January 16 – 28, 2002
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:
- Marseille-Style Coverlets & Trapunto Imitations — A member asks about a heavy woven coverlet mistaken for hand trapunto quilting, sparking discussion of Marseille cloth and how to distinguish it from true quilting.
- Hull’s Victory Block Name & Naval History — A trivia question about the origin of the Hull’s Victory block name turns into a multi-message dive into Captain Isaac Hull, the USS Constitution, and the War of 1812.
- The Cotton-Batting “Seeds” Myth — Members debunk the common belief that dark flecks in old cotton batting are seeds, and discuss what those flecks actually are and whether batting can reliably date a quilt. (see the article on quilt batting)
- Imported Reproduction Quilts in the Marketplace — Discussion of retailers (including one selling a reproduction of a Smithsonian-held Chinese Bride’s Quilt) selling new imported quilts, and early debate over how they’re marketed.
- Copyright & Reprint Permission for Quilt-History Writing — Members trade tips on how to find and cite copyright/reprint permission information when reusing published quilt-history articles online.
- An eBay Purchase Mistaken for an Antique — A member recounts buying what was sold as an antique Carolina Lily quilt on eBay that turned out to be a modern reproduction, prompting caution about online antique-quilt buying.
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 19:24:05 -0500 | From: “Cinda Cawley”
I was giving a talk to a quilt guild near Ocean City, MD today and a woman showed me something I’d never seen before. From a distance it looked like an indigo and white Lady of the Lake quilt. It actually was a Marseilles-style coverlet. It even had the appearance of quilting stitches across the blue parts of the design. It was very large and very heavy. Does anybody know about such things? When were they made? Where? Thanks. Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 12:03:46 -0500 | From: “deb”
I know Sylvia Landman has an excellant article on her website about copyright information but I can’t find the site. I am on the digest version, could someone email it to me? I need it right away as I have 5 friends taking a class and they are absolutely indignant that I won’t let them share one book . . . . Thanks, Debbie Quilting Possibilities
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 09:39:29 -0800 (PST) | From: Kris Driessen
Debbie, I don’t know about Sylvia, but I have one at . You are welcome to click the “Printer friendly” link and make as many copies as you like. Kris — deb
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 02 13:10:30 -0600 | From: woodford
In response to Cinda, and to ask the experts—- I have a coverlet that sounds like yours, except it is all white. It was another Ebay mistake. Sigh. I was told it was an 1830 wedding quilt, probably trapunto. The seller didn’t know diddley and had conned a museum curator into thinking the same thing by sending digital photos that DID look like trapunto. Anyway, the Woven Coverlet I have is made to look like Marseille work and is very wide and very heavy—-must have been made on a professional broadloom. I believe this is called Marseille cloth, but I don’t know what the earliest age might be, since I don’t know when the broadloom was used—certainly later than 1840, probably a lot later. I know this subject has been discussed before on the list, but can we have a quick review? Thanks, Barbara Woodford
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 11:22:33 -0800 | From: [not recorded in source]
http://www.rosiescalicocupboard.com/Copyrights.html “This article first appeared in November/December 2000 issue of Needlework Retailer. Copyright © 2000. Reprinted with permission by The Fabric Shop Network News in the January/February 2001 issue. Reprinted with permission” here is another website that might work for you with copyright info. dutchrose
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2002 00:11:13 -0000 | From: “Sally Ward”
In the wonderful roundabout way of the internet, Annette (in Oz) has asked me (in the UK) to pass on to you (in the US) the information that this book is now available in the US from the following source: “Quilting books Unlimited.” phone 630 406 8374 FAX 630 406 0238. Sally Ward
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 16:39:41 -0800 (PST) | From: Ark Quilts
Hello there again. I have a question for the QHL members. The 1939 Catalog of Patchwork Quilts from the Needlecraft Supply Co. (32 p.) has a patterns in it for : 1) 48 flower blocks for every state and 2) The Official State Birds of U.S.A. quilt patterns (48 to the set). I am trying to get xerox copies of these patterns and the cover/back of the catalog and any pages that might have publication information & company address on it. I am doing research on state bird blocks and have a nice pattern with scalloped edges with the 48 birdie blocks set on point. If anyone has access to this particular catalog or any catalog or magazines with ads from the 1920’s and later that have these bird block quilt patterns, I am willing to pay for the cost of copying & postage to get the information. I decided to try and date some patterns, quilts, and unfinished block sets that I have and will probably write an article about it when it’s done. I am having trouble finding the earliest sources for these patterns & they were often copied and repeated. Any information resource help you can share will be appreciated! And to Xenia who has helped me so much with coverlet research……I’m still reading coverlet books!!! And waiting for more via interlibrary loan. Thanks. Connie
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 16:43:14 -0800 (PST) | From: Ark Quilts
I forgot to include this note with my original posting about the state bird blocks. Any information or help received from individuals will be credited in any published product that is produced. I practice what I preach to my high school students–cite those sources! Thanks-Connie Ark
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 17:18:01 -0800 | From: [not recorded in source]
Okay, here is my trivia question–Does anyone know the origin of the block name HULL’S VICTORY? I assume it is a 19th Century military person, but who? when? where? Thanks for the info. I think I know but haven’t been able to verify it. Don Beld
>From:
Hull’s Victory: > I would suspect the block Hull’s Victory refers to the American > Naval Captain Isaac Hull’s defeat over the British frigate Guerriere in > the War of 1812. > In July 1812 the USS Constitution under command of Captain Hull > encountered a British naval squadron after leaving Egg Harbor, NJ and > after three days and nights escaped in one of the most remarkable chases > naval chases in naval history. > Then on August 12, 1812, just east of Boston, he defeated the > British frigate Guerriere by maneuvering to within pistol shot distance > before giving a full broad side of cannons. The British frigate was > totally destroyed in less than thirty minutes. > Hull’s Victory destroyed the myth of the invincibility of the > British Navy. > Captain Isaac Hull was a popular hero in early Nineteenth Century > America for this and his many other naval victories such as against the > Barbary Pirates of Tripoli. > Quilter’s of American history today would probably call Hull’s > Victory Block by a new name: “Old Ironsides’ Victory.” It was after this > victory that the USS Constitution became thereafter known as “Old > Ironsides.” Captain Hull, however, has been lost to America history > except for his quilt block. > Quilters, I’m sure, will remember the American naval revolutionary > war hero John Paul Jones. After his victory over the British frigate > Serapis, his frigate Bonhomme Richard sank secondary to battle damage. > Jones sailed home on the Serapis. In Hull’s case it was Old Ironsides > that came down through American history to school class not the commander > that make it possible, Captain Isaac Hull. >Ernest Sutton >Quilting Advisor >Salisbury NC
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:03:03 -0800 (PST) | From: Ark Quilts
Hello there everyone on the QHL. I just wanted to take the time to acknowledge the members who have helped me with questions I posted quilt/textile history questions. Several people offered suggestions about where to look up research information about the 1846 Peace & Plenty coverlet I asked about. Thanks to Leah Z., Laura F., Virginia G., and Xenia C. I am still going through the resources they recommended to me & thanks to the local public library copies of the material have come in on interlibrary loan from all over the U.S. Lots of reading left to do! THANK YOU! I will report back to you about what I find out. I also posted a question about embroidered flower quilts which turned out to be a quest seeking adventure about state bird and state flower quilts as well. Thanks to Roberta G., Jean (ML), Peggy A., Pat N., Annette R., Raeann, and Brenda J. who have offered copies & publication information on several patterns in catalogs. Several of the people who have helped me on this research project were not members of the QHL but were forwarded to the list so I will be thanking them separately. THANK YOU! Thanks again…..you have been most helpful. Connie A.
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 22:17:44 -0500 | From: [not recorded in source]
Capt Isaac Hull commanded the USS Constitution in the famous victory of the American frigate over the British man- of-war Guerriere on 19 Aug 1812. The Constitution earned her nickname of “Old Ironsides” from this engagement when British shot bounced off her oaken planking. The British commander, James Dacres, had wagered a hat with Hull in a cordial meeting before the war. Thomas P. Horgan in his book Old Ironsides, 1963, tells about the conversation when Dacres came aboard the Constitution as a POW. Hull shook hands with him, Dacres unbuckled his sword and offered it, and Hull replied, “I will not take a sword from one who knows so well how to use it, but, I tell you, Dacres, I will trouble you for that hat.” I learned a lot of my American history from songs on Folkways records in the 1950’s. A traditional folk ballad called The Constitution and the Guerriere gives a humorous story of this battle. I found the song tonight in Burl Ives Song Book, 1953. You can visit the USS Constitution (built 1797) in Charlestown Mass, across the Charles River from Boston. Susan, a New Englander living in North Carolina
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 20:37:49 -0800 | From: [not recorded in source]
Hull’s Victory. I feel like a complete dunce for not knowing he was the captain of the U.S.S. Constitution. My guess was Joseph Hull the commander of a frigate in the Mexican American War, but that didn’t make sense. Special thanks to Seater for the song. I am doing a 19th century famous people quilt–18 blocks and this was the only one I couldn’t identify. (I hand piece and hand quilt Civil War Repo Fabric quilts. Thanks again, Don Beld
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 13:31:23 -0000 | From: “Audrey Cameron”
One of the military Hull’s in US history was Commodore Issac Hull who is credited with the victory of the “Constitution” over the British frigate “Guerriere” in the War of 1812. The victory was important as it destroyed the myth of British naval invincibity. He is a likely candidate for inspiring the block. <Does anyone know the origin of the block name HULL’S VICTORY? I assume it is a 19th Century military person, but who? when? where?> Hull was a US commodore who Audrey Cameron in Lincolnshire, England
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 16:30:39 -0500 | From: “pepper cory”
NQR especially but an interesting sidenote: Old Ironsides was not reinforced with iron-as the nickname implied-but rather with oak planks. The oak used was the Live Oak (sometimes called Water Oak) common along the seacoast here. A slow growing and graceful tree, the Live Oak does not shed its leaves in the fall and hence remains green when other trees turn brown. Spanish moss sometimes adorns the lower branches and accounts for the romantic drooping silhouette we associate with Deep South scenery. When the Constitution was dry-docked and repaired several years ago, the shipwrights restoring her came hunting for likely Live Oaks around here, just as the original makers must have done. In particular they searched for trees with a big sturdy trunk that split into two main branches. These were cut and the planks carefully cut to reflect the natural V of the tree’s growth since that shape gave extra strength to the ship’s hull. There’s your trivia for the day! Pepper Cory at the forever windy Carolina coast
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 20:45:57 EST | From: [not recorded in source]
One more note on the Constitution: in addition to the Guerriere, she took on the Levant, the Cyane, and the Java (the last two at once) and defeated all four in the space of about three months. The Royal Navy was so disgraced by being defeated by a single ship that they gave strict orders that their ships were *never* to approach an American heavy frigate except in numbers. Old Ironsides is still in commission, still floats, and was last taken out for a short sail in July of 1997. She’s moored at Charlestown Naval Yard in Boston and is towed out for a stately cruise around Boston Harbor each 4th of July. Right now they aren’t letting anyone below decks because it’s *cold* down there, but normally her crew gives regular tours. Her last notable appearance was during the Tall Ships’ visit in 2000, when her cannon saluted the guest ships as they glided into sight. She’s a lovely ship, and well worth a visit. An amusing touch: because she’s still commissioned, Constitution is equipped, like all US Navy ships, with a global positioning system. In her case it’s mounted right next to the steering wheel….:) Lisa Evans
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 23:21:21 -0500 | From: “Jan Drechsler” <quiltdoc@>
And there is a ‘New England Contra’ or longways dance which is still danced
today titled Hull’s Victory. The dance has its own tune of the same name,
which any competent New England fiddler knows and was danced in the
beautiful town halls on a snowy winter’s night.
—
Jan Drechsler in snowy Vermont
Quilt Restoration; Quilting teacher
www.@/~bobmills
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 16:16:14 -0600 | From: pcrews@
I hope that many of you will be able to participate!
Save the Date! Save the Date! Save the Date!
International Quilt Study Center
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Inaugural Symposium 2003
Wild by Design
February 27 – March 1, 2003
The focus of the inaugural symposium, sponsored by the International Quilt
Study Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is the innovative,
creative and unique elements of quilts, both historic and contemporary.
Participants will explore what motivates creative energies within
individuals and enables them to produce compelling and unusual works of art
and design. Also explored will be cultural, technical, aesthetic and
sociological forces that contribute to design innovation in quiltmaking.
Invited speakers for the symposium include Miriam Schapiro and Ellen
Dissanayake. Miriam Schapiro, influenced by the feminist movement,
embraces the use of textiles as symbolic of feminine labor. She is credited
with establishing the movement called Pattern and Decoration. This art
movement challenged traditional Western European art by foregrounding
decorative patterns and textiles from other cultures such as Chinese,
Indian, Islamic and Mexican. Schapiro coined the term “femmage,” which
stands for the female laborer’s hand-sewn work (such as embroidery,
quilting, etc.) that rivals and precedes the “high-art” collage. Ellen
Dissanayake is an independent scholar, writer and lecturer, whose approach
to the arts synthesizes many disciplines, but is underpinned by the
viewpoint of evolutionary biology. She is the author of three books, What
Is Art For? (1988); Homo Aestheticus: Where Art Comes From and Why (1992),
and Art and Intimacy: How the Arts Began (2000), all published by the
University of Washington Press. Other speakers include Michael James,
Janet Berlo and Radka Donnell.
The Wild by Design symposium will bring together artists and art
historians, cultural anthropologists, historians and women’s studies
scholars, as well as textile artists, textile historians and collectors.
It will provide a unique forum for dialogue among a broad spectrum of
individuals interested in quilt design, the social and cultural history of
quiltmaking traditions and related textile traditions worldwide.
A “Call for Papers” is forthcoming.
The Center, established in 1997, is dedicated to fostering a deeper
appreciation for the importance of quiltmaking traditions by combining
academic scholarship with the collection, conservation and exhibition of
quilts. For more information about the Center, visit:
http://quiltstudy.unl.edu.
For more information about the symposium, contact: Beverly Teche, IQSC
Symposium Coordinator, International Quilt Study Center, University of
Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0838. 402/472-7232 or bteche@.
Patricia Cox Crews
Professor and Director
International Quilt Study Center
Dept. of Textiles, Clothing & Design
P.O. Box 830838
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0838
PHONE: 402/472-6342
FAX: 402/472-0640
pcrews@
—–
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 09:21:44 -0500 | From: Barb Garrett <bgarrett@>
<img align=”left” alt=”BQUILT.jpg (39056 bytes)” border=”2″ height=”133″ src=”./02019_files/BQUILT_small.jpg” width=”100″/>I stumbled on this listing yesterday and found it interesting because
I’d never seen such an intricately done import quilt. I just checked and the pictures are still there if you are interested in seeing a 1992 copy of an 1851 Smithsonian album quilt — signed by someone, and claiming to originally cost $1500 — a newer piece of quilt history.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1504086802
Barb in rainy southeastern PA
<img alt=”QUIL1992.jpg (14885 bytes)” border=”2″ height=”75″ src=”./02019_files/QUIL1992_small.jpg” width=”100″/> (click on the thumbnails)
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 07:10:01 -0800 | From: “Laurette Carroll” <rj.carroll@>
Hello,
there is a store called The Gazebo that sells high quality, new imported
quilts.
http://www.thegazebo.com/
The ones I have seen there are equal in quality to the quilts made by
the average quilt maker of today. Some quilts are very intricate, using
nice fabrics, and the quilts are labeled as being made in a country
other than the US. The prices are high, as to be expected of a nicely
made quilt. I remember seeing a very nice crib quilt, that I really
liked, for about $1000. They say they have been in business for over 30
years.
Laurette Carroll
Southern California
Look to the Future with Hope
—– Original Message —–
From: “Barb Garrett” <bgarrett@>
To: <QHL@>
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 6:21 AM
Subject: QHL: Chinese Bride’s Quilt
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 09:43:31 -0600 | From: pcrews@
If you have always wanted to learn more about early dyeing and printing
techniques, then plan to come to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this
summer. The International Quilt Study Center (IQSC) and the Department of
Textiles, Clothing & Design are sponsoring a one-week seminar:
“Printing and Dyeing Techniques of the 18th and 19th Centuries”
Seminar in Textile History
Dr. Margaret Ordonez
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
June 24-28, 2002 (1 credit hour)
Students will engage in a fascinating study of the increasingly
sophisticated dyes and printing techniques that 18th- and 19th-century
printers used to pattern fabrics. Dr. Margaret Ordonez, Associate Professor
of Textiles at the University of Rhode Island and co-author of Down by the
Old Mill Stream: Quilts in Rhode Island, will lead seminar participants
through discussion, extensive readings, and examination of 18th- and
19th-century materials and quilts from the International Quilt Study
Center’s collections. Learn about the factors that influenced the patterns
and colors printed on pre-1850s interior furnishing and apparel fabrics
including Indian printed and painted textiles, mechanized yarn and cloth
production, textile printing innovations, and advances in dye chemistry.
This seminar is designed for graduate students in textile history, quilt
studies, history, and art history, and for college faculty members in those
areas. Collectors and antique textile dealers also will find this course of
interest.
Other Summer 2002 workshops at the International Quilt Study Center:
“The Stitched Drawing” with Michael James
June 17-19, 2002
“Wearable Art” with Vince Quevedo
July 1-12, 2002
More Information about Registration:
Visit our website at http://quiltstudy.unl.edu then click on Education and
then on Courses/Workshops.
Patricia Cox Crews
Professor and Director
International Quilt Study Center
Dept. of Textiles, Clothing & Design
P.O. Box 830838
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0838
PHONE: 402/472-6342
FAX: 402/472-0640
pcrews@
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 09:52:34 -0600 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@>
The Gazebo has been around since the early 80’s at least. There used to
be a store here in Dallas for about 3 years when I had my quilt shop.
They did have fairly good quality quilts, but not up to my students
standards <VBG>
Laura
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 08:27:41 -0800 (PST) | From: Ark Quilts <quiltarkmv@>
About that Chinese Bride’s Quilt ……it is a reproduction of an AMERICAN quilt held by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D. C. After several years of cricism, the Smithsonian started to label the imported quilts made as reproductions of its holdings. This is 1 of 4 that came out in the same year that actually had an identifying label on the back. I bought one for the history of the imported quilt & Smithsonian quilt controversy and I collect advertisements for imported quilts. I did not pay very much for it at a local department store. This one did not retail at $1500 in any sources I observed. $500 something was the top price I found. I would never pay $500 for an imported quilt…..there are too many nice American made ones for that price. I think the seller might be quoting a “comparable value of $1500” from the advertisement or package label instead of the actual retail of the item.
There are several articles in the NQA and AQS
publications from several years ago re: imported
quilts and the controversy surrounding the
Smithsonian’s contract to reproduce their antique
quilt holdings that might be of interest to several
people who posted info on this quilt.
Connie Ark
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 13:09:53 EST | From: MsNearMint@
Hi all! Can anyone tell me the time period that cotton batting WITH SEEDS was used in quilts? I would be extremely grateful! Pattyann
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 13:22:34 -0500 | From: “Jan Drechsler” <quiltdoc@>
Our Epson SC740 suddenly sounds as if it is dying (clunking, noisy) and is
requiring excessive coaxing to print one page. This is the second Epson we
have had, they are not used heavily or daily, just for personal use, and
they last about two years. DH says No More Epsons!
Next month I start teaching foundation paper-piecing quilting and I had
planned to design and print a variety of patterns starting now.
Do you have a Mac and an inkjet color printer that you think is a great
printer and does not self destruct in a few years? While Mac’s and PC’s can
supposedly use the same printers, Mac users know that not all software works
equally well on all printers.
I would love to hear from you. Let me know how much you use your
printer, what make & model # you have, and how long you have had your
printer. Please respond to me directly since this is off topic. I can
compile answers for any interested. Sorry to resort to this, friends, but I
need user advice, not salesperson advice.
Looking forward to your answers and help. Thanks.
Jan
—
Jan Drechsler in Vermont
Quilt Restoration; Quilting teacher
www.@/~bobmills
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 13:27:23 -0500 | From: “Judy Kelius (judysue)” <judysue@>
Can anyone tell me the time period that cotton batting WITH SEEDS was
used in quilts? I would be extremely grateful!
Pattyann
First, those specks you sometimes see aren’t seeds – they are pieces of
the cotton plant, but not the seeds themselves, which are quite
large.
Second, although many people believe you can tell the age of a quilt from
whether it has “seeds” in the batting, this isn’t true. If the
batting was picked over well, there may be no pieces in it even it is
19th century. Even fairly recent quilts may have pieces of the cotton
plant if cheap batting was used or if someone made their own batt. That
said, many 19th century quilts have pieces of the cotton plant in the
batting, but their absence does not mean the quilt is not 19th century.
There is more information on this in Barbara Brackman’s Clues in the
Calico -my #1 pick for the one book that should be in every quilt
collector’s library!
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 17:14:52 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xenia@>
I agree with Judy K. that debris in batting is not cotton seeds. First,
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, so after that time
commercially ginned cotton contained no seeds (generally). A cotton
seed is the size and thickness of an aspirin, and not an easy thing to
miss when it is imbedded in raw cotton. Certainly it would be
impossible to quilt through.
Different qualities of batting underwent different degrees of cleaning,
so visible debris in the batting may be more a matter of the personal
economics of the quiltmaker, or what was available in her area, than a
matter of the age of the quilt. For example, in the reprint version of
the 1902 Sears catalog, on page 860, Sears lists:
cotton wadding, slate color; cotton wadding, white, nicely finished;
fancy French tinted wadding in light blue, pink, nile, yellow; wool
sheet wadding in brown or white; cotton batting (14 oz. roll) fair
quality; cotton batting (16 oz.) good quality, nice and clean and good
value for the money; cotton batting (16 oz.) nice, clean fine rolls;
cotton batting (16 oz.) one of the finest qualities made, pure white and
clean; and snow white antiseptic cotton batting for medical purposes.
Lots of variety there for every purpose and budget.
Xenia
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 19:45:32 EST | From: Kittencat3@
Tinted waddings? Very interesting. Makes the current black or white seem pretty tame.
Lisa Evans
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 18:38:49 -0800 (PST) | From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@>
Pick up a current copy of Country Houses in the supermarket and check
out pages 30 – 33. There is an article on Quilt Care (which is
actually a combination of a couple of the articles on the Quilt
History site) attributed to “QuiltHistory.com, home of the oldest and
most respected vintage textile discussion group on the Internet.” Wheee!
Kris
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 22:03:05 EST | From: Edwaquilt@
A bit of background on their quilts. The last I heard they had closed the
remaining store in NYC and moved to eastern Long Island. The owners, who formerly owned a shop in Anniston Al worked closely with their factory in Hati. Sharon would go down periodically and work with the workers there to improve the quality of their work. They made the crazy patch quilt that Neiman Marcus had in their Christmas Catalog a few years ago (price was over $2000). All machine made and used a lot of commercial braid in the quilt. But Sharon did work to improve the quality of the work.
Holice
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 07:34:32 -0400 | From: Terry and Sara Chisholm <family.chisholm@>
I know I’m off topic, but if anyone knows of good quilting supply
stores
in the Gallway, Ireland area (or even Dublin or Limmerick) please let
me
know privately. I have a quilting friend who is leaving Nova Scotia
on
Wednesday for a 6 month stay (ever read Maeve Binchy’s “Tara Road”?).
She’s already packed more quilting stuff than clothes, but she won’t
re-pack unless she’s SURE she’ll be able to find supplies. I know
this
list has some international members, so maybe someone could help?
Thanks! Sara Chisholm – snowed in (again) on the Fundy Shore of Nova
Scotia
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 13:33:47 -0500 | From: “pepper cory” <pepcory@>
Hi all-When I was a kid living in rural South Carolina, when it was
cotton
picking time, the trucks with their huge bags of cotton would whizz
by our
house. Little fluffy bits of cotton blew out of the back of the
trucks and
they littlered the roadside like sticky snowflakes. I saw women
gathering
the littered cotton and stuffing it in a sack for their own use in
homemade
quilt batting. All they did was hand card the cotton and pick out the
seeds
they could see. That was 1965. In other words, seeds don’t count for
much
when it comes to dating quilts. Stick with the fabrics for truer time
definition.
Cheers from windy coastal North Carolina where two water spouts were
seen in
the inlet of our little town today–brrrr!
Pepper Cory
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 17:44:01 -0600 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@>
Thanks Holice…now I do remember that their quilts were all made in
Haiti and not China. Somehow I felt better about that at the time <G>
Laura
Edwaquilt@ wrote:
>
> A bit of background on their quilts. The last I heard they had
closed the
> remaining store in NYC and moved to eastern Long Island. The
owners, who
> formerly owned a shop in Anniston Al worked closely with their
factory in
> Hati. Sharon would go down periodically and work with the workers
there to
> improve the quality of their work. They made the crazy patch
quilt that
> Neiman Marcus had in their Christmas Catalog a few years ago (price
was over
> $2000). All machine made and used a lot of commercial braid in
the quilt.
> But Sharon did work to improve the quality of the work.
>
> Holice
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 22:48:33 -0500 | From: seater@
Connie Ark wrote:
>I bought one for the history of the imported
>quilt & Smithsonian quilt controversy and I collect
>advertisements for imported quilts.
Dear Connie,
Around the time of the Smithsonian controversy, I started
saving advertisements I saw for commercial (almost always
imported) quilts in such catalogs as LLBean, Lands End,
Company Store, and circulars from department stores. I
have a few ads 1986-1990 and many from 1990 to the
present. I don’t pretend it is a complete reference set by any
means, but it might serve useful someday. I never expected
the “fad” to last this long!
Susan, a quiltmaker and historian in Raleigh NC
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 23:28:18 +0800 | From: “Roberta Geanangel” <ragcat@>
Doesn’t that sound grand!!
Roberta in FL
“QuiltHistory.com, home of the oldest and most respected vintage
textile discussion group on the Internet.”
–
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 14:53:13 -0500 | From: “Cinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
If you’ve been thinking “Poor Cinda, she isn’t having any fun lately”
don’t worry. I’ve been having so many adventures in the real world I’ve
been neglecting what John refers to as my ‘cyber life.”
Last week en route to Quilt Camp in Pennsylvania I stopped to see QHLer
Candace Perry who is curator at the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage
Center in Pennsburg, PA. Candace was incredibly generous with her time and
expertise. I got a crash course in Schwenkfelder history and saw many of
the quilts which will be part of the exhibit due to open April 15.
The area of Schwenkfelder settlement pretty much overlaps the
Goschenhoppen area which is the subject of Nancy and Abe Roan’s book
Lest I
Shall Be Forgotten. Candace plans to include examples of all three
distinctive styles of Goschenhoppen quilts: Perkiomen Valley, Rainbow
and
Rising Sun. She also has an amazing Princes’ Feather with matching
pillowcases (oxblood red and cheddar, how PA German can you get?).
Even more amazing was a wool quilt (mid-19th century) simply
pieced of
different colored wool blocks. Each block is embroidered with a
flower.
The flower designs appear to come from an album of water colors (on
display
in the museum) done by the quiltmaker . The blocks are separated by
olive
green sashing with red corner blocks. The quilt has two borders: a
narrow
blue border embroidered with swags and tassels, a wide outer border
embroidered with a geometric design. You can see it on p. 78 of the
Roan
book. The back of the quilt is a spectacular seaweed print.
Thank you Candace!
I spent the rest of the afternoon in the library. I need to plan
a
return visit soon; I think I’m going to be able to find a lot of the
people
whose names are on the Fraktur quilts I’m researching in the church
records
and family histories.
Confirming my theory that there is always another good thing
around the
corner, as I was finally able to tear myself away (already an hour
late to
meet my brother for dinner), I stopped to checkout a display case on
the
Civil War. There was a quilt folded so that the back was showing.
It was
pieced in strips, as is so common in Berks Co. One of the fabrics
was the
cannon and flags (Brackman, Quilts of the Civil War p. 30); however,
this
version includes a soldier in dress uniform with a shako-style hat.
Has
anybody seen that variation?
Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 12:17:02 -0800 (PST) | From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
I was a sales rep for IKO notions in Montana and Idaho
in the mid 1980’s, and sold Warm & Natural to quilt
shops. W & N has had “plant matter” bits and flecks
in it from the start. Still does- check this out on
their website:
http://www.warmcompany.com/faq.html
When W & N first came out there were some generic
brands of like batting out there. Some of them (and
some of the earliest runs of W & N) had seed bits that
would leech oil onto the quilt face. A friend of mine
made a class model and by the time the class was over
there were little tiny stains all over the
white-on-white background fabric. She was ticked, and
the students didn’t EVER want to try such a product.
So some quilts from 1985 on made with such battings
might appear to have seeds.
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 15:25:05 -0500 | From: “Cinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
On Thursday the MDHS inaugurated an event which is a result of the
overwhelming success of the Baltimore Album Quilt exhibit of the past summer. Several times a year they plan to make items from the textile
collection available for study to members of the Society.
The first event featured an informal talk by Nancy Davis, curator of
textiles, about two of the quilts donated to the Society after the exhibit.
We got to be upclose and personal with the quilts (staff members on hand to
turn them over so we could see the backs. The chosen quilts were a
wonderful contrast. One was a naive album quilt from Baltimore. It has two
dog tooth borders, neither of which makes any attempt to turn the corners.
It has the usual Fleur de Lis, floral sprays, etc., and a couple of
wonderfully original blocks. One is a zany ship with what appear to
be
clusters of grapes around the rigging outlined with a dogtooth that
doesn’t
begin to fit into the block. Another block has animals appliqued in
beige
silk under a tree whose branches are laden with grapes.
The other quilt was a marvelously sophisticated Mathematical Star
(Lone
Star anywhere other than Maryland) with two sizes of pieced Sunflower
blocks appliqued between the legs of the star. The huge star is
pieced from
one fabulous buff to brown fondue fabric overprinted with a blue
strip and
the white background. The printed fabric gives an amazing look of
movement
to the star, providing much more visual interest than one would
expect from
a two fabric quilt. The Sunflowers are a startling Prussian blue
with white
print. The narrow border is the fondue print which may have actually
been
printed as vertical stripes. This quilt was made in Harford Co. near
Baltimore (by a design genius).
An extra treat were some quilts brought in by those in
attendance,
especially a set of blocks which are very like the Mary Brown quilt
(see pp.
130-133 of A Maryland Album by Gloria Seamon Allen and Nancy Gibson
Tuckhorn). The blocks are all reverse applique. The parrot is
really
great, but the sunflowers are truly incredible.
Cinda on the Eastern Shore (and tomorrow is the Dating Club)
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 13:36:23 -0800 | From: Audrey Waite <awquiltr@>
I’ll be making a trip to Japan in April. Do we have any members from
Japan on the list? You can reply to me personally. Thanks.
Audrey Waite
Sedona, AZ
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 04:05:07 +0000 | From: “Karen Bush” <karenbush11@>
How about the sellers on Ebay? I have one that I bought. Looked like
a
Carolina Lily, nice colors, ‘hand made’. Which, it was, all of that,
but,
got it home. Geeeeeze,…talk about ‘crispy’, cheap fabric,. SO
obvious….I
was NOT a happy camper, but, kept it for just the reasons you all are
talking about.
Does anyone COLLECT these quilts? I don’t know what to do with it.
I won’t
carry it in my shop, and ,…Really don’t want it on my bed. not real
good
advertising for my business :/ kb
I bought one for the history of the imported
>quilt & Smithsonian quilt controversy and I collect
>advertisements for imported quilts.
http://www.karenbushquilts.com
Karen Bush
It only takes me One day to get a month behind :/
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 22:22:29 -0600 | From: “leigh/hcquilts” <hcquilts@>
Are you folks sure what we’re talking about in hand-carded cotton batts
isn’t cotton seeds, but rather bits of leaf and boll husk? Although
aggravatingly fuzzy, a cotton seed is about the size and shape of an aspirin
tablet – hard to miss when you’re carding cotton into batts. Of the vintage
rustic quilts I’ve had the need to dismantle down here in the FL panhandle
(one of which I know had a batting hand-gleaned by the maker from her neighbor’s cotton fields in the ’40s), none of them had actual seeds, although all of them had plant material.
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 16:57:48 -0500 | From: “pepper cory” <pepcory@>
Hello friends-This April I’ll be going to Barcelona, Spain for Quilt
Expo.
After that event, I want to travel south and see the Alhambra (in Granada)
and the old mosque at Cordoba. Am reading guide books but having never been
to that country, I could use advice on where to go, what to see etc. Please
email me privately if you have Spain-bound advice–I would truly appreciate
it.
Pepper Cory
PS-did you know that the renowned artist M.C. Escher and his wife spent several nights of their honeymoon in the 1920’s at the Alhambra? Must
have bribed the guard! Since I am fascinated by repeating patterns, a
visit to the Alhambra is a must.
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 21:40:29 -0600 | From: “leigh/hcquilts” <hcquilts@>
Karen, if nothing else your ersatz Carolina Lily quilt purchase is an object lesson to other would-be ebay bidders: before you even consider bidding, email the seller for GOOD closeups of the fabric and quilting and written statements regarding the origin, age and condition of the quilt, and confirm that seller’s return policy is one you can live with. No reputable seller will be put off by such requests, and in fact will be delighted to have an opportunity to further market her quilt by giving you additional information and assurances. It’s also not a bad idea to “see seller’s other auctions” and take a look at seller’s closed auctions as well, to get an idea of seller’s knowledge and general line of merchandise.
Personally, I deliberately purchased an import quilt a few years
back, for a
dog blanket. Coordinates fine with the bedroom and the dog doesn’t
care
about the quality 🙂
.
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 00:09:08 EST | From: Kittencat3@
I went to a lecture today at Historic Deerfield by Lynn Bassett on
18th and 19th century wool quilts of New England. Lynn is the
co-author of Northern Comfort and has worked at Old Sturbridge Village and
the Connecticut Historical Society.
Lynn has spent much of the last ten years or so checking the
collections of historic societies and museums throughout the Northeast in
search of early quilts; places she’s gone or written to include
Winterthur, Old Sturbridge Village, the Metropolitan Museum, the Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Connecticut Historical
Society, SPNEA, and Greenfield Village out in Michigan. She’s viewed
and sketched nearly 150 whole cloth quilts, many of which are only
fragments, and is working on the possibility that there were regional
quilting styles in early New England.
Best of all, she’s curating a show of early wholecloth quilts at
Historic Deerfield this December. I’ll post dates, times and location as
soon as it’s available.
Lisa Evans
Easthampton, MA
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 13:07:52 -0500 | From: “pepper cory” <pepcory@>
I’m looking for a copy of the new book by Francine Nicholle called
“Boutis
Villes, Boutis Champs.” It is a large hardback, with beautiful
photos, and
the text is French. Please email me off-list if you have info on
where I
might purchase this book. Amazon.com doesn’t have a clue.
many thanks,
Pepper Cory
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 14:10:17 -0500 | From: mreich@
Attn: Audrey,
I found the Japanese film producer’s name. She was most informed
about
the quilt scene in Japan. If you send her an email it will be
automatically
converted into Japanese. Likewise, when she answers you it will
automatically be converted into English. Please use my name and make
reference to the New England Quilt Museum and Connecticut’s exhibit.
I
apologize for posting this to the list but I did not have your email.
Her
name is Hiromi Sakamoto at tempo1@. Good luck, sue
reich
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 07:57:40 +1000 | From: “Gary and Virginia Juster” <justers@>
Hello from Australia,
I have been added to the subscriber list but can’t seem to access the
archives etc. Do I have to make the donation before I can access the
info? Also, I am asked for a password. I didn’t receive any
instruction for one when I subscribed. Can you help?
Virginia
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 17:28:23 -0900 | From: “Gloria Hanrahan” <gloria@>
Black quilting thread. I remember reading about an era (30-40’s ?)
when this was commonly used. I seem to remember it being in a rather
small geographical areas, maybe Arkansas? I must have read it in a library
book since I cannot find any reference in my books. I saw a quilted
cover on ebay, made with pink floral fabric, but quilted all over in
a fan pattern in black thread.
Electric sewing machines. My reference books all mention treadle machines in reference to early dating for quilts. I know the
stitches could be uneven. I don’t have a reference to when the electric
sewing machine became commonly used. I know in rural areas electricity
wasn’t available until well into the 60’s in parts of the midwest. I
purchased an older quilt top that was being advertised as the late 1880’s. It
appeared to me to be made in the 40’s by looking at the fabric, but
the borders and blocks are obviously machine stitched. There is no uneveness of the stitches, so I feel it would have had to be done
with an electric machine.
