June 5 - 12, 2006 - QuiltHistory

Fabric Identification, Oral History & Documentation, Quilt Dating, Restoration & Conservation

These restored messages come from the Quilt History List, an online forum where quilt historians, collectors, researchers, appraisers, and enthusiasts discussed antique quilts and related textiles. The archive dates from 1996 through approximately 2016 and is being restored gradually. Sign up in the form at the bottom of the page if you want to know when a new page is added. Original spelling, opinions, formatting, and inactive links may remain unchanged.

Primary topics of this QHL Digest:

Titles and Copyright — A puzzled member asks whether an author can reuse a famous book title, and the list quickly agrees that titles cannot be copyrighted.
State Quilt Blocks and State Flower Quilts — Members compare stamped state bird and flower block kits, including a 1937 magazine premium described in Clues in the Calico. (see the article on state quilt documentation books)
Tiny Holes in Green Print Fabric — A new member’s appliqué quilt shows symmetrical holes, and answers point to corrosive dyes and “flower fall out” in older prints.
Tracing a Friendship Quilt’s Signers — Advice on using census, church and newspaper records to rebuild the communities behind a signed indigo and white quilt.
Antiques Roadshow Tips and Glove Choices — A member heads to the Roadshow and asks what to bring, while a conservator argues for nitrile gloves over cloth ones.
The Oldest American Quilt — Author Meg Cox asks which intact American quilt is oldest, and the Saltonstall quilt’s 1704 date is challenged.

Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 11:54:32 +0100 | From: Sally Ward <sallytatters@>

I’ve spent years recording sightings of these quilts in the UK. Despite the many many thousands that were sent over, the number that survive is relatively very very small. We assume that they were used and loved to extinction. That they do still turn up now as houses are cleared is however a testament to the fact that for many people they must have been an important part of their lives. Our Quilters Guild of the British Isles has some in its collection, more recorded in its documentation archives. I’ve personally ‘found’ only about thirty.

While most of them carry the plain ‘Gift of Canadian Red Cross’ label, either printed or woven, there were certain districts who chose to identify themselves on the woven labels. ‘Edmonton District’ turns up more than most, as does ‘Province of Alberta’. I’ve also seen ‘Kitchener Branch’, ‘Sault St Marie, Ont.’ and ‘Croix Rouge Canadienne’ woven into the label.

There are two more memorable labels in my ‘collection’ – a second label on one quilt carried the typewritten information ‘Best Wishes from Red Cross workers, Gagetown, N.B., Canda, Marianne Grey Otty, Convener’. Thanks to the internet I was able to find out about Ms Otty and her remarkable life of public service. Another which must have been originally made as a fundraiser and then donated carries many signatures and the centre label ‘Hilton Beach Red Cross 1942’. The latter was returned “home” to Hilton Beach (on St. Joseph Island, near Sault Ste. Marie) upon the death of its owner in 2000. It was immortalised in song by Cathy Millar and is now on display at the St. Joseph Island Museum.

Sadly, research into these quilts started just too late to catch the memories of those involved in making them. Many promising leads have petered out, and we still remain largely ignorant about the organisation involved in this massive aid effort. The quilts show a degree of uniformity in size and materials for backing and wadding, while the tops vary from hastily constructed wartime utility efforts to beautifully pieced examples (probably already made and gifted to the organisation) Even the actual number shipped remains elusive, we have to guesstimate from only a few snippets of documentation. I personally would not be at all surprised if the 45,000 figure mentioned could yet turn out to be an underestimate, bearing in mind that they went into Europe as well as the UK. If any of you are in touch with quilters in Canada who might be able to shed any light at all on the logistics of this enormous effort I would love to hear from them.

For more information, Bridget Long of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles wrote an excellent article in Quilters Newsletter Magazine April 2005.

Sally Ward Yorkshire, UK

Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 09:22:25 -0500 | From: “Susan Bleimehl” <bleimehl@>

A coworker of mine has just finished completing a kit started by her grandmother and she doesn’t know anything about the kit, such as which company made it or it’s name.

The individual blocks are cross-stitched and each represents a State. Each block has such things on it as the state flower, bird and I believe the outline of each state. The kit included 50 states, so that puts the date past 1959.

Can anyone give me information on the designer or manufacturer of this kit?

Thanks, Susan Bleimehl

Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 15:00:41 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xenia@>

Hi, Pepper – I’ve been away, and saw your email asking for the ID of the woman who helped Northern revise their toilet paper ads. In case you didn’t get it, you want Kathy Metelica, address in the AQSG book. She is no longer with Northern, however.

Xenia

Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 19:17:00 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xenia@>

Over the Memorial Day weekend I saw an exhibit of three Revolutionary War battle flags at the Royal Exchange and Customs House in Charleston (SC). The battle flags had been captured by Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton of the British Legion, in May of 1780 at the battle of Waxhaws. After Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Tarleton returned to London on parole early in 1782. The battle flags went with him and remained in his family, being passed down to the present owner who has consigned them for sale at Sotheby’s on June 14.

There are 4 battle flags consigned for auction; these three were regimental colors from Col. Abraham Buford’s Third Virginia Continentals, who were retreating from British-held Charleston. Despite having fewer troops at his command, Tarleton demanded surrender from Buford’s troops in a wordy and almost incomprehensible letter (“Resistance being in vain to prevent the Effusion of Blood I made offers which never can be repeated….”). Buford refused; the ensuing battle was a slaughter in which all but about 45 of Buford’s 350 troops were killed or wounded, most severely. On the battlefield Tarleton’s troops bayoneted the fallen Americans, supposedly moving the wounded uppermost in order to bayonet those lying underneath. Losing the regimental colors, in addition to the loss of life and the battle itself, was a devastating defeat for the Continental army.

The battle flags are silk, and consist of a major center flag of gold silk on which is painted a beaver gnawing on a palmetto, above the legend “Perseverando.” In one corner is a blue canton on which are displayed 13 appliqued 5-point stars tin glazed to appear silver. (The detailed Sotheby’s catalogue describes the stars as “inserted.”) The other 2 flags are the division colors: one is gold silk with a scrolled painted banner and the word ‘Regiment” centered on that device, and the other is similarly ornamented on blue silk. The flags are identical on each side, although only one side was visible due to framing and conservation at the Textile Conservation Centre at Hampton Court Palace in the 1980s.

The 4th flag (not in Charleston) is the battle flag of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, captured by Tarleton at Pound Ridge, Westchester Co., NY, on July 2, 1779. It consists of “a field of thirteen red and white striped centered by a painted badge of a winged and fulminating thundercloud with ribbon-enclosed motto, the whose bordered on three sides with a wide silver metallic fringe.” (Sotheby’s catalogue for this auction). It is believed to be the earliest surviving American flag of any kind with a field of 13 red and white stripes; these are of silk, and the center motif is painted.

Pre-auction estimate for the Pound Ridge color is $1.5 million – $3.5 million. Pre-auction estimate for the trio of colors from the battle of Waxhaws is $2.5 million – $6.5 million. Plus buyer’s premium, of course.

If you saw “The Patriot” with Mel Gibson, the British general was loosely based on Tarleton.

Xenia

Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 09:32:49 -0400 | From: “Lucinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>

Someone on this list knows almost everything. Explain this please. Last night at the library I saw a book on the “Current Shelf” titled The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, published 2005. The author is Bertrand E. Brown. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers was published in 1940. Can an author simply approriate a famous title? Will Mr. Brown’s next work be The Sun Also Rises or, perhaps, The Great Gatsby? Cinda in shock on the Eastern Shore

From: HKnight453@

Reusing a famous title is not common, but does happen. I don’t know much about the specific rules for copyrighting titles.

Heather

Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2006 13:37:20 +0000 | From: albeaumont@

According to Sherrie Davidson’s research, the PEI Women’s Institute gathered or made 9,260 quilts for delivery overseas during the Second World War.

Best Wishes, Ann-Louise Beaumont in Greeley, CO

Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 06:54:51 -0700 (PDT) | From: Pat Cummings <pat@>

Dear Cinda,

Names of books cannot be copyrighted, not names of anything else for that matter, unless it is a trademarked commercial product. That’s another ballgame.

Pat Cummings www.quiltersmuse.com

Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 7:04:07 -0700 | From: Karen Evans

Titles cannot be copyrighted. It may not be *wise* to use a famous work’s title, but it’s certainly legal.

Karen Evans

Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 09:12:31 -0500 | From: “Andi” <andi0613@>

Sorry to post this to the list: Pat, please email me off list regarding Pieces of Time.

Andi in Keota, Iowa

Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 08:18:15 -0700 | From: “Alan” <alan@>

Cinda, the others have covered the copyright issue. My other thought is that the author may not have been aware that the original book existed. I certainly never heard of it.

Alan

> Can an author simply approriate a famous title? Will Mr. Brown’s next > work be The Sun Also Rises or, perhaps, The Great Gatsby?

Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 11:32:29 EDT | From: Blackeyesandysue@

“The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” was also made into a movie with Alan Arkin? I could be wrong, I could look it up. Polly

Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 12:38:37 -0700 (PDT) | From: Bonnie Bergman <bonnie_mae1@>

I too have a set of finished state quilt blocks, embroidered with the state outline, bird, flower, and name. My mother bought these blocks as a kit, but does not remember when they were purchased. She found the unfinished blocks and gave them to her mother-in-law to finish if she wished. Imagine my surprise one day when I returned from a visit with my mom, to find a bag which contained the completed state blocks! This was just after my Grandma had passed away. There are only 48 states in my kit though, so I presume mine to be pre-1959. I have not put them in to a quilt yet…I hope to have my daughter help either put the blocks into the quilt or to help quilt the finished piece, as then the finished product will have been worked on by four generations of our family. Bonnie in WI

Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2006 22:41:11 -0600 | From: gingham@

Here’s the info. from Brackman’s Clues in Calico page 108.

There is a black and white picture of one of the patterns which reads: Forty-Eight 9-inch State Flower Quilt Blocks Enough for a Large Size Quilt Given for Seven Subscriptions at 25 cents each

She states: “Readers of Good Stories magazine who sold seven subscriptions in 1937 to their friends and neighbors received 48 stamped muslin blocks to embroider in their state flower design. Outline embroidery has been popular since the 1880’s but the state flower and state bird series seem to have begun in the 1920’s.”

Sandra Starley in HOT Utah (over 100 degrees today)

Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2006 09:50:48 -0500 | From: Gail Ingram <gingram@>

Yesterday I rec’d my copy of “Blanket Statements” and wanted to congratulate the new editor, Lori East, on a fine maiden issue.

I say this with shame, but I had never really been excited by Polynesian quilts. They were beautiful, yes, but their cultural context and symbology was unfamiliar to me, and thus their extreme stylization had less meaning. So why would the article illustrated in black-and-white strike me so forcibly? Who knows, but it did. Maybe it was that wonderful quilt on the cover page, combining the political and the natural symbols. Now I can hardly wait for my book to come in so I can learn more.

And how those few photos from the FRENCH EXPEDITION tug so at the aesthetic strings? Especially the one with the quilts on the rack? Well-chosen illustrations, those.

And especially that wonderful story of Laura Weaver. Right now, on the copy stand beside my computer “Blanket Statements” stands open to her photograph. How haunting. She does not look “mentally deficient” to me, just sad and worn numb by experience.

Begging pardon of those who are protesting the Dixie Chicks, I could not help thinking of their little number about “Earl,” wherein a woman’s friends took care of her Mr. Kitselman for her–and didn’t get caught. Laura Weaver looks like she had no friends, no help, no chicks. She was not without mental resources, however, for she did punch more holes in the belt. I bet she was happier in prison than she had been in years. To think it was a quilt that gave her away. Too bad. Or maybe, good—for her own wellbeing.

Anyway, this is the kind of story that might well have seemed beyond the purview of a newsletter like “Blanket Statements.” I found it relevant and touching.

Finally I, awash in a sea of reading about Celts , was encouraged by Dorothy Osler’s request for information. I look forward to seeing her work. Was also happy to see update on state documentation projects.

Lori, you got your first issue out, an achievement in its own right, and you did a great job. Congratulations on a solid, lively issue. May there be many more to come.

Gail Ingram

From: “jhorsey”

Hi- I am a lurker who has learned so much from this list, and I have a question about a quilt I acquired this morning. It is an appliqued pomegranate, similar in a way to B. Brackman’s 9.67 example, but here’s a weird thing: the green fabric used seems to be “pierced” in a perfectly symmetical way on every single applique. At first I thought it was wear, but the squarish-holes (about 1/8 by 1/4 inch) are so consistent that I am wondering about them. If you can please shed any light on this, I would love to hear from you. Thanks very much in advance! If I can figure out how to do it, I’ll load a picture up to the site. Best regards, Jo, in Newnan, Ga

From: “Kim Baird”

Sounds like a classic case of metal salts.

I think your green fabric had a print, but the ink used has caused the fabric underneath it to rot. I’ve known this to happen with black or brown.

Kim

Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 22:27:36 -0700 | From: “Marilyn Withrow” <marilynquilts@>

Hi, Jo — My supposition is that the symmetrical holes in your quilt are where a print was in a different color — many times black dye will disintegrate the fabric, sometimes the chrome yellow……you see it a lot of times where originally there were yellow centers on a flower print with a green background, for example, and the yellow centers are just gone. The holes weren’t pierced, although that’s what it looks like — but the chrome yellow flower centers, for example, have been “eaten away” leaving what looks like a hole. Marilyn Maddalena Withrow “The Quilted Rooster” Quilt Studio Professional Quilt Appraiser, Judge, Consultant, Designer, Lecturer www.marilynquilts.com www.footscreekfarms.com

Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 06:26:51 -0400 | From: “jhorsey” <jhorsey@>

Thanks for the help regarding this question. It makes perfect sense (now that somebody explained it <g>!) that the holes were caused by an element of the print that failed due to the dyes used. Love this list! Thanks again, Jo in Newnan Ga

Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 20:03:21 -0400 | From: “Ilene Brown” <ilene3@>

Hi, I have been lurking for a long time and thank you to all for the great info. I am finishing a Memory Quilt for a customer. She had her friends and relatives do the blocks and I sashed and bordered it and added family hankies to corner blocks and embroidered flowers from other hankies to borders. Because of the varied mediums and sequins, I told her that this quilt can not be washed. She wants to frame it, under glass, shadow-box style. My question to you, ladies, especially those of you that work in museums, is how will the quilt be mounted? Do I need a hanging sleeve? Also, how do you ensure that it does not mildew? The quilt is 44″ by 44″, which is a little large for this, but she had many friends and this is for her 60th birthday. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have photos if anyone is interested. I am very happy with the way it turned out. From Raleigh, NC Ilene

Ilene Brown ilene3@ Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.

Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2006 12:31:57 +0000 | From: “Lynn Miner Flynn” <lmf032@>

I have a wonderful quilt that I inherited from my father. It is a pieced, indigo and white friendship quilt. Each block is signed and it is dated as well (mid-1800’s). I have done some research and have identified some of the “signers” of the quilt. (Many are my ancestors and their neighbors.) What I would love to find out is WHY the quilt was made and who the other signers were. I think it may have been a fund raiser. Since I know where (Rutland, VT) and when it was made, is there a way for me to trace any more information about it? By the way – I did have the quilt reviewed by members of the Massachusetts Quilt Project when I lived there and they documented it, took pictures and assigned it a number in their project. Thanks for any guidance you can provide. Lynn in VA

Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 08:53:00 -0500 | From: “Kim Baird” <kbaird@>

I would try church records. If you find they were all at the same church, it could be for that. Are there any newspapers available from that time period? It might have been reported.

Kim

—–Original Message—– From: Lynn Miner Flynn Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 7:32 AM To: Quilt History List Subject: [qhl] Tracing a quilt’s history

Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 10:20:32 -0500 | From: “Susan Wildemuth” <ksandbcw@>

Hi Lynn —

Tracing a quilt’s history is my favorite thing and it is a wonderful fact finding mission. There are so many things you can do and it all depends on how deep you want to research your quilt. Start a folder and/or three ring binder.

Write down every name on your quilt and take a picture of each square and/or wagon wheel and/or section of the quilt with a signature on it. The names you wrote down will be your working list – you don’t want to get the quilt out everytime you want to research a name – not good for the quilt or good for the researcher.

You can start with rootweb (a free site) and start keyboarding the names of the people on your quilt. Print off copies of all the information you find because later you are going to want to have that for research — because once you find the person you “think” signed the quilt then you go back and try to “verify” it through your research. If you really want to learn more about the people on your quilt then ancestry.com (not a free site) is another choice. Also census records will become your best friend (ancestry has this, but you have to pay for it.) Maybe others on the list know of free sites for the U.S. census records. There is also LDS site that has the 1880 for free. In all this searching knowing the county and state most of the people who are on your quilt came from is an important fact — lots of the searching you will be doing will be “county” connected so that is very important.

If you know the general area where most of the people on the quilt came from then you can contact that area’s local county historical and/or genealogy society.

You can also contact the local library – many of them have newspaper archives. A newspaper archive is great for many reasons — you can get obits of the people on your quilt (there is usually a small fee connected with a library finding an obit). Obits have all kinds of useful information in them — birth dates, death dates, groups they belonged to, and ancestors (ancestors are your link to more personal information and are your source for an actual photos/scans of the people on your quilt.) If you get about 5 of these obits and they all belonged to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church auxiliary or Daughters of the American Revolution then you can say aha. I’d better write to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church or the local Daughters of the American Revolution and get a membership list – also I’d better ask the group leader if they ever heard of a group quilt being made by their organization — they might also put you in contact with the “most senior member” of their organization who might be a wealth of information.

That is all fine and good, but how do you get an obit without a death date — the social security death index – there are some free sites for that index too – just Google: social security death index and see what you come up with. If your quilt was created earlier than the SSDI then you “hope” the local historical society kept death records (along with possible birth and marriage records). You can also contact the local county court house for birth, death, and marriage records, but there is a fee so you should go to the County Clerk site which pertains to each of your people to find out their policy.

There is something else you can do which is totally random, but has worked in the past for me — go on Google type in each name of the person on your quilt: Sue Wildemuth Henry County Illinois History. It is tedious, but not a waste of time. That is how I found out that every single person I had on a signature quilt I was researching lived in one county in the 1930s. Thank goodness that particular county historical society/museum kept excellent records and most of them were online — that is so rare, but wonderful when you find it.

Will all this work guarantee that you will know “why” the quilt was made — no — But when you are done, you will have saved “most” of your quilt’s story – even if you don’t know why it was made. Then, as a reward to yourself for all your hard work, I hope you will approach a quilt magazine/journal interested in quilt history and share your quilt’s story.

And remember makes copies of everything you find — document-document-document. You WILL be sorry if you don’t because there will be that one fact you found three months ago that you wish you had, but can’t for the life of you remember what document it came from and you will kick yourself. (Been there – won’t be there again.) Also keep a running bibliography of the sources you have found information in and/or at – you can use for your potential article down the road.

I spent three years (off and on) tracing the history of just one quilt, but I loved every minute of it. If you decide to do this Lynn — I hope you will too. Happy journey.

Sue in Illinois

Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 11:54:16 -0400 | From: “Deborah” <dguber@>

Lynn,

Like you, I also enjoy reconstructing the communities in which the signers of friendship quilts lived. I have two quilt tops in my collection that date to the early 1850s–one from West Rochester, Vermont (a rural farm town that no longer exists, having been consumed by forest land many years ago), and one from southern New Hampshire. The signatures on the New Hampshire piece contain no dates, but the fabrics are consistent with the 1840-1860 period. Using birth, death and marriage records to establish the time frame (e.g., many of the girls died young; others were maiden names done prior to marriage) I discovered that these were likely children’s names. Furthermore, there were three distinct groups of signatures–some from Peterborough, others from Sullivan, still others from Nelson. In looking at property maps, I was able to see where each family lived at the time, and found that each of the three groups was further constrained into a single school district within each town. My conclusion was that the quilt had been created over a span of roughly five or ten years by an itinerant school teacher who worked in all three districts. This also seemed likely because some of the blocks were inscribed with expressions of thanks and gratitude. In visiting the area last summer I was even able to come up with a name. School records in New Hampshire are incredibly detailed. There was just one teacher–Eliza Adams–who taught in all three districts during the right time period. Every quilt has a story to tell, and it is fascinating to uncover it!

As for your quilt, I would suggest checking census records first. Ancestry.com has the complete set from 1790 to 1930 online, fully indexed. Accessing the site requires a paid subscription, but I would happy to take a look for you and forward what I find if you send me the names. You might also check FamilySearch.org. They have a good collection of Vermont vital records (even more are on microfilm in Middlesex, VT). Finally, to get a sense of the location of each family relative to the others, check period atlases for property maps. There are Hosea Doten maps for many Vermont towns for 1855, as well as a Beers atlas from 1869. I used both in researching my West Rochester quilt and they were wonderful! Here’s a link to what I was able to put together in the end:

http://users.adelphia.net/~dguber/

It’s not always possible to find out why a quilt was made, or even for whom it was made. But try to look for as many connections between the signers as you can. How do they relate to other another? Are they relatives? Neighbors? Members of the same church? Do the inscriptions hint at a particular occasion, such as a marriage or a departure from the community? Have you contacted the Rutland historical society for help? I have spoken with someone there before and he was very, very nice…

Good luck, Deborah

From: “Rosie Werner” <rwerner@>

Susan, There are many state flower, state bird, and state bird and flower quilts. A lot of different companies had them. I have samples of quite a few of them, but I don’t know of any that are cross stitched. I believe you said that this one was cross-stitched. Without a picture of a block it is impossible to identify your quilt, as the arrangement of the bird, flower, name of state are the clues you need. Would it be possible to get a picture? Rosie Werner

From: Palampore@

I have many quilts with “flower fall out”. I was told years ago at a Barbara Brackman and Terry Clothier Thompson Quilt Dating Camp in Lawrence, Kansas that this occurred because of the dyeing process.

This “fall out” is seen most often in fabric dyed pre-synthetic dyes. This is seen rather often with Turkey Reds that have been laundered often. The fabric would be dyed a Turkey Red (which is extremely colorfast). In order to put a design on the fabric a stamp/roller(very simplistic term) with a chlorine base fluid, brushed on the raised design, would be rolled over the fabric. That would be washed out and then they would do another step (or more) to put in dark/dark brown lines for outline of vines or flower “framing”, etc. The lines look black to the naked eye until closely inspected. After that step they would add yellow flowers, blue flowers, etc. So you now have 2 solutions that are prone to deterioration over time….chlorine, and iron mordanted brown dyes. Due to this many of those cute little flowers have just fallen out and left that strong wonderful Turkey Red sitting there all intact and wonderful. Greens can also be seen with this “disease”, but it is less common. We (other quilt folks) also call this problem “chicken pox” at times. You get lots of dots.

I think that B. Brackman writes about this in Clues in the Calico. I tried to find a reference on the Internet, but couldn’t.

Off to get my nose sanded. I had a TINY basal cell taken off of my nose 3 months ago. It required 35 stitches. They are still trying to get my nose back to where it was. (One of my very best attributes and they messed it up! (My sister has coveted my nose for years.) Or I messed it up by letting it burn over the years. I am a redhead so I was destined for this, but still use your sun screen. This has not been a fun process. Still so thankful there is a treatment for it. Wouldn’t have wanted a hole eaten into my nose. Yes, the AQSG Blanket Statements was super. I am still reading. Take care, Lynn Lancaster Gorges Historic Textiles Studio New Bern, NC

Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 11:08:51 -0500 | From: “Susan Bleimehl” <bleimehl@>

Many thanks to the several folks who have emailed me privately or on this list.

I have asked my coworker for a picture and she is contacting her mother, who has the quilt, for a photo. I will just have to wait until that occurs and then I will post a photo the to board.

This quilt is definitely cross-stitched, not stamped embroidery.

Thanks again for your valuable insight and I’ll post more information when I have it.

Susan Bleimehl

From: “kathy moore” <kathymoore@>

Those of you who are interested in state quilts might want to go to the International Quilt Study Center website at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln (http://quiltstudy.unl.edu) and do an “Advanced” search. You’ll get a drop-down list you can scroll through. On the list are two quilts–“state birds” and “state flowers.” The state flowers quilt is embroidered and is older than the state birds quilt which was made by a class of school children.

Check it out!

Kathy Moore Lincoln, NE

From: “Alan” <alan@>

Hey there –

I have the list mom’s permission to post this. Life is changinng again, and I’m moving to Berkeley. In the interest of decreasing what I have, I’ve been wholesale dirching and giving away stuff. But, I have some things that I’d like to see go to someone who wants them. This is the list:

All books are $10, $4.05 postage

Miniature Lamps (oil lamos) – Shiff Uncoverings 1984 Uncoverings 1987 Uncoverings 1997 Uncoverings 1989 Historic Samplers – Ryan & Bragdon Oil Lamps II – Thuro Oil Lamps, The Kerosene era – Thuro Needlework Antiue Flowers – Bradley The World odf Amish Quilts – Pellman & Pellman Crazy Quilt Stitches – Samples Better Homes and Garden’s America’s Heritage Quilts Sensational Scrap Quilts – WilliamsonJapanese Quilts – Liddell& Wantanabe The Quilter’s Ultimate Visual Guide (basics) Standard Book of Quiltmaking (vintage Forget Me Not – Kolter

I’ve also got five bundles of fat quarts, all c.1880 reproduction, about 5 FQ each, 1 beiges, 1 tans, 1 blues, 1 browns, 1 oranges – $5 each

Check or if you want, we can do PayPal. Thanks.

Alan

Alan R. Kelchner Mixed Media Textiles

http://alankelchner.blogspot.com/ Personal Blog http://alanrkelchnerfiber.blogspot.com/ Alan R. Kelchner Art Works and Crafty Stuff Blog http://alanrkelchner.blogspot.com/ Alan R. Kelchner Photography Blog http://alanrkelchner.com The website (under construction)

Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 13:06:59 -0400 | From: “Bill Volckening” <williamvolckening@>

I’m going to the Antiques Roadshow in two weeks.

hmmmmmm…what should I bring?

😉

Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 11:54:07 -0800 | From: Gloria hanrahan <gloria@>

Alan, I’d be really interested in buying your issues of Uncoverings.

Gloria Hanrahan

—– Original Message —– From: “Alan” <alan@> To: “Quilt History List” <qhl@> Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 5:38 PM Subject: [qhl] Fw: fer sale

Hey there –

All books are $10, $4.05 postage

I’ve also got five bundles of fat quarts, all c.1880 reproduction, about 5 FQ each, 1 beiges, 1 tans, 1 blues, 1 browns, 1 oranges – $5 each

Check or if you want, we can do PayPal. Thanks.

Alan

Alan R. Kelchner Mixed Media Textiles

From: “Newbie Richardson” <pastcrafts@>

Both Karen Augusta and Titi Halle ( Cora Ginsburg) – well respected dealer/appraisers who have been on the show several times say that the problem is that folks do not know what to bring – and that when neat things turn up, the producers do not seem to understand the characteristics of value that many of the items represent. The trick is for the appraiser to “pitch ” it to the producer.

Our own Sally Ambrose might be able to fill you in, too.

A.Newbold “Newbie” Richardson The Costume and Textile Specialists Appraisals, Conservation, & Exhibition Alexandria and Richmond, VA 703-684-0863/804-261-4998 www.costumeandtextile.net

Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 17:02:17 -0700 (PDT) | From: Jean Gonzalez <richmondseamstress@>

hi, i posted abt exhibit at virginia historical society during first rotation. 2nd rotation has been displayed & i found it GLORIOUS, gorgeous examples. newer quilts w/embellishments whimsical & inspiring, traditional ones very touching. one quilt made for marriage by a woman who never married. truly something for everyone.

again, i’m talking abt the virginia historical society, vahistorical.org 804 358 4901. i am not connected to museum or displays, live in the neighborhood & repair quilts. if you can see this before dec 3 i highly recommend it. gallery free sunday 1 – 5 pm.

i repair quilts & i see a need for quilt care clinics, places the public can go & show their item to a knowledgeable person & get specific care, cleaning, storage, mounting etc advice. i really don’t like to give an opinion on this & i know there are books but i think having the suggestions made by someone who has seen the quilt would be invaluable.

this could be done by quilt shops, churches, guilds & offered by people who no longer sew. no one has more of an attitude than me abt all the people trying to sell the family quilt & expecting a lot of money for it but i really think people would feel more connected to it & less alienated if they knew how to take care of it.

it’s like having an ill family member & some people don’t go to the hospital or the funeral. for some people the condition of the quilt, not to mention the smell, is so alarming that they don’t know what else to do with it but try to get a few bucks & i think they are mostly kidding themselves abt how much it’s worth. if knowledgeable people could do quilt care clinics & demonstrate examples of quilts that have a resale value of under $ 100. i think that would clear up a lot of the unrealistic expectations. in my area i can help with this but i think it makes a contribution to the art form if care clinics can be offered wherever people have quilts, which is pretty much everywhere.

speaking of sales, a friend asked me for help selling abt 100 quilt books & some stencils & other supplies. i’m open to suggestions. if anyone here is interested in knowing more maybe she can make out a list & i can put people here in touch with her. i’m only trying to help. i’m won’t make $ on the deal. i hope it can contribute to people here.

on the subject of sales again, i’ve decided not to try to sell the things i make. now that i am fortunate to have art displays locally, bookstore, bank, soon coffeeshop & hospital, i’ll be using the more intricate beaded wall hangings for art shows & giving away the smaller things like tablecloths, bag necklaces, fabric covered notebooks to people who contribute to what i do.

with the displays i’m hoping to develop relationships that lead to short term displays now & long term collections in future. i’d like my items to change hands as little as possible so right now i’m looking for local public places where i can display wall quilts, preferably businesses with branches so the items can circulate & i’m hoping it will develop into a relationship where the business can take on the care, display & permanent conservatorship of the items.

that’s much more important to me than the kmart prices people expect to pay. based on my experiences with people trying to cash in on the quilts in their care i’d like to take steps now to make sure what i create never becomes orphaned. the places that display the items will know who i am & that info, ideally, will never get separated from the quilts.

in addition to quilt care clinics i’d love to see the community offer display space for quilts, any place we can. i have a home based biz & don’t even have room for all i’ve made but maybe we can all think abt the places we go & imagine a quilt display at churches, coffeeshops etc. many venues would be proud to display especially if we can provide the support & care of the items.

i’m playing with the idea of a catagory called FRIENDS OF MY BUSINESS. can a business have friends? i have friends & the biz has customers but i’d like to have a group of people who know & care what i do & think abt what’s good for the biz & who the biz would be good for & the friends can use the hand made items as gifts to promote the biz, at no charge.

for a lot of reasons it’s easier on me if i give up the sales component of what i do & just repair quilts & do my own projects. i’d like the friends to know what i do, what i could do & what i never want to be asked again – do i buy/re sell? no, i don’t.

anyway, if anyone is interested in knowing more abt what i do & how it can contribute to the art form & the community you are welcome to email me, jean gonzalez, CRAZY QUILT Hand Sewing & Design, richmond, virginia richmondseamstress@

Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 11:48:27 EDT | From: MegMaxC@

To fellow QHL listers: My name is Meg Cox and I’m currently in the final editing process for my new book, The Quilter’s Catalog, to be published in the fall. I’m now fact-checking a Quilt Myths section and hope you can help me. I’d like to know what quilting historians currently recognize as the oldest intact American quilt. I’m aware of the controversy over the Saltonstall quilt, which the Orlofsky book identifies as dating from 1704, but which was apparently made much later –though I see tons of references affirming the 1704 date all over the web. What I’d like to know is what IS the oldest intact quilt? How old is that quilt? And can my publisher get a photograph of that quilt, or a quilt that is close to it in age and historical importance? Thank you so much for your collective wisdom and expertise! I’m a veteran journalist and author, I’ve been quilting for 15-plus years, and I’m on the board of the Alliance for American Quilts — but I do not claim to be a quilt historian, as many of you are. I’m trying to get expert help to make sure I get the facts right. (For anyone who would like an advance peek at my book, you can go to my brand new website, www.megcox.com.) Thanks! Meg Cox journalist/author/quilter Princeton, NJ

Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 11:53:26 -0700 (PDT) | From: Karen Portwood <acornqlts@>

Hi Deborah,

What a great story! Have you considered writing this up? I think it would make a great article for the American Quilt Study Group’s newsletter, Blanket Statements. The editor is Lori East. I have copied her on this email.

All the best, Karen Portwood AQSG Scholarship Chair & Ohio Regional Coordinator

Subject: RE: Tracing a quilt’s history From: “Deborah Lynn Guber” Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 11:09:15 -0400

Kim,

Good luck, Deborah.

Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 12:11:23 -0500 | From: “Steve & Jean Loken” <sandjloken@>

Alan, depends on whether you want an appraisal or a chance to appear on TV, doesn’t it? Jean in MN

Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 15:02:38 -0700 | From: “Margaret Geiss-Mooney” <mgmooney@>

Good afternoon, fellow QHLers — As a textile/costume conservator, I would have to say that you should bring a box of nitrile gloves for the appraisers to wear! My poor family hardly lets me watch Antiques Roadshow any more because I seem to spend the whole time screaming about the handling of the treasures with bare hands! <g> Regards, Margaret (Meg) Geiss-Mooney Textile/Costume Conservator Professional Associate, AIC mgmooney@

Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 18:27:56 -0400 | From: “Lynne Z. Bassett” <lzbassett@>

Dear Meg,

The Saltonstall quilt is definitely not 1704. After examining it with Paula Richter, Curator of Textiles at the Peabody Essex Museum and Deborah Kraak, independent textile scholar and former curator of textiles at Winterthur, we came to the conclusion that it was made by two generations of Saltonstalls–beginning in the mid-18th century, and finished in the late 18th century–but using an older Harvard catalogue for the paper templates. We will be including an essay about this quilt in the forthcoming book about the Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project.

Are you only interested in finding the earliest *pieced* American quilt? Because there are a number of whole cloth quilts with histories dating to the first half of the 18th century.

I’m looking forward to reading your book! Good luck with it!

Best, Lynne

Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 18:05:14 -0400 | From: “Bill Volckening” <williamvolckening@>

Well…I don’t really need an appraisal…and I don’t really need to be on TV…I did that a couple years ago when I was on a show on the Food Network. Interesting experience, but a little overrated.

Truthfully, the thing I’m most excited about is the opportunity to bring great quilts to TV viewers. They don’t really need to see me, but they need to the quilts. I have always enjoyed watching the Antiques Roadshow, and have always wished to see more quilts on the show. So I thought, “why not?”

People have suggested I go and play dumb, but I’m not sure I can do that. How do you act surprised when you know the value of a quilt? And how do you pretend it was passed down through the family when you really bought it from a prominent dealer?

I’m allowed to bring two items, by the way…

Good suggestion to bring gloves, by the way. Whare can I buy them?

Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 16:22:52 -0700 | From: “Margaret Geiss-Mooney” <mgmooney@>

Hi again fellow QHLers – Nitrile gloves are now readily available from hardware stores to automotive supply stores to grocery stores, at very cheap prices ($11.50 for a box of 100 gloves). You could even probably sweet-talk your medical/dental professional out of a couple of pairs and/or ask to see which size works best for you (sizes range from very small to extra large). I haven’t bought them on eBay but I am sure that if you entered “nitrile gloves” in their search engine, there would be a huge selection available. If you are in business and have a Grainger Industrial Supply close by, you can set up an account at Grainger (www.grainger.com) and buy a box very inexpensively thru them as well.

They do not have to be washed (a big chore for cloth gloves! now don’t get me started on the proper washing/cleaning technique! <g>), are cheap enough to be disposable after just one wearing, won’t cause allergic reactions like latex, and you can get them a variety of colours (including purple, green, beige and light blue). I always use the gloves just once. I do get the powderless variety so there is no possible contamination back on to the quilt from that. And VERY importantly, if the quilt/textile is contaminated (i.e. mothball crystals, mould, mildew, cedar chest, dirty,etc.), wearing the gloves will protect YOU! Remember that adage “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” also applies to our own health! I find that the nitrile gloves still give me “excellent” feel during my examinations and can even sew in them (but I do a lot of hand sewing, both with a straight and a curved needle).

Regards, Margaret (Meg) Geiss-Mooney Textile/Costume Conservator Professional Associate, AIC mgmooney@

—–Original Message—– Good suggestion to bring gloves, by the way. Whare can I buy them?