March 4 – 8, 1999
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:
- Freezer Paper for Appliqué, Continued — The thread about Reynolds freezer paper widths and where to buy it for appliqué work continues, with members sharing supplier contacts and techniques.
- Utility Quilts and “Dry Goods”/”Wet Goods”, Continued — The prior page’s debate over finishing antique tops and historic store terminology carries on, including a tongue-in-cheek coinage of “wet goods.”
- Choosing a Lecture Topic Without Vintage Quilts on Hand — A member who sold her antique quilts years ago asks for ideas on building a quilt-history talk without owning period pieces to show.
- Quilting Frames and Hand- vs. Machine-Quilting Old Tops — Members compare notes on quilting frames like the Flynn frame and continue weighing the merits of hand- versus machine-quilting antique tops.
- Tracking Down State Quilt Documentation Books — A member asks where to still find state quilt documentation project books, and others point to research on vintage pattern sources, including Barbara Brackman’s articles. (see the article on state quilt documentation books)
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 23:39:54 EST | From: JQuilt@
Or, maybe Reynolds could make a roll of freezer paper 11 inches wide…and we could cut 8 1/2 inch pieces from it.
The website to contact Reynolds paper is:
http://www.rmc.com/gen/contact.html
jean jquilt@
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 16:36:37 EST | From: JQuilt@
The website to contact Reynolds freezer paper is http://www.rmc.com/gen/contact.html
jean jquilt@
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 00:33:49 -0500 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
Along with many other useful and useless things, in the past few days I have come into possession of 6 (1/2 lb.) boxes of “Steel Bank Pins.”
They obviously came in many sizes, because I have sizes 20 ( 1 1/4″) and 28 (1 3/4″). The are labeled solid head, needle pointed (absolutely), spring brass or steel. They are made by Acco Co., Ltd, England and Vail Manufacturing , Chicago. These are the largest pins I have ever seen, but they definitely are pins. Does anyone have any idea what they were manufactured for? I can’t see any textile use, unless it is for holding heavy open weave tweeds. What use would a bank have for such pins? Unless they were used instead of paper clips or staples for holding papers. I’d love to find a textile use for them, they are so “neat!” But, hit one of them with your sewing machine needle and say “bye-bye” to the machine!
Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrow@
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 14:38:27 -0800 | From: “R & L Carroll” <Robert.J.Carroll@>
Hello!
I like this list so much, I thought I might like to try another list, too. A few of you have mentioned belonging to another list also. Do any of you belong to other lists that are similar ? Any suggestions?
Thanks, Laurette in So. California
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 15:08:04 -0800 | From: “R & L Carroll” <Robert.J.Carroll@>
Jean, I thought you might like to know that I took a class with Cynthia England who uses freezer paper extensively for her quilts, and she mentioned that freezer paper was available in 81/2″ x 11″ sheets. ??? She knows someone who can get it, but she did not have the information with her that day. I have never seen it. If you get any more information, please let us know.
Thanks, Laurette
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 07:42:22 EST | From: QuiltFixer@
In a message dated 3/4/99 8:04:58 AM Pacific Standard Time, lrobins@ writes:
<< I should just stick to lurking. >>
I don’t think so Laura. 🙂 I like to see some real feelings and opinions expressed on this list. Toni B.
QuiltFixer@
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 09:37:35 -0500 | From: Nancy Roberts <robertsn@>
Karen from Mass. asked if there were “wet goods.” I wonder if these were the domain of the cooper. Such goods as molasses were shipped/stored in barrels at one time. I believe that dry items like flour were, too, prior to the cotton sack era. If you have a restored historical village near you with a coopering demonstration, it’s worth seeing this fascinating “bygone” craft.
Just a thought. Nancy
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 07:46:21 -0800 | From: Debra Roby <debroby@>
Sorry that this has nothing to do with history (except for the history we are creating ourselves).
QHL-Digest-request@ wrote:
Jean wrote:
> Alan mentioned that Reynolds Paper seems to be in touch with their customer base…well I’m writing them today to suggest that they put out a box/packet of their freezer paper in an 81/2 by 11 inch size, that will be compatible with printers…
> Let’s see what the response will be.
Personally, I would love this idea. I have developed a really fun technique for a mindless piecing project that requires lots of freezer paper. (I call it a “soccer mom” piecing technique…) However, there is one problem I see with this (and I’m trying to figure out how to get around it without buying a new printer)… Most photocopiers and inkjet printers use heat sensitive ink. So when an iron hits it, it melts again. I once heard a theory that letting the ink “age” for several days to a couple weeks will make it less “melt resistant”, but I haven’t tested that yet. BUt I am sure that I won’t usually be willing to print off the paper, then wait 2 weeks to use it in a project. If Reynolds started marketing freezer paper in sheet sizes, we would have all these posts from people with inkjet printers who don’t understand why they’re having problems (like all the people now wanting to know why when they printed on fabric it all melted and/or washed away).
I really don’t want to spend money on a lazer printer.
deb roby hercules, ca.
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 11:00:56 EST | From: AZquilter9@
Good morning all, I had to chuckle at our complaints about the size of freezer paper (just yesterday I had those same complaints while making labels). Are we not the people who take 45 inch wide fabric by the yards and cut it up into itty bitty pieces only to stitch them back together? And yet, we absolutely hate the idea that we have to cut freezer paper 8-1/2 x 11 inches to run through our printers. We quilters do indeed have unique priorities. Of course, when Reynolds figures out that they can up the profits by accommodating us with these sheets, they will probably do it.
Now back to cutting those itty bitty pieces I need to stitch today.
Lois
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 11:08:02 EST | From: SudaNim@
I dunno about subsidizing Reynolds…after all, they’re not the ones who invented quilted aluminum foil! (Also insert your own snipey comments about the quilted toilet paper ad campaign here.) In a message dated 3/5/99 10:02:09 AM, AZquilter9@ writes:
>I had to chuckle at our complaints about the size of freezer paper (just yesterday I had those same complaints while making labels). Are we not the people who take 45 inch wide fabric by the yards and cut it up into itty bitty pieces only to stitch them back together? And yet, we absolutely hate the idea that we have to cut freezer paper 8-1/2 x 11 inches to run through our printers. We quilters do indeed have unique priorities. Of course, when Reynolds figures out that they can up the profits by accommodating us with these sheets, they will probably do it.
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 12:11:36 EST | From: JQuilt@
because so often when repairing heritage quilts…we repair appliques..and I do use freezer paper for appliques…
anyway here’s the response I received,from Reynolds Paper.
jean jquilt@ _____________________________________________________________ Jean:
Thank you for your interest in our company. Reynolds receives many ideas for products, promotions, and advertising campaigns from interested consumers like you. We have found that most every one of these ideas have already been considered or used by Reynolds or other companies. Also, the practice of considering unsolicited ideas can give rise to misunderstandings as to the origin and ownership of particular ideas. Therefore, we, along with many companies, have adopted a general policy of not accepting unsolicited ideas and suggestions.
If we may be of further assistance, please let us know.
Mary K. Duffer, The Reynolds Kitchens <MKDuffer@>
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 16:16:43 -0600 | From: Jocelyn <jocelynm@>
D
> There are certain quilt tops that cannot be quilted by hand because they would fall apart during quilting. Even machine quilting would be a strain, so those are sometimes simply backed and either tied, or have no batting, just a backing and binding. Again, it depends on the owners ultimate intent for the quilt
I’m confused. Hand quilting a top is harder on it than machine quilting it? Are we talking about sewing machine, or quilting machine? What about hand quilting is harsh?
Jocelyn
Jocelynm@
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 16:26:13 -0600 | From: Jocelyn <jocelynm@>
> Nope, not regional. The old term was “dry goods.” Why it’s now usually
> “fabric” is beyond me. I’m also curious as to whether there were any “wet goods.” Anyone know?
They weren’t called wet goods, per se. The difference was, dry goods were nonperishable food items (the sort of things we’re now asked to donate to food pantries), and ‘wet’ goods were sold by specialty merchants like dairies, butchers, greengrocers, bakers, etc.
Jocelyn
Jocelynm@
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 16:33:05 -0600 | From: Jocelyn <jocelynm@>
> I considered quilts made as bed covers utilitarian, whether they were slept under often or infrequently – they were made for a useful purpose.
> We do not disagree. A matter of language chosen. Bobbie a. Aug
I think the difference is, whether you’d call a wedding gown ‘clothing’ or not. Well, yes, obviously it’s clothing. But brides don’t buy wedding gowns with the aim of using for any but one specific occasion, any more. A hundred years ago, a bride might buy a new dress to be married in, but she would probably choose it for its serviceability as her ‘best dress’ for years to come (at least, until the babies came!) Presumably, people a hundred years ago knew about ‘company quilts’. Quilters could tell at a glance if this were a quilt for using, or for admiring; even children and husbands were probably taught to leave the fancy quilts alone. I suspect that the 20th century equivalent of the fancy quilts are ‘guest towels’– we’re all taught by our moms not to use them, that they’re just there for show, and so we resist using them, even if we ARE the guests! <G>
I can imagine a visiting couple of 100 years ago: ‘George, don’t you DARE lay down on that quilt! Help me fold it up and put it on the chair before we mess it up!’ <G>
Jocelyn
Jocelynm@
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 18:34:51 -0500 | From: Jean Binns Smith <shejean@>
Pat Margaaret and Donna Slusser both live in Pullman, Washington. I have a freind who knows them both and was responsible for bring them to this area for a workshop a few years ago. She has misplacaed Pat’s address at the moment, but here is Donna’s Donna Slusser 1201 Kemgard Rd.
Pullman, Wa. 99163.
Jean Smith in Bellefonte, PA.
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 22:53:36 -0000 | From: “Jenni Dobson” <jenni@>
I was interested to read the posts about quilts made for utility or not. = I don’t necessarily think that the size of a quilt tells you that it was = made for a bed.
Let me explain: over here in the UK, crazy patchwork was also quite = popular in the late Victorian period. At that time, legs were considered = most improper – to the extent that either they could be concealed by = gathered ‘leggings’ of fabric – *or* you made a table cover so large = that it covered all the space from the table top to the ground thus = hiding the legs! And over here such covers were often crazy patchwork! = That means that the resulting cover could easily be as big as a bed = cover. Incidentally on the shameful topic of legs, some famous writer = (sorry, I can’t recall who) wrote later in life that when he was small, = he didn’t think ladies had legs like he did, being a small boy!
In passing, for Australian readers re convict transportation. I heard = not long ago, if you trace your ancestors & find they were convicts = shipped out from Nottingham, it is maybe the only city which still has a = full record of all convicts sent out. Apparently most other such cities, = like Bristol or Liverpool, lost most of their records during bombings in = WW2.
Excuse that NQR aside, please.
Jenni D in frosty UK.
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 19:01:03 EST | From: KareQuilt@
S We just learned last Saturday that my dear mother-in-law, Wini Alexander of Lopez Island, WA, has inoperable ovarian cancer. She has been a prolific quilter since 1976, as well as editor of many a guild newsletter over the years, and is the one responsible for getting me into quilting. I had just begun to interview her for a possible article on the modern “international round robins” the week before the cancer was discovered. My kids adore her.
My son (in Portland, OR), who has been so proud of the quilts she has made for him over the years, just e-mailed me today that he thought we should make a lap quilt for her use during the few months she may have left (certainly much less than a year). My daughter-in-law suggested we print directly on fabric from the fabulous printers she has access to at work. I know nothing about this process, and since I am on my way out the door early tomorrow a.m. for a business trip, and half of my quilt stuff is already packed for an expected move locally in April, it is going to be a bit difficult for me to try to find the info. If any of you have experience with this process or can site an issue of QNL magazine, perhaps I can dig up the info when I get back. (I think my daughter-in-law has the last year’s issues of QNL.) Would you so kind as to e-mail my kids if you think you can help? Thank you so very much for your help, as you are able. I know I can always count on quilters.
Already they are jumping to Wini’s aide on Lopez to see that she is well cared for when she comes home from the hospital, as well as comforting my father-in- law, Loren, who is taking this VERY hard. My son’s address is daniela@.
My daughter-in-law Taryn’s address is Taryn.Alexander@. Thanks for your care and concern.
Karen Alexander
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 19:14:39 -0800 | From: Audrey Waite <awquiltr@
For those collecting the state quilt documentation books, you can still purchase copies of the one from seven counties in northwestern Pennsylvania. It sells for $19.95 plus $3 shipping and 6% tax if you live in PA. Send check or money order to the Crawford County Historical Society, 848 North Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335. The title of the book is “Threads of Tradition: Northwest Pennsylvania Quilts”. Kris may have copies too.
Any news of the one from Connecticut?
Audrey Waite in sunny, warm Sedona, AZ
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 08:03:48 -0500 | From: “Sue and Ray Reich” <mreich@>
Hi Audrey Waite, I just signed onto Cuenet this week. Thanks for asking about CQSP. My name is Sue Reich, Elizabeth Tishion and I are co-Presidents of Connecticut Quilt Search Projects. We are alive and well and working very hard to make our project successful. Things – we are doing right now; 1. Writing the book, Covering Connecticut, Connecticut’s Quils and Quiltmakers. I can’t say exactly when it will be out we are still fund raising for the photography and searching for the publisher. 2. About to go on line with our website. It was great fun to design. Our server will probably be The Connecticut Historical Society. This organization in Hartford is going to house our information. 3. Completing our database. We are 75% finished with it. We used Microsoft Access. It is very time consuming. Maureen Gregoire and I have been hard at work since the fall. We then have to purchase a slide scanner to scan our slides. The database will also be available at CHS.
4. Joined a partnership with Yankee Magazine’s Community Partners Program.
We help sell $20 subscriptions for them and they return $10 of every $20 to us. It is a sensational PR program for the both of us. Yankee Magazine is promoting history and New England and Connecticut and we are promoting CQSP and Yankee Magazine. CQSP was featured in the November issue. 5. We have just revised our Documentation forms. We will begin to register post-1950 quilts. We hope to have the actual quiltmakers do the documentation part. This way they can tell us about their inspiration, where they purchased their fabrics, what they costs, the real pattern name, etc. Historians one hundred and fifty years from now will love us.
So you can see we haven’t exactly been twiddling our thumbs.
I purchased “Threads of Tradition, Northwestern Pennsylvania Quilts”, I spent my summer growing up on my Grandmother’s farm in Woodcock Burough, Crawford County, PA. It is a most beautiful area. The book is very nice.
That’s it from Connecticut for now. Sue Reich in Washington Depot, CT (about to have a snow storm)
———-
> From: Audrey Waite <awquiltr@>
> To: QHL@
> Subject: QHL: Quilt Documentation Book
> Date: Friday, March 05, 1999 10:14 PM
> For those collecting the state quilt documentation books, you can still purchase copies of the one from seven counties in northwestern
> Pennsylvania. It sells for $19.95 plus $3 shipping and 6% tax if you live in PA. Send check or money order to the Crawford County Historical
> Society, 848 North Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335. The title of the book is “Threads of Tradition: Northwest Pennsylvania Quilts”. Kris may have copies too.
> Any news of the one from Connecticut?
> Audrey Waite in sunny, warm Sedona, AZ
Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 16:35:24 -0600 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@>
Jocelyn, After you have worked with vintage textiles for 20+ years you learn (often the hard way) that there are some textiles that as you have quoted below:
>> There are certain quilt tops that cannot be quilted by hand because they would fall apart during quilting. Even machine quilting would be a strain, so those are sometimes simply backed and either tied, or have no batting, just a backing and binding. Again, it depends on the owners ultimate intent for the quilt
Some how I missed this original post, but I agree whole heartedly! I have a top in from a client that 2 years ago another AQS appraiser (who is not a restoration specialist) along with a dealer told her that the top could be quilted…..I hesitated then and I am still hesitant, although she is insistant on having it quilted. I have agreed to do it, using a flannel sheet as batting and will do it myself because I am afraid that my quilters beautiful tiny, tiny stitches will do more harm to the tensil strength of the fibers than help preserve the piece. It is one of those judgement calls that you learn by “flappin a lot of quilts”<G> Laura In N. Texas where we cant tell what season the weather is pretending to be except DRY!!!
>I’m confused. Hand quilting a top is harder on it than machine quilting it? Are we talking about sewing machine, or quilting machine? What about hand quilting is harsh?
>Jocelyn
>Jocelynm@
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 20:48:16 EST | From: Quilt97@
Flynn quilting frames look very simple and efficient. I would appreciate hearing the pros and cons from anyone who has used one.
Thanks.
Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 21:33:12 -0600 | From: KAREN BUSH <Birdsong@>
Okay…Question
> I’ve been invited to some more ‘lectures’/talks and have NO program plan. I LOVE talking about the histories of quilts, etc. the heritage part of it. But,..I have NO more vintage quilts. When we were in a bind a few years ago, I sold all my antique quilts. So, a lecture would seem a little ‘dry’ without them. I could have a trunk show on recent quilts, but, that’s just my quilting, and most of them are primitve/folk art and someone else’s designs…Now…WHAT do I talk about?? As you know,…I have NO problem with talking, I’d just like to talk about something that’s INTERESTING to them, since they’re paying for these talks! haha…kb
> —
Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 23:40:52 -0600 | From: KAREN BUSH <Birdsong@>
Laura, I liked your input and Sally’s on the machine quilted quilts. I had an idea on why the quilter would USE the machine to quilt. Besides the time involved, that she may not have had, or the experience…just HAVING a sewing machine was a novelty and maybe she wanted to ‘show off’
the fact she had one!?
Nowadays, we like to have them hand quilted because they’re ‘special’
with the special touch of hand work…THEN, it was the machine that was the ‘special touch’….just think how excited some of you are with the new computerized sewing machines with all the doo-dahs AND the ‘hand quilted’ look, on a Machine! I remember My Grandma, coming to the States from England, pitching ALL of her copper, pewter,(that her FATHER made)…etc. Their luggage was to be limited to ‘necessities’…that was okay with her, she couldn’t WAIT to get to America a buy…..MELMAC!
hhhhaaaaaa…Just a difference of eras…??? kb (the hand quilter who just spouted a whole ‘novel’ on MACHINE quilting! LOL)
— ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~* – Karen Bush/kb-http://www.idahoquilt.com -“QUILT AS DESIRED” THE “TELL ALL BOOK” of hand quilting!!!!
– Also, Visit me for HAND QUILTING SERVICES
Date: Sun, 07 Mar 1999 00:33:05 -0600 | From: John Winbigler <twinbig@>
Hi, all, I’m Tracey Winbigler, an amateur quilter living in Monmouth, IL, with a B.A. in English Lit., Honors in Writing, who’s been reading this list for a little while and has felt too intimidated to introduce myself. I respect your collective reputation, expertise and experience, and will continue to read ( I joke that my degree is actually “Reading.”) and to learn, but wanted to continue this discussion
> There are certain quilt tops that cannot be quilted by hand because they would fall apart during quilting. Even machine quilting would be a strain, so those are sometimes simply backed and either tied, or have no batting, just a backing and binding. Again, it depends on the owners ultimate intent for the quilt
I have on layaway at a local antique store a quilt top I suspect is pre-1900 for two reasons. The condition of the cotton fabric is rough and dry, and there are spots of a dark stain randomly, with a very few places that seem to be disintegrating; and the prints resemble the repros I admire in any catalog I can find. The owner told me that it called for big stitch quilting, rather than fine, and I wonder, should it be quilted at all? Would tying it to a flannel sheet help it or hurt it?
Looking forward to being part of this list, Tracey up very late because we’ve just bought an iMac to replace our old Performa, and I had to wait until everyone else went to bed to get on it!
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 00:17:36 -0800 | From: “pepper cory” <pepcory@>
Hello all-good thread going here. I have quilted many antique tops, but not always with good results. From that experience, I would advise someone to consider if she was determined to use/finish the old top. If she’d be as happy displaying it decoratively over a quilt rack, why not leave it alone?
If determined to finish the top, try gently washing it (by hand, use soap like Orvus) and air drying it (plenty of clothes pins, over an already dry white sheet, right side down). Inspect for dye running, deterioration, seams unraveling. The stains are not the concern here unless they are causing the fabrics to deteriorate. Do all mending in the same manner as the top was made (hand if pieced by hand etc.). Think about a border of new but coordinating fabric (reproduction fabric). That new border gives the old top strength just at the edges where it will be handled and get wear.
Quilt in the style of similar old quilts using thin cotton batting. Then use the quilt ‘for good’ (as the Amish say-) and not as an everyday bedspread.
If Barbara Brackman was on this list, she’s advise that the old top be left alone.
Just my 2 cents worth too.
Pepper Cory PS–the ‘rough and dry’ may be the sizing on the original fabric (top might have been made from new fresh-from-the-bolt goods-) and will soften up with washing.
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 17:36:03 -0000 | From: “Jenni Dobson” <jenni@>
I’m interested in Laura’s reply to Jocelyn’s question about the = posssible ill effects of later quilting old quilts.
I’m not an appraiser – we have no such scheme over here.
However, a few years ago, I bought & hand-quilted as finely as I could a = couple of printed panels with a design & colour that suited our room. = They sat on the sofa, were washed and used. I was really sad one day to = notice that the fabric had torn away from the stitching just the way = postage stamps tear along the perforations. The fabric wasn’t antique & = OK, they had quite an amount of wear but I think this illustrates why = really fine quilting might not be practical for antique tops. Maybe it also explains why some quilts were worked with bigger stitches? = Not necessarily a lack of skill but the knowledge that slightly larger = stitching might make a quilt more durable. Very best tiny stitches could = be invested in the quilts mainly for ‘show’ that wouldn’t be expected to = get lots of wear & tear. Just my 2 penn’orth, as we say over here!
Jenni D in UK.
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 22:42:16 -0500 | From: edwa@
My grandmother machine quilted in the late 20’s and 30’s. Now I wasn’t around in the 20’s but was here in the 30’s. She made “utility” quilts – those to sleep under and keep warm at night. They were not fancy but warm. She machine quilted one way diagonally and the other way by hand.
Before my last aunit died a few years ago, I asked her why grandmother did it. She said “you have to remember that without central heat, quilts were used to keep us warm at night, and with a big family it took a lot of quilts.” It was my aunt’s opinion that machine quilting one direction acted as a basting then the hand quilting added the little bit of satisfaction that hand quilting gave. I have at least two of her quilts.
One is a strippy of hand dyed flower sacks quilted in a diamond pattern – one way machine and the other by hand. The other is a crude medallion type pattern.
Oldest Machine quilted quilt. The Smithsonian Treasury of American Quilts by Doris Bowman shows a machine quilted white quilt and while there is no date indicated, the text suggest it was made between 1851 and 1860 because it was quilted on a double-thread chain stitch. However it could have been quilted after 1860 when the lock-stitch machine was introduced. the text indicates that it was quilted with a double-thread chain stitch which will date it somewhat. My opinion on another thread. To quilt a vintage top seems to me to be asking for heartache. The are probably too fragile to use much and distroys the vintage quality of the top. If one wants the look, then there is plenty of good repro fabrics out there. Even displaying an old top can cause damage due to how heat and humidity effects different colors and fibres.
Pepper I always thought your opinions were worth more than two cents……….
Holice Turnbow Designer, Teacher, Quilt Judge http://www.quiltingstencils.com
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 23:51:36 EST | From: Kathi2174@
Content-type text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding 7bit Deb, That’s one of the best things in all the world ….. Public acknowledgment of a job well done. I agree with you completely! And add my Thanks To Kris !! Kathi Reyes Long Beach, Ca
Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 00:32:06 -0600 | From: Mary Waller <mswaller@>
Karen, for your talk, take whatever you have in the way of quilt tops, period and reproduction fabric, borrow quilts if possible, and ask the group you’re speaking to to bring their quilts. You’ll get to see lots of new quilts, and you don’t have to pack them, haul them and then put them away again.
Please indulge me a moment on my soapbox…. A quilt is no more or less special because it has been quilted by hand or by machine. I know how to hand quilt and how to machine quilt, and I prefer to machine quilt.
I don’t piece by hand, the few times I’ve committed applique I did it on a sewing machine and my favorite kind of needle has the eye near the pointy end and a foot pedal attached. I don’t try to imitate hand-quilting, I use machine quilting for itself and don’t try to disguise it as something it isn’t. Machine quilting is a skill that must be learned and practiced, like any other and some of us will be naturally talented and some won’t. I don’t machine quilt because I can’t hand quilt; I machine quilt because I like to and I can.
Sewing machines for home use became available about 1850 in the U.S. and more common in the 1870’s and 1880’s. I have a copy of a Singer manual from the 1870’s with instructions for using a quilting guide, and my 1891 treadle came with one, which looks just like the one that came with my 1997 machine. I don’t have documentation, but I wouldn’t be surprised that the first home-quilted quilts were made around 1850. I don’t consider a technique that’s been around for 125 to 150 years to be a novelty. It may be done less frequently and some will enjoy using one techinque more than the other, or the look of one over the other, and some may not care either way. It’s still a quilt, no matter how the thread went in and out of the fabric and batting.
Mary Waller, Vermillion, South Dakota
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 1999 07:41:51 -0500 | From: “Store E-Mail Acct.” <qps@>
Does anyone know if there has even been any research done on vintage pattern books? For example the Grandmother Clark ones or Grandma Drexler?
Debbie in NJ
Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 08:44:03 -0500 | From: Merry May <cluesew@>
Karen wrote
> > I’ve been invited to some more ‘lectures’/talks and have NO program plan. I LOVE talking about the histories of quilts, etc. the heritage part of it. But,..I have NO more vintage quilts…Now…WHAT do I talk about?? As you know,…I have NO problem with talking, I’d just like to talk about something that’s INTERESTING to them, since they’re paying for these talks!
> > haha…kb
I think this is a great opportunity for you to encourage the people who will be attending your talk(s) to bring THEIR older quilts in to “show and share.” Not only will you have less to haul around with you, but YOU get to see all of the wonderful quilts that have been hiding in people’s closets (among other places)! (And then you can tell all of US about them, and make us jealous!) If it were me, I’d also bring a few of my own pieces, just in case the audience doesn’t get the message from the sponsor to bring theirs. Do you have any samples of older blocks, fabrics, etc., so people can see them? Ginny Gunn used to have everyone bring their quilts and put them all in the center of the floor (I’m only saying “used to” because I’m not sure if she still offers this type of program). She’d then take her shoes off and walk around (doing her best to avoid stepping on the quilts), trying to put the quilts in somewhat of a chronological order as she talked about each one, and what “clues” each one was revealing. She left the “problem child” quilts until the end… the ones that might be more difficult to assess. For one thing, it gave her a little more time to think about why the quilt’s clues might bother her, or may not quite seem to fit together properly. Just a couple of ideas to toss out at you! … and if you really don’t like THIS idea, then I’ll be happy to accompany you with MY collection!! hee hee!
Take care, and have fun. Great topics lately!!
Merry -)
— Merry May (a.k.a Inspector Cluesew & Jessica Four-Patch)
Schoolhouse Enterprises
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Date: Mon, 8 Mar 1999 08:52:46 EST | From: CToczek@
And more on quilting the old tops…….I tend to side with quilting the tops if you want to, providing they’re not one-of-a-kind, extraordinary museum type pieces, but I agree that sometimes it may not be possible or prudent to handquilt pieces. I have a c.1870’s top of fine quality cottons, hundreds of tiny pieces which I would love to quilt but am afraid of the consequences. The seamstress used a scant 1/8th inch seam allowance, many of which have frayed through over time. I feel certain that even stretching it loosely in a lap hoop would pull more seams than I could keep up with on the quilting.
Before you decide on whether or not to quilt your personal treasure, check the seams as well as the condition of the fabric……just another honest, if not quite expert, opinion.<vbg>
Carla Toczek at West Point, NY who’s going to Arkansas in search of a week of spring
Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 08:20:04 -0600 | From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@>
Jenni, One thing to consider (and this opens a whole other can of worms and another topic that we repeatedly go back to)
Was the thread that you were quilting with 100% cotton or cotton covered polyester? And it *does* make a difference! There have been studies done on how the thread “lays” into the fabric and also how it reacts (strength wise) to the cotton fabric. I have a quilt here that was the winner of the first peoples choice award at the first Dallas Quilt Show (all we did was peoples choice) and where we added borders to fit a queen size bed and quilted with poly cotton thread…..it too looks like it was pre-perforated at the stitching lines. With the cotton thread in the other areas of the quilt there seems to be no problem. But back to the original thought…..yes, those tiny tiny stitches, even with new cotton thread can and WILL cut the vintage fabrics. Just one of life’s little lessons that we are learning!
Laura In stormy N. Texas At 0536 PM 3/7/99 -0000, Jenni Dobson wrote
> I’m interested in Laura’s reply to Jocelyn’s question about the posssible ill effects of later quilting old quilts. I’m not an appraiser
>- we have no such scheme over here. &&& OK, they had quite an amount of wear but I think this illustrates why really fine quilting might not be practical for antique tops. & tear. Just my 2 penn’orth, as we say over here! Jenni D in UK.
Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 10:02:46 -0500 | From: Margaret Wolff <hrtworks@>
Have been reading the posts about Reynolds and the freezer paper sizes. How about supporting a quilter and using Quilter’s Polly-Paper. It’s freezer paper though feels a bit thinner to me. Comes in 12″square sheets and is available through Checker Dist.in packages of 25(I think)sheets.It’s a product of Quilting Techniques, Inc.The owner of the company is a lovely person and helpful if you have questions or want to buy bulk direct. I use it all the time in my applique kits. I’m pleased with it as are my customers.
Margaret www.heartworksquilts.com
Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 07:11:50 -0800 | From: “Julia D. Zgliniec” <rzglini1@>
CC QHL@ Subject: Re QHL Machine Quilting Message-ID: <36E3E8B4.99C9B902@> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear QHL, In late 1997, the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, CA had an exhibition called Patterns of Progress Quilts In the Machine Age. The exhibit was curated by Barbara Brackman. There is a catalog of the exhibit that is excellent. Both antique and contemporary quilts are used to illustrate the sewing machine’s impact on quilting and to trace the development of machine quilting to it’s present state of the art. ISBN – 1-882880-04-8 I highly recommend this book to all those interested in the development of machine quilting. Regards, Julia Zgliniec
Date: Mon, 08 Mar 1999 11:12:48 -0600 (CST) | From: magee@
Content-transfer-encoding 7BIT There are short articles over the years by Barbara Brackman in Quilters Newsletter. There also is some basic info in the back of her book on quilt patterns. There are additional papers in Uncoverings as well by different authors. Pardon any typos. I have anew contoured keyboard and my fingers aren’t used to it. Laurie in NE Wisconsin waiting for some snow.On Mon, 8 Mar 1999, Store E-Mail Acct. wrote > Does anyone know if there has even been any reseach done on vintage pattern > books? For example the Grandmother Clark ones or Grandma Drexler? > > Debbie in NJ > >
Laurie Magee | Email Magee@ Oshkosh Public Library | Phone (920)236-5207 Oshkosh, WI 54901-4985 | Fax (920)236-5228 _________________________________________________________________________
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 1999 09:39:33 -0800 | From: “R & L Carroll” <Robert.J.Carroll@>
charset=”iso-8859-1″ Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello! I have hand quilted a few old tops and it can be very rewarding. But not all tops react the same to quilting. The fabrics must be in good condition to begin with. Other wise the thread will tear the fabric even as you are quilting. I think most of the 30’s tops could probably be quilted. One of the first tops I quilted was a charm quilt c1930, with about 500 different fabrics and I didn’t notice any problems. But I will not put it to hard use or wash it much. I also quilted a charm quilt top c1880, with about 350 different fabrics. Most of the fabrics held up fine, but some of the darker prints, which have tendered from the brown dyes, were tearing from the thread as I was quilting. I continued quilting with larger stitches which helped. But I will not be washing this quilt. Of course, these fabrics would not hold up to washing as a top either. I was interested in Jenni’s comment on the tiny quilting stitches tearing the fabrics. I quilt with tiny stitches and have not noticed this problem with my older quilts that I have been using. I have always used 100% cotton thread. I have not seen this on antique quilts either. It’s the thread that breaks. Jenni, you mention that your quilt was a panel. Did you quilt on the dark lines outlining the patterns, and is this where the fabric is tearing? I ask this because the darker browns and blacks weaken the fabrics even now. I have seen black fabrics in new quilts deteriorating. Thanks, Laurette in sunny So. California
