1860-61 and was one of a handful of possessions taken from the plantation in advance of Union armies in 1894. When the family returned to the plantation later, it had been pillaged and burned. The quilt is known in the family as “the watermelon quilt”. It may have been made in conjunction with the birth of the maker’s first child, but most certainly it was made soon after her wedding. Those of us up here in the cradle of Yankee-land felt privileged, indeed, to be able to display this unique quilt. Although, the current caretaker was afraid his ever-so-great Gran might be spinning in her grave! <G>
Unfortunately, DH and I are not into the digital camera world yet, so I cannot post a photo. But I will describe it the best I can. The applique quilt has 6 large blocks separated by sashing . The design is a quatrefoil reminiscent of the Oakleaf block. The center “hub” is yellow. There are 4 watermelons, positioned north, east, south and west. Each is a plump oval – like a watermelon. A smaller oval in the center, looking like a melon with a large slice removed from end to end, appears to be a dark reddish brown and shows effects of a change in color due to aging. Two green crescents surround each brown oval like the outer skin on a watermelon. The condition of the quilt is superb. There is little in the way of foxing on the creamy muslin background of the blocks or on the back. The border and sashing is red (probably madder) calico with a tiny white figure. The size is 56 x 79 inches.
The family contacted Smithsonian at some point for advice about the quilt and ambrotype. However, I do not know if the quilt was seen by the Georgia Quilt Project. If someone from that project would like to know more about the watermelon quilt, please contact me privately.
So, there you have it, Gail, there are watermelon quilts.
Sandra on Cape Cod — where we are having a good dose of watermelon weather right now!
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 17:24:22 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xenia@>
Watermelons are amply represented in Baltimore-style applique quilts, usually shown in footed epergnes or on tables, sometimes sliced and with a knife inserted. See for instance:
Oliver, Enduring Grace. Quilts from the Shelburne Museum Collection, p 29.
Katzenberg, Baltimore Album Quilts, pp. 79 (2 watermelons), 83, 85 (2 watermelons), 87, 89, 93, 105
O’Brien, Home and Country, Early Nineteenth Century Quilts in the DAR Museum, p.45
Xenia
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 19:23:58 -0400 | From: Kathie Holland <kathieholland@>
I will be in Baltimore for a few days in mid August can anyone recommend musuems that I will be able to see antique Baltimore Album Quilts ? Any other interesting things to see and do in the area? Then we are off to Gettysburg for a couple of days and down to Williamsburg…..If you have any recommendations of must see museums and quilt shops in any of these areas I would really appreciate it. thanks, Kathie in NJ Kathie Holland kathieholland@
–Boundary_(ID_ce/NxeMA6wNAsUEuD2cQ9g)–
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 22:39:06 -0600 | From: “JESSICA VAUGHN” <vaughn8047@>
Thank you Pat. I found them, and am ordering them……DH probably won’t like them but he never writes checks anyway….
Jessica M. Vaughn Aurora, CO
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 09:35:56 -0500 | From: “avalon” <malthaus@>
When the quilting went across the appliqué shapes on the 1800’s red/green quilts, was it the white thread of the background quilting or did the thread color change to match the appliqué color?
Mary
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 15:42:20 -0400 | From: “Lucinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
The Studio Quilt Study Group does great field trips. On Tuesday Judy Thompson and Nancy Stewart arranged for us to see the quilts in the collection of the Gloucester County Historical Society in Woodbury, NJ, a town with Quaker roots founded in 1683. The Society owns 88 quilts; we saw 55 of them plus 6 from private collections. It’s amazing we were able to drive home after such sensory overload. There was a real Marseilles coverlet circa 1800 We saw a number of Quaker quilts. One made by Harriet Jones about 1850 had alternating strips of pale green and dark green silk (said to be from wedding dresses) quilted in fans, curved chevrons and cables. It had a back of glazed tan cotton (seen on several other quilts). This was not the same as the fabric used to line garments which we also saw used as quilt backing. Another Quaker example was a silk Lone Star on a green background with clam shell quilting (mid-19th century). It had a pale blue glazed back and is known as the Rebecca Clark quilt. You can see a picture of a third Quaker silk quilt brought by one of our members (1750-1775) on p. 10 of the Best Sort but Plain,” the catalogue of the Brandywine River Museum exhibit curated by Patricia Keller. It has a pale green top and a dark blue wool back. A second, very similar, quilt is in the collection of the Independence National Historical Park. A Quaker quilt from the 1860s was made of silk scraps in the Double X pattern with beautiful running feather quilting. The back of this one is the brown lining fabric. An 1840s 9-Patch variation was accompanied by the 1828 sampler of the maker M.W. Brown. The sampler had many Quaker characteristic. The quilt has an elaborate manufactured fringe. One of the most interesting fabrics was a commemorative with an eagle and the portrait of a military man. J. G. Row thinks it’s Zachary Taylor; I’m not sure about the uniform. I think we should send the picture to Lynne Gorges to see if she can tell us anything about the uniform. I was in signature quilt heaven. There were many from the early 1840s, lots of turkey red fabrics, names stamped and inscribed, some wonderful inking (our favorite was a raccoon commemorating the 1840 election of William Henry Harrison on a Chimney Sweep made by Elma Souder in 1844 ). On p. 75 of “New Jersey Quilts: 1777 to 1950” by the Heritage Quilt Project on New Jersey you can see the 1845 Double X signature quilt we raved about. The strangest thing about this quilt is that its sashing is a pink paisley that if you found a chunk of it at a yard sale would make you think 1940 (The more I learn the less I’m sure of.) On the next page is another quilt which has a back made of the same fabric as the Double X (the back is pictured), an incredible chintz. A second Double X signature quilt dated 1843-44 uses that strange paisley in some of the blocks. The 1845 Prickett Family quilt had sashing and borders of a blue and beige chintz. The blocks were turkey red, yellow, our favorite pistachio green and brown with stamped and inked signatures including some great drawings. An 1843 Chimney Sweep variation (I love that block) used four patches for the squares that surround the center square something none of us had seen before. It looks great. The early blocks were sashed and borders with triple rows of double pink and “poison” green, probably added in the 1870s. The most magnificent quilt of the day was a huge Lone Star (circa 1840) with smaller stars between the blades and various large scale chintzes used as the setting fabrics. Some of us would have been content to spend the rest of the day studying the fabrics in that quilt and imagining women wearing dresses made from them. It had a tape binding (as did many of the quilts we saw) and the back was pieced from a variety of brown prints. I liked an Oak Leaf and Reel in various turkey reds and greens set 6×6 with no sashing or borders. I loved a quilt made by Abigail Ann Leonard Chew, dated August 14, 1854 in which a Carpenters Square alternates with peony blocks and turkey red Diagonal Crosses form the sashing. That’s not a very good description, but it’s an amazing quilt. A large scale President’s Wreath (22″ square) has no sashes or borders. The name A. L. Horner is stamped in all four corners (better safe than sorry); it has a double pink back. A Mexican Rose 9 block has a vine and flower border but no sashing. An exquisite Modified 9-Patch with a wide drab chintz border with a shell motif, circa 1840, was donated by a woman who thought it was ugly! There was a Postage Stamp of 3/4″ squares “made by a small boy who was sick.” Wonder how he felt when he got finished. In 1865 one Rev. Zane was presented with, not one, but two signature quilts: one a Maple Leaf and Reel in red, white and green is inscribed “from the people of the Fourth Ward; the second is a flag (red, white and blue, of course) from the members of his church. This is nowhere near a complete account of the day, but it’s all you’re getting from me. I’m exhausted. If you don’t belong to a study group join one. If you can’t find one start your own. There really are lots of people out there like us and it’s such fun when we get together. Cinda on the Eastern shore where like most of the eastern US it’s too hot to go out. .
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:18:50 -0500 | From: “Laura Syler” <texas_quilt.co@>
My experience has been that the majority of the quilting thread changed colors. Not always, but most times. And particularly in the green areas. Flipping the quilt over reveals the color change, and not always to red or green….I’ve seen a lot of brown colors. Some of those may have been home dyed and fugitive.
Laura Hobby Syler Certified Appraiser of Quilted Textiles Quilt restoration specialist Richardson, Texas
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 17:51:16 -0400 | From: Vivien Sayre <vsayre@>
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 17:12:51 -0400 > To: “Quilt History List” <qhl@> >From: Vivien Sayre <vsayrenesa.com> > Subject: Re: [qhl] washing quilts > > >Teddy and All, >Here’s one for the books. I was brought a quilt by a client who said she >had put the thing into a bucket with soap and warm water and used a >plunger to agitate it. The quilt however was beautiful. >Vivien > >P.S. Same “DISCLAIMER” as Teddy > > > >At 04:08 PM 7/18/2005 -0400, you wrote: >>When I began appraising quilts many years ago, I often told my husband >>that I was going to write down the wild stories I heard and keep note of >>the hysterically funny or downright bizarre things/stories that came >>across my table. I was well intentioned, but I fear I did not keep my >>promise, and a good boks’ worth of great stories have left my feeble >>brain. One story has not escaped me, however, and it has to do with washing. >> >>DISCLAIMER: I do not and am not endorsing the use of Stanley – or any >>other product here – just relating a tale. The stuff may have been >>ancient – I think my Mom still has a bottle she purchased in >>1954 just before we moved to Okinawa. Teddy P >> >>_________________________________________________________________
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 15:13:27 -0700 (PDT) | From: Laura Fisher <laurafisherquilts@>
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Hi all–A client wants indigo and white quilts for her yacht (can you imagine!) and is reluctant to use antiques because these will likely need frequent washing. If I choose to get involved in such a project, who or where would be the best resource to create new pieced quilts for her, copying old pattern(s). And, which fabric line or quilt shop might have reproduction 1880s indigo blue printed fabric to use for this purpose? Any leads would be appreciated.
And, re quilty stuff all around us—I am amused to notice that nearly every day there’s an article in the New York Times that uses a quilt reference to comment on some social issue crisis–i.e., a crazy quilt of regulations”, “a patchwork of run-down buildings…”etc. For a while I clipped them out in case they would find re-use in a lecture or article, but now that they appear so often, my interest seems to be waning. Does this occur in your local papers?
I remember way back when I first started handling quilts part-time, my boss at the NYC Human Rights Commision had significant input on Jesse Jackson’s Presidential campaign; he made an eloquent speech using patchwork quilt references to describe the multi-ethnic multi-racial nature of the people of the U.S.
Laura FIsher
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 21:07:21 EDT | From: Jccullencrew@
Hi Cinda, Thank you for describing the wonderful quilts you saw recently. We hate to miss them, but love to read about what treasurers you saw. I appreciate your posting so those of us who can’t go can enjoy hearing about your delightful day. Carol Grace
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 12:29:11 +0100 | From: Sally Ward <sallytatters@>
>> Here’s one for the books. I was brought a quilt by a client who said >> she had put the thing into a bucket with soap and warm water and used >> a plunger to agitate it. The quilt however was beautiful.
Would that plunger be what we would call a ‘posser’, as opposed to a ‘dolly’? If so, the washing process would have been efficient but quite gentle. The posser doesn’t actually agitate the item, but rather it presses down as gently as if it was the flat of your hand pressing down, but because of the domed design and holes for water flow it in fact forces the water through it quite strongly. No agitation, no fist-like squeezing. DD and I both use modern possers regularly for small or delicate hand washes, and just a few plunges with the posser thoroughly wash without friction or stress on the garment.
A dolly on the other hand, with rods sticking out at an angle and a top handle for vigorous twisting, is quite a brutal implement of agitation.
Halfway down this page, on the right, is a picture of a posser with a many-legged dolly standing next to it. In best English tradition the pictures feature small children being made to do the work <GGG>
http://tinyurl.com/8568y
Sally W in the UK
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 04:49:56 -0700 (PDT) | From: stephanie drake <gsadrake@>
I have such an applique quilt and the quilting stitches went right across the appliques and were done in white thread, allover diagonal parallel lines. The applique wasn’t too finely done and the stitching was also done in white thread.
> > > When the quilting went across the appliqué shapes > on the 1800’s red/green > quilts, was it the white thread of the background > quilting or did the thread > color change to match the appliqué color? > > Mary > > > > > > i
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Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 07:52:16 -0400 | From: joan kiplinger <jkip@>
Sally — Thanx for the demos. I noticed your term mangle is what the colonies call a wringer; and our mangle is a large electric ironer with a lidded top; great for pressing sheets and other flat items. Not sure if the term mangle is in use today; it generally went off mass market around the late 1950s when no-iron sheets and later poly fabrics became standard. However, the machine hung in there and enjoyed a revival in the 1980s to now. Not sure what the various names are for this machine today. Someone may know who has one????
Sally Ward wrote:
> > Halfway down this page, on the right, is a picture of a posser with a > many-legged dolly standing next to it. In best English tradition the > pictures feature small children being made to do the work <GGG> > > http://tinyurl.com/8568y > > > > >
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 13:57:09 +0100 | From: Sally Ward <sallytatters@>
> Sally — Thanx for the demos. I noticed your term mangle is > what the colonies call a wringer;
Hmm……’wringing’ is what you do with your hands <G>…I was taught in school to make a rope-like twist to wring items out, and always to position the hands so that you increased the twist with the left hand facing upwards, twisting clockwise and the right hand facing upwards twisting anti-clockwise. Very hard to describe, but it means the wrists and arms are working towards each other. This was supposed to be least strenuous position.
I notice that wringing and mangling seem to have interchangeable meanings on the adverts on that site. I think ‘mangle’ was seen as an old-fashioned term, because when my Mother got a Hoover washing machine in the early 60s it definitely had a ‘wringer’ on the top, not a ‘mangle’, whereas Grandmother still had a ‘mangle’ in her outhouse <G>
Sally W
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 09:07:31 -0400 | From: “Nancy Gibbs” <izannah1@>
Back when I was a child my dad and grandfather had a laundry and drycleaning plant, and several of the older employees called the big flatwork ironers “mangles,” while my other grandmother called a wringer a “mangle.” So for me growing up in Iowa in the 50’s the term had both uses, but only by older people. For people of my parents’ generation, neither term was used.
Nancy G. in PA —– Original Message —– From: Sally Ward To: Quilt History List Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 8:57 AM Subject: [qhl] Re: washing quilts
> Sally — Thanx for the demos. I noticed your term mangle is
> what the colonies call a wringer;
— ——=_NextPart_001_067F_01C58E9C.CADE3610–
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 16:13:53 +0200 | From: Margareta.Faustcec.eu.int
Hello all, I have just returned from a holiday on the island of La Réunion – a French territory in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. There I saw a couple of yo-yo/puff pieces at flea markets, they did not look very spectacular so I didn’t bother. I then found out that they are a local tradition, called tapis mendiant – i.e. ‘beggar’s rug’. A Google search did not yield a lot, a glossary of local terms http://www.bibliotheque.refer.org/html/reunion/lexique/tapismen.htm
says (for those who don’t read French) ‘a patchwork made of pieces of fabric in different colours, used as bedspreads, tablecloths or wall-hangings’. It says it’s made up of ‘rosaces’ and when looking under that word, I found the description of the yo-yos/puffs. Wish I could return to this lovely island to do some more investigation and maybe bring back a piece for study!! Most of all, I would like to know HOW this particular technique emerged /got there. Influence or independent invention?? The word is also used metaphorically, especially when the population of multi-ethnic origin describe themselves (with reference to Laura Fisher’s contribution the other day).
Margareta – back in not-so-exotic Luxembourg.
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 09:14:55 -0500 | From: Carol Elmore <celmore@>
Quoting Laura Fisher <laurafisherquilts@>:
> > And, re quilty stuff all around us—I am amused to notice that > nearly every day there’s an article in the New York Times that uses a > quilt reference to comment on some social issue crisis–i.e., a crazy > quilt of regulations”, “a patchwork of run-down buildings…”etc. For > a while I clipped them out in case they would find re-use in a > lecture or article, but now that they appear so often, my interest > seems to be waning. Does this occur in your local papers?
Laura and others, I remember doing a search on an online legal database not long ago to locate the word “quilt” and “patchwork” in law cases. I pulled up various uses of quilting terms such as “a patchwork of regulations,” “a crazy quilt of redistricting,” etc. I have also seen books that have nothing to do with quilts use a quilt on the cover–novels, textbooks, and other non-fiction. I guess those of us interested in quilts should be flattered. Isn’t there some saying about imitation being the highest form of flattery? Personally, I’m a bit irritated by all of this use (misuse?).
Carol Elmore Manhattan, Kansas
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 11:27:35 -0400 | From: “Roberta (Bobbe) Benvin” <quiltsndogs@>
In reply to Kathy Holland’s post of 7/20, requesting museum exhibits to tour during her August road trip: I very highly recommend the current exhibit at the York Heritage Trust (250 E. Market St., York, Pa), entitled “Quilts: A Testimony to Friendship.” At least 25 early quilts are displayed, including an extremely rare Hewson in the Trust’s collection. Several of these quilts were featured in the recent issue of McCall’s Vintage Quilts magazine. The exhibit will be rotated sometime in August, with additional spectacular quilts on view. By the way, on July 31, at 2 pm, Merikay Waldvogel will be presenting a FREE lecture! Kathy, and other qhl members may want to make a special trip. For additional information, call the Trust at 717-848-1587. From someone who thinks/knows York County(Pa) quilts are the BEST! Roberta Benvin
If Kathy Holland stops in York, Pa. I would suggest a quick trip east across the Susquahanna River for a visit to the Heritage Center Quilt and Textile Museum in Lancaster, 37 N. Market Str., Center Square area, near the Farmer’s Market in Lancaster. There she will see probably the most extensive exhibit of Lancaster County Amish quilts available at one time in an exhibit. There are about 35 examples that change about every 4-5 months from the Esprit Collection. The Cultural History Museum building is also open in the same block with an exhibit on the Amish and a special gallery with a weaving exhibit too. Hours are 10-5 and closed on Mondays. Web site is _www.lancasterheritage.com_ (http://www.lancasterheritage.com) .
Hey, Lancaster quilts aren’t bad either! Trish Herr
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 11:20:31 -0400 | From: joan kiplinger <jkip@>
I’m sure a book could be written about regional differences, and probably has been. From the 30s-50s ads called them the electric and non-electric wringer washer and mangle or iron press depending on manufacturer. I grew up with both in the 40s and 50s; seemed every household had to have a mangle for sheets and flat work. Some of the wringers were manually operated; the more expensive had a button to push, enabling you to pass clothes through with both hands which made the job somewhat less hazardous.
Nancy Gibbs wrote:
>Back when I was a child my dad and grandfather had a laundry and drycleaning plant, and several of the older employees called the big flatwork ironers “mangles,” while my other grandmother called a wringer a “mangle.” So for me growing up in Iowa in the 50’s the term had both uses, but only by older people. For people of my parents’ generation, neither term was used. > > > >
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 11:38:00 -0400 | From: “Pepper Cory” <pepcory@>
Hi Laura, Dave and Shirley Shenk from Goshen Indiana do the best modern quilts around. Excellent workmanship and I highly recommend them. See their site at http://www.quiltdesigns.com/html/order.html . And Fasco has wonderful indigo repro fabrics. I also like the indigo prints from this Hungarian source (met them at Quilt Expo-). http://www.lmntl.com/bluedye.html and check out http://www.oregoncoast.com/denisedesigns/indigo.htm for info. I bought the Hungarian tablecloths at Expo and used them in a quilt. Wash and be sure to set color with Retane but I was pleasantly surprised at how little color loss as compared to African indigoes. Blue-and-white quilts for a yacht! And frequent washing indeed….does this person understand that blue is the most likely to fade color, indigo and expensive fabrics withstanding?! And on a yacht, especially in a sunny climate and maybe no curtains over the windows….fading is inevitable. However, if the customer has the bucks and understands all of the above, go for it! >From Pepper Cory in sunny coastal North Carolina who never uses navy fabrics in large chunks in her quilts that will be exposed to the sunlight here!
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 10:14:38 -0700 | From: Karen Alexander <karenquilt@>
If you missed The Quilters Hall of Fame=B9s annual Celebration this year in Marion, IN, you missed some real treats among the many exhibits we had. In particular I would like to publicly acknowledge on this list the many members of the Midwest Quilt Study Group who participated (not the least of which was sewing on those sleeves!). It just proves once again what a great resource QHL is for all of us for many of them are members of MWQSG as well as QHL. Those who loaned quilts were Katha Kievet, Karen Portwood, Peg Long, Marilyn Goldman, Joy Swartz, Babette Moorleghen, Mary Ann Drahman, Linda Pumphrey, Molly Butler, Joyce Fisher, Libbie Smith, Mary Persyn, Teri Klassen, Pam Conklin, and Xenia Cord. In addition Peg Long and Joy Swartz prepared all the notes and signage and drove up from southwest Indianapolis to conduct the walk-thru of the exhibit Wednesday night. Amy Korn, one of QHF=B9s Research Associates and a member of the MWQSG, conducted a walk-thru for us on Saturday. And last but hardly least (!) is their fearless leader — Xenia Cord — who responded to our request for just such an exhibit late last fall and thus began planting the seeds that blossomed into the exhibit Botanical Beauties:1850-1950. (Watch for coverage of their participation in the fall issue of QHF=B9s newsletter as well.) Thank you one and all for all your time, your quilts and your talents!
Karen Alexander President, The Quilters Hall of Fame
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 13:23:57 -0400 | From: Vivien Sayre <vsayre@>
Sally, I am afraid this is the type that is used to unplug a toilet. Vivien
>Would that plunger be what we would call a ‘posser’, as opposed to a >’dolly’? If so, the washing process would have been efficient but quite >gentle. The posser doesn’t actually agitate the item, but rather it >presses down as gently as if it was the flat of your hand pressing down, >but because of the domed design and holes for water flow it in fact forces >the water through it quite strongly. No agitation, no fist-like >squeezing. DD and I both use modern possers regularly for small or >delicate hand washes, and just a few plunges with the posser thoroughly >wash without friction or stress on the garment.
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 18:43:25 +0100 | From: Sally Ward <sallytatters@>
Vivien Sayre wrote: > > Sally, > I am afraid this is the type that is used to unplug a toilet.
Ah <G>!
But, that said, the design of a plunger is not that different from a posser, and might work in a very similar way….?
Sally W
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 13:28:54 -0700 (PDT) | From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@>
eeewwww….. (the mental image of using a toilet plunger to wash quilts)
Kris
— Sally Ward <sallytatters@> wrote:
> > > Vivien Sayre wrote: > > > > Sally, > > I am afraid this is the type that is used to unplug a toilet. >
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 16:47:54 -0400 | From: Vivien Sayre <vsayre@>
I believe it probably does.
Vivien
At 06:43 PM 7/22/2005 +0100, you wrote:
>Vivien Sayre wrote: >>Sally, >>I am afraid this is the type that is used to unplug a toilet. > >Ah <G>! > >But, that said, the design of a plunger is not that different from a >posser, and might work in a very similar way….? > >Sally W
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 22:59:06 -0400 | From: “Mary Voss” <voss@>
I have a friendship quilt block motif in the backsplash tiles behind my stove. The background tiles are off white and the motif tiles are a jade green. I have a wooden quilt block (looks like a wood puzzle) also hanging in my kitchen. Three quilted wallhangings hang in my upper level as well as a glass door cabinet in which I store the antique quilts. I made myself some business cards featuring one of my quilts. I use the Printmaster program which includes a template for business cards and used one of my quilt photos from my hard drive. By the way I found a wonderful free photo program that can be downloaded directly from the web. Just type in the name “Picasa “in your search engine (it comes from Google.) And it will tell you all about it. You can easily download photos from your camera and then print or e-mail with one click. It will also arrange all your photos into albums. If you can’t find it let me know and I will send the address. – Mary from Holland
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:07:51 -0500 (Central Daylight Time) | From: “Shannon Funcke” <huklbry@>
————–Boundary-00=_3LJ036E1VA4000000000 Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset=”iso-8859-1″ Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi Laura – I would start here for the indigo blue printed fabric: www reproductionfabri@ . They are wonderful…not affiliated, have just had great service. As far as someone to create new pieced quilts for her by copying old patterns, are you looking for a custom quilter? If that’s what you’re talking about, contact me privately and we’ll talk. Shannon
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 23:01:42 -0500 | From: “Merry Endres” <merryme@>
I don’t know if I can help, but I’m quite proficient at copying quilt patterns in Electric Quilt.
Hugs, Merry —– Original Message —– From: “Laura Fisher” <laurafisherquilts@> To: “Quilt History List” <qhl@> Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 5:13 PM Subject: [qhl] indigo prints reproduction
Hi all–A client wants indigo and white quilts for her yacht (can you imagine!) and is reluctant to use antiques because these will likely need frequent washing. If I choose to get involved in such a project, who or where would be the best resource to create new pieced quilts for her, copying old pattern(s). And, which fabric line or quilt shop might have reproduction 1880s indigo blue printed fabric to use for this purpose? Any leads would be appreciated.
And, re quilty stuff all around us—I am amused to notice that nearly every day there’s an article in the New York Times that uses a quilt reference to comment on some social issue crisis–i.e., a crazy quilt of regulations”, “a patchwork of run-down buildings…”etc. For a while I clipped them out in case they would find re-use in a lecture or article, but now that they appear so often, my interest seems to be waning. Does this occur in your local papers?
I remember way back when I first started handling quilts part-time, my boss at the NYC Human Rights Commision had significant input on Jesse Jackson’s Presidential campaign; he made an eloquent speech using patchwork quilt references to describe the multi-ethnic multi-racial nature of the people of the U.S.
Laura FIsher
From: Donald Beld
I have made many natural indigo dyed fabric quilts using the authentic fabrics from www.reproductionfabri@ from up in Montana. They get their indigo fabrics from a South African company that moved to South Africa in the 1880’s from England. They have been making indigo fabrics ever sense. They have two lines–original 19th Century nglish designs and early 1900’s American designs. The fabric has to be “set” to prevent both bleeding and fading; but there is a rinse available to do that.
I highly recommend these fabrics–they are fabulous to work with. Best, Don Beld
From: “Virginia Berger”
RE: quilting references in non-quilt areas
I support my quilt habit by doing taxes and business analysis for farmers. There is a new disease in soybeans that is in Brazil and moving north on air currents (which is why my Iowa farmers have suddenly become hurricane watchers!). Anyway, one of the chemicals approved to treat this disease has the brand name QUILT! I’m not sure why or if this is an acronym or what but it is going to drive me crazy.
Virginia
From: “The Motls”
I am looking for numbers 1 thru 20 of the former Feedsack Club newsletter, Switches and Swatches. If anyone would like to sell them or trade for something, please contact me at motljefnet.com Thanks, Chris ——=_NextPart_000_0026_01C58F60.498B5E70–
From: Tom
Good morning all,
I have been trying to figure out how many different feedsack prints Kent did in their Nations series with the WWII theme. Kris, I found your reference to them in your great article, but nowhere on the net can I find info about whether there was more than one design. Anyone know for sure?
Thanks,
Tom.
From: Palampore@
I was asked to help identify the man on the quilt. I personally don’t think that he is Andrew Jackson or ???? (Can’t remember the name of the second guess.). I think that it is probably William Henry Harrison or more likely John Tyler. I think that it was a ribbon used during the 1840 presidential campaign. I think that it is Tyler because the campaign used his involvement in the Battle of Tippecanoe as a cornerstone for many of the slogans. Therefore the military uniform makes sense. He also had a long skinny face. If my husband, Will, were home I think that he would agree with me. The only photo I found of a ribbon from the campaign is of Wm Henry Harrison. If anyone has better searching skills on the internet than I do (which won’t take much) I bet you will find this ribbon is Tyler. Below is info. about the campaign. I think that this was the first campaign that used textiles heavily. Julie Powell would know much more about this than I do. Hope I was of help. Lynn Gorges (read the material below……..)
Article from American History Magazine
1840 Presidential Campaign: A Ceaseless Torrent of Music “We are far ahead in singing and in electioneering emblems,” Greeley wrote. His efforts produced other campaign papers: the Flail in Vermont, Old Tip’s Broom in Ohio, the Pilot in Baltimore, and the Hard Cider Press in Chicago. These penny newspapers contained not only songs but anecdotes and campaign updates as well. In addition, those so inclined could purchase Harrison and Tyler neckties, “Tippecanoe tobacco,” “Tippecanoe shaving soap,” and buttons and ribbons. Farmers gained local press coverage by naming their horses “Tip” and “Ty.” One couple in Cincinnati baptized their twins “Harrison” and “Tyler.” Another proud mother named her newborn triplets “William,” “Henry,” and “Harrison.” The beautiful girls, God bless their souls, Souls, souls, the country through Will all, to a man, do all they can For Tippecanoe and Tyler, too.
