January 19 - 24, 2006 - QuiltHistory

Quilt Dating, Quilt History Resources

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:

QHL Members Map Themselves on Frappr — A lighthearted thread as members place pins on a shared map showing where they live around the world.
Identifying a Puzzling eBay Quilt — Julie Silber asks for help placing an unusual quilt she and a colleague recently purchased, unsure whether it’s antique or a modern reproduction.
New York Times Spotlights Vintage Quilts — Members point each other to a Times arts feature and photo essay on historic quilts.

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 15:32:44 -0500 | From: kathie holland <kathieholland@>

http://www.antiquequiltdating.com/bookreviewGeneseeCatalogue.html here is a review on the book Judy! Kathie

what is that you are holding in your hand?

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 08:58:59 +1100 | From: “Lorraine Olsson” <svenpnc.com.au>

Thank you Kris! This really feels like communicating. There is nothing nicer than seeing the people we all know so well from the list. To be able to put faces to the names is such a great idea. I am obviously not the only one who feels this way. Look at all of the pictures that have appeared in just 24 hours. What a wonderful way to bring everyone together.

Three Cheers for Kris!!

Lorraine in Oz

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 09:55:12 +1100 | From: “Hiranya Loder” <Hiranya.Loder@>

Hey Kris, Unfair! How about us Aussies?! Kiwis, Poms etc etc? Hmm Ady what shall we call you lass? I might get torched for this label calling! Ahem! Hiranya from Sydney, Australia : >

Ms.Hiranya Loder PA to the Head, The Department of Linguistics Division of Linguistics and Psychology Macquarie University North Ryde N.S.W 2109 AUSTRALIA Tel: + 61 2 9850 8777 Fax: +61 2 9850 9199 www.ling.mq.edu.au

Subject: Frappr From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 19:38:36 -0800 (PST) X-Message-Number: 3

I’ve been resisting this, as I didn’t want to be accused of being trendy, but I do love the Frappr maps. I created one for our group at http://www.frappr.com/quilthistory

If you haven’t frappred before, you are in for a treat:-)) Go ahead and stick a pin in the map and leave your picture and/or a comment. It will be interesting to see where everyone is.

Kris

END OF DIGEST

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 15:30:25 -0800 (PST) | From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@>

Thanks, Lorraine! But what I really want to know is…is Bill married? <G>

Kris

— Lorraine Olsson <svenpnc.com.au> wrote:

> Thank you Kris! This really feels like communicating. There is nothing nicer than seeing the > people we all know so well from the list.

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 18:50:26 -0500 | From: “Bill Volckening” <williamvolckening@>

LOL! He’s single… 🙂

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 23:58:57 +0000 | From: Sally Ward <sallytatters@>

Just keep scrolling along, the whole world is there for the labelling…

Sally W

Hiranya Loder wrote: > Hey Kris, > Unfair! How about us Aussies?! Kiwis, Poms etc etc?

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 18:18:14 -0600 | From: “Karen Musgrave” <KarenMusgrave@>

The Alliance for American Quilts (www.centerforthequilt.org) eBay auctions this week continue to be “all things vintage.” You will find many great old fabrics. You can check it out by going to http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZalliancequilts. Your purchases also benefit a great organization. New auctions are posted every Sunday. Happy bidding.

Thanks, Karen Musgrave Join us! Become a member and help preserve our great quilt heritage. www.centerforthequilt.org

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 18:59:00 -0600 | From: “Marcia Kaylakie” <marciark@>

Well, I can’t seem to add my photo to the photos…seriously challenged here tonight. Anyone want to give me a hand with it? Marcia

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 18:06:31 -0600 | From: Susan Robinson <susan.robin@>

And is that one of those “fake” photos people use when they are on ‘eharmony’, etc? If not, there must be many wondering is he is single!!

On 1/19/06, Bill Volckening <williamvolckening@> wrote: > LOL! He’s single… 🙂 > — > You are currently subscribed to qhl as: susan.robin@. > To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-qhl-1723136Rlyris.quiltropoli s.com >

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 20:30:09 -0500 | From: “Bill Volckening” <williamvolckening@>

> And is that one of those “fake” photos people use when they are on > ‘eharmony’, etc? If not, there must be many wondering is he is > single!!

Interesting story about that photo…

It’s an outtake from a photo shoot a couple years ago in San Diego with celebrity photographer Michael Grecco. We were doing a photo shoot for a story in Men’s Health Best Life Magazine, Winter 2004 issue. The story was called “Chlorine is my Prozac” by National Magazine Award-winning writer Jim Thornton. Part of the story was a side-bar called “The Cannon Beach Diet” which talked a little bit about how I lost 70 lbs. with good nutrition and daily swimming. The photo they used in the magazine was one of a series taken while I was holding a dead snapper in my mouth – as if I’d gone deep sea diving and caught the fish in my mouth. Having a dead, raw fish in my mouth for an hour was an interesting experience. Although the stylist got it from a local gourmet market, it didn’t taste anything like sushi.

By the way, around the same time I also shared the story of my weight loss success on the cable television Food Network when I was a guest on the Cooking Thin show, “Success Stories” episode. They rerun it periodically, so if you happen to see it, I’m the one known as “Swimmer Bill” and there’s some amusing footage of me running around at a Masters swim meet wearing a skin-tight racing suit.

🙂

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 21:00:26 -0500 | From: “Beth Davis” <bethdan533@>

Hi Judy (and Kathie) The wonderful red and green quilt was the ‘signature’ quilt of the collection that was on display for the past couple years at the Genesee Country Village Museum. There were 60 quilts displayed at what is a ‘living’ museum made up of homes and various building from mainly the 19th century that were moved from the local area to a small town southwest of Rochester. Sadly, we just took the quilts down last weekend in preparation for a new exhibit (which is planned to be a collection of items that the museum has but will include a few textiles and quilts-including some that have not been seen in the exhibit!) next spring. But as Kathie mentioned, there is a catalog that features 27 of the quilts, which is what I am holding in the picture! This picture was taken the last day the museum was opened, and since it was right before the holiday, I wore red and green, not really planning to match the quilt!

There is also a smaller quilt that the museum owns which is such a similar folded cutwork pattern that we think that they were made by the same person or family. Both quilts amazing are machine appliquéd with the most exquisite even stitches. The small quilt is also machine quilted!

Lorie Stubbs also had a really nice review of the exhibit, which is featured on Kim’s website: http://www.antiquequiltdating.com/19thCenturyJourney.html

The catalog ‘Stitch in Time’ is available from the museum: http://www.gcv.org/museumShops/merchandise.shtml

Regards, Beth Davis

We all need to know — what is the story on that GLORIOUS quilt you are standing in front of, and what is that you are holding in your hand? Judy, now in Flemington NJ aka The Ringoes Kid judygrow@

Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 23:21:35 -0500 | From: “J. G. Row” <JudyGrow@>

Granted, I havent seen Bill in a number of years, but I’d say he looks as good as he did when I knew him back in NJ — perhaps even better? You know how those left coast folks are into body building!

Judy, now in Flemington NJ aka The Ringoes Kid judygrow@

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 08:11:46 -0500 | From: jeanlester@

On Explorer, I get no map. On Safari, it shows up fine. Why would that be?

Jean

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 08:38:14 -0800 (PST) | From: Ark Quilts <quiltarkmv@>

Hello! Just late getting into the messages re: labeling quilts.

I was once asked to look at a quilt & determine if it was an Amish antique quilt which a member of an Antique Study Group brought to a meeting. The owner wanted to sell it & really wanted it to be “officially labeled” as an antique Amish quilt so they could ask a higher price for it. They had no provenance to back up their claim that the quilt was made by Amish quilters. The quilt was a wine red solid color quilt & it was quilted in white thread with the quilting designs arranged as if it were a pieced Bars quilt. The only thing I could very tactfully say was that it was similar in some aspects to Amish quilts, but I could not label it as such because there was no background information to support the claim. Needless to say, the owners were angry because I did not give them the label they wanted. Since this conversation took place in front of the group’s membership, all members saw how being too eager to attach a label can clash with fact-based research…..if your claim cannot be backed up with facts and/or research, don’t make it. And , it has been my experience that it is true in most research situations. I hope my position made an impact on their thinking……….

Oops! We just lost the sun again…..more gray hours await! C. Ark in NW Ohio

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 9:50:14 -0800 | From: <suereich@>

I agree with Ark Quilts. When you move provenance to a quilt’s title, you begin to confuse your descriptive of a quilt. In our minds eye, we can immediately call up an image of an Amish quilt. If you have traveled in Amish country, you know that you can buy just about any quilt style in any color, generally preferred by the English, all Amish-made. Not a one looks like the Amish quilt you conjured up. Are they or are they not Amish quilts? They are made by the Amish. So what do you call them? Does every quilt out of Gee’s Bend look like those on tour? When I need a balance on this ongoing discussion/argument about Amish, African American, etc., I reread Jennie Chinn’s chapter in “Kansas Quilts & Quilters.” She addresses this ongoing identity crisis from the standpoint of a researcher. Her second to the last paragraph reads; “Ultimately, the research in Kansas suggests that black women make all types of quilts and that at times white women make quilts that meet the criteria of a posited African American aesthetic. African Americans share a common history of slavery and racial discrimination, and this shared history may influence the world view of group members. However, being black is only one aspect of an individual’s identity and does not negate his or her membership in the larger American society. To be fair to the quiltmaker, we need to leave provanance at the provenance level. sue reich

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 09:27:35 -0700 | From: “Cindy Hamilton” <cvermillion2@>

>From: “Quilt History List digest” <qhl@> > Reply-To: “Quilt History List” <qhl@>

New topic: “Pennsylvania Dutch Fertility Quilt” on ebay 6246301592

Just found a listing for a quilt on ebay described as a “Pennsylvania Dutch Fertility Quilt.” I’ve never heard of anything like this. Do any of you Penn German experts know of this? A local folk tale perhaps? Item number is 6246301592. The appliqued red and green hearts and sunburst design is wonderful, one of my favorites, but I can’t imagine that it is Amish, as the seller states. And, the price looks awfully steep for the condition it’s in. Comments, please????

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:50:42 -0500 | From: “Candace Perry” <candace@>

Uh, the appraiser in question isn’t a quilt expert, the durn thing has a big stain, and loss to the fabric! We Dutch don’t need quilts to be fertile… (how silly is that, really…) Candace KINTZER Perry (If ya ain’t Dutch, ya ain’t much)

—–Original Message—– From: Cindy Hamilton Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 11:28 AM To: Quilt History List Subject: [qhl] RE: qhl digest: January 18, 2006

>From: “Quilt History List digest” <qhl@> > Reply-To: “Quilt History List” <qhl@>

New topic: “Pennsylvania Dutch Fertility Quilt” on ebay 6246301592

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:55:54 -0500 | From: “Bill Volckening” <williamvolckening@>

> We Dutch don’t need quilts to be fertile…

….so…..is the DNA stain the quilt’s fertility symbol?

(sorry to be so crass…couldn’t resist…)

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 23:22:45 -0700 | From: “gingham@” <gingham@>

Thanks for the link, I really like the quilt design, it would make a great valentines wall quilt. It is annoying how many sellers use the keyword Amish to get ebay traffic. Anyone care to share an educated guess on a date for the top? I found the block design in Brackman’s applique book #11.12 T- Hearts (traditional 19th c. design) Shelburne Museum. Does anyone have info. on the Shelburne quilt?

But small world coincidence- earlier today I came across the website of the very same Dr. Lori and was thinking of asking the list about her. I always leery of people who do verbal appraisals and online appraisals from photos.

Sandra Starley Moab, UT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New topic: “Pennsylvania Dutch Fertility Quilt” on ebay 6246301592

Just found a listing for a quilt on ebay described as a “Pennsylvania Dutch Fertility Quilt.” I’ve never heard of anything like this. Do any of you Penn German experts know of this?

Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 08:30:42 EST | From: Elpaninaro@

Good morning all,

As I was half-asleep and waking, I turned on the TV and caught the very tail end of an interview with someone from what I believe was called the Folk Art Museum.

I also caught a quick peek at a stunning quilt. It was light blue with a center motif and then two large circular rows of tons of tiny triangles.

Anyone happen to catch the show all the way through? I would love to know what that pattern was. It was one of the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen and quite unusual.

Take care,

Tom.

Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 07:44:57 -0600 (CST) | From: <stellarubin@>

Stella Rubin here. The quilt you’re referring to is a Bullseye pattern that is in my booth at TAAS, The American Antiques Show in New York City. The show continues today from noon until 7 and tomorrow from noon until 5. It is at The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Stret, between 6th and 7th Aves. The quilt was made in Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania (Berks County); circa 1870. It is a stunner. Please introduce yourselves if you get to the show. Stella

Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 08:58:19 -0600 | From: “Charlotte Bull” <charlou@>

re categorizing etc I am not Amish, but I can make an Amish Style quilt. Is that correct? On the other side, if I have Native American ancestory does that mean that my quilts should be labeled as “Indian” a.k.a. Native American. If my ancestors came from PA and were basically German, are my quilts now labeled as PA Dutch? Does a bit of Welch & English blood mean my quilts should all be whole cloth & trapuntoed? If I am not Japanese, must I avoid the Sashiko technique?

What does each term mean to us when we hear it? We can be wrong, but our quilter’s gut says certain colors, styles or techniques. By now you all understand what I am saying.

Yes, after taking my first class on Applique over 25 years ago, I designed an original quilt that was the result of what my teacher said and taught on that day. Her statements were: 1. Amish do NOT applique. 2. NO one appliques on black background. Thanks to her “teaching” I made an Amish-like Square in a Square in a Square inside a basic border in all solid fabrics in typically Amish colors. I appliqued flowers in the center black square. I quilted it excessively! Then I named it “I Ain’t Really Amish.” An Ozark Joke.

A few years later it received honors and was on the cover of a regional quilt magazine. Last week a grandchild (an adult woman with artistic skills who does quilt) asked if she could have it. I AM IN PROCESS OF GIVING AWAY MY QUILTS … TO FAMILY, ONLY! It’s an Ask & You Shall Receive situation. I want my quilts to find good homes, so they can become “Real”! i.e. “Faded & worn, tattered & torn” – well, at least I mean: cherished & used carefully!

And, Bill, it does mean that DNA stains do sometimes decide which baby grows up to inherit which quilt. Not gross or crass. Just a family joke as I have had my quilts on every bed in my house and diapers did get changed and toddlers did have accidents which marked a quilt as theirs. One of my own daughters laughingly chastised one of her kids for not having left DNA on what she considered to be my best quilts!20

What I am adding to this thread is simply that Amish Made is not always Amish Style. A very new pretty pastel Trip Around the World quilt won First place at a show in MO a few years ago because of its beautiful quilting – by a paid professional Amish quilter. It was not an Amish Quilt. With no “label” it could even have been considered older than it actually was.

We all should be careful in Buying, Labeling, Categorizing or Appraising based only on gut reactions. Right? But we do think categorically. C of Oz

From: Julie Silber

Hi,

Julie Silber here. We recently bought a quilt on eBay. It was listed as 1930s. While I questioned the date when I saw the photo, I thought that the design was so intriguing, I would buy it.

Now we have the quilt and I don’t know what (or when) it is. I feel fairly certain it is a recent import but I do not remember seeing it anywhere. I am hoping one of you wonderful people out there HAS seen it, and can simply tell me that you have. Even if you do not know when or where, or who made it, just to know there is another one out there will give me confidence in my idea that it is a commercially produced item.

I will post it on the Board (under QUILTS), and hope you will take a look!

Thanks a lot, Julie

From: “J. G. Row”

The first page of the Arts and Leisure section of Sunday’s New York Times carries the start of an article titled “Who Owns Seydou Keita?” It is about a photographer from Mali who started working in the 1930’s. He photographed local people who had migrated to the cities and who wanted small prints of themselves that they could send back home as postcards.

In the 1990’s the new York art world found him and some of his black and white portraits were blown up to mural size, shown in the Gagosian Gallery and were sold for 5 figure amounts. He died in 1997 and there is now a controversy over who owns his negatives.

In all 13 images are printed in the newspaper, 11 of which show women. They are spectacular! He posed them in his back yard using natural light, with his own fancy bed coverings as backdrops. The people are quite handsome, the poses simple and heroic, and they all look soberly right at the camera — no teeth showing.

For us the other interest comes from the fabrics they are wearing and which are used as backdrops. The fabrics are likely all cotton and the prints range from small florals to those large florals we see on barkcloth, from plaids to Vasarelli-like optical prints. Of the 4 photos chosen for the front page two of them show women in quilt-like pieced fabric skirts. One is in a broken dishes pattern, the other like a delectable mountains. If you can, notice the flip-flops they wear on their feet.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/arts/design/22rips.html

You’ll see one, maybe two photos at the web site. You need to buy the newspaper for the full “knock-your-socks-off” effect.

WOW!

Judy, now in Flemington NJ aka The Ringoes Kid judygrow@

From: Judy (Flemington NJ)

Judy that is wonderful. And for those who can’t buy the paper , on the web site is a link to 14 of the photos and an audio track telling the story about his photos Click on the Audio Slide Show “The ghosts of Keita Suzy Atkins Judy wrote> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/arts/design/22rips.html

You’ll see one, maybe two photos at the web site. You need to buy the newspaper for the full “knock-your-socks-off” effect. Judy, now in Flemington NJ

Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 10:45:01 -0500 | From: “Beth Davis” <bethdan533@>

Hi Julie, re: Now we have the quilt and I don’t know what (or when) it is. I feel fairly certain it is a recent import but I do not remember seeing it anywhere. I am hoping one of you wonderful people out there HAS seen it, and can simply tell me that you have. Even if you do not know when or where, or who made it, just to know there is another one out there will give me confidence in my idea that it is a commercially produced item.

I just looked through my notebook of catalog pages that feature imported quilts and could not find a match for your quilt. The pattern of your quilt does have that odd look of quilts which were offered by ‘The Company Store’ or ‘Pottery Barn’ and others like these, especially around the year 2000. What was the edge treatment on your quilt? Is is a knife-edge (edges turned in?) or does it have a separate binding-not that this always holds true, but imported quilts tended to favor the knife edge. The pattern doesn’t resemble any that are being offered as tops only on eBay.

Regards, Beth Davis

From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@>

Just a couple of comments…

I think the whole Frappr thing is interesting. (http://www.frappr.com/quilthistory) Only a small percentage of our membership has posted, yet you can still see what an international group we are. My map defaults to Northeast America and I have to drag it to see the rest of the world – does everyone else have the same thing?

To get to our picture page, just go to http://www.quilthistory.com and click on Gallery. Instructions on how to post on the gallery are on the subscribe page. Julie’s quilt does not strike me as imported, although it still could be. I associate imported quilts with poor fabric, poor quilting and knife edge bindings.

Hey, I bought something really exciting at an auction last Friday. It was an overcrowed auction and prices went WAY too high so I didn’t get much but I did get an interesting spool quilt top. A little background: One of the other quilts had a note pinned to it with the provenance of Edie (or Edna) Call, so I am choosing to believe that this one (being from the same era and same trunk of quilts) was also made by her.

This quilt top had a note pinned to it, too, which I didn’t find until I got home. It reads “pieced the empty spool winter of 1890”. It also had what I believe to be the original needle and thread stuck in it, which my DH found the hard way:-)) Anyway, again choosing to believe that note was written in 1890, it is the only first person confirmation of a 19th century quilt block name that I own.

Anyone want to burst my bubble? It’s okay, really, I would rather be right than romantic.

Kris

From: Gary Parrett

I have been reading a book on Rochester history and came across this bit of information from a diary of a young woman who had been married two years. According to the book, she celebrated her second anniversary by “tabulating her accomplishments of the previous year. In addition to keeping a large vegetable garden, with a corner for flowers, she had made fifteen shirts, three corsets, seven nightcaps, eight nightgowns, three petticoats, ten slips, six gowns, two Vandykes, one greatcoat, one vest and one pair of pantalettes. During the occasional meetings of a quilting bee with fifteen ladies, she had finished one bed quilt.” An exact year is not given, but has to be between 1810 and 1820. That seems like a lot of needlework. Was this the norm or was she a workaholic? Of course, the old adage of idle minds (and hands) being the devil’s workshop may have entered in. Also, that amount of sewing requires a lot of fabric, so perhaps she was well off and had more time? The Erie Canal was not open until 1824-25, therefore getting goods into this neck of the woods would not be easy, though there was a port of sorts at the mouth of the Genesee river to Lake Ontario.

There is no background given her, so do not know anything else about her. I would like to find out a bit more about her quilting bee and its fifteen members. Wouldn’t it be interesting to read her diary?

Karen

From: Julie Silber

Our (maybe commercial, maybe original) quilt DOES in fact have a knife edge. I forgot to mention it — and I failed to post the photo detail of the quilt that my partner Jean took! I will post the detail photo on the Board now — again under QUILTS.

The quilting is rather crude. Oooooooh, it FEELS like an import, or at least mass/commercially made somewhere! It has the sense of a professional “designer” about it.

But so far, no one recognizes it. You’d think that if it were commercial, someone will have seen it.

Someone is checking with her friend who used to be Creative Director at Garnet Hill, and who might know a lot about “that whole market.” I’ll keep y’all posted if I hear anything more.

Julie Silber

–Boundary_(ID_/pXWJn1dMYIvBGSzjGJoUw)–

From: Cindy Rennels

Would like to find out how to get to the board and find the quilts posted.. Wanting to see Julies quilt. I thought there was a repro, looked like a New York Beauty that sold in the past month or 2 , brought around 400.00 or so on ebay and I think I saw one at the Longmont, CO show like it. It was red, white and blue. Don’t have the item number handy. Anyone seen that one?? Please advise on finding the board.. Thanks,,, Cindy Rennels

From: KJB139@

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/arts/design/22rips.html

if you click on the audio slide show, the writer tells the story while you view 14 glorious photographs!!!

Kathy B

From: Becky Gockel

Karen, Back in the mid 1970’s, when I lived in Ventura Co., CA., I did research on a family member coming to “Sacraminto City” in 1850. I found that the County Museum had a huge collection of Diarys (boxes and boxes). The curator at the time said that if I wanted to go through them I could just had to let him know what days and hours I wanted to come in. (unfortunately at the time I was going to have a baby and then got very ill, so I couldn’t take him up on the offer) I just looked on their website and there is no mention of the Diary Collection; but I was thinking that maybe the Rochester Museum or even the Library has a collection of Diaries as well and you might be able to find out something from them.

Just a thought, Becky (Palmdale, CA)

Gary Parrett <gparret1@> wrote: I have been reading a book on Rochester history and came across this bit of information from a diary of a young woman who had been married two years. . Wouldn’t it be interesting to read her diary?

Karen

Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 04:51:15 -0800 (PST) | From: Ark Quilts <quiltarkmv@>

Julie– I remember a series of modern style quilts that were carried by Spiegel Catalog in the last 10-15 years. I will check at home in my records this week. The big clues that it might be an import are: the stitching, the knife edge finish. Can you handle the quilt & tell by feel if it has polyester batting? Polyester wasn’t made available until after 1960. Also, run your fingers around the entire edge of the quilt to see if a 1 1/2″ to 2″ space has been restitched after a bedding tag was removed–thread might not match the rest. Sometimes they were just cut off & the stub left in the stitching line is also an indicator. I don’t know how long it will take me to locate the records, but give me a few days at least & I will scan & send any information I find.

Connie Ark in NW Ohio P.S. Sending to the list rather than privately to share details of determining if it is an import.

Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 12:57:49 -0500 | From: “Newbie Richardson” <pastcrafts@>

Dear List, Alden O’Brien of the DAR Museum and I are just back from an exhausting, but fabulous 4 days of exhibits (3) and antique shows (5) in NYC. We saw Stella Rubin’s “TV” quilt and can attest to how grand it is. Laura Fischer and Trish Herr had wonderful things, too! We also saw several embroidered blankets from the early to the mid – 19th c -(There is another form to be explored.) Our favorite parlor game is to scrutinize the miniatures and portraits and then correct the dealers’ dating based on the hair and clothing. It is always nice to be able to tell a dealer that something is earlier than they thought. – and it is almost always that direction – rather than the other way around! Remember, the highwaisted “empire” dress style began in 1796/7 – not 1820. We also saw an unfortunate trend. Everywhere we went we saw poorly made, haphazardly pieced, worn “quilts” proudily displayed as “African-American”. At the 6th or 8th such sighting I nudged Alden to go demand provenance from the dealer ( she acts innocent better than I do) …well he did have provenance – but then he said – “but you can tell it is A-A by the aesthetic!” Sigh I did learn something, though ( well, lots of things..)There was one quilt displayed that we both thought for sure the labeling would identify it as A-A – no, it was Japanese! late 19th century – appearantly the very poorest of the Japanese were only allowed to use used and worn cottons – so that is what this bed cover was made of – all in indigos. When I cleared my head of pre-concieved notions, I did see fabrics I recognized from some “happy coats” and short working kimono I have seen. So, I will again quote my husband: that aesthetic is poor – not ethnographic! Newbie Richardson

Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 13:46:44 -0600 | From: “kim baird” <kbaird@>

For anyone who is keeping track, there’s an Amish 1/2 quilt on eBay, item # 7384783875 http://cgi.ebay.com/Dated-1891-TRUE-AMISH-QUILT-wool-1-2-size-RARE_W0QQi temZ7384783875QQcategoryZ357QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Kim

Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:48:31 -0500 | From: “Lucinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>

Our theme yesterday was “toile and chintz.” It was the ultimate in study group elegance. Some real treasures were shared. I just realized that “show and tell” didn’t exist when I was in kindergarten, but I’m making up for it now. We saw fewer quilts than usual because most people brought pieces of very special fabric. I don’t have a lot of either toile or chintz, but I did bring the Bannister Hall birds and found that others have different colorways of the same fabric. The Admiral Dewey commemorative fabric combining toile-style with faux patchwork (1899) was a big hit as was the Eisenhower toile (1956) A couple of alumnae from Deb Roberts’ textile tour of France last year brought treasures acquired on the trip. One of our members has been collecting chintzes for a long time and her contribution to the day blew us all away. My favorite was a pillar print on a Prussian blue background. There was much discussion of Florence Montgomery, technology, etc. We are just getting so smart (G). An outstanding quilt, in pristine condition, has 9 very large (30″) Blazing Stars with chintz sashing and borders, a tape binding and is backed with an 1840s chintz which features a domed building. It was probably made in either Philadelphia or Chester County, PA. Also from the Philadelphia area was a crib size Lone Star in drab colors set on a glorious chintz background. A quilt bought in England is made of tiny Tumbling Blocks (many 1-1/4″ chintz pieces); it’s filling is feathers. A wonderful top of Double Lemoyne Stars with chintz setting blocks was recently quilted with fluffy poly batting. Random pieces of a single chintz were put together to make a wholecloth top (1820s) quilted later (1870). You can see an exquisite chintz appliqué quilt, c. 1835, from the Lexington, VA area on p. 27 of First Flowerings: Early VA Quilts, the catalogue of a DAR Museum exhibit. That quilt will be printed in color in the forthcoming publication of the VA Quilt documentation. It’s due out this summer. As you might imagine the “Old Dominion” is a treasure trove of early quilts. Cinda on the Eastern Shore

Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 13:48:36 -0500 | From: “gb-best” <vitale@>

How can we view the photos?

Does anyone have the link?

Thanks!

Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:16:17 -0600 | From: “Barbara Vlack” <cptvde@>

Newbie wrote about a quilt she had seen that could possibly be identified as African-American because of its primitive quality but ended up being 19th century Japanese.

I have a book on Japanese country decorating. It kind of parallels our American primitive country decorating (as opposed to the current “shabby chic” kind of country decorating — which I embrace, but that’s beside the point). Indigo reigns.

Newbie described the quilt she saw as being of the poorest fabrics — used and worn. Because she suspected Japanese, the thought of “probably indigo” went through my mind and was confirmed by the end of Newbie’s sentence. In fact, some sashiko designs supposedly were developed to be embellished patching for these used and worn fabrics.

The antique Japanese indigo fabrics have a special ethnic/aesthetic quality and would probably not have been available to A-A quiltmakers. I think those fabrics just weren’t in our American scrapbags.

Those same antique indigo fabrics now command a hefty price at Japanese flea markets.

Barb Vlack cptvdeo@

Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 08:17:39 -0600 | From: “Karen Musgrave” <KarenMusgrave@>

In The Alliance for American Quilts (www.centerforthequilt.org) eBay auctions this week we have reduced our unsold vintage fabric packs by 50%! We also have a copy of Sincere’s Sewing Machine Service Book from 1971, a cheater cloth from 1876 and more. You can check it out by going to http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZalliancequilts. Your purchases also benefit a great organization. New auctions are posted every Sunday. Happy bidding.

Thanks, Karen Musgrave Join us! Become a member and help preserve our great quilt heritage. www.centerforthequilt.org

Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:18:52 EST | From: Cammalu2@

_http://members.aol.com/cammalu2/quiltingdesign.jpg_ (http://members.aol.com/cammalu2/quiltingdesign.jpg)

I think I’ve got the date narrowed down some on this piece as far as what it is but I’d really like some ideas on the quilting design and it’s origins. I’d love to hear date opinions also based only on the needlework on the piece and not the piece itself. Those opinions by experts in the saddle business vary over a 500 year timespan and I was hoping to narrow that a bit more ;c). I think I’ve done that but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

Thank you all for your help :c)

Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 12:19:14 -0500 | From: “Velia Lauerman” <velialive@>

It would so great to see the collection of chintz that one of your members brought in. When we mention chintz in shops the look on some of the sales people’s faces are almost blank. One remark was made to me that Chintz is only used for upholstery. Come on, is there an easy way to describe Chintz? Pictures , sure, but the actual fabric and the study for our group is needed. Our group is still willing to finish Charity quilts. Yes, Charity quilts are a necessity and can be done in a hurry but those quilts will be of the future and some day our historians will look at them in the way we are looking at pieces we call traditional. We want to watch that even Charity quilts can be a piece of ART. Velia

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Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 14:58:44 EST | From: DDBSTUFF@

I just returned from doing the Americana Pier Show in NYC.

I witnessed what I actually thought was a joke but the joke was on me.

One of the dealers hung a quilt on his back wall just before the show opened. This quilt was an unevenly faded, gray whole cloth (for lack of better description) quilt, with very nondescript quilting if it actually had any. It was a very crocked square. Now this is where the joke was on me. I truly thought he was just low on merchandise and decided to hang this “packing blanket” to fill in his back wall. I never gave it another thought, it was that boring and uninteresting. Well, it turns out, it was an : “Afro-American Quilt from Mississippi” and it sold during the first hour of the show for around $1200.

Why do only ugly, crudely made quilts get the title “Afro American” ? Surely, not all, if any Afro American Quilters made terrible quilts. Some must have made quality textiles… Isn’t labeling these quilts this way a bit racist?

I had a pretty beautiful (if I may say so myself) and very unusual pieced and applique quilt, c. 1840-45 in red, indigo blue and green on white with fantastic quilting and, the only question I received about it was, “do you think all those blue blocks have been replaced?” . When I asked why she would ask such a question, she replied, “because it is so unusual”.

I guess, after 30 years in the business, I don’t have a clue.

I’ll post a picture of my quilt on Eboards to get your questions or reactions.

Darwin

Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 17:13:50 -0500 | From: “gb-best” <vitale@>

Thanks!

Does anyone have a catelog or photos of the reproduced Bible Quilt that the Smithsonian offered during the 1990s?

If you have any information about them, let me know.

Thanks!