December 29 – 31, 2006
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:
- Pillowcases for Sailors and the Red Tent — Palampore describes a project to send items to sailors, Force Majeure and Sally Ward respond, and Palampore asks about red tents after reading The Red Tent.
- What Happens to a Quilter’s Stash? — Debby Kratovil, Mitzi, Gail Ingram, Andi, Alan and Elpaninaro talk about what to do with quilts and fabric after a maker dies, with a eulogy Barbara Vlack saved.
- Rules for Color — Andrea Blackhurst, Alan, Claire Alexander and Stephen Schreurs trade views on whether color has rules or is a matter of taste.
- Clues in the Calico Prices — Mitzi reports used copies of Clues in the Calico priced at more than $400, and Judy Kelius, Feedsackfanatic and others add what they know.
- Creative Motivation — Newbie Richardson notes the difference between making for use and making for looks, and Gail Ingram replies at length after quoting Newbie’s smocking.
- Mammy Quilts and the Underground Railroad — Pat Cummings asks for published examples of Mammy quilts and shares a new Quilter’s Muse article, and Rosie Werner cites a Mammy appliqué quilt in The American Quilt Story. (see the article on Underground Railroad quilts)
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 07:15:33 EST | From: Palampore
Another suggestion for our fabric stash culling —- When the Iraq War began my son headed up a project to send items to 25 sailors, one of whom was a cousin of our’s. Late one night I was trying to think of something “extra” to send other than soap, shampoo, tampons, Ramen Noodles, gum, etc. I initially thought of making little bags to send the items in, but instead I thought of all of the slumber party pillowcases I had made. I knew they were always a hit. My children thought that sending pillowcases to a bunch of grown up sailors in the US Navy was a really hair brained idea, but thank goodness I didn’t listen to them. I realized that I had bought way too many novelty prints for quilts for my children and it was time to thin them out. I sent 25 pillowcases using fabric with designs of sunflowers, motorcycles, butterflies, Peanuts characters, etc. They were the big hit when the supplies arrived. They said they had a ball deciding which fabric “fit” each of their personalities. It seemed to give them a reason to loosen up and be a little silly in a very serious place. I used the novelty fabric for the body of the pillowcase and then added a solid fabric border. I think we are getting ready to do the same thing again. This time I want to use it as a sewing lesson for my 15 yr. old daughter and some of her friends. This has nothing to do with antique quilts, but then again it does. If my daughter never learns to sew or do other handwork then she will be less likely to treasure my handiwork or my antique textile collection when I am gone. (She will probably pick out 2 or 3 favorites and send the others on.) If she has some limited appreciation and knowledge then she will be more likely to care. Think of how the women in most families treasure the quilts, not the men. It is a woman thing — a woman connection. (MOST OF THE TIME— My husband treasures the work of his mother and grandmother, but he is also an antique dealer.) I am positive that my daughter will never be a “needle woman” like I am. But I do hope that she has some appreciation. I read THE RED TENT on our vacation to Puerto Rico. I want to research that concept. It would have been fabulous. It is a wonderful book about the “connection” of women. I loved fantasizing about the fabrics they were weaving in the book. I am culling quilts and vintage clothing right now and it is like getting rid of children. I think this is called OCD when it is so emotional to part with “things”. Happy New Year to all. Lynn in New Bern, NC
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 07:51:25 EST | From: Palampore
After recommending THE RED TENT I went on a search to find out if red tents existed. In the process I saw that many people who are Jewish don’t like the book because of its portrayals of Jewish history. I won’t get into that…… I liked the book because of the connection between the women when entering womanhood, birthing babies and going about their daily lives to exist. I saw it purely as historic fiction with some beautiful writing about relationships. (As for the biblical part, it did a good job as far as now making me more curious about that portion of the Bible so I will now go back and read it again.) To add to my last post. If you are afraid your children will pile up all of your quilts and fabrics on your driveway for one heck of a yard sale after you are gone make sure you put in your will names of people who should help evaluate your belongings before they are disposed of. And tell them that they should make the relationship a personal but also professional one. (This makes me realize that I do need to write down some things for my own children.) Your stash might be just as valuable as a coin collection or whatever……to the right folks. Treat it that way. Think of the value of your sewing machines alone. Off to do inventory of my collection. Lynn in New Bern, NC
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:43:09 +0000 | From: Sally Ward (sallytatters)
> I am positive that my daughter will never be a “needle woman” like I > am.
You’re doing the right thing Lyn. My DD wore nothing but her brother’s outgrown jeans and Ts, wouldn’t be dragged near any of my sewing, didn’t let me make a party dress after her 7th birthday, and although artistic seemed destined for a career involving languages and history. Then she did an about face, took a fashion degree, now works in the rag trade in London and sells her own makes on a market stall. I love it when she comes home and we talk fabric and fashion. This Christmas she brought me the most hideous bit of orange, red and black fabric she had snaffled from a box at work because she thought I would love it \<G>. She’s working on a ‘mood board’ to show me what the next quilt I make her should be like.
And all because I gave up any idea that she would ever sew anything \<G>
Sally Ward
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:46:54 -0500 | From: Paul and Nancy Hahn (phahn)
Joan, your question made me stop and think for a moment before answering as my thoughts go two ways.
I started as a quilter of usable quilts 30+ years ago and still adhere very strongly to the idea that quilts should be used (read, “loved”). In fact, I stopped making quilts as baby gifts long ago as I had a hard time dealing with the new mother putting anything I made away “so it won’t get ruined.” My children truly loved their quilts to death as another QHLer mentioned, and now, as young men, they have fond memories of them as real pieces of their growing up. They also still remember those quilts on the back of the sofas we all curled up with and eventually wore out. They were important parts of our family life. They comforted us when we were feeling down and were cozy when we read those good books or watched those funny family sit-coms of the 80’s.
For the past 15 years I have slowly morphed into using antique fabrics and quilt patches for small projects. Usually they are under 30 inches square, although right now my project is a 64″ square 4 block appliqué that I have added additional appliqué and borders. I choose my fabrics carefully so I am not using fabric that will split or shred as I needle it. I usually use additional antique fabric of the same era as the blocks on the top of the piece (if needed) and new “repro” fabric for the back. These are “mine” and I treat them gently after they are done and use them carefully as wall hangings in the house or draped over an unused bench or tucked into a basket or folded on a shelf in an open Dutch cupboard, out of direct light. They are never washed once they are quilted. They are moved around and taken down as the seasons change. I do write, quite extensively, directly on the backing fabric in permanent pen, that they are newly made of antique fabrics,… where, when and by whom.
I have very little of a stash of new fabrics, and those in my Quilt Study Groups will tell you I am relatively ignorant of recent repro fabric lines. I only go and check out what is available when I am ready for another project. But, my supply of antique blocks and fabrics brings me great joy and delight…….I realize many are strongly against quilting antique fabrics and blocks and that they should be preserved “as is.” However, once these pieces are “mine,” they fit better in my world if I can see and enjoy them—I guess I “use” them by having them easily available, within my visual range. Right now, looking up from the computer, I can enjoy 4 different pieces about the room made of antique fabrics and blocks, which brings a smile to me each time I see them.
So, I guess my answer is that if I see antique blocks I love, they are handled carefully and used as decoration. Those quilts that are for family use are made to be durable as they are loved and tossed in the washing machine as needed. They all become a part of my live, but in different ways.
Nancy Hahn, getting ready to go for a walk on the beach in South Carolina
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 13:12:10 EST | From: Mitzioakes
Sally – you made my day with the word SNAFFLED. I love it!!! Glad your daughter saw the light (sometimes it takes some longer than others to do so)….I have a grand daughter who wouldn’t know what a needle was until she had a daughter of her own! Her request to her Mother for Christmas – a sewing machine. Which was done and she is sewing up a storm now for her 6 mo. old daughter – has even called me to ask questions about sewing and QUILTING!!!. I think I have a taker for my zillion fat quarters sometime in the future. Mitzi from almost snowless Vermont
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:30:17 -0400 | From: Polly Greene (pjgreene)
Joan asks — when you design and create a new quilt what are your expectations for its use.
Mostly I haven’t a clue. I don’t make those decisions until I see what happens. Lots of times I’m simply playing around and if something comes to mind as a result of what I’ve produced so far. So they more or less make the decision for me. I never design anything ahead of time. Quite often I’ll run out of a particular fabric that I have started with so the addition of something entirely new quite often makes the piece rather outstanding. I always start in the center so that if this happens or I decided to do something different mid-stream it looks like a natural progression. And like someone else said it’s the process of all this I enjoy and don’t really care what happens to it after it is finished.
Polly in Nova Scotia
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 18:39:38 -0500 | From: Judy Kelius (quilts)
Hi Newbie – I don’t think Amazon charges your credit card until the book is actually in stock. The publisher of Clues (Howell Press) apparently went out of business, and there are no more copies to be had. A copy usually sells for $100+. I used to buy wholesale from Howell, and they had told me they were hoping to reprint it, but now I don’t know who, if anyone, holds the rights to their books, many of them on quilt history. Howell disappeared more than a year ago – web site closed down, phone number no longer in service, etc.
Amazon (and other internet sites) often list that 4-6 weeks delivery time for books that are out of print. So if you see the 4-6 weeks line, don’t believe it!
At 01:10 PM 12/28/2006, you wrote: >Does anyone know the status of the re-print of Clues in the Calico – is it >out yet? or is Amazon still holding on to money against a future publishing >date?
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 13:47:44 EST | From: Mitzioakes
Alibris has a couple of ‘Clues’ available now, but the cost is not to believed – over $400 for one! Mitzi from VT
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:24:34 -0500 | From: kathie holland (kathieholland)
Mitzi I would sell my book for 1/2 of that and be very happy…I can’t believe the book is going for 400.00 WOW, the same with the book Spoken without a word ,mine is signed by Elly, her first book ,self published I believe….for what that is going for I would sell it too! Amazes me what some of my books are worth now! Kathie
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 11:37:07 -0800 (PST) | From: Laura Fisher (laurafisherquilts)
last post before new year, when I hope nothing more in my life breaks, and I can really get down to business again (yesterday my bathroom sink pulled out of the wall, and this morning my key got stuck in my (very expensive) fichet apartment door lock, and I could not get it out!) every mechanical thing in my environment is falling apart, aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh)
Another excess fabric usage locale would be schools–have quilt makers as guests in school classes to teach how to quilt–could bring fabric to work with and donate, do a whole project incorporating history as well as art/craft,
And lastly, how about a food exchange–all the excess food from U.S.and the suffering population of Ethiopia, just profiled in NYTimes about malnutrition and its debilitating effects on child development. Now there’s a match I hope someone can effect.
Happy New Year to all.
Laura Fisher
p.s. Anyone coming to NYC for Americana week at the end of January? On the weekend of January 20-21 there will be several major antiques shows running–plan to visit. I am exhibiting at Americana at the Piers show — 200 dealers with great, affordable quality merch., Sat and Sun, 0 am to 5 pm, Pier 92 on the Hudson River. Contact me privately for show card, info, and please stop by my booth to say hello from qhl……………..
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:19:36 -0500 | From: Lucinda Cawley (lrcawley)
I’m trying to get the jump on the New Year by noting appointments on all my 2007 calendars. The following is from the caption for May 2007 of The American Quilt Calendar (quilts from Williamsburg). Mosaic quilt top made by Louis Phillippi and his sisters; Philadelphia, PA; ca. 1863; pieced silk over paper templates. Family tradition states that a teenaged boy helped his sisters piece this quilt top. A paper tag attached to the border reads: “Silk Quilt top cut and pieced by Louis Phillippi and four sisters in Philadelphia in 1863. This was the cause of his running away from home and joining the Union army at the age of 14.” Louis survived the war and his quiltmaking ordeal. Happy New Year everyone from Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:37:02 EST | From: Jccullencrew
In a message dated 12/29/2006 3:20:24 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, lrcawley writes:
A paper tag attached to the border reads: “Silk Quilt top cut and pieced by Louis Phillippi and four sisters in Philadelphia in 1863. This was the cause of his running away from home and joining the Union army at the age of 14.” Louis survived the war and his quiltmaking ordeal.
Hi Cinda, I’ve read your posts over the years and have always enjoyed them. I am not a quilter but love quilt history so have found this site most enlightening. I just loved your note above about the young man who ran away and joined the Union because of helping his sisters make a quilt. No doubt he took some flack for that. You know, it occurred to me that things haven’t changed all that much since then. My DGS who was 12 at the time, saw me working at my sewing machine and wanted to know if he could “try” it. It is a machine, and he is fascinated with machinery of any sort, (as a tyke, he always liked to make the treadle move on my DGM’s old Singer). So I said sure and he ran a few straight stitches then decided he wanted to make something, so we cut out a pattern for a simple hobo type bag which he zipped right through with no problem, even threaded the cord to close it. Talk about enjoying his accomplishment that afternoon. He was very proud of himself. He still checks to make sure I still have the bag, but doesn’t mention it to any other significant male in the family cause it’s been made quite clear that it is too girly a thing to do. Too bad, but he and I share this fun moment from our past together and who knows, he is very artistic, and I’m going to try to get into it again when I start working on a photo quilt with several of his past drawings and also photos of his special interests. If I can’t get DGD interested, I’ll go where the artist lies. He has a good sense of design already. I really just wanted to say thanks for sharing this information with us. It made me smile thinking about it. Regards, Carol Grace
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:31:17 EST | From: Feedsackfanatic
Keep checking Ebay, because they come up from time to time. In fact, I sold one last year for $129.
Paula in GA
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:11:33 EST | From: AndreaBlackhurst
In a message dated 12/29/2006 12:13:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, qhl writes:
Then there’s the reality that most quilters don’t have any instruction when it comes to using color. They have no idea of what the basic “rules” of color are. Things like tone, value, primary and secondary colors, etc.
People often complement me on my fabric combinations. As far as I’m concerned, there is only one rule of color, and that is contrast. If you like it, it’s a good choice. I don’t believe any special instruction is needed.
Andrea, near Dayton
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:55:16 -0800 | From: Alan
> If you like it, it’s a good choice. I don’t believe any special > instruction is needed.
This is where I have to disagree. A good basic idea about how colors work together is important. Especially for those who find themselves stuck when it comes to fabric choices. Things like value, hue, primary and secondary colors, complimentary colors. Also the variations on complimentaries. Then there are the basic color schemes, monochromatic, tertiary, etc. There is a good bit of fear involved in making these choices. I’ve seen it entirely too often. If a person knows the “rules” then he/she is able to move forward and make their own choices. It’s like learning the scale in music. Once you understand the different parts you can then read and play music.
If you go to http://alanrkelchnerfiber.blogspot.com/ and look at the third entry, you’ll see my current quilt. It went from an unremarkable c1880 top to a vibrant modern piece. My color sense is such that I’m able to combine colors that most people would find terrifying. I’m able to make color choices and combinations that a lot of people would never think of. This is something that I haven’t had to think about for a long time. I remember taking a class using Jackie Robinaon’s book”Quilts in the Tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright”. It was quite the challenge. Class ended before the top was completed. I took it home and finished it, then returned to the shop with it. They were amazed that I’d had the audacity to change the blue scheme to a yellow scheme. They’d have never considered changing the color.
And can you tell I’m a trained artist?
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 07:27:46 -0500 | From: Debby Kratovil (kratovil)
No, ladies. I have no immediate plans to “go the way of all flesh.” But I have told my family from time to time what to do with my quilts and fabric stash after I go. The stash is to be offered to my guild(s). They can come and take what they want. It CANNOT be taken to the local Goodwill until all quilters have had the chance to rummage thru it. As for the quilts, here is what I’ve been saying for years. Before my funeral, my family members (beginning with the closest – 3 daughters and husband) get to take whatever they want. Then, at my funeral, the rest of my quilts are draped over my coffin and around the church. It will make for a delightful, upbeat sort of service. Afterall, I’ve gone to be with my Maker. I’m not sad. I’m not there! Then, after the service, in a dignified way, my friends can come up and take a quilt a piece. If there are any left over, they can then take two! I really believe they will be treasured. Since I can’t take it with me, it should be left with those who loved (and put up with) me!. Debby — Debby (with a “y” and not “ie”) Kratovil Special Projects Editor, QUILT Magazine http://www.quiltmag.com Quilt Workshops & Programs http://www.quilterbydesign.com
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 05:31:31 -0800 (PST) | From: Pat Cummings (pat)
Good morning,
I am wondering if anyone on the list is aware of any other Mammy Quilts (not counting Redwork ones) that have been published in books. I would appreciate any input. Thanks.
My new website article on Mammy Quilts and Other Black Memorabilia is now available to read:
http://www.quiltersmuse.com/mammy_quilts_and_black_memorabilia.htm
Patricia Cummings
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 08:53:00 EST | From: Mitzioakes
Debby – I like your planning! Mitzi from snowy (FINALLY!) Vermont!
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 09:17:47 -0500 | From: Newbie Richardson (pastcrafts)
Dear List, Nancy’s post reminds us that there is a distinction between creating an object for “use” and creating an object for visual pleasure ( embellishment, decoration): a piece of “art”. That distinction gets blurred when a piece is made for “use” but only for “best” use.
Case in point, I smock – and by my own account am a very accomplished smocker. Needless to say I went to town on my girls’ Christmas and Easter outfits when they were small. I knew that these would become heirlooms, would be photographed, etc.The girls wore them – gently. At the same time, I would smock flannel nightgowns ( and a matching one for their dolls). They LOVED their nightgowns, lounged in them, ate in them. They were literally washed to death. I would give them as gifts, and folks could not understand why I would put so much effort into something that was going to be outgrown and “trashed’. Simple, I said, I get to admire my handiwork on kids who enjoyed wearing it!
Any skilled crafts person usually has a different motivation depending on the piece they are making. Sometimes, we cannot help but put our skill and design capablility into a “utilitarian” piece. Doing “good” work is ingrained in me. I simply cannot do sloppy work, even when I give myself permission: the ghost of my great aunt, the exacting needlewoman, haunts me!
I qualify that, however, by the fact that I have never “had” to produce any garment out of necessity. When circumstances do not compel you to make something, then you have the leisure to spend more time on it’s creation.
For many crafts people their skills are so much a part of their being, that they are unable to turn out mediocre work. We see this all the time – when we admire a “utility” quilt that transcends it’s end use – which may be one of the reasons the “Gee’s Bend” quilts struck a nerve. There is a very fine, grey line between craft and art. Occasionally a skilled crafts person crosses that line – as some of the Baltimore Album quilts do. They were made for “best use”, as were some of the Crazy Quilts we occasionally see.
Newbie
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 09:06:18 -0600 | From: Andi (andi0613)
Lynn wrote:
If you are afraid your children will pile up all of your quilts andfabrics on your driveway for one heck of a yard sale after you are gone makesure you put in your will names of people who should help evaluate your belongings before they are disposed of. And tell them that they should make the relationship a personal but also professional one. (Thismakes me realize that I do need to write down some things for my own children.)Your stash might be just as valuable as a coin collection or
whatever……to the right folks. Treat it that way. Think of thevalue of your sewing
machines alone.
Off to do inventory of my collection.
Lynn in New Bern, NC
In the July/August 199 issue (314) of Quilters Newsletter Magazine is my article, You Can Take It with You, a tongue-in-cheek butserious consideration of what the future holds for our fabric stashes. Myfriend, Casey Gluckman, a lawyer and quilter, wrote the sidebar on protectingyour wishes legally, as Lynn wisely suggests. My friend Teddy Pruettmarvelous Rotten Bones is the art. The idea for that article came when Irealized that my 1968 sewing machine was worth maybe $20 but my fabric stash wasin the five figures. I continued the concept of where our things goin QNM October 2005 issue (376) with Leaving a Legacy: Donating Quilts to Museums, an article I couldn have written without the help of somany of the wonderful people here on QHL.
Just as it important to debunk myths, it important to gentlyremind people how to create fact-based history – by leaving clearinstructions, labels, stories, etc. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, butit a lovely song.
About men emotional connections to quilts: My only sibling foundhimself a widower at the age of 39. Their only child had just turned six. A yearor so later, brother found an unfinished lone star quilt among his wife pre-wedding crafts and promptly handed it to me to finish. I know whyshe quit working on it. It had every classic Lone Star problem, from D-cup middle to wavy borders. She had tried to make things right but it was a horror. Not confident of my ability to improve the poor thing, I surfedthe net (and this was 11 years ago, when the net was certainly not what itis today) and found a wonderful quilter, Ann, in California, who agreed tolook at it. She worked wonders with heavy stippling and returned a veryprecious memory to our family. My nephew still sleeps under that quilt.Meanwhile, people around him noticed his love for his mom quilt and over theyears he has received several from friends, church, etc. He’ll get one from me,too. This is one young man who can wait to see what I’m working on,whether he ever picks up a needle himself or not. He (and my brother) will go toany quilt show or museum with enthusiasm and genuinely appreciates what hesees, even though none of us ever knew that Gayle, rest in peace, had a quiltin progress or saw her work on it. She was a quiet, undemonstrative personwho was hard to warm up to, but she sure dropped a pebble in a pond withthat misshapen Lone Star.
Andi in Keota, Iowa
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 05:18:20 -0800 (PST) | From: Claire Alexander (claire63us)
>only one rule of color, and that > is contrast. If you like it, > it’s a good choice.
Andrea,
I agree up to a point. I can usually hold fabrics together and decide if they work well, then make adjustments when I see them together in the block pattern and piece size. There are two points where some knowledge would make a difference. 1. I tend to re-use certain favorite combinations, and could branch out more with more ideas in the head, and 2. Sometimes when a combination isn’t quite working, it would help to know a principle that would help fix it.
Claire
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 11:23:22 -0500 | From: Lucinda Cawley (lrcawley)
Thanks Andi for the story of the unfinished Lone Star. Many people are thinking of Gayle today. Cinda
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 11:27:21 -0600 | From: Gail Ingram (gingram)
” Before my funeral, my daughters and husband take what they want. .. my funeral, the rest of my quilts are draped over my coffin and around the church. It will make for a delightful, upbeat sort of service. Then, after the service, in a dignified way, my friends can come up and take a quilt a piece.” If there are any left over, they can then take two!”
I hope you will understand that I am thinking only of the behavior I’ve seen in my own extended families and in other families I’ve known here in this curious state of Louisiana, Debby. But I am sitting here thinking of a story Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings tells in her “Cross Creek Cookbook.” Rawlings was from Louisville, KY.
She describes a birthday party her mother had carefully planned and for which she had baked her elusive and much valued Watermelon cake, a concoction that had the appearance of a watermelon, courtesy of chocolate seeds and food dye and prayer and lots of luck. The cake had turned out perfectly, and Rawlings’ mother must have been inspired to continue with the nature theme. To the limbs of a small French pear tree which her husband nursed into late childhood, she tied with ribbons the party favors, beautifully wrapped. The idea was that when the honoree had opened her gifts, then the doors to the garden would be opened ceremoniously and the guests would advance, awestruck, to the tree, where each would untie a ribbon and take a gift. It was a lovely plan and would, she thought occupy the guests until parents arrived to pick them up.
What actually was this. The instructions were given to a properly impressed set of youngsters. Rawlings’ father opened the door to the garden with great pomp. And then the guests ran like wild samanthians to the small pear tree, madly tore the boxes and any leaves that got in the way from its little branches. and the fat kid in the bunch, arriving last, stumbled and fell upon the tree, flattening it.
So, I’m sitting here laughing, imagining how your beautiful and thoughtful plans for your quilts might go awry. Might not happen, but then again….
I lost three wonderful quilts and an equally wonderful quilt top to which my paternal grandmother had pinned a note instructing her survivors to place them in my care. I was only twelve years old, but by then I had memorized her “secret” recipes and knew all the stories associated with the quilts and a few more. Out of a large family–seven sons and enough grandchildren to merit bringing out a large stored table for holiday meals–I was the only one who had shown real interest in things like linens, embroidery, quilts, and quilts. She felt strongly about those quilts and spoke often and to many about her wishes. After her death, they and things like china and favored nick-nacks either vanished or were assumed to be part of the house by the son to whom the others had given the homeplace and in whose care my grandmother lived for about six months.
Forty years later, I located the quilt top, which was being sold on eBay. I still feel sad when I think of the appliqued roses and Seven Sisters, made by her mother and carefully preserved.
My maternal grandmother left a will guaranteed to create a family feud, calling for the drawing of names for properties and belongings. My mother, who never “won” anything, inherited the house, the cherished spinning wheels, and probably half the lace and linens, plus. And also the jealousies of her six sisters. Even now, when they live less than 40 miles from one another and are in their early nineties, the two remaining sisters do not speak to one another because of the way that estate was handled. Had my grandmother designated recipients and given them the permission to swap or share or whatever they wished with inherited items, there would have been peace because her will would have been clear. As it was, everyone imagined herself the “special” daughter and the rest as intruders.
As a “dry run” I suggest this. When a group is gathered, pull out the quilts and ask each to write her preference down on a piece of paper. If there is no duplication, put your wishes in writing. If there is duplication, put your wishes in writing. Then that happy event you imagine has a better chance of occurring, Debby.
Oh that all were so generous-spirited as you! But……
Smiling about the pear tree, Gail Ingram
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 09:52:04 -0800 (PST) | From: Stephen Schreurs (schreurs_ss)
Okay, about rules for color…you all got me thinking
Sometimes color choices seem to me to be about fashion, or individual taste. The greens that my husband’s mother loves as “restful” look flat and dead to me. BUT
There DO seem to be reasons why some arrangements, colors and shapes, seem to be more “alive’ to the eye that others. I am sure that in the creative process, some of it is inspiration, some serendipity, and some is the sheer habit of really, really LOOKING at what has worked before. Learning rules or principles has to help one more deeply understand and appreciate what choices an artist makes – and hence, one’s own enjoyment. Not to mention skill. While we respond to the expressive and intuitive in art, I believe that the creative process also requires some intellectual slogging.
I speak as a relative newcomer in visual art…my first “medium” was music. As a young woman, I was discouraged from studying voice, with the excuse given that my voice was pretty just as it was. Much, much later, when I began voice lessons on my own, I discovered a much richer, fuller instrument than any suspected – and a richer, fuller joy and appreciation for the human voice than ever would have been possible before – I have learned to listen more acutely, because I know lots more about how the sound is produced.
I expect the same is true for quilters and other designers. Part of my plan for becoming a better quilter is to become a better looker – there are dozens of museums in the Baltimore Washington area, and I plan to take advantage more regularly. Anyone else??
BTW, I love some of the fascinating links to museums etc posted on this list… Fondly, Susan Schreurs
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 12:56:30 -0600 | From: Force Majeure Quilt Restoration (fmquilts)
Lynn, Your idea for creating pillow cases for the sailors isn’t goofy it all — in fact, it’s quite inspired!
My husband spent over twelve years at sea. Almost everything inside a ship is very regimented as to location, material, size, and stowage. This is for reasons of maintaining stability and safety. That’s all well and good, but it leaves very little room for personal items and the standard paint colors for interior spaces leave a lot to be desired. Imagine what it must be like to spend 6 months (or more) out of the year living in a cramped, shared, space (prisoners usually have more room). A sailor has a bunk, a very small locker, a bit of bulkhead and the surface of the bunk above in which to keep/display uniforms, clothing, personal equipment, and other belongings. My husband typically sailed with a couple of photographs of me and the kids, a fishing rod, and a set of outdoors-themed sheets/pillowcase.
For those reasons, a colorful pillowcase made from novelty prints or with an interesting pattern is a perfect gift. It doesn’t take up space, doesn’t violate any of the safety rules, and cheers a small space up. Dang, I wish I’d thought of this!
WRT the qhl link — I think that your gift may also provide an appreciation for textiles for the recipients, too. How many of them will keep those faded, tattered pillowcases until the end of their days, as a reminder that someone cared about them during a tough time? Some of them, I’m sure, will someday rescue a quilt from the burn pile with a tacit understanding that there are memories in the patches.
Best regards, Kim Nettles
From: Elpaninaro
Gail,
A heartbreaking story- but I am glad you at least found the quilt top again.
Based on personal experiences I wish had never happened, I think the only way to be really safe is to actually pass down quilts and other heirlooms while one is still alive.
Family can get very strange when an older member is close to death and easily taken advantage of. Perceived childhood injustices and senses of entitlement for having less than other siblings or for having been the sibling who took care of the parent the most seem to have a powerful way of justifying pure greed in even otherwise upstanding people.
When my grandparents finally moved from their last home into an assisted living apartment, they packed up their belongings with almost no assistance to avoid the same sorts of troubles that had happened with previous moves and promised to be very bad this time since they were down to the last and most valued family items. Only my mother and I were allowed to come help. Then, one child at a time, they invited family over to retrieve that which was to be given to them in terms of special family items. And they set aside several valuable things that they felt were not important family-wise and they asked me to sell them on eBay and via local venues so they could have some mad money to have fun with after the move.
Pyschologically I think this was important too because it was a stage of letting go of the material things in life. I am Episcopalian, but I often marvel at some sects of Eastern Religions where one was expected to shed all material belongings before death. In one extreme example, the final phase of life is to be lived out alone nearly naked in the woods- completely deprived of all earthly goods.
A bit extreme for my tastes, but an important concept. Earlier this year, in fact, I made a major career change and in the process I rid myself of so many “things” that I had and in which I had taken too much comfort. It was an incredibly liberating experience, and in the final days of my life I hope to have the strength to take it a step further and do as my grandparents did. If nothing else, they spared themselves further pestering from relatives who wanted to know if they could have X when they died- and asked openly!
Taxation is another reason to let things go while you are still alive. One of my sidelines is wine appraisal and I have had many clients be amazed to find out that with the recent wine market boom (much like what happened to the value of antique quilts 30 years ago), a modest investment over time in wine 20 years ago is today a collection worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. I am willing to bet there are a lot of quilt collectors out there who bought up pieces 20-40 years ago and are in a similar situation. Better to pass it down to those you love now than let it be appraised and taxed (and perhaps sold to cover the taxes) upon death!
Tom.
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 11:33:08 -0800 | From: Alan
It’s funny that downsizing ones home has come up. In the past several years , due to changes in my life, I’ve done a considerable amount of changes. It started when my first partner and I split. We were living in our 1300 aq ft home. Between us (mainly him) there was an incredible amount of stuff to cope with. His things got divided into three piles (I was doing the work as he was ill). Keep, auction, and donate. After that was done, the house was 2/3 empty. My turn came when I decided to move across country to San Fancisco. I did the same things to my belongings and packed the remainder up. It was necessary to be hard when it came to downsizing, because I knew the space in SF would be smaller. Turns out, for two people, we had 800 sq ft. Last year my fortunes went all to pot. Horrible mess. I ended up moving to NY to recover at my folks house. Moved back to the Bay Area, endined up not being able to afford the place. Moved again to Berkeley. I’m currently living in a space 15×15. So lots of downsizing. And it’s true. Less stuff is quite freeing. Not as many things to worry about.
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 07:37:06 -0600 | From: Barbara Vlack (cptvdeo)
I saved the URL for this eulogy that was being passed around Internet connections in 1999. It’s still on a website, thank goodness. It expresses the love and appreciation of a quilter’s teenage son at the time of her death. Get out the tissues.
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1999/03/22/loc_she_pieced_together.html
It was written 7 years ago. That makes it “history,” doesn’t it?
Barb Vlack cptvdeo I am proud to be participating in the Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts auction. For more info, go to www.AlzQuilts.com .
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 08:57:54 -0500 | From: Pepper Cory (pepcory)
Hello friends-I knew a quilter in Lexington KY (chime in KY gals if you can supply this lady’s name-) who although young (early 40s) was diagnosed with uterine cancer and given less than four months to live. When she received the news, she said, “I can’t live just four months–I have a lot of quilts to finish!” She lived another two years, much much longer than her doctors thought possible. After she passed, her friends took any unfinished tops, completed them, and gave them back to family members. At her funeral, her quilts decorated the church and were the coffin covering. To me, this subject is not morbid. How many of us get to do something we love in life, give away that love as quilts to people, and even decorate our own funerals? As for me, people who come to my service will be given bags of scraps and told “Go forth and quilt!” Quilting became more than a hobby to me, rather unexpectedly. I have a degree in Classical Studies (Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, ancient history) and was getting set to be a Latin teacher or perhaps an archaeologist when quilting came along in 1971. I have never regretted my patchwork obsession and anticipate many years of happy work in the future. My wishes for 2007 are that we all get to finish more of our quilts, that we apply our scrap-saving genius to other problems in life, and that we use quiltmaking to build better relationships with others. Happy New Year! Pepper Cory www.peppercory.com
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 09:20:50 -0500 | From: Karen Evans
I’ve already decided that my research, my historically-inspired quilts, and my book collection will go to my alma mater, as well as enough money to set up an annual lecture on early quilting and/or textiles. My modern quilts will be distributed amongst my friends.
I have no children and no close relatives and I can’t think of a better way to pass on what I’ve learned.
Karen Evans
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 09:43:55 -0500 | From: Debby Kratovil (kratovil)
Gail and all. Now, those stories about human nature running amok, unfettered after one’s demise have given me pause. I got a peek at that last week when my middle daughter (24) was visiting. Her brother in law and wife have a new baby and I wanted to give him (baby Liam) a quilt. (Remember, I sew samples for magazines and fabric companies and have quite a full closet! I pull from that stash rather than start something new.) So, I pulled out a few quilts worthy of a boy. One I showed her she gasped at. “Oh, mom. I still want that! don’t you remember?” I made this VERY juvenile quilt that looks like a lego house with screaming wild colors and bright, bold prints – about 12 years ago. She said THEN that she wanted it for when she ever has a child. Well, I never figured she STILL wanted it! I folded it back up and promised her she would have it.
I think I’ll have to do the note thing. Show my daughters the quilts and ask them to make a claim. I sort of got in trouble at her wedding in July of 2005. I pulled out my deceased mother’s engagement ring and gave it to her to wear. Her older sister saw it and a fight ensued. I had to take it back and soothe a LOT of ruffled feathers. They both want it. No one gets it. Boy, how did we ever get so territorial over things? Debby — Debby (with a “y” and not “ie”) Kratovil Special Projects Editor, QUILT Magazine http://www.quiltmag.com Quilt Workshops & Programs http://www.quilterbydesign.com
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 15:08:20 -0600 | From: Gail Ingram (gingram)
Newbie wrote: ” I smock – and by my own account am a very accomplished smocker. I went to town on my girls’ Christmas and Easter outfits when they were small. I knew that these would become heirlooms, would be photographed, etc.The girls wore them – gently. At the same time, I would smock flannel nightgowns ( and a matching one for their dolls). They LOVED their nightgowns, lounged in them, ate in them. They were literally washed to death. I would give them as gifts, and folks could not understand why I would put so much effort into something that was going to be outgrown and “trashed’. Simple, I said, I get to admire my handiwork on kids who enjoyed wearing it!”
These could have been my words. Today I look at handsewn dresses that consumed weeks of my time. They are beautiful and the work on them is fine, but they have acquired another value from their use–cultural, personal narratives attach to them. Those smocked dresses and collars were also time-consuming, and with their French seams and mother-of-pearl buttons and fine detailing should last a few generations. Planning them, purchasing the materials for them, and constructing them gave me almost as much pleasure as seeing them on my daughter’s lovely little body. Love of beauty, of craft and domestic affection motivated those dresses. At least one smocked doll nightgown remains, but most went the way of the smocked nightgowns they matched. They were worn threadbare, as I had anticipated. Yet, in the process, they had created a taste for beauty and a sense of personal worth in their wearer. They were distinctively domestic creations, motivated both by a desire for beauty and by affection. No simple motivation.
Newbie’s statement focuses something about quiltmaking that I believe we sometimes neglect in our effort to avoid sentimentality and poor scholarship: motivation and use. Quilts reveal much more than the artistic abilities and craftsmanship of their makers.
Those little smocked gowns are like the often dismissed “utility” quilts that taught many of us on this list to appreciate quilts, textiles, and art in general. They created a taste for beauty and a taste for living amidst beauty.
The idea of “homemaking” has taken a beating, but it includes creating a beautiful environment in the home, thereby elevating the lives of those who lived within that home. My own guess is that few people who made “utility” quilts just threw materials together. Even in those constructed from wool scraps and clearly made primarily for warmth can generally be discovered some sense of order, if it is only a rectilinear organizational plan. We are drawn to order, repulsed by chaos, and that is true in all human activities. All art results from the effort to order the seemingly disparate elements of experience, whether those be social, political, narrative, visual, aural, or tactile. In some way, I think all who create a quilts are like Newbie: they do the best they can with what they have in order to create something pleasing and beautiful. I wonder if it is possible for us to work to a lower standard than the one we have learned to value.
In reality, aren’t all quilts created for bed use in some way also infused with the motivation of beauty? I slept and sleep under quilts I know resulted from the fused motivations of providing warmth for sleep and providing beauty and, often, remembrance. These have acquired meanings far beyond the basic aesthetic meaning, and recognizing that, I am motivated to create others that will replace them in time—to pass along the experience with beauty as well as to enjoy its production.
Isn’t any quilt created for public display only, especially in a context other than its original utility, an art quilt, be it a copy of an antique, a rendition of an older pattern, or a unique creation intended for a museum or hall wall?
Conventionally, quilts in America are defined in part by their intended use on a bed. Yes, they might be intended primarily as “coverlets” to put on the best bed to display the maker’s talent and to add beauty to her home. That use is a home use and a bed use, however. It has domestic motivations as well as artistic motivations. I wonder whether they can be disentangled.
I have never believed the Gee’s Bend quilts or similar African-American quilts like them across the South were “merely” utility quilts. In most cases, I believe, the makers of such quilts worked to a standard of beauty and craftsmanship that struck them as suitably high. That their makers did not place the same value on tiny, even quilting stitches or patterns more conventional to the wider community does not mean they did not consider the stitches they made entirely satisfactory, even good, and value the patterns they created. I am certainly no authority on this body of quilts, but my own experience with them has made me believe such quilts were/are conventional to specific cultural groups—and that the creation of beauty was among the motivating elements in their construction.
I have slept under utility quilts that were made of wholecloth fabric, and these are, like the purchased blankets, utilitarian alone. Their production is an act of craft, not art. But those with pattern, made from remnants from other projects or used clothing are in a different category.
The return to sewing which has been noted might, then, suggest a radical change in our society’s values and priorities. Maybe it suggests an elevated, broader ideal of the individual and of the home. The very wealthy have always been able to afford custom designed and created clothing and domestic goods. For generations so were the ordinary residents in the hinterlands who either had access to a talented dressmaker or were themselves gifted dressmakers and homesewers. The same applied to home furnishings. Maybe we’ve grown tired of “meeting ourselves on the street,” to all those generic garments and warehouse furnishings.
Again, the question of fused motivations arises.
It would be interesting to explore whether or on what grounds a true distinction might be made between utility and other quilts.
Gail
From: Rosie Werner
I just happened to be reading THE AMERICAN QUILT STORY by Susan Jenkinsand Linda Seward. There is an applique Mammy quilt on page 101. I didn’t expect the UGRR discussion to pop up at Christmas dinner. Mybrother-in-law works at a mission for the homeless and brought a guestwho helps out at the mission. When I was asked about how my book wascoming, he asked what it was about. When he heard “quilts”, he told mehe was impressed with the way people used quilts to send messages forthe UGRR. He now knows that it’s a myth, though he really didn’t want tolet go of the story. Rosie Werner
