September 7 – 11, 2001
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:
- Quadriga Cloth Identification — Members identify and describe Quadriga Cloth, a pre-quilted fabric produced by Ely & Walker, including sample books and bolt markings.
- Quilting in Australia and New Zealand Travel — A member preparing to travel asks for quilting contacts and resources in Australia and New Zealand.
- Ramie Fabric Properties — Discussion of ramie as a fabric, its cost and characteristics compared to linen.
- Methodist/Baptist Fan Quilting Pattern — Further discussion of fan or elbow quilting patterns seen on Lemoyne star and other antique quilts.
- Early Machine Quilting History — Members research when commercial machine quilting began, discussing the Alhambra and Elmora pre-quilted products.
- Appraisal and Study Group Announcement — An appraiser describes months of research and preparation ahead of an event; a related sewing-machine history link is shared. (see the article on quilt appraisers)
- Quilt Show and Sale Recap — A member recounts the annual quilt show and sale at Sully Plantation.
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 22:07:02 EDT | From: Edwaquilt@
the
bolt says) It is about 36 -39″ wide (I did’nt measure it) I
purchased it
from a dealer who bought it from Patches in Harpers Ferry, WV in the
early
8o’s. It has been sitting on the shelf ever since. One or two
bolts look
like they may be full bolts. I also have some of the Your’s Truly
fabric of
the late 70’s. Just thought I would get this on the record…..ha.
Holice
Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 01:37:12 EDT | From: KingsCalico@
Melanie…
I have never been to Australia, but last year my husband and I
went to
New Zealand. Both of us loved it…it is a beautiful country, and it
was a
great experience to travel there!
I only managed to go to one very small quilt exhibit in New
Zealand, and
it was very similar to exhibits here in the US. There are quilt
shops there,
but they mostly sell fabric that we can get here for less. Look for
the
“Kiwi” themed fabrics, however, featuring Kiwi birds, fern leafs,
native
flowers, sheep, etc. I bought about 6-8 fat quarters of them, and
they will
make great momentos of your trip. If you are creative, you may
consider
buying some tea-towels (found in all the souvenir shops) and
incorporate them
into a wall hanging!
I found a few web sites you can check out…..first is for the
main
(only?) New Zealand quilt magazine…it has calendars of shows and
exhibits,
and links to check out….www.NZquilter.org.nz. Next one is for an
Australian quilt magazine, with links and calendars as
well…..www.duquilts.com.au.
If you can find a copy of “Australian Patchwork and Quilting”
magazine,
they have a calendar of events section. Some US quilt shops do carry
this
magazine, or you can check a magazine store (the kind that carries
hundreds
of titles!) I didn’t pull it it, but you can try the website for
this
magazine’s publisher…it may have some useful information or
links…www.expresspublications.com.au.
Have fun, Melanie! I can’t speak for Australia, but I think you
will
really like New Zealand…and it is true that there are sheep almost
everywhere!
Celine….in So.Calif.
Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 17:26:17 +1000 | From: “kate knight” <kateknightoptus@.au>
Hi Ellen
Ramie is a fabric similar but cheaper than linen, I have had several
shirts
and sweaters with ramie blended with cotton or linen, and like linen
it is
stiff when new but will soften with age and wear.
Kate
A quick search produced this information.
About Ramie
(also known as China-grass, rhea, and grasscloth)
Ramie is a fine fiber which originates from the plant Boehmeria nivea
and is
used in making fabrics, usually combined with other fibers such as
cotton.
TRADITION
– in China and the Orient, ramie is locally spun and woven into
coarse
cloth, often without degumming
– in China it is also used to make fine oriental textiles
– some Egyptian mummies were bound with ramie strips rather than
linen
– ramie was used for Chinese burial shrouds over 2,000 years ago,
before
cotton a related species, Boehmeria cylindrica was used by New World
Indians as twine to attach spear and arrow heads to shafts
– ramie usage in the U.S. increased in the mid 1980’s with the
fashion
emphasis on natural fibers
ADVANTAGES OF RAMIE AS A FABRIC
Resistant to bacteria, mildew, and insect attck.
Extremely absorbant
Dyes fairly easily
Increases in strength when wet
Withstands high water temperatures during laundering
Smooth lustrous appearance improves with washing
Keeps its shape and does not shrink
Can be bleached
DISADVANTAGES OF RAMIE AS A FABRIC
Low in elasticity
Lacks resiliency
Low abrasion resistance
Wrinkles easily
Stiff and brittle
Date: Sat, 08 Sep 2001 08:50:07 -0500 | From: Bettina Havig <bettinaqcsocket.net>
Quadriga cloth was produced by Ely and Walker who were in existence
from the
last quarter of the 19th C until the early 1980’s. I was still buying
Quadriga directly from Ely and Walker for my quilt shop in the early
80’s.
You will find their fabrics in both 36 inch width and the later 44
inch
width. Some of their goods are included in quilt kits that span most
of the
first 3/4’s of the 20th C.
Bettina Havig
Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 10:55:48 -0400 | From: “Suzanne Cawley” <ccawleyalleganyinternet.net>
Suzanne,
You must be talking about the exhibit at Marilyn Kowaleski’s shop. I
believe those items were all marked as reproductions, and were for
sale as
such. Barb Garrett there? Do you remember? I remember that we had a
conversation about the exhibit at the time, but I forget what we
said. Or
what you
said — as you knew all about it.
Judy in Ringoes, NJ
Judy….you must be thinking of another Adamstown visit. I cannot
recall
the name of the mall but I was alone at the time. None of the items
were
for sale. Both “authentic” and “newly-made from antique fabric”
huswifs
were on display only to warn folks that there was apparently a rash
of these
new ones being made and sold as original in the Lancaster area.
Perhaps the
“repros” you are talking about are exactly the type that this dealer
was
educating people about!
Suzanne in Keyser, WV
Date: Sat, 08 Sep 2001 14:01:31 -0300 | From: Barbara Robson <robsonbhdbis.ns.ca>
Hi QHL,
Has anyone seen the 2002 Quilt Engagement Calendar…the one edited
by
Cyril Nelson? It is not listed on Amazon.com and a local independent
bookstore said the distributor they got it from last year here in
Canada
does not have it listed this year.
I have used this calendar for about 25 years now and can’t imagine
not
having it this year!
I have tried the Penguin website too but no luck there either.
Thanks
Barbara Robson
Fox Point, Nova Scotia
Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 14:01:33 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrowrcn.com>
I’d been going into Borders every week to look for it. Just
yesterday a
friend (on this list I think) called Penguin/Putnam, who may be the
old/new
publishers and it is not on their lists for this year! How will we
survive
without all those wonderful new photos of antique quilts?
Perhaps Stella Rubin, who had her quilts on almost every other page
was too
busy with her book this year and that’s why? I really have no idea
why, but
I will miss it.
Judy in Ringoes, NJ
judygrowrcn.com
—– Original Message —–
From: “Barbara Robson” <robsonbhdbis.ns.ca>
To: <QHL@>
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 1:01 PM
Subject: QHL: 2002 Quilt Engagement Calendar
> Hi QHL,
>
> Has anyone seen the 2002 Quilt Engagement Calendar…the one edited
by
> Cyril Nelson? I
Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 11:23:00 -0700 (PDT) | From: Judy Schwender <sister3603@>
I wonder if this is an invoice for fabric that is
already quilted? Anyone know when commercial machine
quilting began? Alhambra and elmora could just be the
pattern names (like VIP’s Simple Treasures or
Concord’s Country Florals.)
— Barb Garrett <bgarrett@> wrote:
>
> Now my question — I had bookmarked this auction and
> am curious about
> the names of the quilts listed on the invoice.
> Click to enlarge the
> picture and you can read the invoice — I interpret
> it to be fabric
> sold, not quilts — am I right? Are alhambra and
> elmora types of
> fabric from that time? The price seems very high
> if it’s a per yard
> price, based on my interpretation that the date is
> 12-14-14. Could
> they be for a bolt, since he’s a wholesaler? Any
> help in interpreting
> this invoice will be greatly appreciated.
>
>
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1185951752
>
> Thanks for your help. After my 2 day visit to
> Baltimore I’ve got
> another quiltie treat today — I’m off to see list
> mom Kris and Quiltbus
> — they are at a festival an hour from my house in
> Bird In Hand outside
> Lancaster, PA. It will be great to see the “new”
> bus — last time I
> saw it, it was a rather sad vehicle.
>
> Barb in southeastern PA
>
Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 21:37:26 -0400 | From: “Jan Drechsler” <quiltdoc@>
Cinda Cawley wrote to QHL, on Sept 3, a lovely note praising a class
she
took with Rabbit Goody. This was at Rabbit’s studio, in Cooperstown.
Rabbit just sent me this update about next year’s conference and I
share it,
knowing that many of us need excuses to go to the Quilt Museum
anyway!
_______
The next year’s Textile History Forum will be at Lowell,
Massachusetts at
the Museum of American Textile History.
We will be visiting the New England Quilt Museum as well. Lowell is
just a
bit north of Boston, on I 495.
July 11th pre conference tours
July 12th and 13th lectures and paper presentations
July 14th quilt and coverlet discovery day
Call for papers & other info is on her web site www.rabbitgoody.com
__________
While this is not the studio session that Cinda talked about, it
sounds like
a very wonderful conference. And I wish I had a certified piece of
linsey-woolsy to examine under my Radio Shack 100x microscope. Too
many
times I still think I am guessing, rather than certain.
—
Jan Drechsler in Vermont
Quilt Restoration; Quilting teacher
www.@/~bobmills
Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2001 11:54:01 EDT | From: SadieRose@
Hello,
A group of ladies from my local quilt guild is wanting to start a
small
group to study quilting (ie:quilt patterns, quiltmakers, fabrics and
history
from the Civil War time period. I have started a Bibliography of
books
with info on these topics, and would appreciate input from any of you
who might think of other titles to include. The whole book doesn’t
have
to focus on these topics, but have a section about this. I have
listed
some obvious ones for a start:
“Quilts from the Civil War” by Barbara Brackman
“Civil War Women” by Barbara Brackman
“Dear Jane” by Brenda Papadakis
“Southern Quilts – Surviving Relics of the Civil War”
by Bets Ramsey and Merikay Waldvogel
“Hearts and Hands” by Pat Ferrero, Elaine Hedges and Julie Silber
“Clues in the Calico” by Barbara Brackman
“Fabric Dating” by Eileen Jahnke Trestain
“Alice’s Tulips” by Sandra Dallas (fiction)
May I suggest you post any replies back to the list, as I think
this might be a topic of interest to everyone….
Happy Stitching!!
Karan from gray & gloomy Iowa
Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2001 08:53:37 -0700 | From: “Laurette Carroll” <rj.carroll@>
Hello QHLers,
Judy writes……………….
>>>I wonder if this is an invoice for fabric that is
already quilted? Anyone know when commercial machine
quilting began? Alhambra and elmora could just be the
pattern names<<<
Barbara Brackman writes in her Clues in the Calico, pg.140, that
prequilted silk was available in the 1889-90 Montgomery Ward catalog,
for $1 a yard, and states that it dates back to about 1870. I would
imagine that quilted cotton would have been available at an early
date
too.
Laurette Carroll
Southern California
Look to the Future with Hope
Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2001 11:37:12 -0700 | From: “Laurette Carroll” <rj.carroll@>
Hello,
A friend has given me a wonderful gift. Three yards of a beautiful
cream, solid colored percale, 36″ wide, on the original cardboard
“reel”. The fabric is marked on the selvage in red, “fast color
percale”
and “A.B.C. eighty square”. A price tag says, 25cents a yard.
The information on the reel says,
“Arthur Beir & Co. INC. manufacturers of A.B.C. fabrics
43-45 White St.
New York City”
In addition the reel says,
“Patent Pending Economy Reel Co. Brooklyn, N.Y.
This reel is made for special grade and quality as designated and for
our mutual protection this reel must not be used to wind any other
merchandise.”
I am interested in the date of the fabric of course, (guessing 2nd.
quarter 20th. C), but I am also interested in the flat cardboard
reel,
which is like those
used on fabric today, but of course shorter for the 36″ wide fabric.
Would this be when fabrics were first wound on these flat cardboard
reels?
What type of reel was used previously?
I have another piece of yardage
on a round very hard cardboard reel that I suspect is 19th century,
but
I have never seen this topic discussed any place, and would like to
know
if anyone on the list has any information on this topic.
Perhaps someone on the list who collects or sells antique fabric
would
know.
thanks,
Laurette Carroll
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 14:07:57 -0500 | From: Becky Sunderman <sewcarvecei.net>
Before I get to my questions, let me say that I’ve been a
member of this list for some time, and look forward to the
digests every evening. Rarely do I read one without learning
something new and interesting, and I thank all the members for
sharing their knowledge. The recent talk of must have
reference books was wonderful, and I will be searching for
these and any other books/magazines you may recommend.
Now as to my recent finds, and questions:
While going through a former antique dealer’s sewing things,
I came across two booklets, “Aunt Martha’s Favorite Quilts (17
Quilt Patterns Pieced and Appliquéd No. 3230) and “Quilts
Modern – Colonial No. 3333 15 Pieced 4 Applique. There is no
publication date – were these from the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s?
There were also numerous magazine clippings with quilt
pictures and articles, dating from the 40’s and 50’s. Woman’s
Day , Spt.1941 has a beautiful picture of a Princess Feather
quilt with the notation, “Painting (?) from Index of American
Design National Art Program W.P.A., with portions of an
article on applique on the reverse side. Another page from the
same issue shows a black a white photo of a “Picture Quilt”,
with the notation, “The family’s entire history, from the
baby’s cradle to the old folk’s spectacles, is recorded on
this original quilt, made in the year 1859.” What a wonderful
piece of applique work. It, too was from the Index of American
Design……… Can anyone shed light on this W.P.A. program
for me?
There are other clippings dealing with Patchwork Quilts,
Friendship Quilts, and one pictured made in 1854 for Mrs.
Katherine Fisher of Bedford, NY. A March 1843 Woman’s Day
clipping shows several prize winning applique quilts, giving
the names of the quilters and the approx. materials costs –
from $9-$12 ! Newspaper clippings found had patterns, entitled
Antique Quilt Patterns, such as “Broken Squares” by Jane Alan,
and “Cooking and Quilting with Laura Sue”, which were applique
patterns for baby animals.
There is so much more here, but I won’t detail it all. My
questions are, how best should I preserve these, other than
making copies of all of them, and where might I find more
information about these articles, the quilts and their makers,
and the newspaper clippings, which appear to have been a
series?
Thank you so much for allowing me to post my findings, and
for any light you might shed on them.
Becky Sunderman
Batesville, Arkansas
P.S. Two quilts also came home with me, both rather intricate
star patterns. I’m still looking for their names, using
Barbara Brackman’s book. One is hardly worth more than a
cutter, the other is still bright, and in fairly good shape,
except for the ends, which have worn, no doubt, from being
tucked into beds. Should I attempt to replace the bindings on
this, or leave as is?
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 18:21:03 -0400 | From: Barb Garrett <bgarrett@>
Hello All –
I’m finally home for a few hours — enjoying my “mobile freedom” with
my
daughter back at college — so am catching up on QHL postings and
found the
discussion about reproduction sewing items by Suzanne and Judy. By
the way —
Kris says hi to everyone and is enjoying our wonderful PA weather
this
weekend. I was able to visit with her and her Quiltbus and it’s
really neat —
history books, fabrics, patterns, notions, batting and candles — in
a white
schoolbus.
Every March, Marilyn Kowaleski holds a vintage textiles show and sale
at her
antique cooperative South Pointe Antiques. South Pointe is located
right at
the end of the feeder road from the turnpike on route 272 near
Adamstown, and is
in my opinion the co-op in the area with the nicest and most
textiles. High
quality items, unusual items, well displayed. No connections, I
just love to
visit.
At her March show in 2000, and I think in 1999, she had a showcase
exhibit, not
for sale, of items newly made by local sewers who use vintage
fabrics. These
included pin cushions, birds, huswifs, pot holders, small quilts —
almost
anything the collector would want to find. Marilyn used the
showcase as a
public service to alert buyers and collectors to the tremendous
reproduction
market currently going on in Lancaster County. If these items were
“aged” a
bit and sold at an outdoor flea market, they would appear to be old
— they are
using old fabric, old thread, and old sewing techniques including
tiny hand
sewing stitches. I wrote to J. G. Row at the time telling her how
scary the
items were — in another venue they could be mistaken for vintage.
This
exhibit was carefully labeled as an educational exhibit and Marilyn
does not
have dealers that sell repros.
While I was there I spoke with the owner of the items, who just
happened to be
there. She had loaned them to Marilyn, who has herself collected
“the real
thing” for years. She said a woman had been making items for
supplemental
income — discovered that there was a market for them — sold them as
new, but
of course had no control over what her buyers said about them.
Unfortunately,
she would not give me the woman’s name as the seamstress evidently is
currently
overwhelmed with buyers and the woman in the shop still liked to be
able to
purchase the occasional item. In the same showcase were samples of
some
reproduction fabric by Marcus Brothers that is an extremely good copy
of the
bright PA German green, pink and yellow. I’ve talked with Judie
Rothermel
about reproducing the blue, but she hasn’t yet. This fabric matches
the print
and color of the old perfectly, but the hand is coarser, so can be
identified
easily, but from a distance looks old.
There is an antique shop in Lititz that sells some of the newly made
pin
cushions, birds, pot holders and small quilts — labeled as newly
made from
vintage fabric. I don’t know if they are from the same source or
not. I
think there are several women using up old fabric making these items.
Sorry for the delayed answer, but I’m 5 days behind in my QHL
reading.
Barb in PA
Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2001 22:22:30 -0400 | From: Brea_Barthel@
Kate Knight’s recent posting about ramie included the following:
DISADVANTAGES OF RAMIE AS A FABRIC
Low in elasticity
Lacks resiliency
Low abrasion resistance
Wrinkles easily
Stiff and brittle
Those all fit with my experience, but I’m curious whether another
problem
I’ve had is generic to the fabric, or specific to the dying
techniques used
for the four different pieces, by different makers, that I’ve noticed
in my
ramie or ramie-blend clothing. The fabric seems to be particularly
sensitive to sweat… or rather, since I’m a lady, perspiration
(glow?).
Collars on two different jackets have severely faded at the fold
where
they’re exposed to my glow. Since this has never happened with my
cotton
clothing, I suspect that it has to do with how well ramie holds its
dye.
I’ve also run into occasional problems with the ramie clothing
reacting
badly to spot treatment for stains. Has anyone else noticed these
problems? Any suggestions? (besides not sweating or staining
clothing, of
course).
Brea Barthel
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 09:06:15 -0400 | From: “Teddy Pruett” <Aprayzer@>
Dear Karan and Listmembers,
I have just spent nine months researching and preparing for a new
lecture I am now giving on the effects of the “war for secession “on
Southern quilts. Lest someone think I am advertising the lecture, I
wont even mention the name or specifics. 20
I was astounded at the things I learned, things I had never even
considered. I am known for humor in my lectures, and most of my
audiences think they are coming for a great time, so they are going
to
be stunned if they come to see this one – it is anything but
humorous.
I spent months researching, just to distill the info down to lecture
size, but there is very little humor. The war was NOT funny – it
was,
in reality, a brutal time in American history. I can’t change the
truth, even by the cleverest of writing, so I have attempted to make
the
program informative by telling the stories and facts that most
touched
my heart, hoping that the same things will touch the hearts of my
audience.
I had no idea of the starvation, devastation, and hardships the women
of
the south actually experienced. I am afraid my audience will either
walk out or leave so depressed that they will have to head for the
nearest hot fudge sundae to recupe!
Just be prepared for the sadness you uncover.
Teddy Pruett, born&bred Southern gal, descendant of Southern
families,
Certified Appraiser, historian and lecturer. (There! That’s my
advertising!)
–
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 09:09:34 -0400 | From: [from unknown]
?<<< Anyone know when commercial machine
quilting began? Alhambra and elmora could just be the
pattern names<<<
Barbara Brackman writes in her Clues in the Calico, pg.140, that
prequilted silk was available in the 1889-90 Montgomery Ward
catalog,
for $1 a yard, and states that it dates back to about 1870>>>
I have appraised a good number of Victorian Cray Quilts, 1880’s and
90’s, with pre-quilted backs, so that info appears to be correct.
Teddy Pruett
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 09:25:18 -0500 | From: Bettina Havig <bettinaqc@>
I worked with this company a few years ago when they almost decided
to
revise these booklets. Unfortunately they got side tracked by
chem-tex tube
paints and have not done any revisions. The company still exists.
Apparently they saw no need for copyright dates. None of the
booklets have
copyright dates but all are still in available. The first nine of
the
twelve that they published all have fabric requirements for 36 inch
wide
fabric even thought none has been available for years. The last
three
booklets, done after 45 inch wide fabric came about, also have no
copyright
date, but the fact that they give yardage for 45 inch fabric at least
puts
them in the 70’s. Aunt Martha/Colonial Patterns still operates from
the
same location in Kansas City MO that they have for the past at least
50
years. You can reach them 340 West 5th St.,Kansas City MO 64105,
phone
816-842-1969.
Bettina Havig
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 11:00:23 EDT | From: Hazelmacc@
I have collected almost everyone but the publisher announced last
year that
that calendar was to be the last one.
Hazel in No. Va.
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 11:04:10 -0400 | From: Vivien Lee Sayre <vsayre@>
Laurette,
Two years ago I appraised a Civil War quilt that contained ‘quilt as
you
go’ blocks. One block was completely machine made. Date of quilt,
1863.
Vivien Sayre
>>>>
From: “Teddy Pruett”
To: “Laurette Carroll” , “QHL”
Date:
<excerpt> ?<<<<<< Anyone know when commercial machine
quilting began? Alhambra and elmora could just be the
pattern names<<<<<<
Barbara Brackman writes in her Clues in the Calico, pg.140, that
prequilted silk was available in the 1889-90 Montgomery Ward catalog,
for $1 a yard, and states that it dates back to about 1870>>>
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><smaller>I have appraised a good
number
of Victorian Cray Quilts, 1880’s and 90’s, with pre-quilted backs, so
that info appears to be correct. Teddy Pruett
</smaller></fontfamily></excerpt>
</excerpt><<<<<<<<
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 08:26:10 -0700 | From: “Laurette Carroll” <rj.carroll@>
Hello,
Vivian, Yes, I have seen early machine quilting, also. The quilt as
you
go method, too. If you are referring to Brackman’s 1870 date, she was
referring to *commercially* quilted fabric made for resale (as was
the
original list question), as lining for clothing and often used for
backs
of quilts. But this should not surprise us because the very first
sewing
machines were used commercially by tailors for clothing manufacture.
Laurette Carroll
Southern California
Look to the Future with Hope
—– Original Message —–
From: “Vivien Lee Sayre” <vsayre@>
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 14:04:29 -0400 | From: Judy White <jawhite@>
Laurette, I agree with you that the names Alhambra and Elmora were
names
of pre-quilted patterns.
Judy White – Ct where I had to turn the AC on again today.
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 14:18:14 -0400 | From: “pepper cory” <pepcory@>
Somewhere I read, or heard, that machine quilting as a cottage
industry was
common in Missouri in the 1920’s. I have a wool Amish quilt (very
heavy)
from Iowa that the owner told me was sent to Missouri to be quilted
by
machine. I know rug weaving was an industry there and at least one
loom
maker came out of Missouri. Once upon a time I was going to be a
weaver and
had a rug loom. So I wouldn’t disturb a sleeping spouse (small
apartment) I
hung the treadles with leather laces that I”d wet and stretched. My
piece
de resistence was a rag runner 13 1/2 ft. long. Then I met my first
quilt,
the loom gathered dust, and I sold it in an auction.
Havin a spectacular day in coastal North Carolina-
Pepper Cory
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 12:40:00 -0700 (PDT) | From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessen@>
Teddy,
What a tease you are! Can you hit some highlights? Are you
lecturing anywhere north of the Mason Dixon line in the future? I
promise not to wear blue….
Kris, born in NY 100 years after the Second Civil War.
> I had no idea of the starvation, devastation, and hardships the
> women of the south actually experienced. I am afraid my audience
> will either walk out or leave so depressed that they will have to
> head for the nearest hot fudge sundae to recupe!
>
> Just be prepared for the sadness you uncover.
>
> Teddy Pruett, born&bred Southern gal, descendant of Southern
> families, Certified Appraiser, historian and lecturer. (There!
> That’s my advertising!)
>
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 17:21:19 -0400 | From: Pat & Jim <jimpat@>
Dear Becky:
In doing some research recently, I came across information related to
the Index of American Design. The most recent published index, a
heavy
two volume set, is called The Treasury of American Design by
Clarence
P. Hornung, New York, 1970. If they are not available through your
local library, try Interlibrary Loan.
The National Gallery of Art, which is a part of the Smithsonian
Institution, commissioned out-of-work artists to do watercolor
renderings of great American folk art treasures in the 1930s, under
the
auspices of the WPA program. The goal was to preserve the images for
posterity. Color photography was not advanced at the time, and the
issue of longevity and storage of photos was an issue also. It was
felt
that watercolors, which require less maintenance to preserve over
time,
would be the perfect medium.
Quite a few artists participated over a period of three years or so,
if
memory serves me, and their work has served as a catalog of early
graphic design and artifacts.
Pat Cummings
Concord, NH where we are awaiting cooler temps.
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 18:46:19 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
http://web.mit.edu/2.972/www/reports/sewing_machine/sewing_machine.htm
Someone on the QuiltArt List posted this address. If you have ever
wondered
what goes on when the needle disappears underneath the throat plate,
this
web site will leave you with absolutely no more questions. This was
put
together by Jonah Elgart, a second year student at MIT. Pay special
attention to the animated operation of the stitching mechanism. Even
he got
so carried away because of how ingenious it is that he mis-spelled
“stitching”.
Now if he could only show me exactly why and how that airplane gets
off the
ground~!
Judy in Ringoes, NJ
judygrow@
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 19:02:47 -0400 | From: “J. G. Row” <Judygrow@>
Friends,
The following (made anonymous by me) came on the QuiltArt List. I’d
like to
get your feeling about this post. My answer to her follows. Was I
right?
I’ll forward all answers I get.
>Several folks have been discussing how poly thread could affect the
cotton
in a
>quilt top and expressing doubt about this really happening. I’ve
had sad,
>personal experience with this. Over a quarter century ago I sold a
beautiful Log Cabin >quilt to my cousin — top was about 1890’s, had
been
newly, and nicely, hand-quilted in
>1974. Everything was in superb condition.
>Once she got it home, the quilt was hung on a wall, not exposed to
light,
cared for >lovingly. However, the poly thread is definitely now
cutting the
fabric in many places, to >the point that she is not sure she can
actually
justify continuing to hang the quilt even
>though the whole room was planned around it. I have no idea HOW this
is
>happening, or WHY, but I can definitely tell you that it IS
happening.
If that quilt has been hung continuously for 25 years I think the
threads
would be cutting the fabrics no matter what kind of quilting thread
was
used. Just think of the weight those little threads have to bear.
My
thought was that the sleeve (I hope there was a sleeve) should be
moved
around from side to side every couple of years if the quilt was going
to be
hung continuously. Or, the whole thing stitched throughout to a
backing and
then hung from the backing. Of course I haven’t seen it, but I am
not
convinced that it is the poly-cotton thread which has done the
damage.
Judy in Ringoes, NJ
judygrow@
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 19:47:30 EDT | From: ARabara15@
I would agree that I would not have hung any vintage textile for an
extended,
continuous period of time. And even though the quilt may not have
been in
direct sunlight, filtered sun, dust, and dust mites may have taken a
toll.I’m
not certain that the thread is actually cutting the older fabric as
much as
the fabric is falling away from the thread which has not
disintegrated as the
fabric fibers have. Some means of support, say a backing or frame to
support
the quilt and take the weight off of the fabric might have saved the
quilt.
Just my thoughts…
Donald from Trenton NJ
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 16:51:12 -0700 | From: “Laurette Carroll” <rj.carroll@>
Hello,
Judy, actually it was Judy Schwender who sent the following message.
I
just put in my 2 cents about the Brackman information.
The only thing I know about *Alhambra* is that my Mom and Dad lived
for
30 years in a city by that name here in So. California!
Laurette
>>>I wonder if this is an invoice for fabric that is
already quilted? Anyone know when commercial machine
quilting began? Alhambra and elmora could just be the
pattern names (like VIP’s Simple Treasures or
Concord’s Country Florals.)<<<
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 20:01:37 EDT | From: ARabara15@
Now you all are going to think that I’m nuts but this has happened
far to
often for it to be a coincidence. Many times I will get a vinatge
quilt
(Vintage varies -some have been 19th cent and some 20th cent) and
they have a
distinct sour smell to them similar to pickles. I am so accustomed to
the
various smells of vintage fabrics but this one is very new to me.
It’s not
stale tobacco smoke or camphor, or cedar. I grew up with all of those
smells.
This sour smell has been in quilts that have come to me from many
different
states so it’s not a regional thing and the quilts are not the same
color so
I’ve ruled out fabric dye. Could it be in the cotton batting? Has
anyone had
this experience before and might anyone know what it might be? It
does wash
out but the odor intensifies when the quilt hits the water-as most
smells in
textiles do. Is there a quilt pickling process out there that I’m not
aware
of?
Donald with a clothespin on his nose in Trenton NJ
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 20:56:05 EDT | From: ARabara15@
I’m full of questions tonight. I had the incredible good fortune this
weekend
of being able to purchase a large duvet cover (probably used to cover
a
feather bed)made from 19th cent lightweight cretonne. The dealer told
me that
she purchased it from an estate in Lancaster Co Pa. The background is
a rich
pomegranate red with a vining paisley print. The cover is hand
pieced, there
are salvage edges but I haven’t checked for any mill names yet. The
cover has
been used and smells musty. Can I safely wash this treasure in cold
water
without destroying it? Please advise.
Elated and nervous – Donald in Trenton NJ
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 21:18:25 EDT | From: ARabara15@
Brea,
from my past product development days in retail these problems
are
inherant with ramie and ramie/ct. It does not hold dye as well as
cotton-
that’s why they added cotton as a blend and tends to fade easily and
abrades
on the surface. It is a very “disposable” fabric.
Donald – tucked safely away from my past life in provincial Trenton
NJ
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 22:13:36 -0400 | From: “Cinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
Holice,
Does the bolt end say Ely Walker or Ely&Walker?
Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 22:47:41 -0400 | From: “Cinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
Yesterday was the annual quilt show and sale at Sully Plantation,
a
mid-18th century house in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C.
This
is a one day event held on the Sunday after Labor Day. As expected
in
Virginia in late summer it was hot, hot, hot and humid. Fortunately
there are lots of big trees and sometimes a breeze. There are
antique
quilts everywhere: on display in the house and for sale all over the
grounds. Quilts hung on clotheslines, draped over wooden fences,
piled
on the grass, under tents–heaven!
I bought a copy of Dr. Dunton’s book and a wonderful, very early
top
(1st quarter 19th century). It’s a four patch with alternate blocks
of
indigo printed with large bright blue leaves. It had once been
quilted
in a one inch grid. The four patches are a variety of (I think
French)
prints, checks and stripes with white. The whites are the
interesting
part of the top; they are all different kinds of cottons: dimity,
pieces
of Marseilles weave, plain muslin, woven patterns. I will bring this
piece to AQSG in the hopes that those more knowledgeable than I will
enlighten me.20
If I were rich and could have taken home anything I wanted my
choice, without hesitation, would have been a Log Cabin quilt in
Stella
Rubin’s booth in madder browns with a bandana from the Centennial
Exhibition as a central medallion. Talk about quilt history!
The most interesting quilt in the small exhibit in the mansion
house
was called the McHaney Rose Quilt, dated 1889. Anticipating Anne Orr
by
30 years, Louise McHaney of Henderson Co., Tennessee designed a rose
bouquet inspired by a needlepoint design and executed in 12,772 5/8
inch
mosaic pieces. The roses, in shades of red and pink, are on a
chocolate
brown background. 20
The word is that there will be no more Quilt Engagement
Calendars.
The publisher isn’t doing any more.
SOB!
Cinda on the Eastern Shore
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 22:44:00 -0700 | From: Gail Ingram <GIngram@>
Re > I had no idea of the starvation, devastation, and hardships the
> women of the south actually experienced. I am afraid my audience
> will either walk out or leave so depressed that they will have to
> head for the nearest hot fudge sundae to recupe!
>
> Teddy Pruett, born&bred Southern gal, descendant of Southern
> families, Certified Appraiser, historian and lecturer. (There!
> That’s my advertising!)
>
May I suggest a work of fiction that is good reading and that also
gives a
good sense of the post-Civil War South—“The Last Living Confederate
Widow
Tells All” by Allen Gurganus. Set in South Carolina in the scorched
earth of
Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Charleston, this novel gives a good
sense of
what it was like to have one’s entire world destroyed and to have to
start
life again using negative numbers. Also of what it took to survive.
Many families went from wealth to abject poverty with the strike of a
match.
As a graduate student I was astonished to find boxes of materials
containing
letters of people like the South Carolina poet Paul Hamilton Hayne
that were
written in the margins of old newpapers, on endpapers of books, on
fragments
of wallpaper and used butcher paper. Hayne had been a wealthy man
before the
war. After the war he fed his family by trapping rabbits and birds
(he was
low on amunition for his gun) to supplement what little he could grow
in a
vegetable garden (seeds were scarce, too). He and his entire family
lived in
a one-room outbuilding, and he wrote on whatever paper he could find.
At a
later point, suddenly the letters were written on real stationery, as
were
his poems. An Ohio stationer whom Nathaniel Hawthorne had told about
Hayne
in 1863-4 had sent him boxes of stationery!
When the Board of little Washington College (now Washington & Lee) in
Lexington, VA, wanted to invite Robert Edward Lee to assume the
presidency
of that school, no one in the group had a suit that was significantly
unpatched. Board members and community members chipped in to purchase
a suit
for the member chosen to call on Lee. They had hoped to send two
people, but
they could afford only one suit. These too had been people of
financial
substance and social status.
The bulk of the southern population supported itself through
subsistance
farming and lived a hard scrabble existance well into the 20th
century and,
some will argue, up until World War II. To these families, the loss
of men
in war, the destruction of homes and farms, and the scattering or
confiscation of farm animals made even providing milk for children
problematic. A twenty-year-old great-grandmother of mine in Central
Louisiana held a Union soldier at bay with her husband’s hunting gun
when
the soldier tried to take the last milk cow from the farm. A huge
diamondback rattlesnake coiled up on the path between her and the
soldier,
within striking distance. She said she could smell it, but she kept
her gun
trained on the soldier. She thought she had only one good shot in the
gun,
and she said she was prepared to take her chances with the snake. She
had
responsibility for four small children, two of them orphans, along
with her
aged fathere, and that cow stood between them and starvation.
Anyone who thinks the South is ante-bellum Gone With the Wind needs
to
remember the picture of Scarlett O’Hara in that turnip patch. The
moonlight-and-magnolias myth was wishful thinking by old women whose
worlds
and futures had been wiped out by war. Too bad they failed to
understand
that their real heritage—a people who could survive war and
deprivation
and still smile and worship God–was far more admirable than their
myth.
Kris is right, Teddy: don’t tease us. The story you’ve discovered
needs to
be told. And if your listeners go out for sundaes afterwards, they
will
appreciate the taste a lot more, knowing that generations of their
forebears
could not have dreamed of such luxuries.
Still hanging tough in North Louisiana, where fall seems on its way,
Gail Ingram
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 16:38:29 +1200 | From: “Anne Scott” <nzquilter@>
Hi from New Zealand
There has been discussion on commercial quilting. of late.
I have been looking through 19th century NZ newspapers which have
recently
become available online through our National Library website. It is
an
arduous process but I recently happened upon an advertisement in an
1865
newspaper selling sewing machines and among their attributes was they
were
recommended for quilting.
We don’t have a quilt tradition as such in NZ so I was fascinated
that it
would have been mentioned and so early in our history.
Cheers
Anne Scott
Editor & Publisher
New Zealand Quilter magazine
www.nzquilter.com
?<<< Anyone know when commercial machine
quilting began? Alhambra and elmora could just be the
pattern names<<<
Barbara Brackman writes in her Clues in the Calico, pg.140, that
prequilted silk was available in the 1889-90 Montgomery Ward
catalog,
for $1 a yard, and states that it dates back to about 1870>>>
I have appraised a good number of Victorian Cray Quilts, 1880’s and
90’s, with pre-quilted backs, so that info appears to be correct.
Teddy Pruett
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 07:32:13 EDT | From: CBENBERRY@
The Index of American Design was organized under the auspices of the
Federal
Art Project of the W.P.A. It was a program designed to give work to
unemployed artists during the Great Depression. There were over 30
IAD
Projects organized nationwide. While most of the projects were
state-wide
projects, yet in a few instances, such as in New York, there were two
IAD
Projects within the state- a New York City Project (NYC) and a New
York
State project (NYS). Or California, when rendering took place in San
Francisco, label was Ca; when located in Los Angeles, the label was
So. Ca.
The purpose of the Index of American Design was to record in
renderings or
water color paintings exact replications of American artifacts made
prior to
1890. The IAD was the most massive government sponsored arts program
ever to
have existed in the USA.
Early on in the program some of the renderings were forwarded to
Washington,
DC but not all were. As the program was ending close to the advent
of World
War 11, U.S. government officials claiming the renderings were
government
property demanded that institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum
of Art,
which planned to circulate IAD renderings in traveling exhibitions
and also
to publish a book of some plates to be made available to independent
graphic
and decorative artists, schools of art, etc. forward the renderings
it had
acquired to Washington, D.C. Today, the majority of the IAD
renderings are
housed at the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution.
While a number of texts have been written about the IAD over the
years, the
most authoritative as to its history is still the book written by one
its
founders. It is “The Index of American Design” by Erwin O.
Christensen, NY:
Macmillan. ©1950. A catalog of the entire Index of American Design
was
published in 1980. The Index was so huge that the catalogue was
divided into
10 separate publications and each section sold separately. If one
wanted
information about quilts in the Index, then that information, which
told w
hen and where the item was made, by whom, a brief description of the
item,
the artist who painted the plate, its “present owner” (circa
1936-39), and
its assigned call numbers, would be listed under the state where the
IAD
project was held.
For example, listed under Pennsylvania is one of the famous Hewson
quilts in
the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, rendered by Frances
Lichten, State Supervisor of the Penna. IAD on a plate that has the
call
numbers “Pa-Te-208a.”
Quilt information is largely recorded in the first book of the
catalog
entitled “Catalogue of Textiles, Costume, and Jewelry in the Index of
American Design.” Part 1. The catalog contains information exactly
as
recorded in each project and was not always uniformly well done. A
bit
sketchy here and there because some state programs apparently were
not always
as thorough as they should have been. But this is not a criticism,
because
I am a true admirer of this tremendous effort- the massive government
sponsored arts program, the art work of the IAD artists, and the
visual
record of historical American artifacts.
Cuesta Benberry
CBENBERRY@
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 12:58:18 -0400 | From: Newbie Richardson <pastcrafts@>
One interesting chapter on the effects of the “late unpleasantness”
on
the daily lives of women is in Joan Severa’s book “Dressed for the
Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion 1840 – 1900.” Kent State
Univ. Press 1997(?)
Joan was the director of the Wisconsin State Historically Society
for
many many years and is one of the country’s leading authorities on
lower
and middle class clothing and related material culture expressions.
For anyone serious about the history of “women’s work” in the 19th
c.
this book is a “must have”. But you must actually READ it! Her
research
was exhaustive – and was further enriched by her extensive knowledge
of
the history of fabric and costume. The Wisconsin State collection has
the most extensive collection of middle class and working class
clothing
in the country.
The chapter on the 1860’s is extremely revealing of the effects of
the
CW on daily life – and where it did not have an effect!
It is still in print and very much available – but expensive –
about
$75.00 new, unremaindered.
Newbie Richardson
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 13:10:59 -0400 | From: Newbie Richardson <pastcrafts@>
Nothing is perfect. Poly thread is extremely strong and impervious to
the effects of humidity/dryness. That is a good thing as it is
therefore
very “stable”. However, when used to sew fabrics that do absorb
moisture (and “grow” and then “shrink”), it will eventually cause
stress
to those fibers.
The c 1890 quilt top that was quilted was probably already in a
state
of desication and fragility – albeit not to the naked eye. What the
maker/owner are seeing is the natural aging of the textile (the quilt
top)with the lack of aging of the thread. In much of the same way, I
have seen shattered silk garments that were held together by the
thread
that stitched the parts together.
As a professional textile conservator and historian, I beg you all
NOT
to quilt an old (before1950) quilt top!
I also am willing to bet that those sewing impliments made from
vintage fabrics, will desintegrate before too long as most of them
are
probably made with poly thread!
Use 100% cotton on 100% cotton!
Newbie Richardson
