May 18 - 23, 2004 - QuiltHistory

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Oral History & Documentation, Quilt Dating, Regional Quilt History

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:

Eagle and “Target” Quilt Identification — Members compare notes on regional eagle-motif quilts and their possible Southern origins.
What Does Rosa Parks Have to Do with Quilting? — An unusual tangent connects a quilting-related book discussion to Rosa Parks’s civil rights history, sparking a lively side debate.
The Kaleidoscope Crazy Quilt and the American Fancy Exhibit — Members connect an 1839 Maryland Historical Society crazy quilt to the “American Fancy” decorative arts exhibit and kaleidoscope-inspired quilt design. (see the article on Victorian crazy quilts)

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 08:36:24 EDT | From: Midnitelaptop@

bravo!!! judy, seriously, how would we go about getting the attention of some professional historians…so that this HIPV myth , which is slowly becoming accepted as historical fact, corrected? jeanL

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 09:44:44 -0500 | From: Mary Persyn <Mary.Persyn@>

I bought a quilt top yesterday that is, I think, the same as the eagle that we were discussing a couple of weeks ago. I tried to get into the QHL archives using the password I always use, and was told I have to be a member. I tried to join and “that email address is already in use” so I am a member.

Can anybody tell me how to access the archives? And are there 2004 archives? The web site only lists archives through 2003.

Thanks,

Mary in muggy Valparaiso who is getting tired of rain and humidity

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 10:58:46 -0400 | From: “Amy Korn” <amyokorn@>

Hello all –

The May 15, 2004 meeting of the Midwest Fabric Dating Study Group found a smaller contingent (10 members and 1 guest) gathering at the Leggett and Platt corporate offices in Cincinnati for an in-depth study of the history of batting. Leggett and Platt purchased the Stearns and Foster Company in July 2003 and continues to produce the Mountain Mist batting line. The rainy, miserable weather was totally forgotten as we immersed ourselves in the inviting samples and historical memorabilia provided by hostess and batting expert extraordinaire, Linda Pumphrey.

We learned that the earliest batting company was the Union Wadding Company of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, which sparked some lively debate as to when “batting” became called batting (with two “t’s”) and not “wadding.” Samples of yellow and pink batting used to line candy boxes were circulated and dated to 1836. In 1846, George Stearns and Seth Foster founded “Stearns and Foster” and by 1892 had coined the Mountain Mist brand name. After the Civil War, an explosion of batting companies occurred, many located on waterways: J. Broadbent & Sons in Union, CT; Lockport Cotton Batting Co., New York Cotton Batting Company and the Niagara Cotton Batting Company all in Lockport, NY. Early batting names were fanciful, romantic and fun – “Sleepy Land,” “Old Glory,” “White Puff,” “Dream Angel,” and “Snowflake.” Other names conjure up all sorts of imaginative possibilities: “Manhattan,” “Sea Island,” “Pirate,” “Warm Life,” “Badger” and “The Quaker.” We oohed and aahed over an incredibly soft imported Indian cotton batting (Stearns and Foster) called “Manchu” which was popular in the 1860s and 1870s, but later went off the market. In 1916 the batting manufacturers met to discuss each company’s rights to continue using their trademark batting names (there were some overlaps and contested favorites) and the letters written post-conference as they “chivalrously” attempted to reach closure were among the memorabilia.

Our show and tell quilts included a hand quilting project of 1930’s fabrics that was proving extremely difficult to needle (we won’t mention the batting!). We agreed with the quilter that she should remove the basting and stitching and begin again with a different batting. Another project was a badly deteriorated appliqué quilt with exquisite quilting, but too damaged for restoration. Next was a small strippy quilt that had once been tied (ties and batting removed)with bright yellow strips, interesting fabric choices and both a pieced top and backing. We moved on to a utility crazy quilt with a bold hen and chicken backing, a green and yellow Carolina Lily quilt (purchased only the day before)with stuffed stems and leaves and a narrow green binding, and an indigo and white double nine patch with seven sets of initials (done in counted cross stitch) and quilted with “album” quilting – a different quilting design in each plain block. Another of Xenia’s treasures was a most unusual pattern of a 16-point star with radiating shamrock shapes encircled by a crown. The edges were cut out for a pencil post bed, and the fabric was an early stripe dress good fabric dating circa 1830. The quilt was moderately quilted with a two-step green binding attached to the quilt by hand with the tiniest stitches we had ever seen! All in all, a most unusual quilt!(Please check the Quilt Study Group site once the photos are posted.)

Our next meeting will allow us to take part in the grand opening celebration at the Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana on July 17. Our September 19 meeting will focus on Doll and Crib quilts – new members are certainly welcome!

Best Restaurant Giveaway Ever! Vote for your favorites for a chance to win $1 million! http://local.@/special/giveaway.asp

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 09:17:19 -0700 | From: “Christine Thresh” <christine@>

I just read a delightful mystery (cozy) by Sara Hoskinson Frommer called *Buried in Quilts*. It was published in 1996 by St. Martins Press. I found a used paperback copy.

The story features a quilt show in a small Indiana town. The quilt show has been running annually for many years and attracts flocks of visitors and is an economic boost to the town.

National experts give classes and lectures at the show. The murder is solved by clues found in an old quilt.

A Publishers’ Weekly review said, “Frommer’s second mystery (after *Murder in C Major*) offers an entertaining family-centered murder investigation while examining the importance of quilts as a means of understanding women’s history.”

Christine Thresh

http://www.winnowing.com

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 10:00:15 -0700 | From: <chrisa@>

I live in California myself, but my co-author of the article, Janet lives in NS. Contact her to help you.

—– Original Message —– From: <QRACQUE@> To: “Quilt History List” <qhl@> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 1:08 PM Subject: [qhl] Nova Scotia

We will be visiting in Nova Scotia in June (5th-12th). Does anyone from the list know if there are any shows, quilt collections and/or museums that we should be looking for? Our central point will be Halifax. Thank you. Marianne Williams

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 14:45:13 -0400 | From: “Lucinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>

Driving to Ellicott City, MD to give a talk at the Baltimore Appliqe Society meeting was a great excuse for checking out some antique shops along the way. One shop had a kit top (Progress 1257) hanging up which was, of course, a magnet. The design is a delicate daisy-like flower (blue, pink, yellow) circling the center with swags of the same flowers in the four corners. Unfortunately the maker decided to stuff each flower petal (really stuff!) which led to some serious distortion. It has probably remained as a top since even the stuffer must have eventually realized that it will never lay flat. Too bad, because it’s a really pretty design. The BAS were very nice to me even though I was upfront about not being blessed with the applique gene and my collection of PA quilts runs heavily toward the pieced variety. I know that in their secret hearts they all covet my Prince’s Feather with Chicken Feet 4-block (G)! I did not return empty handed. I bought a variation of the Autumn Leaves quilt which was such a favorite at the Centruy of Progress exhibit. This one has a vase full of leaves in the center with a running vine of leaves as one of the borders. I’ve been in a 20th century mode for the past couple of weeks and this fits right in. Cinda on the Eastern Shore

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 17:21:39 -0400 | From: danabalsamo@

Hello all, A friend just showed me a fantastic quilt…exactly like one that I saw at the Newark Museum in NJ earlier this year, but it is not in their postcard book. It was part of a collection of an African American Quilter, she had an antique one, and then made a few herself…they are dimensional and use prairie points or folded triangles that go around in a circle, the blocks looks like a flower or a star burst. Built up, one on top of another, but the block was square. Does anyone who went to the exhibit remember the quilt I am talking about? I’d like to pass on the name of the pattern to my friend…I know it is quite rare. They were common for a particular area, too, although now that escapes me, too…oh where are my notes!!!!

Thanks, Dana

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 16:23:47 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xenia@>

Dana, what you are describing sounds like a “Target” quilt – very think and heavy, and made of folded bits of fabric like prairie points. There are several in the collection of the International Quilt Study Center, at least two of which are from the Robert Cargo collection of African-American quilts from Alabama. The design or technique seems to be southern, and may be related to the interest at the end of the 19th century in creating quilts with more pieces than anyone else had made.

Xenia

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 | From: Dana at Material Pleasures <danabalsamo@>

Hi Xenia, That sounds about right…I was going to guess Tennessee or Alabama from my memory which even at my young vibrant age I do not trust. Thank you so much. My best, Dana

Xenia Cord <xenia@> wrote: Dana, what you are describing sounds like a “Target” quilt – very think and heavy, and made of folded bits of fabric like prairie points. There are several in the collection of the International Quilt Study Center, at least two of which are from the Robert Cargo collection of African-American quilts from Alabama. The design or technique seems to be southern, and may be related to the interest at the end of the 19th century in creating quilts with more pieces than anyone else had made.

Xenia

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 | From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>

Hello- Xenia is correct, there are examples of this type of quilt in the International Quilt Study Center Collection. You can see one from the James Collection at: http://www.quiltstudy.org/exhibitions/current.html To find the one from the Cargo Collection go to http://www.quiltstudy.org Click on SEARCH COLLECTIONS, then click on ADVANCED SEARCH. Then select “Petals” in the pull-down menu under pattern and also select the “Robert and Helen Cargo Collection” on the collections pull-down menu. Petals is another name for this type of quiolt. They weigh a ton!!!! Judy Schwender

danabalsamo@ wrote: Hello all, A friend just showed me a fantastic quilt…exactly like one that I saw at the Newark Museum in NJ earlier this year, but it is not in their postcard book. It was part of a collection of an African American Quilter, she had an antique one, and then made a few herself…they are dimensional and use prairie points or folded triangles that go around in a circle, the blocks looks like a flower or a star burst. Built up, one on top of another, but the block was square. Does anyone who went to the exhibit remember the quilt I am talking about? I’d like to pass on the name of the pattern to my friend…I know it is quite rare. They were common for a particular area, too, although now that escapes me, too…oh where are my notes!!!!

Thanks, Dana —

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 17:10:45 -0500 | From: “Karen Quilts Texas” <karenquiltstexas@>

I am curious as to whether Stearns & Foster is disclosing that the Mountain Mist batting line is now manufactured in Waco (Texas) by the folks that make Hobbs Batting. I went to a meeting a week ago of the Texas LongArm Machine Quilters, and the Hobbs representative gave a very informative presentation about how batting is manufactured, the focus of his talk, but with a bit of history thrown in. We mainly learned the difference between the various fiber mixes (cotton/polyester/wool, etc), and the different processes: fusing, bonding, and needleing.

He indicated that Hobbs is the only remaining company selling batting in the U.S. that manufactures it’s own batting…. all the other major batting companies contract the manufacturing out… mainly to overseas contractors.

Although Hobbs manufactures Mountain Mist, the representative indicated that they make it to Mountain Mist’s specification…. so, when you buy the old fashioned “Blue Ribbon” variety, you are still getting basically the same batting they manufactured for the last 100+ years. It’s just not coming out of the Midwest anymore! I was amazed to hear this.

Hobbs craft (quilting primarily) lines of batting represent only 20% of their total business…. most of the fiber products they make are for other uses: upholstery, autos, thermal insulation (clothing) etc. They indicated that this continues to grow due to the continued growth in quilting.

Karen A. Spring, TX

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 | From: Dana at Material Pleasures <danabalsamo@>

Thank you Judy, I’ve forwarded those links to my friend and asked her to email a pic I can share…it really was a stunning quilt, earthtone shades. The backing was a little worn, but the top was fantastic! My best, Dana

Judy Schwender <sister3603@> wrote: Hello- Xenia is correct, there are examples of this type of quilt in the International Quilt Study Center Collection. You can see one from the James Collection at: http://www.quiltstudy.org/exhibitions/current.html To find the one from the Cargo Collection go to http://www.quiltstudy.org Click on SEARCH COLLECTIONS, then click on ADVANCED SEARCH. Then select “Petals” in the pull-down menu under pattern and also select the “Robert and Helen Cargo Collection” on the collections pull-down menu. Petals is another name for this type of quiolt. They weigh a ton!!!! Judy Schwender

Thanks, Dana —

Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 19:53:40 -0500 | From: Marilyn Woodin <woodin@>

Hi Sue–just got on line–went to a grandson’s recital and opera in Minneapolis but I wanted you to know how much I appreciate you doing this. I think it will be much more effective coming from you than me and you are such a dear. Thank you luv ya’ marilyn

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 03:42:13 -0500 | From: “louise-b”

I have read in a reputable sociology/social work journal in the 80s that Rosa Parks had been to a folk school in the South, (name escapes me now, but may be Campbell) for training in sit-ins, etc., a month before the incident – so I would say that she was selected/motivated to do what she did. I don’t think it is a myth.

Louise Bequette — in mid-Missouri

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 10:29:18 +0100 | From: “Sally Ward” <sallytatters@>

This outlander is getting confused……

I know what happened, of course, but not this current debate. Which bit is the myth..the bit about it being spontaneous, or the bit about her being trained for it?

Sally W

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 08:19:47 -0400 | From: “Sondra Biacchi” <quilt@>

A quilter friend of mine is travelling to Sweden mid-June and will be staying in Stockholm. Anyone on list have any knowledge as to what she should not miss…museums, quilt happenings, fabric shops, perhaps a quilt guild she may drop in on or someone she may contact for more information while there. This would be so helpful to her and so appreciated. You can email me privately.

Thanks!

Sondra Biacchi quilt@

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 09:31:14 -0500 | From: “Susan Wildemuth”

Sorry about the last message to the list. I hit the reply button by mistake. It was a reply to a thank you for sharing study group and exhibit information with the group. I know this has happened to some of you too and you will forgive me.

Sue

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 10:32:12 -0500 | From: “Charlotte Bull” <charlou@>

Hi…Christine mentioned the “light read” aspect of quilting. Many relaxing novels are out that combine quilts with murder mysteries. That combo deal rather surprises me! I might covet or envy, but I’d never kill for a quilt. However I do collect the books and love finding certain errors! : )))

The mention of “Buried in Quilts” was a really strange coincidence as last night I was flipping through one of my graph paper notebooks where I sketch ideas and record neat possibilities for the quilts that will never even become UFOs. Anyway, since this book has a quilt block as a title for each chapter, I’d thought about a Sampler using each block and sketched them out in sequence. I did that way back in 1997!

I was intrigued last night as I looked at my research on the blocks, since a few chapters had names for blocks that I could not find in any source book. So I spent the rest of the evening hunting for them. No luck! But there were sometimes 3 or 4 different blocks for one chapter! You know how that goes! Anyway, now I am tempted to resume searching and possibly design a new original block for those blank pages in my notebook! I’d really forgotten the project. Then to have it mentioned on QHL on the next morning! Wow! Is that a sign that I must design blocks or accept existing blocks with names that could be somewhat changed???

After the Fall could be a variation of The Garden of Eden. Swarm of Bees could be a fancier version of the Honey Bee Block or Honeybees in the Garden or Bees & Fields. The chapter named Widow’s Troubles could get an adaptation of any of 4 Kansas Troubles blocks or even Widower’s Choice! It’s a rather fun way to spend a day when you are totally tired and hurt too much to do anything really important. So I think I’ll get serious and play with this book today! (Since Christine has more or less encouraged me!)

Usually these novels give me fits as the Pilgrim lady at Plymouth Rock is making a Victorian Crazy Quilt! Or the girl hand quilts the entire quilt in one day while riding in a covered wagon and being attacked by Indians! I’ll not even mention the book that I think of as another of these incorrectly researched “novels” or children’s stories! It’s just A fairy Tale told by a woman who found a sucker on her hook while fishing for customers.

It’s such fun to read with the purpose of finding errors. Rather like Grading Term Papers when I was a teacher? Relax and just use your knowledge for fun! A good thing to do on a hot, humid, gray day in the Ozarks. (Thanks Christine for noting that good quote too!) cb

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 11:54:55 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <JudyGrow@>

Sally,

The myth is that Rosa Parks’ action of sitting on the bus was spontaneous. As Gates says, she was trained to do it, and it was well planned beforehand.

My point was that now that the leaders are owning up to that myth, why can’t we prevail upon them to “out” the HIPV myth.

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 11:58:44 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <JudyGrow@>

>> Rosa Parks had been to a folk school in the South, for training in sit-ins, etc., a month before <snip> that she was selected/motivated to do what she > did. I don’t think it is a myth. > > Louise Bequette — in mid-Missouri >

My point exactly. It was a planned action to get certain re-actions, and not spontaneous at all. But it was made into a myth to better serve the cause of integration.

Judy ” Ringo” in Ringoes, NJ judygrow@

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 11:03:31 -0600 | From: Xenia Cord <xenia@>

I’m not sure where the Rosa Parks discussion comes from; did I miss something? And how is it quilt related? But since we are on the thread, I’m not going to get into the whole “myth” thing, but my own thought is that whether she was trained or not, it must have been a heart-stopping experience to get onto the bus and sit in the front, knowing that everyone else on the bus was looking at her and was aghast at her actions. Moreover, she could not know if anyone on the bus was offended enough to offer her violence. Taken in the tenor of the times, bodily harm was a real possibility. A very brave act, planned or not!

Virginia Gunn did a very interesting article (Gunn, Virginia, “From Myth to Maturity: The Evolution of Quilt Scholarship,” in Horton, Laurel (ed.). Uncoverings 1992, Volume 13 of the Research Papers of the American Quilt Study Group (San Francisco: American Quilt Study Group, 1993), 192-205) in which she says: “…myths are a part of culture. Because they may encapsulate a different kind of truth than historical fact, they form a body of beliefs that have a life of their own. They survive and thrive as accepted truth even when proven to be historically inaccurate.” (195).

Ginny was talking about the Betsy Ross myth, but her comments apply equally well to the Rosa Parks issue.

Xenia

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 09:59:52 -0700 | From: “Christine Thresh”

I’m glad Charlotte read the book *Buried in Quilts*.

I do think Charlotte should work on her sampler quilt based on the chapter titles. The “After the Fall” quilt described in the book is unique and probably can’t be duplicated in a sample block!

I also enjoy reading books with quilts in them and looking for errors. There is an author that uses quilt block names as titles, but I don’t like them very much (and won’t buy any) because the stories are really dumb.

The *Buried* book featured a panel discussion on historical quilts which I found quite accurate.

Maybe Charlotte can write to Sara Hoskinson Frommer at sfrommer@ (if she still has this e-mail address) and ask her about her source for the quilt block chapter names.

I have been corresponding with a mystery writer and gave her a plot idea that involved quilts made in the 1940s. She liked the idea and has written the book. I am supposed to get the draft from the publisher soon and check it for quilting terms. This is sort of fun. I hope I can spot any errors and eliminate them before the book is published next spring. (I can’t tell the name of the author or the book until publication.)

Christine Thresh http://www.winnowing.com ………………………. Charlotte said, “Many relaxing novels are out that combine quilts with murder mysteries. That combo deal rather surprises me! I might covet or envy, but I’d never kill for a quilt. However I do collect the books and love finding certain errors! : ))) “…[The] book has a quilt block as a title for each chapter, I’d thought about a Sampler using each block and sketched them out in sequence. I did that way back in 1997! “…now I am tempted to resume searching and possibly design a new original block for those blank pages in my notebook! Is that a sign that I must design blocks or accept existing blocks with names that could be somewhat changed??? “After the Fall could be a variation of The Garden of Eden. “Usually these novels give me fits as the Pilgrim lady at Plymouth Rock is making a Victorian Crazy Quilt! Or the girl hand quilts the entire quilt in one day while riding in a covered wagon and being attacked by Indians! “It’s such fun to read with the purpose of finding errors.”

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 20:06:06 -0500 | From: “Karen Quilts Texas” <karenquiltstexashouston.@>

I think Xenia said it better than I, but I can’t resist a comment.

Rosa Parks was a brave woman, who acted on HER OWN belief system. This comment about the “myth” of her action being spontaneous is certainly not a topic for this list, but, I would encourage anyone who is concerned about these comments to read Rosa’s story in her own words… It is a wonderful story of courage, and real guts. The book is “Rosa Parks: My Story”. No myth… just the story in her own words. She wrote this book in 1998 – after resisting calls for her to put her story to print for many years – largely to counter some of the strange “tales” that were growing around her life, and the events of that fateful day in 1955 in Montgomery. I don’t know who started any rumor that she was “trained” or “motivated”… what black person was not “motivated” by their abhorrent treatment during the days of the Jim Crow laws in the South?!

Rosa was involved in the NAACP (as Secretary of the Montgomery chapter) since 1942, long before the event that sent her to a Montgomery jail for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a middle aged white man, as you’ll read in her own words. It’s a great read, and one to pass along to anyone who likes to search for the kernels of truth found in every myth.

Karen Spring, TX

Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 21:05:20 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <JudyGrow@>

Karen,

Simmer down and don’t get in a tizzy. Perhaps you didn’t read my original post quoting Cornel West and Henry Louis Gates Jr. in last Sunday’s New York Times Book Review.

This wasn’t meant as a comment about Rosa Parks’s beliefs or courage. This was meant to call attention to two respected academics in the African American community who spoke about the MYTH that Rosa Parks’s action was spontaneous and that perhaps they, West and Gates, might be enlisted to help refute the newer myth spread by HIPV.

Here is my original post once more……………………. Please, read the second long paragraph. Mr. Gates says that she didn’t decide to sit down on the spur of the moment. This was a planned event and she was trained to do it.

The New York Times Book Review, last Sunday, page 35. “Black, White and Brown.” A discussion between Cornel West ( Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Princeton University ) and Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Chair of African and African American Studies, and Director of the WEB Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research at Harvard University ) on the historic Supreme Court Ruling, Brown vs Board of Ed.

Center Column, 2nd paragraph from the bottom. Gates speaking…..

“[Before affirmative action] you couldn’t just show up in the black community and apply [to Yale]. You had to go through filters within the race. You had to know somebody. There were these mechanisms. It’s the same [with] Rosa Parks. She did not spontaneously sit down on that bus. She was chosen for the role. She was trained. The way the mythology is perpetuated, she was tired, she was poor, she was black, and she sat down. Well, no, that’s not how it happened.”

Well, I’ll be!

Perhaps these two learned gentlemen should be told of another myth that has taken hold, spread by a white woman who was also “chosen” for her role, and her acolyte, another professor from the black community. Perhaps these two

gentlemen can use their influence, their eloquence and their importance in the African American cultural community to tell the truth about the myth perpetrated by HIPV.

How do we reach them? Perhaps Giles Wright should make an appointment with Professor West.

Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 00:01:26 -0500 (Central Daylight Time) | From: “Sandra Millett” <smillett@>

Your comment about quilting while riding in a covered wagon got my attent ion In 1993, I traveled with the official Oregon State wagon train that traveled from the eastern border of Idaho to Oregon City, the end of the Oregon Trail. I took some quilting with me to say I’d quilted on the Ore gon Trail. Yes, we traveled in the actual ruts, but quilting? Forget it!. The noise was so loud that we literally hollered at each other to be heard an d the banging, jouncing and bouncing was so bad that my side was bruised fr om armpit to thigh.

Does anyone recall the TV movie with Meredith Baxter Birney some years ag o about the Donner Party? One wagon was oversized and they had tea and a social time while it was moving. Someone didn’t do their research–no tea cup could contain water while moving over rutted or rough ground–and talking–forget that too. It was easier to walk than ride.

And as to the westerns where the Indian scout can follow a group of horse s by bent grasses, etc. It may look good for an audience, but all you have to do is LOOK for the horse droppings.

Sandra Millett Author, Freelance Writer Quilting the Savory Garden, Krause Publications Needle ‘n Pen columnist, The Quilter Magazine

Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 07:03:31 -0700 (PDT) | From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@>

Sorry I have been so quiet lately, RL has me running ragged these days.

Someone asked about the archives – they are available to paid members only. The website, all the articles, book lists, quilt history teacher site, quilt study group site, all that stuff is free. The archives are the only place where you have to put in a password. It’s a perk for the people that sent in $15 to help defray the cost of the site, this mailing list, and the E-board.

The renewal date is coming up mid June, so if you feel like making a one-time donation to a good cause, here is your chance:-)) If you already donated, are broke at the moment or deleted this E-mail the minute I mentioned money, don’t worry. I will ask you again next year at about this time. I really only need a few donations to break even and I am perfectly fine with that. For more information on donating, see http://www.quilthistory.com/subscribe.htm

If you haven’t been on the website (http://www.quilthistory.com) lately, please feel free to wander around. Lots of good stuff there and I am always open to suggestions. (I am behind on updating the quilt study groups, but I promise I will catch up soon.) The password for the Gallery is “vintage”.

Enjoy!

Kris

Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 10:32:42 -0400 | From: Beth Donaldson <quiltsmuseum.@>

>To answer Xenia’s question, “What does Rosa Parks have to do with >quilting?”, Mrs. Parks is a quilter. She brought two quilts to a quilt documentation day at the Detroit Historical Museum on June 14, 1986. She was interviewed by Deborah Smith Barney about her quiltmaking and the transcript of that interview as well as the quilts she brought to the documentation day appear in African American Quiltmaking in Michigan, ed. by Marsha MacDowell. One of the quilts is a beautiful central medallion floral applique (probably a kit) which was made by her, the other is a satin one patch in pastel peaches, creams and pinks made by her mother, Leona McCauley. You can get a copy of the book at: http://35.8.122.90/MTAPStore/

Beth Donaldson Quilt Collections Assistant Great Lakes Quilt Center at the Michigan State University Museum 201 Central Services East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1045 quilt line: 517-432-3800 quiltsmuseum.@ http://museum.@/glqc/index.html

Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 16:40:02 +0200 | From: Margareta.Faust@

Hi Sondra – and maybe other potential travelers to Sweden this year?

As a Swede-in-exile (I have lived in Luxembourg for the last few years) I feel I should answer your e-mail, even if may not be aware of recent attractions. The two top museums are: Skansen and Nordiska museet – they’re close to each other. The former is an open-air museum. Both have collections of folk costumes, textiles etc, though I cannot be sure of many quilts.

For shops, there is one famous for design and furnishing fabric:

http://www.svenskttenn.se/

This one has needlework kits based on folk art. http://www.broderamera.nu/ And so does this one, plus some traditional fabric Svensk Hemslöjd Sveavägen 44 111 34 Stockholm They’re quite close to each other. The address to the Swedish quilt guild is http://www.rikstacket.com/

– their email address is under Kontakt. You can write in English. There is a Kaffe Fassett exhibition in the area this summer http://www.steningeslott.com/steningeslott/swedish.shtml And more exhibitions but further away – go to Utställningar on the guild’s home page and check their links… Wishing your friend and anyone else a pleasant trip! Margareta

Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 10:34:01 -0400 (EDT) | From: <dsrake@>

This weekend I attended the exhibition “American Fancy: Exuberance in the Arts 1790-1840” at the Milwaukee Art Museum. It’s a great exhibit and will be up until June 20. I recommend it. The exhibit is centered on the fanciful design that was popular for furniture and household items during the first half of the nineteenth century. It inludes many items that I would have called folk art, all highly decorated. One gallery focused on the influence of the kaleidoscope, invented in 1816, on design. Five quilts were the feature items, including a spectacular 1835 Lone Star that would make a textile collector weep. There were 2 smaller lone stars, a hexagon mosaic table cover, and a windmill variation. (Sorry I can’t be clearer on this one–I didn’t have anything to write on.) It could be that the curator was merely illustrating how the design of these quilts was similar to a kaleidoscopic image. However, it seemed to me that most viewers would conclude that the design of the quilts was directly influenced by the new invention with its faceted image. My question is, has anyone researched this connection, if there is one? I would suggest those interested see a copy of the curator’s (Sumpter Priddy) book on the same subject. Can’t wait for the exhibit to get to Baltimore.

Trish Herr

Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 10:50:35 -0400 | From: “Candace Perry” <candace@>

I heard of this and wondered about it also… Candace Perry

Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 10:55:29 -0500 | From: “Karen Quilts Texas” <karenquiltstexashouston.@>

I think Paula Nadelstern is the “queen” of the Kaleidoscope design in quilting today. There was a great exhibit at the 2003 (?)Quilt Festival of Paula’s Quilt designs, along with actual Kaleidoscopes, modern and antique. She has a link on her web site to The Brewster Society…. Kaleidoscope “fanatics”. Here’s the Kaleidoscope page on her site: http://www.paulanadelstern.com/kaleidoscopes/index.html

Karen Spring, TX (No longer in a Tizzy – whatever that is?)

Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 14:26:58 EDT | From: Hazelmacc@

The Maryland Historical Society owns a circa 1839 crazy quilt that was named “The Kaleidoscope” by its makers. It was probably made by Martha Ellicott. It was a huge surprise to us to find a crazy quilt of this time-period but the fabrics are early, the border has a red chintz and the binding is a twill tape. On the backing in small red cross-stitch is the date ‘1839’ and on the top three initials were found — EL, ML and EEL These initials match the initials of Martha’s sister, Elizabeth Lea and her two daughters, Elizabeth and Martha. Nancy Davis, at the MHS was able to fix the intials with these persons through documents they have in their facility.

We feel the name was given the quilt as the crazy pieces, in cotton fabrics, were very small – no larger than about 3″, like shards that one would find in a kaleidoscope.

Hazel Carter in No.VA

Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 20:48:42 -0400 | From: “Karen”

Wow! Is there a picture anywhere on line of this beauty? Sounds absolutely fascinating!

Karen Evans

Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 | From: danabalsamo@

Hi all, Just acquired this top and the printed fabrics are like nothing I have seen…I am pretty good at 20th Century fabrics and getting better at late 19th century, but I think this may be earlier. Browns and yellows…the printing is very fine and detailed, shaded for dimension, but some of the colors are ‘out of the lines’. The top is entirely hand pieced. Block is #2020 in Brackman’s. Alternating with muslin squares. Irish Chain Pattern I am guessing. I have been reading Calico and Chintz and these prints remind me of so many of those…or maybe it is wishful thinking…the auction had 6 very early chintz quilts, all of which escaped my budget, but I managed to win a box lot which this top was in, along with lots of 30s fabrics, blocks, unfinished lace, some earlier fabrics and some great seing ephemera. Besides dating it… The muslin squares have shadows of the printed blocks on them, I guess from being folded for so long…the top looks and feels like it was never washed. Is there a way recommended to remove those shadows? A safe way? The sun? I also have Biz, Syntrapol, Perk, and Restoration…dare I?

http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/danabalsamo/IMG_5899__Small_.JPG http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/danabalsamo/IMG_5900__Small_.JPG http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/danabalsamo/IMG_5901__Small_.JPG http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/danabalsamo/IMG_5902__Small_.JPG http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/danabalsamo/IMG_5904__Small_.JPG http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/danabalsamo/IMG_5905__Small_.JPG http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/danabalsamo/IMG_5906__Small_.JPG

Thanks for your help, Dana

Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 10:53:18 -0700 (PDT) | From: Gary Parrett <gparret1@>

Hello,

Every other year, Genesee Valley Quilt Club holds a quilt show in October. This year, we are again using the facilities of the Rochester Museum and Science Center and showing some of the quilts from their collection, but something new has been added. The Rochester Historical Society, the Landmark Society of Western NY, the Susan B. Anthony House, and the Genesee Country Village and Museum are all showing their quilts at the same time. Five museums at the same time! Folks, this is a first up here. Our show will be held on the RMSC campus October 16 and 17 only. In it we not only have our 300-plus club members showing their quilts, but will be placing out several quilts from the RMSC collection, not sure the exact number yet as we are working with more space and figuring the layout. The Genesee Country Village and Museum will show their quilts from mid-June through the end of October. The other institutions will be open for two or three weeks during the month of October for their showings. I can’t begin to tell you how exciting this is for us. We have worked with the RMSC for over four years on their quilt project and because of that, we were invited to help with the Genesee Co. Village quilts, so are aiding in preparing and hanging their show. Now we have an invitation to go into the Rochester Historical Society to help with their quilts. We are not sure what they will want us to do yet, but are itching and drooling to get in there as their quilts have never been seen. We have heard that the Historical Society helped to start the RMSC some years ago by donating portions of their collections but saved the best for themselves. The Susan B. Anthony house will show the quilts they own plus some historical quilts from the community. The Landmark Society will open two historic houses and have quilts in them. If you like old quilts, please consider that time period to make a visit to Rochester, NY. There will be a discount ticket available to get into all five museums, which will cost $29.00. The museums are to have this information available on their web sites… eventually. Genesee Country Village and Museum has a nice display on their website about their show which is starting next month, if you wish to check that for information.

Beth Brandkamp and Karen Parrett

Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 11:36:23 -0700 | From: “Laura Fisher”

Hi – i have gotten most if not all the QHL digests, and did not see posted the info i forwarded on how to track down stats on the Great American Quilt Festival, so here are some suggestions again:

American Folk Art Museum (formerly Museum of American Folk Art) was the event sponsor, probably they have files on it in their library or offices; 212 977-7170

Sanford Smith and Associates, promoter of the show, may have records, especially if it had to do with entry fees to participate in the contest! 212 777-5217

and there was a book I think of the contest All Flags Flying, which probably summarized the ev ent.

Laura Fisher ——=

Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 17:33:46 -0700 | From: “Margaret Geiss-Mooney” <mgmooney@>

Good evening QHLers –

>>The muslin squares have shadows of the printed blocks on them, I guess from being folded for so long…the top looks and feels like it was never washed. Is there a way recommended to remove those shadows? A safe way? The sun? I also have Biz, Syntrapol, Perk, and Restoration…dare I?>>

It depends, Dana. You have to first make sure that you have excellent quality water IF the wash fastness testing is passed before you even attempt any cleaning using water. Contact your water district and ask for a copy of the report required annually by the EPA. I wouldn’t recommend using the sun as the light energy falls on all areas of the quilt top and oxidizes the molecules of the fibres and dyes, not just the “shadows”.

Regards, Margaret (Meg) Geiss-Mooney Textile/Costume Conservator