June 7 – 24, 2003
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:
- Dating a Quilt by Its Indigo (or Not) Blue Fabric — Members examine online photos of a quilt to judge whether its blues are true indigo or a different period dye, settling on a second-quarter-19th-century date. (see the article on indigo fabrics)
- The “Wisconsin Quilts: Stories in the Stitches” Documentation Project — Members ask how the ongoing Wisconsin quilt documentation book project works and how to get a family quilt included. (see the article on state quilt documentation books)
- Mennonite Sampler Quilts, Continued — The list continues an earlier thread on related Mennonite sampler quilts, with more examples and sources shared.
- Sourcing Fire-Retardant Treatment for Quilts — Following the earlier hospital-display fireproofing question, a member points to sources for fire-retardant supplies.
- QHL Moves from the Cuenet to the Lyris Mail Server — A housekeeping announcement about the list’s mail server migration, with guidance for members getting stray unsubscribe messages.
Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2003 16:58:09 EDT | From: Trishherr@
Dear Judy,
More information on the Rupp, Bucher, Snyder connections there is an excellent textile section in a recent hard cover book the Heritage Center Museum has put out after my Quilting Traditions. It is by noted Mennonite historian Clarke Hess and was published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. I am not at home to give you more information. It can be ordered through Schiffer, our museum on line < www.Lancasterheritage.com> or Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.
Hope this helps,
Trish Herr
Hi y’all!
I think someone posted a question wondering who is going to the Vermont Quilt Festival (VQF).
I will be there in my capacity as Executive Director of ABC Quilts along with many ABCQ volunteers. For the second year, VQF has generously given ABCQ floor space in Plumley Armory for a quilt-a-thon. Bernina loans us sewing machines, Keepsake, P&B, Free Spirit, the Warm Company and others have donated fabric and batting. We have lots of volunteers come (more always needed) and we sew lots of quilts for at-risk babies.
What does this have to do with quilt history? Well, we celebrate 15 years of service this year, and will officially announce our 500,000th quilt sometime this summer. (I keep thinking there is a research paper in here somewhere, but just haven’t gotten to it yet.) We are the only national “quilts-for-a-cause” project that I know of that has teaching kids to quilt in our mission statement, and we have a small project for them to work on at our quilt-a-thons. We will also be at the Quilt Odyssey in Gettysburg, PA in August for the second time, courtesy of Missy Molino.
I invite you all to come “hang out” in our space. If you would like to use it as a QHL meeting place, I encourage you. If you need a fix of quilting between exhibits or trips to Shelburne, sit down and work on a wee quilt, or decorate some blocks. Or just come by to visit, but I hope to see you all in just a couple of weeks!
Pam Weeks Worthen, still whining in southern NH about too much rain!
Because of a momentary fit of forgetfulness, I don’t remember which List was discussing Spring Maid reproduction. So I’ll send a comment to both Lists. I go back & forth between them constantly and so many of us are on both!
Anyway, I just noted the fabric is for sale on Reproduction Fabrics site. It is listed under RETROS – 1950s to 1970s. Then it says it is a copy of a 1952 Spring Mills print! So that date is the answer we were looking for. But I also noted they specifically stated that Retro was 50s-70s: a date and term which some had been discussing eons ago!!! : ) Evidently the company expects to print others from its archives too. cb
I’ve lost something I thought I bookmarked, and also I’m not sure which list it was on.
Its a new book about a reproduction quilt along the lines of Dear Jane, the title is something like ‘Nearly Insane’ ? I’ve tried that and variations on Amazon but got nowhere. Can anyone help?
Sally W
Re: What was that book? 2003-06-10 08:32:00 <The Motl’s>
It’s “Nearly Insane” by Liz Lois. You can reach her at her shop, Quilt Emporium, East Troy, Wi. 262-642-4777. It’s self published so she can tell you where it is available. Chris
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 | From: Slnquilts@
Judy, Do you own one of those sampler quilts too? Sharon Newman
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 | From: “Sally Ward” <sallytatters@>
Since you are in the UK, if you are interested in UK history you might like to join the Brit Based list BQHL at Yahoo groups. Also, the British Quilt Study Group has published four useful journals of papers presented at their annual conference whcih are available from the Quilters Guild. To join the group you have to be a member of the Quilters Guild, which makes it quite expensive. Books to start you off about the UK tradition would be the Guild’s book ‘Quilt Treasures’ and Jan Rae’s ‘Quilts of the British Isles‘. Your local library might have any of Averil Colby’s or Dorothy Osler’s books. The former are quite old now, but nothing better has been published recently. And start digging….do the rounds of your local museums and see what they’ve got in the way of textiles. They are unlikely to be ondisplay, but they often like volunteers to help with the ‘housekeeping’ ofre-folding quilts etc. The best way to learn is to handle as many quilts as possible.
Sally W (in Yorkshire)
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 | From: Trimble4@
Hi Maureen,
I am a little late getting to your post, but wonder if you still have any of your books available? If so, please let me know how much you want for them?
Thanks, Lori
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Subject: Fireproofing quilts From: Anne Copeland <anneappraiser1@>
We just had a discussion on this on another list, and someone recommenced a substance that can be purchased commercially for fire proofing of textiles. Now I cannot remember the name of it, but I think if you look up fire proofing of textiles, it will come up. If not, I will try to find out again. it was not borax., but seemed to me that it had a “B” name. Peace and blessings, Annie
http://www.artquiltconsultant.com http://www.fiberartsconnsocal.org
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2003 | From: DDBSTUFF@
If you do a Google search on “Fire Retardant Supplies”, you’ll get quite a list of suppliers.
Darwin
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In less than 48 hours on the weekend of June 7, I acquired a new grandson and a new son-in-law thanks to two different children. Definitely one of of the most exciting two days in my life. In the brief window of opportunity between visiting the hospital and dressing for the wedding, John and I stopped in an antique shop. I found a completed (except for a bit of embroidery) quilt top. It’s American Beauty, Progress No. 1366. T.S.& G. Inc., N.Y.C. is also stamped on it. Size is 81″ x 99″. Xenia, or anybody, how about a hint on the date? It was John’s idea that I quilt it for baby Jimmy’s wedding which we probably will not be around to attend (we are pretty old already, after all). You gotta love a guy who thinks that way! Now, about Vermont: I’ll be at Shelburne on Friday, the VQF on Saturday and Deerfield on Sunday. Who else will be sweltering along with me? Cinda finally back on the Eastern Shore but only until Wednesday a.m.
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Cinda, I am filing this along with other of your mailings that go in the file “INTREPID”! It includes the weekend you and your group navigated around a load of missiles in order to get to a meeting of FFV. What a woman!
I vote for assigning the quilt to the baby, though, you know, it might also have been an omen for the happy couple?
Gail
P.S. Do you include the quilt find as a reason for this being “definitely one of the most exciting two days in my life”? >g>
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 | From: Kris Driessen
We should all now be on the Lyris server, not the cuenet server. If you get an unsubscribe message from cuenet, don’t panic. As long as you get this message too, you are still on QHL. If you DONT get this message, then you should worry:-))
While you are thinking of it, please change your address book so it reflects the mailing address of qhl@ rather than QHL@. Notes sent to QHL@ will bounce.
Thanks,
Kris
