August 6 – 10, 2007
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:
- Identifying a Mystery Painted or Stenciled Quilt Top — A member seeks help identifying the fiber content and likely origin of an unfinished painted quilt top.
- The Meaning and History of “Haint Blue” — Members trace the folk tradition and dye history behind protective “haint blue” (teal/oxblood) coloring.
- Washing and Wet-Cleaning Old Textiles and Rugs — A practical exchange on whether and how to safely wash aged rugs and other textiles. (see the article on cleaning antique quilts)
- The “To Tuck or Not to Tuck” Quilt-Care Debate Continues — More opinions pile onto the ongoing debate about tucking quilts into beds and the stress it puts on the fabric.
- A Quilt Made from Klan Robes Is Reported to the List — A member reports a quilt made from repurposed Ku Klux Klan robes, and the list begins discussing how such a piece would be identified, documented, and where it might belong.
- Dating the “Moon Over the Mountain” Quilt Block — A member asks whether this block predates its 1948 published pattern. (see the article on dating quilts)
- Caring for Old Silk Thread on Wooden Spools — A question about whether decades-old silk thread is still safe to use draws practical testing advice.
- Proper Citation of Internet Sources for Research — A member shares MLA-style guidelines for citing web sources in quilt history research.
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 14:02:17 -0700 | From: “Alan”
I’ve emailed mMorris to thank him for lunch and another visit is in the works. And yes, I will take my camera next time.
Alan
Date: Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:51:58 -0400 | From: laurel
Here are useful guidelines for citing internet sources:
For MLA style: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html#3 For Chicago style: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite7.html
Laurel Horton
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 21:01:17 -0500 | From: “Jan Masenthin” <quiltsrme@>
In my haste to catch up on and clean up my email, I deleted the recent QHL Digest containing a request/search for a quilt group older than 75 years. Please check out this link. It isn’t clear how old this group is, but further research might reveal that it’s older than 75. Good luck, and congratulations to the oldest group, whoever they may be. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20060729/ai_n16646266
If you need some leg work to get more information, please let me know.
Jan Masenthin
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 22:21:44 -0400 | From: Lloyd E Miller <lemillernycap.@>
Several days ago I posted a question about a painted top I have. It
was never finished and I am not sure it is really old. I had requests to post pictures on the E-Board, which didn’t happen in a hurry with
the heat, but finally, with the help of Kris and my husband, I think
they are there in the general section. It is large, 7.5 feet by 8 feet. As you can see in the detail pictures, it is rather crudely painted in some areas. None the less, someone put a lot of work into
this. Any further comments any of you have about it would be most welcome. It is rather a mystery piece.
Linda Miller
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 06:04:27 -0700 (PDT) | From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@>
Just a quick note – to get to the Gallery, it’s easiest to go to http://www.quilthistory.com and click on Gallery on the left hand side. Linda’s quilt is on the first page. Here is a shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/37bgxy
Kris
From: Joan Kiplinger <jkip@> D
That is absolutely gorgeous. Is fabric linen?? Definitely linen textured from the closeup which is why I ask.. Is this a lost art or are modern quilt artists recreating this form?? OK, you can tell I’m not a quilt historian; always the fiber prune in search of warp ends. 🙂 .
From: “Vivien Sayre”
Hi Kris, I wanted to give you an update on the Appraisers list. Philip Jerauld has retired from appraising. Also, my address and phone number have changed. It is now: 9 Maple Lane, Marshfield, MA 02050. (781) 834-1261. Hope all is well with you and your family. Thanks, Vivien
Just a quick note – to get to the Gallery, it’s easiest to go to http://www.quilthistory.com <http://www.quilthistory.com/> and click on Gallery on the left hand side. Linda’s quilt is on the first page. Here is a shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/37bgxy
Kris
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 09:34:29 -0400 | From: “Linda Eaton”
Join us at Winterthur on Saturday, August 11 at 3pm for a lecture by Dr. Bernard Herman, Chair and Rosenberg Professor of Art History, University of Delaware, on the Quilts of Gees Bend. Free for members, for non-members the lecture is included with admission ticket. (And please feel free to ask Bernie about the recent lawsuits)
PS. And I am so glad that many of you are finally receiving Montgomery’s Textiles in America – the delay was due to problems with a few of the photographs, and the publishers felt it was important to get them right.
Linda Eaton Curator of Textiles Winterthur Museum
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 09:43:26 -0400 | From: “Beth Davis” <bethdan533@>
Hello Jan, Thank you for sending the information for the Presbyterian Church in Dwight, KS. According to the article, they have been meeting officially since 1955, so that means it’s been at least 52 years. They were actually quilting before that, but there are no records.
So far what I have found is that the First United Methodist Church, has been meeting in Burlington, Iowa since 1880. This is whooping 127 years! This changes things for the ‘Friendly Circle Club’ from southeastern Ohio, who was thought to hold the record for being the oldest quilting bee in America. They have been meeting continuously since 1917 (a respectable 90 years) There is the Green Hill Kensington group, which was organized in Nebraska on July 15, 1915 (92 years!) And the Helping Hands Quilters have been meeting since 1924 in Stillwater, Minnesota (83 years) Then there is the ‘Skip-A-Week Quilt Club’ (what a charming name!), which began in 1921; they claim to be the oldest documented club in Oregon. (86 years) And how about the Canberra Quilters Inc., which is the oldest patchwork group in Australia. Originally Margaret Rolfe and some friends, known as “The Patchwork Group”, founded it in 1976.
AMAZING! I am finding the information of great interest. Most of the clubs and guilds appear to be in the mid-west and west. I am a little surprised that I have not seen anything from the east coast. Just seems that there would be the oldest would be located in this area, doesn’t it? I do hope that I will be able to say that Genesee Valley Quilt Club is the oldest in New York state.
I will keep looking for more information! Regards, Beth Davis
RE: In my haste to catch up on and clean up my email, I deleted the recent QHL Digest containing a request/search for a quilt group older than 75 years. Please check out this link. If you need some legwork to get more information, please let me know. Jan Masenthin
Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:37:05 -0500 | From: Gaye Ingram
Dear Vivien,
Did you receive my note re possible article in BLANKET STATEMENTS?
If so, are you interested?
Hope summer is fresh and cool in Mass. Gaye Ingram
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 10:25:24 -0500 | From: “Andi”
Thanks to Joan for her advice, photos of fabrics faded by cleaning are posted in the General section of the eBoard: http://www1.eboard.com/eboard/servlet/ Although my camera flash washes out the center of the water cleaned sample, it really doesn’t make that much difference in how much dye was removed with water alone. Look at the bottom edge of the photo.
Andi in Keota, Iowa
Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:03:53 -0500 | From: Gaye Ingram
My copy of Montgomery arrived today from Amazon.
I thought I would pass this along in the event others were having the problem I had.
I had been told copies would not be available until fall. Promised shipping day had been deferred yet again.
Someone on this list noted that she had complained about this policy, since B&N was shipping their copies. Her complaint had gotten her order filled promptly.
Prompted by this post, I contacted Amazon and at first got a re-run of previous answer. I wrote back citing the list member’s experience and rec’d a letter of apology and a promise of my copy in this week’s mail.
And that is what happened.
Gaye
From: jocelynm@
>For those of you who sleep under quilts (both old and new), are they
>usually long enough to tuck in at the foot of the bed, or most often not
>tucked in? Laura, One of my pet peeves! 🙂 As a kid, quilts were tucked in, but they weren’t long enough to tuck und er and still reach up to my ears AND give plenty of space for my toes. So I developed a life-long adversion to having the covers tucked in at the bottom of the bed. I still just drape the covers over the foot of the bed , like a comforter, even if the blanket or quilt is plenty long to be tuc ked in. 🙂 I think that these days, it’s probably more customary to make the quilt l ong enough to tuck, but I grew up sleeping under Depression-era quilts, a nd fabric was too precious to waste making luxuriously long and wide quil ts. 🙂
Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:03:50 -0500 | From: Gaye Ingram
As some of you know, I am interested in the body of quilts that use the colors “teal” blue/oxblood/cheddar. North Carolina abound with examples, an d through genealogy and quilt provenance, I have been able to establish a migration pattern for these quilts which seems to begin in NC and move west , either through Nashville to Arkansas and across northwest Louisiana to Texa s or through Georgia and west along a well-established migration trail. They appear to have dwindled in Mississippi and Louisiana, once settlers became so mobile because of forestry industry. NC, TN, and Tx are replete with examples.
Most seem to have been made in the last quarter–indeed, the last 15 years–of the nineteenth century. Earlier and many later examples exist, however. Typically it is used in fairly large appliquE9 patterns, four-squar e quilts, though I have three fine examples in which it is used in pieced patterns.
Here are my questions:
First, does anyone know a mill source for this color blue-green that for lack of a more accurate term, I have called “teal”? Late nineteenth century . Mill records? Mill names? Sources of these materials? Anything that would help me trace this rascal color down?
Second, does anyone know the name for the color being referred to? It was quite popular in the arts and crafts era, was used earlier in the South in wall stencils. It is similar to the color once found on shutters and doors in South Louisiana and New Orleans, especially after that color had aged over time.
A friend who is a restoration architect at Tulane and in New Orleans suggested “Egyptian Blue” and “Indigo” as two color names that might be wha t I was looking for.
Last night Karen Flansca called to my attention a paint color described in SOUTHERN LIVING as “Haint Blue.” (p. 148 August issue) The colorway runs from bright to dark, with the color I’m talking about being more toward the dark end. Since it is reproduced in magazine, I can’t be sure of the trueness of the colors, of course.
The article claims this paint was used on porches and perhaps doors in Charleston and Low Country area to keep away the “haints.” Any South Carolinian know of that legend? Attributed to African origins.
I would appreciate any information on this entire issue.
It is SO August in Louisiana right now—light has changed to the color Faulkner described in his novel “Light in August,” tree frogs are screeching, locusts molting an making a lot of whiney noise, blue hazy mornings, and HOT, Gaye
Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:07:40 -0500 | From: Gaye Ingram
I just sent a post to list that had at least three errors in subject-verb agreement in first three lines. I know better and apologize. I made mistake of putting message through grammar and spelling check and then authorized recommended changes without thinking. Those prepositional phrases following nouns must confuse my system. Apologies.
Gaye Ingram
From: “Carroll” <rl.carroll@>
“Second, does anyone know the name for the color being referred to? “
Gaye, Some of the dye books from this period call this hue “Brilliant Green”. Evidently naming it after the dye itself.
I have noticed (in the old dye books) that if a hue is called blue there will be no hint of yellow in it, as is the case with this “teal” dye. Therefore, it’s most likely any name referring to this color will be some version of green, rather than blue (Haint Blue, Egyptian Blue).
Also IMHO, any “fashion” name you find would be one of many others, depending on the whims of the fashion industry and would change over the years.
The dyes were commercial synthetic dyes and would have been available to all dyers/printers of the time.
Laurette Carroll Southern California
Look to the Future with Hope
From: “Greta VanDenBerg-Nestle”
Gaye,
Haint typically refers to ghosts or spirits and the blue referred to is to ward them off and the shades of ‘blue’ used on porches can vary greatly. I have run across the term numerous times while doing research for renovating old houses. What can be referred as Haint Blue varies considerably. I have heard it described as being, “From periwinkle and turquoise to more mellow shades the color of the sky.” In the Savannah it is described as, “This blue/green color, or Haint Blue, is not only aesthetically pleasing but has an important purpose, and that is to ward off evil spirits.”
I have heard the stories that Haint Blue paint was used by African Slaves to secure entrances to their houses from evil spirits. According to the Geechee/Gulla culture of the Lowcountry, “the blue/green color of Haint Blue represents water which, it is believed, spirits can not pass over.”
There are numerous other tales including Appalachian folk lore and others about the blue on porches and at least as many different versions of the color.
I suspect the term ‘Haint Blue’ refers more to the idea of a blue used architecturally for old superstitious reasons and I am sure information about fabrics available from the time will produce better results.
Greta VanDenBerg-Nestle In sweltering Lancaster, PA.
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 09:24:28 -0400 | From: Lloyd E Miller <lemillernycap.@>
Joan’s question made me pause, because the fabric does have a nice hand, but checking it under the microscope, which I should have done before, confirms it’s cotton.
Linda Miller
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 08:33:55 -0500 | From: “Andi”
I hope this isn’t too far off to ask about but it is sort of wet-cleaning-of-textiles related: we got an inch of water in our basement last night when it rained three inches in an hour (after a pretty wet spring and summer). This is my first ever wet basement event, so I could use any advice. Three rugs are soaked. None of them are particularly valuable, but they are suitable for and useful in the basement, so I’d like to keep them if possible. All are area rugs. One is some sort of 1970s synthetic. The other two are wool dhurries that were grand in their day but had too many puppies living with them over the years to be main floor worthy now.
The water is gone, we have fans running in this windowless space and the exterior door is open. The dhurries are stacked on each other. I assume separating them is the thing to do and that when they are drier, we can drape them over the fence outside for drying/airing, hope there’s not much smell and bring them back inside with more fanning if necessary. DH assumes they will have to be dry cleaned (germs and such) and we should not bother with drying them out. Suggestions? As I’m on digest, I won’t get any replies until tomorrow unless you email me directly, which I’d appreciate.
Andi in Keota, Iowa
From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
Hi all, Andi and Kris, would you mind if I saved these images to show to folks who want to wash their quilts? I receive a number of inquiries about this here at the museum and, although I always quote Xena’s “Lay down until the feeling goes away” maxim, some folks just need to SEE proof. Judy Schwender Museum of the American Quilter’s Society Paducah, KY
Andi <> wrote: Thanks to Joan for her advice, photos of fabrics faded by cleaning are posted in the General section of the eBoard: http://www1.eboard.com/eboard/servlet/ Although my camera flash washes out the center of the water cleaned sample, it really doesn’t make that much difference in how much dye was removed with water alone. Look at the bottom edge of the photo.
Andi in Keota, Iowa
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:43:43 -0300 | From: Polly Greene
From the picture it is exactly like an Indian bedspread I bought years ago (maybe 30) even to the colors. It is on a cotton that at first glance looks like natural colored linen. My bedspread, now much faded, has the handpainted look. Polly in Nova Scotia
From: Joan Kiplinger <jkip@>
Linda and Polly — Thanx so much for clarifying fiber content. Great weave construction which complements the artistry. Lucky you all who own something similar.
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 08:30:31 -0700 | From: “Alan”
I got a top in the mail yesterday. Got it off of eBay. I had purchased it for one of the Timespan quilts. The pick made it look rather plain, and I’d forgotten what it looked like. I opened it up and was very surprised. The thing is gorgeous! I am NOT taking this one apart. It has nine patches. The nine patches are set as a second nine patch the center patch is a small square and the bars between are muslin. The sashing is killer. It’s the really cool yellow and purple plaid, set on point. Very pretty and a good addition to my collection. I’m liking this because I haven’t had a new acquisition in 2 years.
Blessed be, Alan
Alan R. Kelchner Mixed Media/Textile Artist http://alanrkelchner.com
From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@> D
Hi all, I am looking for 1950s era cowboy-themed quilts. If you have such a quilt- condition is not a factor-would you please email me off-list? Thank you. Judy Schwender Paducah, KY
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 12:20:18 -0500 | From: “Stephanie Grace Whitson”
Congrats on the “new kid”. . . I mean it. I totally identify with being pleased when a new piece of patchwork comes to “live” in my small collection. . .and it doesn’t happen often for me these days, either.
Stephanie Higgins www.stephaniewhitson.com
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 17:47:46 -0400 | From: “Sharron K. Evans” <quiltnsharron@>
Today I picked up a c. 1930 Sunbonnet Sue/Overall Bill quilt that needed minor restoration. It was very nicely appliqued and heavily quilted with the Baptist fan design. It was all done so nicely that I was surprised to see that all the quilter’s knots were on the top of the quilt. So that makes me wonder, were we always taught to hide our knots in the quilt sandwich? If not, when did we decide to hide the knot? I would think a utilitarian quilt would have plenty of visible knots. Why take the time to bury them?
Can anyone give me some answers?
Thanks and best regards, Sharron………. …in it-couldn’t-be-hotter Spring, TX (a northern surburb of Houston)
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 19:21:40 -0400 | From: “Kay Sorensen”
I do NOT tuck in quilts – new or antique. It puts too much stress on them. Quiltingly, Kay Sorensen
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 15:11:37 -0500 | From: “Miller, Maretta K”
Gaye,
Here are a couple articles…
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId3D5645263
http://searchwarp.com/swa113136.htm
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 11:46:46 -0400 | From: “Sharron K. Evans” <quiltnsharron@>
Ref: http://www1.eboard.com/eboard/servlet/
Andi – Do I have to be a member of eboard to view your photos? I’m really interested in seeing the photos but I can’t seem to get past the home page. Can someone help me?
Best regards, Sharron………. ……north of humid Houston
From: Joan Kiplinger <jkip@>
Shahron — bookmark www.vintagepictures.eboard.com This brings up the the viewing screen with its five tabs.. Click on quilts which I think Andi’s swatches are featured.
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 12:22:40 -0700 (PDT) | From: Stephen Schreurs <schreurs_ss@>
How big are these rugs? Since they are already wet and have survived that, it might be worth dunking them yourself in some soap and water. Was the flood water mostly rain seepage, or was it muddy goo?
I have, in the past, dunk-washed area rugs in a big plastic muckbucket or a horse-trough, then laid them on the sloping driveway and run water over them from the hose. One in particular was a synthetic rug, living in front hall, which received wet, mud, salt, ice, snow and labrador retriever paws.
The key, I think, is lots of water, then drying as quickly as possible – even to running a fan outdoors on them if necessary. My driveway works great – bright sun most of the day, and a slope which aids drainage. Who would have thought?
I am not a big fan of dry cleaning. Others may perhaps comment – but apart from the strong smell, I’m not convinced that it gets anything cleaner than soap and water, unless the item can’t get wet in the first place. No idea if it disinfects. But, it’s costly – if I were willing to spend that money, I’d be shopping for new rugs. Others may differ or be better informed.
Best of luck, Susan
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 19:36:02 -0500 | From: “Sarah Hough” <dougandsarah1@>
When we were in Egypt last winter we visited a Nubian village. Most of the houses were painted a very distinct blue. As I remembered the “blue” tale that it keeps away “haints” I asked our guide if they had the same superstition. She said no, that they just liked the color blue.
Incidentally, I bought three Nubian hats from one of the vendors. When I got back to the hotel, I found a “Made in China” label in one of them and you could see where it had been cut out of the other two.
Sarah
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:47:47 -0500 | From: Gaye Ingram
Sarah from the South wrote:
> When we were in Egypt last winter we visited a Nubian village. Most of the > houses were painted a very distinct blue.
Sarah,
That color is an old, old color and is generally called Egyptian Blue. Found in paintings, friezework, ubiquitous in stylized lotus paintings, water.
The color was popular for a long time in Europe. Napoleon’s excursion popularized everything Egyptian, including symbols and colors. The particular color I’m talking about (and you know what it is) was popular in NC and parts of the South after CW, espcially after 1875. It is ‘muddy.’ It, the oxblood, and cheddar seem to replace the earlier red, green, and yellow. I assume but can’t yet prove that it comes out of German sections of the Carolinas. I’m guessing the cloth was mfg there. See a color like it, usually darker and clearer, here and there in early 19th-century albums and in some Baltimore albums, I think. In fact, a list member sent a jpeg of a gorgeous quilt top I’d judge to be ante-bellum that had floral border.
Keep looking.
Gi
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 21:58:20 -0700 (PDT) | From: ikwlt <ikwlt@>
a few months back someone posted that they were visiting in atlanta and in search of the “museum”/store that is run by the niece of ozella williams of HIPV notariety. i believe the shop is in that atlanta underground area.
in october i will be in atlanta and hope to be able to check this place out for myself. it seems the person on the list found the store to be closed, or closed up, or something unusual like that. i’m hoping she is still on the list and might be able to give me some information to help in my search.
patti
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 07:29:53 -0700 | From: Laura Robins-Morris
Tucking: I appreciate all the responses about tucking quilts. I had never thought about the stress on the quilt when tucking and certainly never thought about the old bed spring and wires. (And now I won’t feel lazy when I don’t make a quilt extra long for tucking in. That frequently messes up the design too.)
Blues: Not having seen any of the teal/cheddar quilts in person, though many in books, I usually thought that that *teal* was just a poor color reproduction in print or a home-dyed blue that had partially faded or changed over time. (Like the fugitive greens.) This discussion has been very informative. Gaye, I hope you find the
additional information you need and put it all in what would make a very interesting article (or book?).
Laura, in cool dry Seattle, with much sympathy for those sweltering or soaking in other parts of the country.
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:58:19 EDT | From: JLHfw@
Dear Pepper, I don’t have your off list address. What time period does your new fabric line, Josephine, represent? Janet H
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:47:27 -0400 | From: “Judy Grow” <judygrow@>
Patti,
What exactly are you searching for? The shop or information from the shop owner?
Judy
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:24:13 -0700 (PDT) | From: Mary Anne R <sewmuch63@>
— Sarah Hough <dougandsarah1@> wrote: > Incidentally, I bought three Nubian hats from one of > the vendors. When I got back to the hotel, I found a “Made in China” label in one of them and you > could see where it had been cut out of the other > two.
How funny and how sad at the same time. On a related note, I often wonder what will happen to the US when all of our factories have been shut down, all of our food is imported, and we are at the mercy of our suppliers. So many of our ‘things’ are made in China now. It’s scary.
I bought some tomatoes in Publix last week and they had an ‘imported from Canada’ sticker on them! Why are we paying to import tomatoes all that distance when we live in FL and it’s tomato season? Yikes!
Grumble, grumble…guess I’m just getting old.
Mary Anne
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:30:48 EDT | From: Palampore@
When did folks begin to sew felt letters on quilts, clothing (sweaters) and banners? I have seen many painted banners from the 1800’s but haven’t seen any with felt letters. Am in a debate/discussion with someone over this. Can anyone help me????? I know that felted cloth has been around for centuries, but when did it become thin and dyed in colors for a craft type application? Did anyone look at the quilt with the diamond on the pillow area I put on Kris’ site??? I need to give my guild advice on this and I don’t have a clue. Thanks in advance. Oh, as for the palampore/bedspread Linda has. I have emailed her privately but I will add a few comments to the list. This type of painted bedcovering has been made in India for hundreds of years and have been used in the Europe since the mid-1500’s. This one she has appears to be post 1950+ in my opinion. Without seeing it in person it is difficult to make a blanket comment about. Often the ones found in “head shops” of the 1960’s-to present are a looser weave. I do have one from the 1930’s that was made in Italy and it has a fine weave base. (Fortunately it had a tag on it.) Then again I have one that I purchased in the 1990’s from a catalog out of England and it is an excellent quality weave. Due to this it is impossible to date without seeing in person and comparing with others. They are not only produced in India but they have been produced in Italy, France and Holland. Off to do all sorts of stuff. And mostly I am tyring to stay out of the heat. Lynn
Lynn Lancaster Gorges Historic Textiles Studio 3910 Hwy 70 E New Bern, NC
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:04:32 -0500 | From: Gaye Ingram
Another Take on Tucks
Ladye Harveston, from Jonesboro, LA, showed a child’s quilt at a Deep South Quilt Study Group meeting that was decidedly tucked. Her mother used large safety pins—I think they were the kind laundries used to use–to fasten the tucks under her children’s quilts. The point was to assure they did not “kick out” the tucked-in covers and thus have cold feet. Ladye had the pins with the quilt. She said that to this day, she cannot bear tucked-in bed covers. I had forgotten that until this week, when I saw Ms. Harveston, a member of this list. I asked her to report it herself, but she said she’s a lurker. A lurker now revealed. I’m sure I got some part of it wrong; so L. will have to clarify.
I often think of the pains our mothers took to keep us warm and dry in this temperate zone. My mother seemed to live in constant fear of “germs” and “you never know what is out there.” I was the only child in elementary school who wore rain boots, raincoat, and rain hat on rainy or might-be-rainy days. September, January, May—hot or cold weather, it didn’t matter: wet was the enemy. Pajamas had feet in them to assure against wayward kicking of covers (“I’m sorry, Gaye,” she would say when I protested that my feet were smothering. “But even in your sleep you are entirely too independent. Mama can’t take chances with your health.”) Cold was also the enemy.
On sincerely cold December and January nights, my sister and I lay weighted by quilts, not daring to move once we had “warmed” our places in the cold bed. Down the hall our parents were snug under an electric blanket. (“I do not trust these things with children,” Mama would say. “They are still new and one just never knows. I don’t want an electrocuted child.” And so the electric blanket my father had brought from his store lay unused in the linen closet. Electricity was dangerous in the hands or on the backs of rambunctious children.
Natural gas was the enemy of everyone who slept in a home that used it. “I’ve read COUNTLESS accounts of people asphyxiated in their sleep by leaking natural gas. If I can help it, my children will not be among those.” Mother would harumph when my sister and I begged her to leave the heat on at night. And that was that.
Our mother had been in a tornado when she was a girl. The wind itself seems not to have hit her parental home directly, but according to her “all the windows” of that big, many-windowed house had been knocked out by hail that accompanied it. The experience left her with a lifelong fear of dark clouds rolling in from the west and thunderstorms. Until her death at age 92, she religiously watch weather broadcasts to see if Baton Rouge or Ruston, LA, had or might have bad weather. And if either seemed liable, my sister and I got calls, warning us to take care and inquiring into the precise nature of the weather we were observing outside our windows. Now, we call one another and laugh and remember our cautious mother.
“All one can do is be prepared, be properly dressed should a tornado hit,” Mother said when we were children. “Properly dressed” for a tornado meant raincoat and hat and boots. I cannot count all the times I have wakened in the middle of the night with a heavy rain pounding on the roof and found myself booted and rain-hatted and my mother buttoning up my red raincoat. On such occasions, Mother would say, “There is nothing at all to be concerned about. Just go back to sleep and dream sweet dreams. This is just a matter of precaution.” My sister and I would giggle that if we were left dead in a tornado, people would puzzle over our sleeping attire. Mother didn’t see the humor. Weather was serious business.
I know she would have considered the maneuver of a quilt secured by large safety-pins progressive. As an adult I’ve realized my mother grew up in a world with no antibiotics, where a sniffle could become diphtheria and death. She herself had a prolonged bout of typhoid fever. So all her precautions made sense to her. And while they made no sense to me and my sister, they at least had one good result. We bonded in our opposition to our parent’s safety measures.
Now, Ladye, tell your story right.
Gaye Ingram
From: KathrynHerrmann@
Can anyone tell me if Moon Over the Mountain quilt block predates the 1948 publication by Marguerite Ickis? Does anyone know more about it’s history?
Thanks, -Kathryn Hendersonville, NC
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:30:17 -0700 (PDT) | From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@>
I received a call from a man in Indiana who has inherited a quilt made with Klu Klux Klan robes. He is at a loss to know what to do with it – donate it to a museum? If so, who would take it? Sell it? If so, for how much? I tried to talk him into giving it to me but no luck:-))
I really didn’t know what to tell him. If anyone has any suggestions for him (please be polite, he is 80 something!), give him a call at 1-765-457-5666. His name is John Rawlings.
Kris
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:11:42 -0500 | From: Gaye Ingram
Joan wrote: > a man in Indiana who has inherited a quiltmade with Klu Klux Klan robes. He >is at a loss to know what to do with it – donate it to a museum? If so, who >would take it? Sell it?
Kris, why didn’t you tell him to pass it on to a living Klansman? They are all over, you know, many in your own state and more in Indiana. In Louisiana they hold periodic rallies in Shreveport, which is much embarrassed by them. Livingston Parish, a rural parish before Katrina and adjacent to East Baton Rouge Parish, our capital, is working alive with Klansmen. It is the home of David Duke, once the Grande Grandee or something and candidate for governor of our state.
One day historians are going to recognize in the continued existence of this group something like that which produces populism–a symptom of economic or social groups’ being marginalized–and then they will be happy to have as evidence a quilt made from Klan robes.
I suspect historical museums in Indiana would be interested. They should be, anyway.
Gaye
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:45:45 -0300 | From: Barb Robson
I have recently received some old silk thread, on wooden spools. Is it going to be still ok to use?
I also have some old ribbon, yards and yards of it still on the original reels with paper in between the layers. Should I rewind it onto something else? Not much is labelled as to fibre content, there is some silk, some gros grain, some satin. A lot of it is 4″-5″ wide.
Most is labelled as made in France or Switzerland.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Barbara Robson Fox Point, Nova Scotia Canada
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:53:58 -0500 | From: “Stephanie Grace Whitson”
How does he know they are KKK robes? Sorry if this is a stupid question. Stephanie Higgins
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:58:49 -0500 | From: “Stephanie Grace Whitson”
From Eccentric Epitaphs by Michelle Lovric
Julia Adams Died of thin shoes April 17, 1838, aged 19 years.
So your mothers fears were not unfounded.
Stephanie Higgins >
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:36:52 -0400 | From: “Lynne Z. Bassett” <lzbassett@>
Makes me think of one of my favorite lines from an advice book of that period, _Letters to Young Ladies_, by Lydia Sigourney:
“A delicate silk or cotton stocking, with a thin soled shoe, in the depth of winter, will exhibit to advantage a foot of exquisite symmetry, but the consequences may be mournfully computed, when the ‘evil days of disease come’….”
Best, Lynne
> Julia Adams > Died of thin shoes > April 17, 1838, aged 19 years.
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:21:51 -0500 | From: Gaye Ingram
You know, Stephanie, your citation makes me long for my mother to be able to read that epitaph. Doesn’t it make you wonder what the person in charge of the epitaph was intending—blame? And whom? Parents? Society? Poor Julia herself? It is issued as a sort of moral admonition almost.
Sounds like an interesting book.
Thanks, gaye
> Julia Adams > Died of thin shoes > April 17, 1838, aged 19 years.
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:56:16 -0400 | From: Joan Kiplinger <jkip@>
Barb — ribbon and thread need to be tested and examined because you have no idea how and where they have been stored.
For thread, roll out about 12″ and gently tug. If thread snaps or breaks, it could be good for basting only as there is no tension. If you are going to use it on a sewing machine, also test for tension.
It’s okay to leave ribbon with its interleaving but you need to examine for splitting, rotting and other damage regardless if silk or rayon. again gently tugging. You may find you have aces and spaces as we say in bridge. This means good areas and throwaway areas.
Grosgrain generally holds up well due to its ribbing. But please examine each to avoid disappointment. I had/have tons of early 1900s to 1940s
thread and ribbon from France, Switzerland and USA. Many I had to pitch as they were rotted. Sigh.
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:41:19 EDT | From: JLHfw@
Dear Friends, I posted this on the AQSG list, but it was read as a request to join the list which I already belong to. I have a question regarding the shuttle from Logan Airport in Boston to Logan. How long a trip is this timewise? I need some information to make my return trip to Logan on Monday to meet my flight on time. Yes, Gaye and Polly, I have changed my mind about going back to Guatemala on the annual Medical Missionary Trip. It is time to stand back and regroup after my son’s death. I am looking forward to Seminar and hope to meet both of you . Best Regard, Janet Henderson in Fort Worth
