December 23 – 31, 1998
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:
- Fabric Pre-Washing Continued — The conversation on pre-washing fabric and flannel shrinkage continues, with tips on batting pre-shrinking and flannel handling. (see the article on cleaning antique quilts)
- Basting Sprays and Methods — Members discuss basting spray safety, effectiveness on flannel, and alternative basting techniques.
- Run Stop Product — Laura Hobby Syler recommends Run Stop for color-bleeding fabrics, generating enthusiastic follow-up questions about where to find it.
- Quilt Guild Newsletter Recognition — Karen Bush highlights the importance of crediting original authors when reprinting quilt-related content in guild newsletters.
- Holiday Collections Kick-Off — Members begin sharing their diverse collections — from antique quilts and sewing machines to holiday decorating tips and pet stories.
- Philadelphia Art Museum Textiles — Cinda Cawley describes seeing kanthas and historic vestments at the Philadelphia Art Museum, sparking discussion about the museum’s textile holdings. (see the article on quilt museums)
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 09:13:54 -0000 | From: “Sally Ward” <sward [at] t-ward [dot] demon [dot] co [dot] uk>
If you are worried about fabrics you have already incorporated in a quilt without pre-washing, or don’t want to pre-wash if you don’t *have* to, you can test the fabrics in the following way. Cut accurate strips of, say, 12″ by 2″, wash, press with a hot iron or put in the dryer (i.e. mistreat them as much as anyone is likely to so you get a ‘worse case scenario’) , then measure them for shrinkage. The shrinkage on such a small piece will be small to measure, but if you do it very accurately you can scale up to the size pieces you have used and get an idea what is going to happen. If you have larger pieces of fabric to spare do it with squares because I have found fabric often shrinks a different amount on the weft than on the warp. There are always some surprises. I found out about this method after I had made a blue scrappy basket with random stripped borders which included quite long strips of a chambray denim dress fabric. It was in my early quilting days, I had never even heard of pre-washing, and I only tried it out of interest, not expecting any problems. To my astonishment the denim didn’t shrink – it stretched dramatically and I had to unpick and replace all those pieces before quilting the top.
Sally sward [at] t-ward [dot] demon [dot] co [dot] uk
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 07:52:09 -0500 (EST) | From: quiltsnbears [at] webtv [dot] net (Roberta Geanangel)
Kathy..I’m one of the non-washers of fabric (not a good decision sometimes) and 99.9% of the time it works…it’s the 1/10th that catches me!
Try a polyester batting..they won’t shrink.
And before anyone says anything… to each his own! <grin> ! I don’t like polyester, but I wash my quilts and like the drawn-in look. I did an applique art quilt with polyester so the look would remain smooth.
Roberta
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 07:36:10 -0800 | From: “Robins-Morris, Laura A” <lrobins [at] fhcrc [dot] org>
Definitely pre-wash flannel. My small group makes quilts for charity with flannel backs and I’ve seen what happens when you wash a quilt where the fabrics are not pre-washed. The flannel shrinks more than the regular cottons and the quilts ends up pouchy (poochy?) and won’t lay flat and even, and it’s a real mess. A ton of quilting might make the puckering and pouching less obvious, but it’s still a problem. It’s a waste of the quiltmakers time and a disppointment to the recipient. My 2 cents worth, based on actual experience.
Happy holidays!
Laura in Seattle
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 08:26:24 -0800 (PST) | From: Marilyn Maddalena <marilyn [at] crl [dot] com>
Re shrinking of batting I have pre-shrunk cotton batting by soaking it in warm/hot water in the bathtub, squeezing all of the water out that I could by pushing it against the side of the tub and then laying it flat to dry. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to do because it’s so heavy, but it works. I did this for queen-size batting in Warm & Natural for a hand-quilted and trapunto whole cloth quilt. I’m not quite finished with the quilt yet,so I don’t know if it will shrink more when I launder it, but the batting DID shrink by my doing this and may not shrink much more.
Good luck. Marilyn in Sacramento
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 15:19:28 -0600 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co [at] mail [dot] airmail [dot] net>
Hi folks,
I think I’ll give my restoration professional .02 worth here on the polyester batting……some of you have heard this before, and some of my friends don’t particularly like what we’ve found (batting co employees <G>)
but here goes……
Back in the early ’80s when TQC was a quilt shop, I had probably 300 quilt tops hand quilted, ranging in age from 1840’s to newly made ones…and now they are coming back to haunt me, well those that I had done for myself at least…..
Just like we have discussed previously about using silk thread to do restoration work because it is so thin and almost invisible, but so very much stronger than the cotton, it can eventually cut the cotton fabric that you are doing the restoration with—the same applies to polyester battings. It works just like your kitchen scouring pad….abraiding the fabric from the inside out….looks fine but all of the sudden the fabric starts falling apart……HD Wilbanks from Hobbs in Waco and I have had numerous discussions about this and it is one reason that they are doing so much research on their cotton batts and even the 80-20 batts. If you want to preshrink the cotton batting, emerse it in the washing machine on “soak”….let soak for 10-15 minutes in warm water, then let spin on the delicate cycle. You can then put it in the dryer and tumble dry on medium heat….not that you are ever going to let that batting see the inside of either of those machines again <VBG> If you are making a quilt to be used and loved to death, go for the polyester batting. It does quilt like a dream and dries beautifully (especially in the Texas summer heat) But like you, Roberta, I prefer cotton…..especially since I have at least 15 quilts of my own that need restoration because of the polyester batting of the ’80’s. Ya’ll have a Merry Christmas…..we’ve already started the vacation……..
Laura
In Richardson Tx where it’s 27 with freezing drizzle, and 7 yipping 4 week old pointer puppies for constant entertainment!!
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 17:17:32 -0700 | From: Eileen Trestain <ejtrestain [at] earthlink [dot] net>
In my experience, flannels usually shrink a lot, so I always prewash my flannel fabrics and dry in a hot dryer.
Eileen
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 23:58:16 -0600 | From: KAREN BUSH <Birdsong [at] worldnet [dot] att [dot] net>
I “heard’ that Laura!!! hahaha…and NO ,…it Won’t quilt out! I’ve tried, I’ve contorted, I’ve explained to quilting customers, and, No, it won’t quilt out. The same goes for quilts on bias/non bias piecing. If it’s crooked, wonky or stretched, quilting won’t help it. Sorry, didn’t mean to holler! hahaha…that’s a WHOLE chapter in my book, (no, I’m Not touting), it’s just from loonnnnng experience with quilts.
And, while I’m here, I want to wish you ALL A MERRY AND SAFE Hoiday!!!!! ) kb
The flannel shrinks more than the regular cottons and the quilts ends up pouchy (poochy?) and won’t lay flat and even, and it’s a real mess. A ton of quilting might make the puckering and pouching less obvious, but it’s still a problem.
—
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 00:05:48 -0600 | From: KAREN BUSH <Birdsong [at] worldnet [dot] att [dot] net>
I’m glad to hear about the Run-Stop…I’ve never heard of it, but, WILL get it! I have another question, (I AM a pre-washer by the way)… Have any of you used the basting sprays and how long ago??? I’m afraid to: use them, yet. I’d like to SEE if there’s any stains, damage of any kind, from it, and I doubt if it’s been on the market long enough to really know. My customers and students have been asking me about it, and I have NO idea…I guess I could try it, and it might work beautifully, I’m just worried about the ‘long run’….???
And, Laura, Sorry, I didn’t mean to pick on you about the ‘quilting out’ statment! It’s just one of my ‘quirks’ and stated before thinking!
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 00:13:59 -0600 | From: KAREN BUSH <Birdsong [at] worldnet [dot] att [dot] net>
I need and WANT to mention, before our newsletter goes out, that our very own Toni Baumgard is up and running on our website! Come and see her pages, they’re Great! ) http://www.idahoquilt.com kb —
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 01:25:45 -0500 | From: “Judy Grow” <Judygrow [at] blast [dot] net>
Right in the midst of pulling together the design elements of what will be — if I can get it finished in my lifetime — my heirloom quilt — along comes Christmas.
The big board ironing board, which has been my drafting table (covered in two sheets of foamcore — I can straight pin my large tracing sheets on a roll to it and slide the elements I want to reproduce around underneath) has been cleaned off and what is usually there is now filled with paper scissors, rolls of Xmas wrapping, tags, and ribbons. The bed which I use to: lay out blocks and store everything for 3-4 different projects is now filled with unwrapped presents and empty boxes.
I sure will be glad to be able to get back to the business at hand. One quick question. Why is it that everyone in the family wants a Christmas tree, but after buying it and setting it up in its stand, all the men in the family disappear and it is left to me to install the lights and decorate it?
It has ever been thus.
On a more upbeat note, the store did business way beyond expectations and the staff performed as I expected them to — (which is better than any previous staff) by completing all orders promised to be done before Xmas by Monday! So, we can all relax and enjoy the next couple of days. My heartiest good wishes to all for a cozy holiday season with family and friends, and my hope that all your wishes will be fulfilled in 1999.
Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrow [at] blast [dot] net
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 08:51:16 -0500 (EST) | From: quiltsnbears [at] webtv [dot] net (Roberta Geanangel)
I’ve been using the sprays for over a year..mostly on clothng for machine embroidery. So, they’ve been washed and ironed and worn and there’s no sign of a spray doing anything at all. After I do the embroidery I forget it’s there, so I went to look at one of the older garments…no sign of any adhesive. I don’t use it for small pieces of applique because its too hard to control the area the spray covers…usually my fingers. What would happen to an article that is not washed I have no idea. Hope this helps.
Roberta..in very sunny Forida
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 10:35:02 EST | From: QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
Where can I get Run Stop. Catalog? Toni B.
QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 10:02:29 -0600 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co [at] mail [dot] airmail [dot] net>
Toni, et al,
I got mine at the local JoAnn’s….it’s made by Carnuba (yes the same name that you see on your local carwash wax cycle…we thought that was quite funny!)
Have a Merry Christmas!
Laura
In Richardson, Tx where they have removed the “threat” of a white Christmas…..like we knew it would never happen when they started “warning” us of it 3 days ago!!!
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 12:26:17 EST | From: Xroadclown [at] aol [dot] com
i’ve tried the quilting spray ona flannel quilt with the warm and natural batting. Worked great. But the smell is quite toxic, so it is best used outside. No stains to mention, and the rest of the process went smoothly.
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 18:13:26 EST | From: QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday. Many thanks for all the help and education all of you have given me this last year and the years before. I consider all of you dear quilting friends. Toni Baumgard QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1998 01:01:28 -0500 | From: “Judy Grow” <Judygrow [at] blast [dot] net>
>Have any of you used the basting sprays and how long ago??? I’m afraid to use them, yet. I’d like to SEE if there’s any stains, damage of any kind, from it, and I doubt if it’s been on the market long enough to really know. My customers and students have been asking me about it, and I have NO idea…I guess I could try it, and it might work beautifully, I’m just worried about the ‘long run’….???
To: me, Karen, it doesn’t matter if the basting spray works or not, or stains or not, or leaves the fabric intact, or makes it disintegrate. I would not use any spray adhesive product (that’s what the Sullivan’s is) in a home environment.
I use spray adhesives in my work every day, and have done so for 23 years. I have a $3000.00 spray booth set-up with with a 30″ exhast fan and changeable filters, and I see what goes into the filters from the overspray. There is no way on God’s green earth that I would ever allow that white gunk into my lungs.
Be careful.
Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrow [at] blast [dot] net
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1998 18:06:01 -0500 (EST) | From: quiltsnbears [at] webtv [dot] net (Roberta Geanangel)
Ahh,Judy, but this is not the same…this wouldn’t adhere to anything…it’s so diluted it washes off my fingers with water. You’re right though…any spray is dangerous and I should have mentioned that. I am so used to being cautious with sprays I didn’t think to include a warning. I don’t even use hair spray!
Thanks!
Roberta
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 07:37:44 -0500 | From: “A.A. Harkavy” <aah [at] maine [dot] rr [dot] com>
I wholeheartedly agree with Judy Grow re: not using basting spray in a home environment, and I do not use the stuff outdoors, either. My fear is that there’s too much risk of inhaling the stuff, and the ingredients on the cans — whatever the manufacturers say — read like toxic waste. Sprays of these types typically release very small “particulates” and droplets, which are easily inhaled into the lungs. All this is even before we get to the issue of whether they are safe on fabrics (cotton) and batts (cotton) over the long term.
In my opinion — outspoken, I agree — the basting sprays are, at best, air pollution in a can. I do hate to baste whether with pins or thread, but after putting in all that time piecing and knowing that I’ll be putting in a lot of time quilting, the basting is one more step to getting the finished product I want. A shortcut would be nice, but it has to be one that doesn’t make me wonder about long-term health risks. A label claim of “environmentally friendly”, or “nontoxic” does not suggest to me that human studies (in lung tissue) have been conducted. All it means is that it won’t harm the ozone and isn’t acutely poisonous.
Enough said.
Addy
<aah [at] maine [dot] rr [dot] com>
–
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 09:50:29 EST | From: Qltldy10 [at] aol [dot] com
……and, I still have a week off! May I give you all some hints for staying relaxed during the season for next year?
1.
Only start shopping 10 days before Christmas. Makes for only 10 days of panic, not 4 weeks.
2. Buy many strings of those tiny white lights now, half price. Colored ones work, too, it’s just harder to read by them. In 5 minutes or less, you can decorate your house by just draping little white lights all over, especially where there are cobwebs around. In the evenings, you turn the lights out, and the cobwebs fade away, and everything just looks a little misty around the edges… what ambiance! If you put lots of them around, you can still read by them. If you’ve been quilting forever, and haven’t cleaned in over a year, you can also put 40 watt lightbulbs in your lamps as christmas gets closer….
3. Get a bag of those little snowflakes, and strew them all over the surfaces you might think about dusting. Hides all of the dust… indeed, the dust just helps! I will vac mine up around Easter, therefore, no dusting until Easter!
4. Buy all of Decembers magazines, and put them away without reading them. You must keep yourself from reading them until christmas morning. this works best when you belong to lists where each months articles get discussed . Now, you can’t wait until Christmas comes, rather than wishing it would stay away for a little longer.
In all seriousness, I have two great additions today- a mocha 301, obtained by my DD#1 in college, at a local sew and vac center. It has a case, a little natty, but no manual or attachments. Since I display machines on my cutting table, and there is one spot that was waiting for a 301, I will now start the search for a manual.
In addition, just a few days before christmas, at a local bookstore, I found a remainder table with “French Textiles, 1760 to present” by Mary Schoeser. I just couldn’t wait for our open house on christmas eve, where we serve dinner for about 20… see #4 above!
BTW, I haven’t see myJane Austen quilt for at least 3 weeks. I think it’s on the cutting table– but, now that there is a new machine that needs to go on the table, I will no doubt unearth it this week.
Enjoy! the season!
Beth in Maine qltldy10 [at] aol [dot] com
–
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 14:56:20 -0000 | From: “Sally Ward” <sward [at] t-ward [dot] demon [dot] co [dot] uk>
I have been interested in the talk on basting sprays and basting generally. I hated basting too until I read an article in (?) Quilters Newsletter Magazine of the ‘thought for the day’ variety which suggested treating the basting process as an opportunity to re-acquaint yourself with your quilt. It works for me – I look on it as ‘quality time’ to look at the fabrics, patterns, points, etc. and look at it ‘as a whole’ rather than as something which has been giving me grief for the past xxxx months. It also gives me ‘time out’ from the family because they know (because I told them – would I lie?) that basting has to be completed in one go and they can’t interrupt. Even better if I can do it with friend(s) and get some gossip in at the same time.
20
Christmas gifts? my 18 yr old son ordered me (over the net) orphan blocks from the Kirk Collection . One is a very sixties brown and yellow feathered star with tiny feather triangles and points that obviously gave someone a LOT of grief. DD pronounced colours dreadful but I love it for the work it represents. The other is an unfinished star of leMoyne made of string pieced diamonds, obviously done over paper because there are bits still there. I have pored over Trestrain’s book and feel sure that the blacks, blues, browns, lavenders and bit of pink put it around the turn of the century or 20s. Again, the piecing leaves a lot to be desired, but I think it is wonderful. These probably sound like very uninspiring items to most of you, but these are the first bits of ‘antique’ quilt I have ever owned. I am knocked out to think that they have survived and flown the atlantic to be with me this Christmas. And I owe it all to the QHL connection, the finding of which has been my best present of all this year.
Compliments of the season to you all.
Sally.
–
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 14:49:21 EST | From: Xroadclown [at] aol [dot] com
that’s right about the air particles in the basting sprays. That’s why it is best done outside on a nice sunny day (few and far between in Upstate, NY, but then do them all at once, and look at the choices you have to complete with no complaining about which ones are basted, and which aren’t!
–
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 15:23:22 -0800 | From: “pepper cory” <pepcory [at] bmd [dot] clis [dot] com>
Couldn’t agree more with Sally’s re-estimation of what the process of basting is to the quilt. I go to the church parish hall on a quiet afternoon and shove two tables together. Then I masking tape my backing wrong side up to the tables’ surface, smooth out the batting and lay the quilt top over it. I first use the long flower-head pins (from Clover) to pin through all three layers every six inches or so. Then I thread up a super long milliner’s needle with old fashioned white basting thread and go at it. I listen to the radio and contentedly stitch away. I can baste a full size quilt in two-three hours. Undo the tape, take out all the pins, and roll the quilt up to be quilted later in a hoop. I hate the safety pin routine (makes the quilt heavy, sometimes they spring open, the cats who sit on my lap detest them-) and don’t care for the plastic tackers either. The thread-basted quilt is so nice and soft and friendly. I also take basting time to think more about the quilting–bonding time with your quilt. Holiday Greetings and Good Wishes for the New Year to all QHL friends-Pepper Cory
–
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 16:05:00 +0400 | From: Xenia Cord <xecord [at] netusa1 [dot] net>
Months ago I posted on this list a brief article I wrote called “Baste not, want not,” in which I confessed that I have never successfully basted a quilt (and never intent to try it again)! Not that I am prolific like Pepper, but a few dozen quilts have slipped under my quilting fingers since I got addicted.
I learned how to put a quilt in the frame (long, rectangular, floor-standing frame) from an elderly Amish woman of my acquaintance, who does not baste. At 86 (as she was then; she’s 98 now) she put quilts in by herself, and showed me how to do it. I had had one disasterous attempt to baste a king quilt (133″ square), and finally figured out that she HAD to have a simpler system than basting. She did – and showed me in 30 minutes on one memorable afternoon. Her sistem amounts to rolling and stretching one layer at a time until all 3 layers are pinned in the frame and taut, and then quilting from the center of the quilt to the sides, and to one outer edge, and then rolling the finished half up and repeating with the other half. For a small quilt, she also showed me that if the layers are very carefully placed on a table, and well aligned, the bottom half of a hoop can be slid underneath, the top hoop pressed in place, and once the center is quilted, very little slippage will occur.
Of course this requires quilting from finished to unfinished areas.
My understanding of quilt history is that basting is a recent “must.” And it’s sort of like deciding not to send Christmas cards – my life is immeasurably simpler without basting, tacking, or safety pins in my unfinished quilts. Mark it, frame it, quilt it!
IMHO – to each her own!
Xenia
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 19:41:56 -0800 | From: “Catherine Kypta” <vger [at] cwnet [dot] com>
Hello all, and happy holidays! Must finally sign in from lurkdom, as well, and tell all the wonderful treasures that I collect as well: *Quilts, tops, blocks, parts of tops, “organ donor” quilts, vintage fabric, and sewing related items in general.
*Sewing chairs, the weird little wooden ones with the spool places pincushions and room for scissors on the back – these have really gotten out of hand, and I am the somewhat “proud” owner of 24 of these fine pieces!
they are all different!
*Hand made clown dolls from the 30’s and 40’s – I have a troop of these as well, somewhere around 30 now – You can’t just have one clown!, I have small ones, about 5 inches tall and then the largest is about 32 inches tall. Once I started on the clowns, they needed appropriate places to hang out, so I started on doll high chairs, baby beds, chairs and even some toy trikes and an old wagon. The clowns also have their own quilts and vintage stuffed toys, as well! AACch!
*crocheted heart pincushions, and also the ones with wishbones in them *pincushions of all kinds, especially the critter ones with tape measures for their tongues
*thread boxes, and thread and all kinds of victorian cloth sewing reticules *Like Nancy I also have the thread holders, chickens, ducks, a dachsund, etc.
Needless to say, I collect too much!!! My poor spouse just shakes his head and says “where are you going to put that?”. Thank goodness, he’s more of a minimalist!
I think Maury’s list is a great idea! I am planning on retiring from my real job in about a year and will be paring down some of these fine items and would prefer to offer them to other quilt people who would enjoy them!
Thanks for the great idea!!!
Catherine in cold Sacramento
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 23:55:19 -0500 | From: “Nancy” <fwfans [at] btc-bci [dot] com
I have not posted in quite some time but it is really has been interesting the things that people collect besides fabric and quilts. Wonder which heading we put UFOs have quite a stack.
DH and I have a fair collection of sewing machines our focus has been on the Singer Featherweights but our focas does go beyond that wonderful little machine. We have several handcranks. One of my favorites in this group is the Singer 24. In treadles a wonderful Free which was made in Rockford IL. The cabinet on this one is so neat it has all sorts of nifty cubby holes for thread spools and accessories then it fold all up and makes into a lovely chair side table.
My very first quilt (poloyester double knit) was made on a White treadle about gosh has it been 26 years ago. Knew absolutely nothing about quilting not even sure any of the corners matched. Just put 9″ squares together and used it for years and finally gave it to the dog. It was so ugly! Sorry to ramble Nancy from SW Michigan.
Traveling Featherweight Care Instructors
Bill and Nancy Berhrman fwfan [at] yahoo [dot] com
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 00:32:49 -0500 (EST) | From: “Joanna E. Evans” <jevans [at] bluemarble [dot] net
Cinda,
Thank you for letting us know about the exhibit of Kanthas at the Philadelphia Art Museum. I would love to hear more about it. How many pieces are they displaying? Do you know if there is a catalog for the exhibit? Who put it together? How old were the pieces? We own two small examples of this beautiful folk art from Bangladesh. My husband is working on a Ph.D. in Folklore, and his advisor and mentor is Henry Glassie. Henry recently completed a book entitled Art and Life in Bangladesh. While working on it, he brought these pieces back as gifts for our family. (He knows how much we treasure textiles.)
I think you are correct in assuming the designs reflect the religion of the maker. Also, Henry wrote, “Form and decoration are diverse. Prayer mats are stitched with domed mosques. Bags for the Koran are covered with geometric designs. The signal piece, brought to its peak in Jessore, is a large cloth, composed of worn, white saris, and embroidered with colored thread raveled from the borders of old saris. A lotus, the seat of the gods, expands at the center. Trees of life point from the corners. The border runs with mihrabs confining stiff flowers.”
These embroidered quilts (also called nakshi kanthas) were a traditional artform and were revived in the 1980s.
Both of our pieces are pictorial with geometric designs in the borders. One depicts a wedding procession. Both are very colorful (white backgrounds, colored embroidery) and very heavily quilted (about every 1/8″!). It looks as though one is made of recycled cotton saris with silk thread and the other appears to be silk with silk thread.
We hear so much about the famine and floods that devastate this country; it’s a shame we don’t hear more about their art.
Peace to all and happy new year.
Joanna Evans
Bloomington, IN
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 22:39:35 -0700 | From: bettymilner [at] uswest [dot] net
Hi!
I’m Betty and I live in Colorado about an hour north of Denver. I’ve been sewing for 37 years having been taught by my paternal grandmother. Most of my sewing has been custom dressmaking. A couple of years ago I decided it was time to start learning about quilting. I joined a group of very experienced ladies. I have done 3 “cheater cloth” projects and have the fabric to do several wall hangings since I decided to start small. I hope to progress to bed-size quilts by the end of ’99. The group of ladies, Heritage Quilters, does presentations to school children twice a year at a museum called Centennial Village. At this Village, children get the opportunity to learn about the settling of the west and the various crafts such as butter churning, black smithing, rope making, soap making (including using an old washboard!!) and, of course, quilting. We have access to a treadle machine to use for demonstrations. We have a quilt that has been worked on for a few years that is in a small frame so we can show the students how hand quilting is done. With the assistance of the various members, I present a brief history of quilts in America and show them some blocks and quilts. One of our members has collected quilts at estate sales and many she has made. The oldest one we display dates to about 1890…it’s a bow tie. I feel very privileged to assist in these presentations. We also do a presentation with some hands-on quilting for an 8th grade class in a nearby community. The teacher feels that the texts do not adequately show the contribution of women. I am excited about learning about all aspects of quilting!! My first project for ’99 is to ORGANIZE the disaster that my sewing area has become. Once that task is complete, I will alternate between garment sewing and quilting. I want to piece mainly on the machine and quilt mostly by hand (depending on the recipient). Some projects I have in mind involve hand applique, paper piecing and several other techniques. During the past 18 months, I have accumulated several quilting books. I think if I get a good base with the basics, then I will be able to branch out to the more complicated patterns and eventually some original creations.
My primary supervision is provided by our 2 cats. They’re 21 months old….littermates that we acquired when they were abandoned at 4 1/2 weeks. Their names are Pixel (named for a cat in a Robert Heinlein sci-fi book) and Piton (pronounced Peeton—after the climbing implements). They don’t care what kind of sewing is going on…they just like being near “Mom”. I also have 3 temporary supervisors…my daughter’s cats. Her condo was flooded when the unoccupied unit above her had a pipe freeze and break. Until the repairs are complete, we have the grandcats….with the holidays, things may take a while….the flood occurred on the 23rd. There are several places in the Denver area with the same problem so she’s not alone. The grandcats are used to supervising counted cross stitch….it will be interesting to see how they do with “conventional” sewing. Sorry to ramble on so long….just wanted to give a bio of sorts! BTW, I also share my life with my DH….I think he’s the most wonderful man on the planet!!! The only “complaint” I have: he retired and is always around the house. Took a while to adapt my routine, but it’s been great. We have an adult son who lives in Houston.
I look forward to learning from all of you!!
Betty
—
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 23:44:52 -0800 | From: Katrina Worley <kworley [at] ns [dot] net
OK- put me down in the group that collects sewing machines. There actuallyseem to be several of us. I recognize at least one person from TreadleOn (hi, Mary!). At last count I’m up to about 20-some odd machines. Most are handcranks, and I tend to prefer the 19th century ones. My oldest machine is a Singer model 12 treadle that was made in 1871. I do have a few more modern ones including a white FW and a black shortbed 301. I also collect sewing machine attachments and bobbin lace stuff.
Katrina
Katrina in Loomis, CA kworley [at] ns [dot] net
***************
History: what special people were doing in special places at special times; Anthropology: what everyone else was doing the rest of the time.
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 08:18:32 EST | From: JQuilt [at] aol [dot] com
the website for the Philadelphia Museum of Art is:
http://www.philamuseum.org/
there is also an installation of American Crafts, with a picture of furniture and a mention of textiles (I wonder if there are quilts in with the textiles)
Happy New Year everyone jean jquilt [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 08:50:38 -0600 | From: “Jeff & Sheri Lesh” <jefflesh [at] netins [dot] net>
I have been enjoying the collections thread. I think we might be all related!
I collect a lot of stuff, and my house shows it. It must be in my genes because my mother and grandmothers on both sides are the same way too. (My grandmas are both 89).
Nancy, I also collect patriotic stuff and have for quite a few years. Really started before it became popular and almost have as much of that as Christmas stuff.
I also have vintage fabric, a huge box of old laces, ribbons, mourning trims, etc. Also jars and jars of buttons that I have sorted by color, a walnut thimble tree, that was a Christmas gift from my parents a couple years ago, that is almost full. ( I got a new sterling one from my grandma this Christmas.) I also have a bunch of Singer stuff, attachments, oil can, old manuals, trade cards, etc. Then there is the paper stuff, mostly 30’s newspaper clippings, patterns, and the like. Most of which my grandma gave me that belonged to her mother. 🙂 I also like vintage blocks and have a few of them. Some of which I have finished into pillows and have in my living room. Then there are the sewing machine tea pot collection which is up to 5 or 6. Also have several prints with sewing machines in them, my favorites are a Paula Vaughn piece that I did on linen with a treadle in it, and my Charles Wysocki called Maggie the Messmaker with a Singer Red Eye 66 (I think) w/a cat draped across the machine that looks like my cat Obie. That’s in my living room over my treadle. Also I will tell you about one more thing, that I just received a few weeks ago. My dad has been working on these for a couple of years. He made my mom and me spice cupboards out of cherry, with curve feet and a dozen little drawers all behind a door front, there is even a secret compartment. I have many of my old sewing things in there now, pincushions, needle cases, etc. I know you guys, you are drooling right now. 🙂
My house is full, my walls are warm. 🙂
Sheri from very snowy & cold Iowa
Jeff & Sheri Lesh jefflesh [at] netins [dot] net
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 10:27:25 -0800 | From: Sue <erroof [at] wcoil [dot] com>
Hi All,
My collecting started when I discovered estate auctions about 10 years ago. I have purchased blocks, tops, thimbles, newspaper clippings, quilting stencils, batting tissues (Rockport/Mary McElwaine), and lots of buttons.
Linda Harral might be interested in a second hand gift I received from a friend, a small treadle sewing machine that is a wind-up music box. He had given it to his mother and when she was ready to move into a nursing home she gave it back to him to pass on to someone that would appreciate it, lucky me. The song is the Beatles tune “Yesterday”. This list has also inspired me to pick up sewing related items that I see at the antique malls. Earlier this month I purchased a “cube” of black “Toilet Pins” for $1.50 in Jenks, OK. Wouldn’t have known what I was looking at if not for the discussion. Thanks.
We have one cat, George, he lays on my desk and if I don’t pay any attention to him he will bat my arm with his paw, if I do not respond with the proper attention after two taps the claws come out for the third tap.
Best Wishes to all for a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 11:49:36 EST | From: QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
First of all, the collection dept. For me far too many to list, but important are Redwork (especially doll or baby quilts) and vintage textiles. For the Cat Lovers among us, I have four, Millie, Minnie, Buddy, and Bennie who are always “helping” me with my sewing and get really upset that they cannot be with me when I am working on someone else’s quilt. I have to open the door to the room where I keep such thing very slowly, because I always have four cats leaning on it and they will literally fall into the room if I open it quickly. 🙂 To all of you out there, best wishes for a happy, safe and healthy New Year. May all your dreams come true. Toni B.
QuiltFixer [at] aol [dot] com
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 11:32:10 -0800 (PST) | From: Jackie Joy <jjoy [at] med [dot] unr [dot] edu>
Hello, Everyone,
Hope everyone has had a happy holiday season. I enjoyed a nice visit with my parents in the San Francisco Bay Area where it was REALLY cold for that area– below freezing every night and hardly breaking 40 during the day. My dad is 78 and said he couldn’t remember it ever being that cold for so many days. Then the fog came in… fortunately, I didn’t get caught in any airport hang- ups because of it. But it was so thick that my girlfriend and I missed an offramp on the freeway after visiting a friend! It’s a road she takes every day!
Anyway, my best quilt-related gift came from that same friend, courtesy of the Kirk Collection. She gave me the Grandmother’s Scrap packet and they picked the fabrics she told them I liked– turkey reds, indigos, shirtings, cadet blues– a lovely selection and arranged beautifully. As I am still putting the turn-of-the-(other)-century Trip Around The World top back together, some of those fabrics are going to be put to use right away! I thank Nancy and the Kirk Collection for their discerning eye and their great help. They were terrific to me a couple of years ago as I bought my friend something for Christmas and she was just as impressed with their service and goods as I was. I am re-doing the Trip Around The World… while in lovely shape, I couldn’t live with the center. The middle was gold (and someone said it may have been one of those “gold standard” things since there are no other examples of gold in the quilt top), bordered in red, bordered in black… then moved out to shirtings and such. The result was that a “hole” was “burned” in the center of the thing– when you looked at it, all you could see was this center and the rest of the quilt vanished. I’ve kept a strong center but balanced it out a bit better– a turkey red center (actually, another Kirk Collection fabric I bought at a trunk sale at a quilt show a couple of years ago), cadet blue around that and then a shirting followed by indigo. I’m really pleased with it. Still can’t get over that find, $15 for the top and I never saw it. The lady at the flea market said “There’s a quilt top in that pile over there” as if she knew that’s what I was looking for. Turned out to be my favorite era– and only $15.00. Couldn’t turn that down!
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 22:37:43 +0000 | From: Barb Garrett <bgarrett [at] fast [dot] net>
In addition to the “standard” collections for this list — historical quilt books, vintage quilting paper goods — magazines, newspaper patterns and commercial patterns, vintage fabric, blocks, tops and a quilt or two, I also collect handmade items used for sewing, like pin cushions, crocheted needle cases and the circa 1930s “Handy Andy”. This looks like doll clothing, but has the legs closed and a piece of wood holds the shoulders straight. The poem associated with them is — Put your thimbles in my pockets
Pins and needles in each leg
Down my neck put thread and scissors
Then you hang me on a peg.
I would love to know if this is a regional item, or if it was used throughout the country. Being 1930s, patterns were probably available, and I would enjoy talking to anyone who knows any information about them or has a pattern.
A few sewing roosters and ducks, some paper pin and needle holders, vintage lace and buttons, homemade stuffed toys from 30’s juvenile print fabrics and children’s sewing machines round out the corners of the display areas.
In the non-quilting — but slightly related catagory — are shaped potholders. These are either fabric or crocheted and come in a lot of different styles — fruit, flowers, people, animals, cream and pitcher sets, houses, etc. Of course, just like quilting, the books and patterns for making these are important also.
I find it interesting that although we all collect a lot of the “basics” there are some individual specialties that have been interesting to read about. Thank you for sharing.
Barb in southeastern PA
<bgarrett [at] fast [dot] net>
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 16:29:26 -0700 | From: Sharon Harleman Tandy <harleman [at] micron [dot] net>
Hi all, I’ve taken 17 days off, came back to find this wonderful sharing of our collections (and I don’t always like our NQR threads, but love this one.) I agree that this QHL of our is the best collection I’ve ever gotten addicted to. Lately I’ve noticed that many are unlurking and many are adding a ‘real’ name and/or locale which I really appreciate since I like to know where they are in case I go there some day, or whether I can get to some event/museum they mention. And I like Maury’s idea too; add my list, Maury?
My collections have taken over my house; only in the last few days I’ve discovered that each room is coalescing into “one room–one collection.” So here goes:
Not counting cats, (even though only one right now–named Bif C. Tandy), fabric, quilts, and books (but quilt history books must be over 250 by now):
Kitchen–Shenango diner crockery, white with green stripe, and any other crockery that will go with it (green floral, etc). We have enough to use for every day and still looking for large chili bowls. Also “squared round” chartreuse Fransiscan-ware serving pieces to go with it. A few blue violet or chili red pieces for accent. Kitchen–the part where we eat–crockery pitchers, white or white with green; from the tiny creamers from diners to the really large pitchers usually found in hotels and boarding rooms.
Dinig room and kitchen shelves–cookie jars, over 50, must quit, got one Monday!
Living room–Native American art and artifacts.
Master bedroom–hummingbirds and roses (those who swim with me know about the tattoo.)
Ustairs bath–dolphins. (see above, re: tattoos.)
“Victorian” guest room–swans.
“Thirties” guest room–undecided except to go with the blue-and-white and faded florals looks. Lots of things from my forties childhood also, like a 4-H quilt from Cindy Brick which she got from Kris! (Kris, meant to tell you.)
Basement bath–(it’s lined in cedar and has a tiny cedar sauna)–mooses, green and black.
Computer room–(it’s all white)–inspirational sayings, stapled and thumbtacked all over the walls, and the soft toy animals from McD’s that my grandson doesn’t want, and pictures of Jimmy Smits [you have your fantasies; I have mine!]
Sewing room–rainbows/full spectrum things, sewing machines (I swear this was accidental, now up to 8), stereocards with quilts in them (ever see the ones in Sandi Fox’s book? drool.), and my latest love and passion–pocket-sized sewing kits and tools (recently found a rolled up one made of the leather tongue of a shoe! with two tiny pincushions, two needle ‘pages’, and lined with a silk ribbon–this is an incredible find! Also have a possible WWI soldier’s pocket kit.) Have several darning eggs now, including a glove darner and what I think is a baby sox darner. Would love to collect stillettos but can’t seem to find many.
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 19:26:59 EST | From: Lekhbah [at] aol [dot] com
Hi!!
I haven’t been able to read the list for a few days…(banks are so demanding at this time of the year) and I wanted to add my 2 cents… Of course I have many quilt tops and quilt blocks that I will be putting together “some” day…old fabric, new fabric, middle aged fabric……
antique sewing supplies lots of old silver, esp round covered butter servers and flatwear BOOKS dishes…esp from the 30’s and 40’s, and bakewear from the same era Linens…I don’t really care what shape, because I try to save the embroidery and lace for a quilt that I am going to make…..(see above) we won’t even talk about my daughters and their quest to own every piece of horse-related paraphenalia or my husband and his tractors, trucks and trains
OH!!!and Maxfield Parrish prints!!!
probably more stuff….you should see our military quarters!!! we put shelves up high on each wall to hold it all!!
Please continue putting the Simply Quilts list up!!! I take it to my other job at the Seminole Sampler so that we know what people are going to be asking for!!!!
I only have two cats…Hunter and Simon, a beagle and two ferrets. we are also welcoming our new “baby”….a 7 week old Jack Russell Terrier. Sorry about the lenght of this post…back to quietly reading all the others!!!
Kim in REALLY COLD Ft. Meade, MD
