February 8 – 15, 2003
These restored messages come from the Quilt History List, an online forum where quilt historians, collectors, researchers, appraisers, and enthusiasts discussed antique quilts and related textiles. The archive dates from 1996 through approximately 2016 and is being restored gradually. Sign up in the form at the bottom of the page if you want to know when a new page is added. Original spelling, opinions, formatting, and inactive links may remain unchanged.
Primary topics of this QHL Digest:
- Reversible Sateen and Rayon Wholecloth Quilts — A reversible pink-and-blue wholecloth quilt prompts discussion of similar reversible sateen or rayon wholecloth quilts made in Mennonite communities. (see the article on early American quilts)
- The Wilkinson Sisters of Ligonier, Indiana — A 2002 AQSG paper on the Wilkinson sisters and their Wilkinson Art quilts is cited in response to a provenance question.
- Dating the First Televised Quilting Series — Members work out when Penny McMorris’s pioneering PBS quilting series first aired, settling on the early-to-mid 1980s out of Bowling Green, Ohio. (see the article on dating quilts)
- The eBay “Nazi Quilt” Controversy — A swastika-patterned quilt listed on eBay as 1930s German draws scrutiny over its actual age and origin, and concern over who is bidding on it.
- Petticoats and “Coffin Quilts” — Following the earlier quilted-petticoat thread, a member raises the related term “coffin quilts” for further discussion.
Date: Sat, 8 Feb 2003 20:26:34 -0500 | From: “Sondra Biacchi” <quilt@>
palampore Message-ID:
In the book THE PIECED QUILT, pp. 15 is a pic of a flowering mid-18th century Palampore, Tree of Life. A friend of mine is quite taken with this quilt. According to the book the quilt comes from the collection of Cora Ginsburg. Has anyone even seen this quilt pictured in any other book or have any information on it at all? Sondra from NE Pennsylvania
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2003 09:12:24 -0800 | From: “Susan Silva” <woody@>
Hi there friends, I was wondering if anyone knows about any quilt stuff going on in Charleston,S.C. the first or second week of April. We are going there for a visit and I’d like to know if any of my traveling friends know of any good quilt stuff to see (or buy) there. Thanks, Susan in Sunny Spokane Washington
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2003 09:25:00 -0800 | From: “Marilyn Maddalena” <marilynm@>
I’m planning a trip to Arizona and would like to know of any guilds there for me to contact, and what shows are coming up. I checked some internet listings, but only see one large AZ guild, with the mention of several smaller groups, but no contact information. I’m interested in presenting programs and/or doing appraisals while I’m there. Can anyone out there guide me to the right people to contact?
Marilyn Maddalena Professional Quilt Appraiser, Quilt Judge, Historian and Speaker website: www.marilynquilts.com
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2003 13:11:37 EST | From: QuiltNews@
I have a, what I think is a sateen, whole cloth quilt that is reversible…pink on one side, blue on the other…it has scallops all around and I would think that it was commerically done, yet, it is hand quilted and pencil marks are evident. Any thoughts about this…it is similar to quilt on page 107 in Gathered in Time, Utah Quilts and Their Makers. Thanks, Ann
Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2003 14:06:30 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xenia@>
Marilyn Goldman did a paper and presentation at AQSG in 2002 on the Wilkinson sisters of Ligonier, Indiana, makers of Wilkinson Art Quilts. Their most successful quilts were whole cloth, often one color on each side, with scalloped borders and clamshell quilting around the outer edges. The examples illustrated in her paper have the rounded tops of the clamshells toward the center of the quilt (the quilt referred to in Utah Quilts has the rounded part facing the binding). See Uncoverings 2002, Vol. 23 of the Research Papers of the American Quilt Study Group (ed. Virginia Gunn), pp. 131-161).
Eleanor Beard Studios of Hardinsburg, KY, also made cotton sateen and also satin quilts (“boudoir quilts”) in whole cloth designs and scalloped borders, as did at least one other cottage industry in Hardinsburg. Both Beard Studios and Wilkinson Art Co. had cloth labels on their quilts, sewn into the binding – but these could be removed, of course.
Just 2 possible commercial sources for quilts of this type. Whole cloth quilts with one color on each side were also made in the North Country of UK – Durham and that area – and sateen was the fabric of choice. See articles and books by Dorothy Osler for more information, and examples. The quilting designs are distinctive to the area, and can be used to identify origin.
Xenia
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2003 13:56:24 -0600 | From: “Charlotte Bull” <charlou@>
A friend had her 3 daughters come and clean out her sewing room. By the end of the week all three had become quilters and ended up taking her stuff home with them. It is contagious. But I really need a Cleaning/Sorting/Organizing Lady to live full time with me for a year. I’d cook! But you’d have to develop and run a website and sell the stuff and wipe my eyes of tears as my collection disappeared. I cried as a daughter drove off with my 3 best quilts last summer. You must know why!!!
But, honestly, I do wonder, how do some of you find such marvelous vintage kits and do you really intend to make them? Is there an appraiser who could tell us if a Vintage Kit is worth more as it is or should we feel comfortable about finishing them? A truly marvelous set of appraisers at an AQS workshop told me NOT to quilt a splendid top I had – and I had the backing that had come with it and matched the top. Does this theory of decrease in value also get applied to these kits? I am seriously interested in your opinions. Charlotte
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2003 22:50:22 -0500 | From: “Anita Grossman Solomon” <solo57@>
It’s ironic that you inquired about Cora Ginsburg Inc.’s Palampore reproduced in The Pieced Quilt. She passed away 12/18/02 and her obituary ran today in the New York Times:
“Cora Ginsburg, 92, a Dealer and a Consultant in Antique Textiles, Is Dead” http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/09/obituaries/09GINS.html?pagewantedprint&po sitiontop
I worked there once. She was grand and her shop was precious. Titi Halle owns the shop now and you can reach her at 212-744-1352
Anita Grossman Solomon New York, NY
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 09:12:27 -0500 | From: “Joe MacDonald” <jmacdon6@>
Petticoats and Coffin Quilts
Is there any doubt what a fascinating subject quilt history is when you can make a subject line like this? Lynn Lancaster Gorges mentioned a mermaid petticoat owned by the CT Historical Society featured in Piecework. I happened to be looking through the Woman’s Day Book of American Needlework by Rose Wilder Lane last night and found pictured on page 117 in the quilting section another petticoat with a mermaid on it. It is a beautiful piece with a ship, seagulls and the mermaid. The only information given is that it is from the Museum of the DAR in Washington DC. Sondra in PA mentioned the Kentucky Coffin Quilt. You can read about this quilt in the book Elizabeth Roseberry Mitchell’s Graveyard Quilt by Linda Otto Lipsett. In our eyes today, this quilt may seem morbid, even bizarre. After I read Elizabeth’s story (she also has a very interesting family history) I had more of a feeling of what I think compelled her to make this quilt. It has been some time since I read the book, but if my memory serves (and it doesn’t always) she lost two children. They were buried in different places and since her husband frequently moved the family, she had to leave the graves of her children behind, knowing she would never be back. To me, it seems at a time when many women did not have a say in the family and were moved far from loved ones, this quilt was Elizabeth’s way of giving herself a feeling of keeping her family together and having control over things that she had no control over. Anyhow, that’s how I like to look at that quilt – someone else may have a completely different take on it. I mostly lurk, since I have so much to learn and not much to add, but couldn’t resist a chance to mention one of Linda Otto Lipsett’s books. They are all wonderful. I am planning on attending the VQSG meeting on March 16 – I can’t wait, and am looking forward to meeting some of you. Monica MacDonald in Maine
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 10:50:43 CST | From: jocelynm@
On Fri, 7 Feb 2003 09:07:50 -0700 “Karen Housner” wrote:
> Hello everyone, > > I need to find a list of quilts entered in the quilt contest for the > world’s fair in Chicago in 1933.
Karen, There’s a new Barbara Brackman book out about it, but it doesn’t list all the quilts entered. It doesn’t even list all the quilts that won prizes! Apparently, record-keeping was horrendous. If you want the reference on the book, I’ll have to email you from home. The book focuses on those quilts that were designed for the theme of ‘A Century of Progress’.
Jocelyn
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 11:00:15 CST | From: jocelynm@
On Sat, 08 Feb 2003 10:38:03 -0500 Palampore@ wrote:
> We hate throwing away our own stuff, but we > are getting really good at saying to the other one, “Do you > r….eally need this?”
Lynn, I did this a few years ago for a friend whose closet was minimal. Even though she and her husband had modestly small wardrobes, they couldn’t get them all into the bedroom closet. I made her take everything out and lay it on the bed. Before she could put anything back into the closet it had to pass two questions: Is it ready to wear right now? Have you worn it in the past year? Things that needed a repair were put aside until the repair was done. Anything that hadn’t been worn in the past year, we discussed why not. Some of it was things like ‘It has a spot on the front, but I could wear it under a sweater.’ ‘Do you?’ ‘Well, no, it’s too hot to wear it under a sweater’. <G> Finally we got down to a 70s-style tunic, and I saw her lip go out. I said, ‘OK, what’s the story with this one?’ ‘I wore it on our first date.’ ‘So why haven’t you worn it lately?’ ‘It’s too tight in the bust, now.’ I started laughing. This friend is somewhat younger than I and was in her mid-to-late 20s at the time. I assured her that she was NOT going to get less flat-chested as time went by, and if she’d already ‘busted out’ of it, she wasn’t going to be able to wear it in her 30s. <G> I made her take all the sentimental garments out of the closet and pack them away in a storage box. Somehow, it hadn’t occurred to her that she could do that- just keep them because they had good memories, like fabric scrapbooks. We ended up with extra space in what had been a shoehorn-crammed closet, even though the basement had a few more boxes. <G>
Jocelyn
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 11:06:54 CST | From: jocelynm@
Re:
On Thu, 6 Feb 2003 09:38:41 -0600 “Lisa Erlandson” wrote:
> I have never heard that expression, but I have seen several quilts > made with men’s suiting fabrics that were made from fabric samples or fabric from nearby mills. Without provenance, I would be afraid to make an assumption that just because it was made from suiting fabrics, that it was made by a widow using her deceased husband’s suits.
A member of my local quilt guild brought in one that was made by a member of her family, using salesman’s samples. She actually was able to find the denuded sample book, which the relative had used as a scrapbook. The story, IIRC, was that the husband of the quilter was walking along the railroad tracks looking for anything useful that might have fallen off a train, and found the sample book. 🙂 I would think that one clue would be whether the quilt is a charm quilt or not. A sample-book quilt would be a charm quilt (even assuming that some samples might be virtually identical) whereas a widow’s quilt would have lots of pieces cut from a small number of suits. Even now, the man who owns dozens of suits is a pretty rare fellow! 🙂
Jocelyn
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 13:39:25 -0500 | From: “Jan Drechsler” <quiltdoc@>
Just found this listing in the on-line newsletter send widely to folks in New Enland re quilt events and shows and work shops. No further comment. ____ February 15 at 1PM BORDERS, 281 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, NH at 603-888-9300 presents: ŒQuilts & the Underground Railroad” with Dr. Gloria F. Bowens; Vocalist Olga Tines Smith; Gritty, authentic Delta Blues with Doug Philbrook.
Each year the RACIAL HARMONY PROGRAM strives to present a series of programs focused on race relations in America. The underlying premise is that improvements in race relations can only be achieved through positive dialogue. It is BORDERS pleasure to once again host this yearly event coordinated by Lee Jones.
Dr. Bowens will have with her several authentic, antique quilts that she will use to demonstrate how quilt patterns were encoded to help fugitive slaves navigate the escape route to freedom in the Underground Railroad.
Vocalist Smith will accompany her with soul-stirring renditions of gospel songs and demonstrate the secret messages and codes often embedded in these songs that could only be understood by the slaves. Doug Philbrook will not only entertain you but will teach you a little something about the great Delta Bluesmen who originally wrote and performed the music he¹ll be performing. – – – – – – – – –
— Jan Drechsler in Vermont Quilt Restoration; Quilting teacher www.@/~bobmills
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 19:56:46 +0000 | From: deschuit@
“Jan Drechsler”
I heard Ms. Bowen in Portsmouth, NH when she spoke to a group here. THe audience was mostly African American and they asked some questions. She did not provide much detail in her talk or her responses to the questions. I let the woman who was in charge know about the controversy and sent her to the website of gentleman who has stated his issues with the UGRR controversy. I am certainly not an expert and only know of the controversy from lurking on this list but I can tell you that if anyone asked her any hard questions she would not be able answer them. She is basing her lecture on the Tobin book.
Some of her quilts may be authentic antique quilts but they are not nor does she say they date from the UGRR period.
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 15:35:07 EST | From: Hazelmacc@
Regarding the listing of winners of the Century of Progress contest — Barbara Brackman and Merikay Waldvogel wrote PATCHWORK SOURVENIRS OF THE 1933 WORLD’S FAIR. They report that there were 25,000 entries and “only fifty or sixty had been located by the mid-1980s”. Since all of their work and the publicity, they have now recorded over 200 entries.
Fortunately for me – one of my clients had a quilt that according to family history was entered in the contest AND the quiltmaker’s name was listed in the above book as a winner. The quilt was a design known as The Garden Quilt, that had been researched by Joyce Gross when she published her magazine. Since her writings, she and Cuesta Benberry found other quilts of this design. l worked with these two great historians and have written about these quilts. That article will be in “Blanket Statements” – the American Quilt Study Groups newsletter. If you do not have these newsletters and their annual papers publication, you must get them in your libraries. Visit their west site – http://www2.h-net.@/~aqsg/ or e-mail them at AQSG2@. to bring your library up-to-date.
Hazel Carter in No. VA where snow is on the ground and more is to arrive this evening.
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 07:46:22 -0800 | From: Judi Fibush <judi@>
Beth,
Thank you for that URL. Everyone – GO and click on this http://collections.rmsc.org/Quilts/2002Show.html and look as these stupendous quilts. The Garden Quilt is breathtaking.
Judi
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 13:38:44 EST | From: KareQuilt@
Who produced and who starred in the first televised quilting series and when? How long was the series? I think it might have been before Georgia Bonesteel for her series did not begin until 1980. Wasn’t there a series out of Bowling Green Ohio before that?
Karen Alexander
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 14:02:18 -0500 | From: “Judy Kelius (judysue)” <judysue@>
Wasn’t it Penny Morris? I remember a book that I used to have that went along with the series. As I recall, it had a green and white star quilt on the cover.
At 01:38 PM 2/13/03, KareQuilt@ wrote: >Who produced and who starred in the first televised quilting series and when? >How long was the series? I think it might have been before Georgia Bonesteel >for her series did not begin until 1980. Wasn’t there a series out of Bowling >Green Ohio before that? > >Karen Alexander
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 16:51:34 -0500 (EST) | From: Teri Klassen <teresak@>
Ann, who has the reversible sateen wholecloth quilt: reversible sateen, or perhaps rayon, wholecloth quilts also were made by Mennonites and Amish, I think in the 1920s-50s. these were not commercially made of course. I have one, maybe ca. 1920s, from my Mennonite grandmother who lived in Kansas that is green on one side and pink on the other with kind of tulip-y designs in the middle, and my mother has one that was a high school graduation present from Grandma in 1951 that is turquoise on one side and yellow on the other. Teri in Indiana, where we got snow-rolls yesterday.
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 21:32:21 -0500 | From: “Cinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
Those New York quilts with the “weeping trees” in the borders: I’ve been looking for pictures and my impression is that the trees ususally face in, toward the center of the quilt. Am I right? Cinda on the Eastern Shore
: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 21:51:02 -0800 (PST) From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@> To: QHL@ Subject: Question for quilt historians Message-ID: <20030214055102.90881.qmail@> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
This question was submitted through the quilt history page. I have to admit, I am baffled… birds made of bias tape? Has anyone ever heard of them?
Kris, cringing slightly
> I am very interested in finding patterns for these darling birds > that are fashioned from bias tape. I haven’t been able to locate > any patterns or information about them. I appreciate any help > anyone has. Thanks. Ruth Forsting > UserEmail: thegreatruffino@
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 01:28:29 -0500 | From: “Kristina Strom” <KristinaStrom@>
I seem to remember our local PBS station in southern Ohio airing a series that featured Nancy Crow, which would make sense re the Bowling Green location. This was in summer of 1979, followed in the fall by Georgia Bonesteel in the same time slot. Perhaps the PBS people would be the ones to contact, and I would be happy to help in anyway I can. Kristina
“Who produced and who starred in the first televised quilting series and when? How long was the series? I think it might have been before Georgia Bonesteel for her series did not begin until 1980. Wasn’t there a series out of Bowling Green Ohio before that?
Karen Alexander”
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 05:25:45 -0500 | From: “Judy Kelius (judysue)” <judysue@>
I meant Penny McMorris, sorry. And I did a little research and found that she did the Great American Quilt series on PBS in 1991-1992.
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 03:51:30 -0800 (PST) | From: Judy Schwender
I work at Nebraska PBS, give me some time to look into this. Personally I remember Mary Ellen Hopkins airing on some stations a looooong time ago. The Great American Quilt is relatively new although IMHO is has always been the best. For all I know the earliest may have been Eleanor Burns. For this question I will assume we are not including Sewing With Nancy since it is not exclusively a quilt show. Judy Schwender “Judy Kelius (judysue)” <judysue@> wrote:I meant Penny McMorris, sorry. And I did a little research and found that she did the Great American Quilt series on PBS in 1991-1992.
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 07:27:01 -0500 | From: Barb Garrett <bgarrett@>
QHL
Yes, Bias Birds do exist. I have a tea towel done on cream feedsack with a bias tape bird. Just recently I found the patterns in a book I have — one of those thin ones you could get through the newspapers from 1950-1970s. I’m on my way out the door for a guild meeting — and just quickly checked email — but will look for the book when I return.
Barb in southeastern PA
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 08:41:01 EST | From: Midnitelaptop@
it was a quilting series on PBS with penny mcmorris as the host….i watched them all and taped some…every couple of weeks she would have rod kirakofe(sp) on the show, displaying vintage quilts. then came georgia bonesteel and then eleanor burns quilt in a day and so on. jeanL
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 08:48:49 EST | From: Senopera@
In a message dated 02/14/03 8:42:08 AM Eastern Standard Time, Midnitelaptop@ writes:
…every couple of weeks she would have rod kirakofe(sp) on the show, displaying vintage quilts.
I think this may have been the second season of Penny’s shows. Didn’t the first one have just lessons in how to make a quilt?
Sue
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 06:53:47 -0800 (PST) | From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
quilting show
I haven’t heard back yet from my PBS contacts.
But…
I started at Montana PBS in April 1991. We did not air the McMorris show until about 2 or so years later, but that’s not to say that other stations didn’t air it earlier. It did have the Kiracofe segment, as well as a how-to segment with Diana McClun and Laura Nownes who wrote Quilts! Quilts! Quilts!.
PBS stations are not a network. Other than what is designated “common carriage” (typically prime-time programming like NOVA and Masterpiece Theatre)each individual station can purchase and air what the local viewers want. Many how-to shows are provided free to stations with notification of carriage. That makes them very attractive to the stations. Such programs may also be scheduled whenever the programming director and rights allow, which will vary from station to station. So, someone may have seen GAQ in the spring of one year but her quilt buddy in the next state may not see it until fall of the next year, or not at all.
I am trying to find out when the program offer for the first quilting show was made. It may have been a local series out of Bowling Green that wasn’t offered nationally, either by the independent programming services or PBS national.
Probably more than anyone wanted to know, but all of this has bearing on the 2nd quilt revival of the 20th century and how it unfolded.
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 08:01:47 -0800 (PST) | From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
quilting show
–0-1311486184-1045238507=:70278 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Below is the information I have received so far from my PBS contacts:
FYI…Bowling Green, Ohio is located in north west Ohio.
We [WBGU] produced two series: QUILTING and THE GREAT AMERICAN QUILT hosted by Penny McMorris.
Released: September 1, 1981
QUILTING: 13/30s – With Penny McMorris, art curator and former quilting instructor, the series features work by many quilters; some history of quilting; quilting as art; and demonstrations and technqiues.
Released: February 1982
QUILTING II: 13/30s – A continuance of the first 13 programs – carrying the same overall theme of exploration of quilting as an art form. This second series will continue to look at the history of quilt making and the lives of quilt makers with a continued concern for quilting techniques and the application of these techniques in particular styles of quilts. Afro-American quilts, Hawaiian quilts plus “Quilt National ’81” will be program topics. Penny McMorris will continue as Host/Producer.
Released: January 1, 1992
THE GREAT AMERICAN QUILT: 13/30s – Host Penny McMorris guides viewers through a tour of “The Great American Quilt.” Each half-hour program features new looks for old quilt designs, segments on the history of quilts, and interviews with experts about such subjects as appraising quilts and interpreting their meaning.
My program manager did say that Nancy Crow did appear in some of the programs
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 10:03:57 -0800 (PST) | From: Joe Cunningham <sanchezstudios@>
I know Penny McMorris did her series out of Bowling Green in the early 1980’s, but I do not think it was befoe 1980. I was on a segment, I think, around 1983. You could contact her at QuiltPro, her software company, to get the actual dates.
Joe Cuningham Joe@
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 19:27:20 -0000 | From: “Sally Ward” <sallytatters@>
I don’t know if it is of interest, but I have a booklet published by the BBC in the UK which says it was printed to accompany ‘Discovering Patchwork’, a programme first broadcast on BBC2 in January 1978. This was a series of programmes prepared ‘in consultation with the BBC Further Education Advisory Council’ . Many people fondly remember this programme a being at the very start of the revival of the craft over her.
So far as I know this is the only series ever shown on UK television covering the subject of Patchwork and Quilting. It is a continual source of complaint that our ‘minority’ interest receives no programming at all on any channels, and we are very envious of what you have on offer. But were we leading the field back then? I’ve been surprised that the responses to the question seem to suggest a much later start date to programming in the US.
Sally W in Yorkshire
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 15:38:26 EST | From: Midnitelaptop@
i didn’t get a tape recorder until 1985…and i taped some of the shows .. so it had to be 85 or later that the show aired on pbs in amherst Mass… jeanL
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 13:23:05 -0800 | From: “Julie Silber” <quiltcomplex@>
Hi Everyone, Julie Silber here… I have come across a quilt on eBay with an interesting description. The headline reads: “1930’s Nazi german Quilt Rare.” Check it out at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ViewItem&item=2158548482&category=4078 It’s item # 2158548482.
<img alt=”1529526.jpg (40046 bytes)” border=”2″ height=”75″ src=”./03036_files/1529526_small.jpg” width=”100″/> Click on the thumbnail
Below is the message I sent to the seller — I’ll keep the list posted as to any response I receive.
Hi, I’m wondering why you call the quilt design a “Nazi Swastika?” In quilt history, the design predates the Nazi era (and I would guess that your quilt is probably earlier than the 1930s.) While the design is sometimes referred to as the “Swastika” or Swastika Patch” in quilt literature, it also has other traditional names, including “Catch Me If You Can,” 10,000 Perfections,” and “Wind Power of the Osages.”
Perhaps you have some specific knowledge that it has some Nazi reference or connection. ???? You might want to check out the following web site — www.iearn.org/hgp/aeti/aeti- 1997/swastika.html — for more information on the ancient history of the design. Best, Julie Silber (oldquilts)
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 16:45:00 -0500 | From: “Judy Kelius (judysue)” <judysue@>
Apparently, someone believed his description . . . look at the bid! Egads!!!!
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 17:36:12 EST | From: Kittencat3@
Not to mention that it doesn’t look particular 1930s or particularly German. I wonder if there’s some family story behind the Nazi label?
Lisa Evans Easthampton, MA
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 19:32:00 -0500 | From: “Judy Kelius (judysue)” <judysue@>
I think a lot of people just assume it must be Nazi-related when they see that version of the cross! I used to work at a psychiatric hospital which had a small building erected around 1900 with the Nazi cross in the cement work . . . before Hitler adopted it for his Third Reich. Some of our patients got very upset when they saw it, and couldn’t understand why this fine Quaker hospital would have such symbols on its grounds! The Board even considered having the symbols sand-blasted off the building so as not to agitate any patients . . . but thank goodness, they decided against it.
I always find it hard to date red and white quilts since they were popular for so many years. This quilt could even be late 19th century but more probably early 20th – I think the 30’s dating is on the late end. But of course if the seller dated it earlier, it wouldn’t make sense to call it a Nazi quilt <GR>!
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 09:23:56 -0500 | From: Judy White <jawhite@>
Quilt
Before The Great American Quilt series, Penny McMorris hosted a quilt program in 1981 – I taped it and just checked the date. I had just begun quilting and didn’t have a clue as to what her guests were doing, but I knew I had to do it too. This was pre-rotary cutters, etc., and people were using scissors and acrylic rules with no numeric increments. Penny had most of the well-known quilt makers at the time – Nancy Crow, Jan Myers, etc., on the show. The local PBS station offered a book to go along with the series. It was a blue and white book which covered each program – I think there were 13. I’m sorry to say, I let that book get away from me because I didn’t realize that it was to become the guide to such a definitive program.
Judy White – Ct
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 11:08:10 -0500 | From: “Candace Perry”
> > It’s still on ebay — just put nazi quilt in the search. > What is truly scary is the individual who is buying it. If you check his > feedback (and I’m sure it’s a he) his recent purchases are German WWII > militaria.
I suspect the knowledge that “Nazi” might add to the value of the quilt be part of the seller’s designation. There is in America a vigorous and large market for German WWII–and more specifically, Nazi—materials. Twenty years ago, most buyers of these materials were young boys. Now the range is unlimited. I’m told by reliable historians of the era that museums seeking to create modest, representative holdings in such things are often discouraged from their goals by the market prices. Evidently the buyers range from neo-Nazis to Klansmen and related fringe groups to collectors who do not share the associations of people over 45 or 50. A lot of this stuff is also coming on the market as veterans of WW II pass away. But L. Farakhan (sp?) does not have the corner on the racist market. Nor do males: there are a number of women in this buyer pool. Alas.
Gaye
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 09:30:58 -0800 | From: “Rachel Greco”
Because I have done extensive research on the topic of swastika quilts, I e-mailed the seller of the e-bay quilt the following question:
“Do you have specific knowledge relating this to Nazi Germany? As a quilt historian who documents old quilts I would be extremely interested in knowing why you believe that this relates to Nazi Germany in any fashion. If you have documentation that shows that this American quilt was made as a show of support for the Nazi regime, I would be highly interested as it would directly benefit my research into this type of quilt.
Swastika quilts of this type were popular BEFORE World War II–generally from about the late 1800s through the 1920s. They lost favor AFTER Hitler announced that the swastika symbol would forever more be associated with the Third Reich. By February 1940 the Navajo-Hopi (remember the code talkers?) had held a sacred ceremony banning the use of the swastika (an ancient symbol for this people) in any form as their show of support for the Allies. This is just one example of how the symbol fell out of favor with the advent of World War II.
To my knowledge, there is no documentation to show that this type of quilt supported Nazi Germany. If you have information that proves otherwise, I would greatly appreciate receiving it for my research. I am not trying to be confrontational with this e-mail. I am sincerely interested in knowing what the link is so that I can address it in my research.”
I am hoping that by being nonconfrontational perhaps the seller will answer and let me know what specific information he may have to support his claim that this quilt has anything to do with Nazi Germany. You know, anything is possible (though highly unlikely)–and it could be that someone with a bent in this direction actually made it from old patterns. (Yikes!)
My uncle was a POW in a German Concentration Camp. His terrible experience in that camp changed him forever and it is how I came to research this type of quilt. The first time I saw one of these quilts I was horrified to think that anyone would glorify something so ugly and disgusting; however, the more I learned about these quilts, the more I realized it had NOTHING to do with Hitler and that they were actually made as a type of “good luck” symbol. If this guy has actual PROOF that it does relate to Nazi Germany, I’m willing to listen to this information and keep an open mind. Frankly, it would change everything I know about these quilts and as such would be hard to dismiss no matter how fervently I would wish (and sincerely hope) it weren’t true.
I will keep you posted as to whether the seller answers my inquiry. Thanks for your patience with such a long post.
Rachel Greco Grandma’s Attic Sewing Emporium, Inc. Dallas, Oregon
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 14:41:23 EST | From: Hazelmacc@
In Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine Cumulative Index, they have listed “Bird (series using bias tape), A, 12”, 23-3l I was certain that QNM had run this series but did not have time to search the magazines, but was pleased that I found it in the index.
Hazel Carter in snowy Virginia.
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 12:00:16 -0800 | From: “Rachel Greco” <grandmasattic@>
As promised, I am sharing the short response I received from the seller of the “Nazi german quilt” on e-bay, Peter Johnson:
—– Original Message —– From: “Peter Johnson” To: <grandmasattic@> Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2003 11:26 AM Subject: Re: Question for seller — Item #2158548482
“I have no evidence of family quilt making. This quilt was acquired by my grandfather.”
Since this seller has already mentioned that his grandfather is deceased, I am left to conclude that my research and body of evidence to date showing that these quilts have nothing to do with Hitler and Germany still stands. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please let me know.
Rachel Greco Grandma’s Attic Sewing Emporium, Inc. Dallas, Oregon
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 16:34:19 -0500 | From: Joan Kiplinger <jkip@>
Qhl
A favorite topic for this list — tomorrow HGTV will feature Homes of the Underground Railroad at 5 ET. Possibly there might be reference to the HIPV quilt legend.
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 15:46:35 -0600 | From: “Susan Wildemuth”
Concerning the quilt TV series.
There is some information in the following book:
Makowski, Colleen Lahan. Quilting 1915-1983:An Annotated Bibliography. New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, Inc, 1985.
ISBN: 0-8108-1813-2 LCCN: 85-2497
Chapter IV. Non-Print Media pages 106-112.
Unfortunately the dates are not listed for the series:
Quilting I – Thirteen-week series on PBS. Produced by station WBGU-TV, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403. Bowling Green State University. Features Peggy McMorris, Michael James, Nancy Crow, and others. Viewer guides to accompany each series. No date listed.
Quilting II – Thirteen half-hour video-tape programs. WBGU-TV Bowling Green, Ohio. Covers Quilt National ’81 and demonstrations with Michael James, Judi Warren, Darwin Bearly, Nancy Crowe, Florence Pulford, Edward Larson, Jinny Beyer, Elizabeth Akana, Cuesta Benberry and Yvonne Porcella. No date listed (other than 1981 Quilt National mentioned earlier)
Georgia Bonesteels Lap Quilting Series is also listed in this book and various other films/slides
Hope this helps– Sue in Illinois Six inches of snow and still falling
