August 7 - 10, 1997 - QuiltHistory

Oral History & Documentation, Quilt Block History, Regional Quilt History, Restoration & Conservation

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:

Apple-Stem Marriage Superstition — Members swap versions of a folk superstition about predicting a future spouse’s name from twisting an apple stem.
Interviewing Older Quilters — Advice on finding and interviewing elderly quilters for oral history projects, including senior centers as a resource.
Dyes Used in Antique Quilts — A member asks for book recommendations on the history of dyes used in quilting fabrics. (see the article on natural dyes)
Documentary Quilters’ Feelings — Discussion of how quilters feel about being filmed or documented for quilting documentaries.
North Carolina Regional Quilt Icons — A member researching NC regional quilt history and tobacco-themed patterns receives responses pointing to local resources.
“Hedgerows” Quilt Accepted for Show — A member celebrates having her scrappy green barn-raising-set quilt accepted into a show.

Date: Fri, 08 Aug 1997 22:34:02 -0500 | From: Mark Mashaw

I did the sample apple stem game as well to find my husband’s first initial. Unfortuneately, Idon’t know if I was ever able to twist the stem to M before it came off! Did you then try and break the apple’s skin with the broken off stem? However many jabs it took to break the apple’s skin resulted in the second or rather, surname initial! Hope your summer is going well and I would very much like to purchase a pin. I endjoy these digests tremendously and feel privelged to read the wonderful ideas offered here! Thanks everyone, now back to lurking for a while. Mary

Date: Fri, 08 Aug 1997 23:08:26 -0400 (EDT) | From: JOCELYNM [at] delphi [dot] com

On 8-AUG-1997 12:34:15.0 rmaietta said to JOCELYNM > Okay, okay – so I’m joking. Anyone else have any ideas?? > Ricki in PA, successfully putting off a whole bunch of work! Ricki, I don’t know about quilting myths…but I DO know that making beds when you first get up is most unsanitary. The sheets need to air out, you see, and if you don’t get back into the bedroom before you leave the house…well…they will be most sanitarily aired out by the time you get home. And since you’ll be going to bed soon…..

Jocelyn

Date: Fri, 08 Aug 1997 23:08:35 -0400 (EDT) | From: JOCELYNM [at] delphi [dot] com

On 8-AUG-1997 14:30:39.7 debatqps said to JOCELYNM > I need a good response to use when someone comes into my shop with a > family quilt and wants to know “Whats it worth?” There has to be a > polite response to tell them to stop being money grubbing fools and >hold onto their heritage if not for them, for their children. Debbie, If they’re married, ask them what their wedding rings are ‘worth’. Ask them if they would sell them for the value of the gold and gemstones. Most people would act horrified and say ‘NO!’….they have ‘sentimental value’. Then you can talk about how that quilt is really a piece of their family history, and how once they sell it, it can never be recovered, and how the quilt SHOULD have sentimental value for their family, just as the wedding rings do. Then talk about the quilt…tell the story it tells YOU. Most people who aren’t quilters can’t hear the stories on their own, but when they’re explained to them, they’re fascinated.

So many people don’t have the trained eye to really understand quilts as history. If the quilt isn’t beautiful by 1990s standards, they can’t imagine why they’d want it. I just asked my mom about the quilt she gave my sister…how it had happened that I’d never seen it. She hemmed and hawed around, but basically the answer was, that she had always considered it ugly, and didn’t want to use it, and even now, as a quilter herself, she couldn’t quite understand why her daughter would WANT it. Then if you imagine a person who’s never made anything by hand, who doesn’t understand how each era of quilts have their own beauty, and how a quilt that’s a perfect example of what the decade in which it was made thought was beautiful, has a beauty over and above its design and colors…..well, it’s largely a matter of education, IMO. And some of the folks may not be asking because they want to sell, but because they’re curious, or they want to brag about the value of the quilt! Jocelyn

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 07:01:22 -0400 (EDT) | From: Baglady111 [at] aol [dot] com

In a message dated 97-08-07 20:46:11 EDT, you write:

Did the markings of kits wash out really easily so that it is possible > to see no embroidery markings at all while the pencil quilting marks >> I reply to your question..I am just back from a lecture in JONESBOROUGH, TN..(delightful little town) and the quilt on my bed in my hostesses home was a whtie on white, beautifully quilted, BUT the little blue marks are still there PROMINENTLY..she did a clever thing tho..she simply reversed it..the marks are now the UNDER SIDE..and this can be done with a white on white..alas..MY stamped quilt top..CAN NOT BE TURNED OVER..becareful, lAURA. maybe the newer kits use different ink..Jane of THE FEEDSACK CLUB

www.his.com/~queenb/feedsack,html www2.netcom.com/~leelman/feedsack.html

Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 09:12:53 -0400 (EDT) | From: JOCELYNM [at] delphi [dot] com

On 8-AUG-1997 19:42:10.0 qrs said to JOCELYNM >ever heard the myth/superstition that the first letter of your future >husbands last name could be found in the number of twists it takes to >take the stem off an apple? One twist was A, two twists were B and so >on. It worked for me…it always took me four twists and my husbands >name does, in fact, start with “D”. Proof positive that these myths >are grounded in reality. Kris, In that case…does it mean all these boys named Zachary are doomed to be bachelors? Jocelyn PS. Yes, I’ve heard the story. I even remember reading a story as a girl, about a pioneer girl who learned to twist her apple stems very, very gently, because she loved a boy named William….

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 09:14:10 -0400 | From: Merry May

Debbie in NJ wrote: > I need a good response to use when someone comes into my shop with a >family quilt and wants to know “Whats it worth?” There has to be a >polite response to tell them to stop being money grubbing fools and hold >onto their heritage if not for them, for their children.

This is a tough one to call, because if they’re bringing it to you, it tells me that they already have dismissed it as a family heirloom. At this point, if they (or someone else in their family) kept it, it could end up being used as a drop cloth under the car. My first question for them would be, “Is there ANYONE in your family who might like to have it? It would certainly mean more to them than to some outsider, and they may even be willing to pay you something for it.” Once that question is answered, assuming that no one in their family wants it, I would assume the role of “quilt rescuer.” If they want an appraisal, you could direct them to a qualified quilt appraiser (not necessarily certified, but experienced – like Julie Powell, for instance).

Be sure to tell there there is a fee for this. (Or, if you have enough experience to be able to give a “rough estimate,” be sure to warn them that there’s a fee for that, too – if they truly want to know the value of the quilt, they should be willing to pay for your knowledge.) Another alternative I sometimes use, is to refer them to a reputable local antique dealer who has dealt with quilts enough to be able to give them an estimate. Of course, dealers have to make a living, so if the person asks them “What would YOU be willing to pay for it?” the figure will be far different from “What is the insurance value for this?” This referral would also relieve you from the pressure of the people asking you if YOU want to buy it, once you’ve told them what you think it may be worth. Sorry this got to be so long, but it’s a good question, and one that shop owners must deal with pretty often.

Alan wrote: >Well, I, too, have requested the book through interlibrary loan. I’ll let >you know when I get it and how it is. >Oh, the plumbing is her next volume.

I can just picture it… “Become an instant expert on the history and value of Plumbing!”

Kris wrote: >But seriously, I have heard that the first night you sleep under a new >quilt, you are supposed to dream of your new husband.

Sounds good to me, but what do I do with the “old” one??? 🙂

Merry in “down Jersey” gridgees [at] algorithms [dot] com

Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 08:47:44 -0400 | From: Ricki Maietta

Hi everyone. I never heard the story about twisting the apple stem. That’s a good one (quilt related?)

Ricki

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 10:00:40 -0400 (EDT) | From: CToczek [at] aol [dot] com

Yes, I’ve heard the myth about twists of an apple stem reveal the letter of your future husband’s last name. For me that would be a *T*…. I had to twist pretty lightly to make it last that long!

And as for dreaming of your new husband when you sleep under a quilt for the first time…..I completed my very first ever *FOR ME* bed quilt last night and we slept under it for the first time. Maybe I won’t tell my husband who I dreamed about!

Carla

Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 09:13:03 -0500 | From: LAURA SYLER

Ricki Maietta wrote: > > Hi everyone. I never heard the story about twisting the apple stem. That’s > a good one (quilt related?) > > Ricki

Ricki & all: Growing up in Central Texas, the apple stem was one of the most popular lunch time activities of the 4-6 graders!!! And yes, you had to be VEEEERRRYY careful if you didn’t have a crush on someone with the first initials A thru F….I usually made it to C..or D (X’s name…HS sweetheart… was Claud!) Come to think of it , until I met Robby and we married 3 years ago, I never even dated anyone above a “G” ! Laura

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 10:31:04 -0400 (EDT) | From: Baglady111 [at] aol [dot] com

In a message dated 97-08-09 09:07:56 EDT, gridgees [at] algorithms [dot] com (Merry May) writes:

Vivian, try Merry may at gridgees [at] algorithms [dot] com Merry has a device and >altho I do not know if it does them on a curve..she can sure let you >know..Jane of THE FEEDSACK CLUB

Jane – I don’t have any idea how Caryl Fallert does her curved flying geese, unless it’s with a hand-drawn paper foundation. Every piece in the curve would have its own specific shape, so my method wouldn’t work.

Is Caryl Fallert on-line? If so, this lady should ask her. >>

this reply came from Merry and is for Vivian..hope this helps..Jane of the FEEDSACK CLUB

Date: 97-08-09 09:07:56 EDT | From: gridgees [at] algorithms [dot] com (Merry May)

Forwarded message:

does anyone know how to or can point me to any instructions on how to make >curved > flying geese? the ones you often see in caryl bryer fallert’s quilts.

Vivian, try Merry may at gridgees [at] algorithms [dot] com Merry has a device and >altho I do not know if it does them on a curve..she can sure let you >know..Jane of THE FEEDSACK CLUB

Is Caryl Fallert on-line? If so, this lady should ask her.

See ya.

Merry in “down Jersey” gridgees [at] algorithms [dot] com

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 12:14:20 -0400 (EDT) | From: QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com

Many, many thanks to each and every one who took the time to send me a post on this. I received the photo back and have a better idea what it looked like. It is a undulating (waving) circle composed of small fans with a small fan attached and turned around pointing to each of the corners, maybe this represents the tail? I plan on continuing to search for information on this block and will share anything I get. In the meantime, if someone comes across some information, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Toni Baumgard QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com

Date: Fri, 08 Aug 1997 15:17:37 -0400 | From: Diane McGuire

Hi, QHLers,

Julia gave some great information about Clorox 2 (sodium perborate) as a cleaning solution for stains. I would like to mention another product I have used to eliminate really bad well water rust stains from my bathroom fixtures, 100% cotton white sheets and towels. It is “Rooto” Rust, Iron Stain Remover, Cleaner. I bought 20 oz. for $4.29 at the hardware store. It is Sodium Busulfite (NaHSO3) and Sodium Hydrosulfite (Na2 S2 O4 2H2O). I think other companies sell it under different names. Please note: VAPORS HARMFUL and TOXIC if ingested. I am mentioning the product because it DOES work when nothing else I tried has worked, but it should probably be a last resort. It did not seem to harm the fabric. I used only about a tablespoon in a load of laundry.

To add to Ricki’s list of new “myths” we can spread:

Instead of joining a health club, shop for fabric: Stretching exercises in reaching for bolts, weight lifting multiple bolts, aerobic sprinting up and down the aisles to match colors, etc.

The faster you sew on your machine, the more calories you burn (chain piece away!)

I think we might be on to something here.

Diane in Massachusetts

Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 14:54:02 -0400 (EDT) | From: JOCELYNM [at] delphi [dot] com

On 9-AUG-1997 09:26:44.6 gridgees said to JOCELYNM > >But seriously, I have heard that the first night you sleep under a new > >quilt, you are supposed to dream of your new husband. > Sounds good to me, but what do I do with the “old” one??? 🙂 Merry, Recycle! You’ve not seen the chain letter for Significant Others? You send it to 6 of your friends, and send your SO to the woman on the top of the list. When your name rises to the top, you’ll receive 216 men…one of whom is bound to be an improvement…. Jocelyn

Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 14:54:11 -0400 (EDT) | From: JOCELYNM [at] delphi [dot] com

On 9-AUG-1997 09:40:12.2 rmaietta said to JOCELYNM > Hi everyone. I never heard the story about twisting the apple stem. >That’s a good one (quilt related?) Ricki, Yes and no. It was of the era of quilting bees, and I’m sure it WAS practiced at quilting bees, but I don’t think there was an inherent link. I HAVE heard that if you could peel an apple and leave the peel in one piece, and toss it over your shoulder, it will form the initial of your future husband. So much the better for all those poor Williams and Zacharys.

As for quilting with brides, there’s the legend that a girl should never use a heart motif in her quilts until she is married. She should have 12 quilttops ready to quilt before she announces her engagement, and the engagement should be announced at a quilting bee. Her married kinsfolk make and quilt the ‘bridal’ quilt with the heart motifs, but the bride can help quilt on the 12 tops SHE made. After finishing a quilt, all the unmarried girls stand around the edges, holding it level as if it were still in the frame. Someone else tosses a cat onto the center of the quilt. The girls bounce the quilt, to make the cat jump off it, and the one closest to the departing cat, is the next to marry! (this works for ANY quilt, not just quilts being quilted for a bride-to-be….and only works, I suppose, if the cat doesn’t get a claw into the prospective bride. )

Bachelors should never be given a quilt whose name implies movement, or they will move off and leave their family. WANDERING FOOT is a particularly bad choice! A boy’s women relatives would make him a ‘freedom’ quilt for his 21st birthday, because up until that time, he owed his labor to his father as a repayment for the cost of raising him, and at 21 he was now ‘free’ to establish himself on his own (and since he wasn’t yet financially ready to marry, he had to be able to equip a home for himself). Jocelyn

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 14:17:32 -0700 | From: “heather blessington”

Hi everyone- I wanted to thank everyone for there quick response to my first posting about Wisconsin Quilters. I info was greatly appreciated and it has sent me in some new directions in my documentary research.

I’ve been wondering how everyone feels about documentaries? Do you think that having a visual document of past quilters and their history is a great idea- or do you think it could take some of the fun out of your quilt research? I started wondering about this as I read the made up myths about “sleeping under an antique quilt and dreaming about it’s maker.”

It seems that most of you writing on this list have spend a great deal of time and energy researching quilt history, and you truly seem to be passionate about it. I’m just wondering if we continue accurately documenting every aspect of quilting (as the national organizations are attempting to do)where will it put our quilt research in fifty years? What will we study if it’s all neatly laid out for us?

One final thought in regards to the “money grubbers” who want to sell off their family history. I might be way off here, but what if I included them in the documentary? I thought I may be kind of interesting to show both sides of the coin.

I’ll look forward to your thoughts- Heather at hblessington

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 14:17:32 -0700 | From: Opalka (by way of Quilting Heritage ListServ )

Hello Quilters, I am so excited that Jane Huisignh will be visiting Alaska beginning this week. Then, Julia from California will be arriving at the end of this month. I think this iwll be so neat to meet two quilters via the internet! These are the first two that I will have met. Anymore of you coming this way? Susan(in Alaska where it is 58, rainy and beautiful!)

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 16:27:58 -0500 | From: cabhoney [at] juno [dot] com (Cindy A Honeycutt)

One good source to find older quilters for an interview would be your local senior citizens center. Another source would be your Area Wide Aging Agency. If you are lucky, they might be able to fix you up with someone who quilts. Also guilds will prbably know some older quilters.

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 16:31:43 -0500 | From: cabhoney [at] juno [dot] com (Cindy A Honeycutt)

Just went to the central Oklahoma Quilt show today. It was great! One thing I saw that I would like to have a copy of if anyone has it is a 1920-1930 pattern that was printed in the Daily Oklahoman. It was called the Peter Pan series and is a series of embroidered patterns about the Peter Pan characters. I bought a child’s quilt like this at an auction and didn’t know until today how all the pictures related. I know I could buy the whole book that had lots of other patterns in it, but if anyone has a copy of just the Peter Pan series in it or an article about it, that’s what I’m interested in. If not, I will probably end up buying the whole entire book. What fun it is to solve a small mystery about a quilt! Cindy Honeycutt, Norman, Ok

Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 17:48:48 EDT | From: jbsews [at] juno [dot] com (Joan F Brown)

Hi Toni, Maybe the pointing corners are the snake bite. Joan sew much to do, sew little time

It is a undulating (waving) circle composed of small fans with >a small >fan attached and turned around pointing to each of the corners, maybe >this >represents the tail?

Toni Baumgard >QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com >

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 23:35:26 -0400 | From: “Judy Grow”

I just got the letter today — my quilt, Hedgerows, made it into the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza IV, to be held Sept 11-14 in Fort Washington. I am so pleased, I just had to crow a little. My husband urged me to enter and was sure it would be accepted. He is so pleased that he is right.

Normally, I have to get the mail down at the mailbox when I come home from work at night, but today, knowing I was looking for the letter, he walked all the way down the driveway, got the mail, walked all the way back up again (or was he on the mower), and then called me at work to tell me.

So now I have to check to see that my sleeve is 4 inches, cover the block on the front where I signed the quilt in ink, and make a label for the back with all the info they want.

We are going to hand deliver the quilt, and pick it up at the close of the show because we live so close. They did enclose a memo about choosing some other sender if UPS is still on strike.

Did anyone else make in? Let’s hear you crow, too.

Judy in NJ judygrow [at] blast [dot] net

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 23:34:11 -0400 (EDT) | From: HPQuilting [at] aol [dot] com

Are there any experts on quilt appraisal/restoration in the Birmingham, Alabama area? If so, contact me privately at HPQuilting [at] aol [dot] com. I have the names of 4-5 folks in Trussville who need someone to look at Grandma’s quilts.

Penny(HPQuilting [at] aol [dot] com)

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 19:52:10 -0500 | From: lessmann [at] earthlink [dot] net (Ellen Lessmann)

I stopped by at The Kirk Collection on my way home from work (one of the *best* things about my job–The Kirk Collection is between work and home), and talked to Nancy about an idea I had for the Conference. She agreed (and has so many ideas), so–when you arrive at the conference, please tell the registration people you are on QHL, and they will mark your name tags so others will be able to identify you. Hope to set aside an area at lunch Saturday where QHL’ers can visit and possibly make plans for Saturday night. Now–I hope to be able to meet some of you at the Conference (I’m having trouble getting the time off from work–One of the *worst* things about my job!) Ellen in Omaha

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 23:34:17 -0400 (EDT) | From: HPQuilting [at] aol [dot] com

I really agree with Jocelyn on this. For many people in their 60’s and 70’s, quilts were never really a part of their lives. A great many of these folks were raised by parents who often associated quilts with poverty and want. It was a bedcovering made of scraps because there was no money for anything else. As a result, when the 50’s began to bring prosperity to the country, the old quilts were relegated to storage and bedspreads were purchased instead. As Jocelyn said, if you love the story of the quilt and you tell it with love, often people get really caught up in it. We all need a history and a heritage and, if the story is told with the listener in mind, it will very often spark a wonderful longing in the listener for a past that they can identify with.

This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity of sharing some of the great heritage that African-Americans have in this country with regard to their quilts. I wish every one of you could have seen her eyes light up with wonder and interest. As a result, she wants me to teach a quilting class in Montgomery to a group of African-Americans. (I should point out that I am as white as you can get!) Before our conversation, a quilt was just a quaint bedcovering she had seen her grandmother make. After a few minutes of sharing what contributions had been made by the African-American people to the field of quilting, she feels that she owns a part of that history. I guess what I am attempting to say is that it is our job to educate people as to the true, non-material value of these family hierlooms. If, after we inform them, they are still so mean that they see nothing but the material value, then the quilt should be sold to someone who values it properly.

Penny(HPQuilting [at] aol [dot] com)

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 21:52:20 -0400 (EDT) | From: JKusnitz [at] aol [dot] com

Hi, does anyone know of a book that discusses the different dyes used on fabrics and which ones they used to make the different colors on quilts of the 18th and 19th centuries? Helene

Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 22:36:08 -0700 | From: cauch [at] cfw [dot] com (by way of Quilting Heritage ListServ

Anyone with knowledge of NC regional icons/quilt history or references would be appreciated-

I recently spent some time on the NC side of Buggs Island Lake and this part of NC and also in Southside VA has a strong history in tobacco farming. The sign entering one town still says “Tobacco is Gold {here}” ands warehouses/ auction houses are along the highways.

***I do NOT want to argue or discuss merits, hazards, politics, ***

but I do wonder if there are quilt blocks that would represent tobacco farming. The leaf is distinct especially when it flowers late summer. I don’t want cigarettes or cigars but the plant or something of that kind…reflecting the farm not the manufacturers.

My granddaddy’s 90th birthday will be next year and a cousin made a quilt called “Tree of Life” for his 80th but I though I ‘d try to figure a North Carolina quilt of sorts. They’ve been there since 1946 and the ties are so strong.

Another thought leans toward Jugtown pottery and things native to NC…I have a while to come up with ideas. I only have to stay away from Carolina Blue Thanks for any ideas

Christina in the Blue Ridge of VA

Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 19:25:16 -0500 | From: LAURA SYLER

Cindy A Honeycutt wrote: > > One good source to find older quilters for an interview would be your > local senior citizens center. Another source would be your Area Wide > Aging Agency. If you are lucky, they might be able to fix you up with > someone who quilts. Also guilds will prbably know some older quilters.

Also, don’t forget to contact the Methodist Churches. That’s not to say that other demoninations don’t quilt but, at least here in Texas, it seems that every Methodist church has a quilting group, and they tend to be seniors.

Laura

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 10:14:30 -0400 (EDT) | From: JZgliniec [at] aol [dot] com

Dear Heather,

Documentaries and films about quiltmaking are a wonderful addition to the information available for teachers.

I have been teaching the same Community Education class since 1987. There are a handful of people who started in 1987 and THEY ARE STILL THERE. I try to do something different each semester or at least present something different or more challenging for the classes I do repeat.

Films are a great way to break up the semester and give people time to catch up for the next lesson. There are at present only a handful of films that I show. “Hearts and Hands” is the all time favorite and we can see it over and over. The Boise Piece Project and Quilts in Women’s lives are others that the class has enjoyed. I would welcome more of this quality.

Regards, Julia

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 10:14:33 -0400 (EDT) | From: JZgliniec [at] aol [dot] com

Dear Christina,

There is a wonderful pattern called Tobacco Leaf. One version is pieced…pictured in Brackman #2760. The other is applique # 5.24 in Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Applique patterns. It is also pictured in Mary Schafer and Her Quilts by Marston and Cunningham.

If you are unable to located these refs. let me know, I can scan you a picture.

Regards, Julia…..NC is a favorite stare of mine. My last quilt was called “Carolina Revisited”

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 11:59:28 -0400 | From: “Judy Grow”

Beth, The quilt is called “Hedgerows”, and is scrappy greens on a light tan background in a barn raising set. It looks kind of 3-dimensional.

I don’t know what they mean about bad vending. I have always spent scads of money there, as have many of my friends. I never ran across anyone who discounts fabric there — whish I knew who. I think it is a better show than Lancaster. The quilts are easier to see, the lighting is better, there is more room in the vendor spaces, and it is easier to find them. It is probably sour grapes, because they just didn’t do well. Maybe his prices were just too high, or they didn’t have an attractive display, or maybe they were just grumpy. Judy in NJ judygrow [at] blast [dot] net ———- ‘

From: Qltldy10 [at] aol [dot] com > To: judygrow [at] blast [dot] net > Subject: Re: QHL: PA Quilt Show > Date: Sunday, August 10, 1997 9:18 AM > > Judy– I didn’t enter a quilt, but I’ll be there…what is your quilt’s > “name”?. I went to Images in Massachusetts yesterday, and talked to the > vendors from Wisconsin who always have the great repros. They said they > would not be going to the Extravaganza any more because vending os so bad > there. She said there is some guy who discounts fabric… I went last year, > and have no idea who she means! Beth in Maine

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 12:19:24 -0400 (EDT) | From: SadieRose [at] aol [dot] com

Christina & others interested in NC patterns: Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine did a feature on North Carolina patterns in the June 1980 issue, pgs 16-17, 19-20. They even showed 2 quilts combining several of the patterns. Here is a list of the patterns included: Star of North Carolina New Star of North Carolina North Carolina Lily (2 versions) North Carolina Rose North Carolina Beauty Carolina Favorite Raleigh Dogwood Blossom Pinecone Tobacco Leaf North Carolina Dogwood

Hope this gives you some ideas for your quilt!! Karan from cool & sunny Iowa

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 12:21:17 -0400 (EDT) | From: JOCELYNM [at] delphi [dot] com

On 9-AUG-1997 17:07:50.7 hblessington said to JOCELYNM > passionate about it. I’m just wondering if we continue accurately > documenting every aspect of quilting (as the national organizations are > attempting to do)where will it put our quilt research in fifty years? > What will we study if it’s all neatly laid out for us? Heather, I think the first round of documentation is the ‘just the facts, m’am’. If we were EVER able to get all the facts, then there’s the REALLY interesting stories: why were those choices made? What was there about this quilter that made making this quilt inevitable? What else was going on in her/his life at the time? Why did THIS person quilt, and so many other people similarly situated never take up quilting? Each quilt could take hours to document like that. Imagine going through someone’s scrapboxes, and listening to the stories about how they got their fabric! Nope…as long as quilts are being made, there’ll be need for more documentation than we can ever do! Jocelyn

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 12:52:39 -0400 | From: Diane McGuire

Just read that Caryl Bryer Fallert will be giving a class on graduated curve flying geese on Friday, November 7th at A Quilters’ Gathering in Westford MA. I have the catalogue if anyone wants more information.

Unfortunately I will be back teaching school then and will not be able to go to the class.

Diane in Massachusetts

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 13:41:14 -0400 | From: “Briggs Family”

Greetings, I am a new member and have a question. I recently inherited a quilt top made from strips of fabric that horses were decorated with in the parade celebrating the 100 years of our town (We recently celebrated the 200th anniversary of the town to give you an idea of the age of the material involved.) My great (or great-great) grandfather was in charge of these horses that were used to deliver packages that were bought at the dry goods store in town. After the parade he brought the strips home to his wife. The question I have is how to clean and care for it. It is red and white with a few brown stains on it. I am afraid to wash it due to the color red. It is in really good shape and I would like to quilt it. It is all hand sewn and it seems to be a twenty five patch of the red and white alternating with a large white block. Any ideas as to how I should quilt it? I would like to maintain the whole theme of the era. Any suggestions as to cleaning it? Rosemary

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 20:59:09 -0400 (EDT) | From: Palampore [at] aol [dot] com

In reference to the tobacco NC theme…. I am from a tobacco farm in NC. In searching for the Alamance Plaids in quilts I went on a search among older relatives. When I kept only seeing 50’s and 60’s quilts I asked why no one had really old quilts. My aunt (late 70’s) said they were all used to cover tobacco to protect it on the way to market. Old quilts were no big deal, they could always make more, but a good tobacco crop meant their livlihood all year and maybe the next if they had a poor crop. She said that burlap sacks were not widely used until the 60’s. My grandmother had lots of old quilts. I assume that was because her husband had a farm implement business and rented out his farm land. I found this story very interesting. Check for other NC related patterns in quilts in the NCQUILTS book. Lynn in NC

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 20:25:09 -0400 | From: suewho [at] juno [dot] com (Susanne Ellenberger)

Mary, What a wonderful returning home present from Alabama to have your message and how your quilt weathered the Buttermilk Recipe as well as the Fels Naptha. It probably was a combination of all of those and I am sure the lemon juice did it’s thing and took out the tough stain. I am always so amazed to see how well this recipe does. Your Fels Naptha dental tabs recipe sounds interesting. I will have to try that one.

As a matter of fact, I found the greyed muslin in Alabama this past week and I bought all they had. Now I can finish my son’s wedding present. I have been hunting all over and God took me to Alabama to find the right color of fabric. I also bought lots more fabric. It was a wonderful trip to Alabama. Got to meet so many wonderful southern people who were so warm and friendly. You would be amazed at how many quilters there are in Alabama.

Thanks for sharing your success story with us Susanne Ellenberger One Stitch At A Time :>)

In Ohio

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 21:42:35 EDT | From: jbsews [at] juno [dot] com (Joan F Brown)

Hello Group, After reading Julia’s post I have a question, I have the book Hearts and Hands. I had borrowed it from my library and fell in love with it. I then tried to order it and found it was out of print. I went to a hard to find book seller and was successful in getting the book. Is the video available anywhere? I am sure it is done in excellent taste and style. If it is no longer available is making a copy out of the question because of copyright laws. Joan sew much to do, sew little time