September 9 – 11, 2004
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:
- Country Musicians Who Collect Quilts — A lighthearted thread names country music performers, including Dolly Parton, who are known quilt collectors or enthusiasts.
- 2005 Quilt Engagement Calendars — Members recommend several 2005 quilt calendars, including one from Barnes & Noble and one by Gerald Roy.
- Grandmother’s Flower Garden Binding Repair — A member asks whether it’s worthwhile to replace the worn binding on an antique Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt. (see the article on Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts)
- “Moggy” and British Cat Slang — A playful tangent traces the British slang term “moggy” for cat back to a musical theater reference. (see the article on quilting in Europe)
From: “Linda Heminway”
Just an invitation, if any of you live near me in Southern NH (or Northern MA). I have a group of people set up to make blocks for a reproduction Sanitary Commission Quilt. Here is a photo of a repro quilt made in CA sent to me by Don Beld (who has posted here about his project). http://www.treadleon.net/bulletinboard/bulletinboard.html I am in a group of antique sewing machine collectors on line and they work, mostly, with “people powered” treadle and hand crank machines. I have 8 people, so far, who are willing to make blocks and it takes 15 to make up a quilt! I think I can get enough blocks from this group to make a quilt, maybe even two or three quilts!
I would love to get a couple of wonderful quilters from this area to meet at my home (will provide enticing refreshments, maybe chocolate!) on a weekday to sash and put together a quilt for the family of a soldier who died in Iraq or Aghganistan. If I got a few people local to me, and someone had a quilt frame (I don’t, sadly), perhaps we could schedule an old fashioned quilting bee on another day and quilt it as well. I’m very excited about doing this project to show love and caring to those families who have lost loved ones. As those wonderful Sanitary Commission quilters did long ago, we too can show support and caring in the world. Linda Heminway Plaistow NH
From: Gail Ingram
Subject: [qhl] Re: Country Musicians/Quilt collectors > > Sorry – sending private messages through the list seems to be an > increasing failure; are these ‘senior moments’? > > Xenia > > As a teacher of adolescents, I wish to say a word here about senior moments: they must start at age one.
Just as we see our youths unrealistically and think wistfully of “sweet sixteen,” we see other things unrealistically. I think the phenomenon we call “senior moments” is one. Names, maybe, do fade, but the loopiness is there very early.
At 28-9, with a baby, I got in the car with my husband to go for a late-night drive after a long night of writing, something we had often done in the 8 years of our marriage. I made sure our terrier Foxy was with us. As we headed onto the highway, I remembered the baby at home in the bed. Short drive. “Senior moment. “
Gail
If they’re senior moments, then I’m aging a lot faster than I should…I’m only 44! 🙂
As for country musicians, I have this vague recollection that Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks likes quilts, and so does Dolly Parton. But I could be wrong….
Karen Evans Easthampton, Massachusetts
—
I just received a flyer on this in the mail and pulled the following information from the Old Sturbridge Village web site. Does anyone know more, or is anyone on the list participating?
A Quilting Party at Old Sturbridge Village November 6 – November 7 9:30 AM-4:00 PM
Come join a celebration of early 19th-century New England quiltmaking. Stop by a quilting party in progress in one of the Village’s households and learn how this type of gathering was essential and entertaining for early New England women. Join a quilt-themed tour of the Center Village, see quilts and quilted accessories from the OSV collection, try your hand at a paper-pieced quilting activity to take home, and learn about the history of this favorite American activity. See volunteers from the Massachusetts Quilt Documentation Project in action throughout the weekend, documenting Massachusetts quilts in the museum’s collection.
An afternoon tea in the Tavern (Sat. at 3 p.m., separate fee) features guest speaker Patricia Cox Crews, director of the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and author of A Flowering of Quilts (University of Nebraska Press, 2001), Wild by Design: Two Hundred Years of Innovation and Artistry in American Quilts (University of Washington Press, 2003), and Midwestern Amish Crib Quilts (Good Books, 2003). Following the tea, Dr. Crews will sign copies of her books in the adjacent New England Bookstore.
Admission to the tea is $25 ($22.50 for OSV members), including tax and gratuity. A package combining Village admission and the tea/lecture is available by advance purchase only for $40. Overnight packages with the Lodges at Old Sturbridge Village are also available.
A Quilting Party at Old Sturbridge Village is sponsored by Cranston Print Works of Cranston, Rhode Island.
A Quilting Party at Old Sturbridge Village Upcoming Dates Saturday, November 6, 2004 – Sunday, November 7, 2004 at 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Karen Evans Easthampton, MA
From: “Laura Syler”
Dolly Parton is correct, that I know for certain. Back in the late 80’s or early 90’s she purchased all the wooden quilt stands that we had made for the Dallas Quilt Guild’s Quilt Celebration for her quilt collection to be exhibited at Dollywood. By their own choice, and a majority of their former loyal public…the Dixie Chicks are no longer considered a Country Band……..too bad! And if you are trying to appeal to the country music crowd…don’t even mention Natalie’s name. As they say, politics can make a nasty bed-fellow!
Laura Hobby Syler Richardson, Texas
From: amdresner <
As for country musicians, Barbara Mandrel. Once had a TV interview / tour of her home, and showed quilts decorating her home and she looks for them when on the road.
I too started off on vacation with 4 kidlets and a hubby. Got to the end of the drive way and realized that my 3 month old was still in his bassinet. I was only 23 at the time.
From: “Lynne Z. Bassett”
Hi Karen,
I’ve signed up to go. I think it will be fun! Hope to see you there.
Best, Lynne
—
I figured you’d be there, Lynne. 🙂 Money is tight right now, but yes, I’m hoping to attend. It sounds like fun. I should have my 17th century style silk wholecloth done by then and can bring it along if anyone’s interested…?
Karen Evans
From: “Lynne Z. Bassett”
Great! I would love to see it and I’m sure that many others would as well. Please do bring your quilt.
—
No problem. It’s either that or bring the spinning, and I’m still dubious about whether I can learn to do that at home without assistance from Malfoy-the-cat and his Paws of Doom.
From: “Lynne Z. Bassett” <lzbassett@>
Karen,
Your description of your cat made me laugh! I have the same trouble with my kitties. They make it very hard to sew because they seem to want to throw themselves on the point of my scissors as I’m cutting out, and then Chester, my tuxedo kitty, HAS to sit on my sewing table under the nice warm lamp while I am sewing–and he likes to bat at the spool as it spins on the sewing machine. Makes it all very difficult!
Best, Lynne
From: “Julia D. Zgliniec” <rzglini1@>
Dear L,L, and QHL,
Of course, the remedy for your cat problems is to GET A DOG!
But then my dog Pete likes to lay at my feet as all good dogs do and when I am at the sewing machine he occasionally will step on the foot peddle and off the machine goes!! He also stretches his “paws of doom” into the on/off button on my computer surge protector and then I get the blue screen of doom!
Regards to all, Julia Zgliniec
Date: Thu, 9 Sep
Malfoy is particularly bad. Not only is he sneaky, he has giant mutated six-toed front paws. And he *loves* to sit on (or against) everything that I’m working on. Especially hand-dyed silk thread, or fine linen, or thread I’m trying to skein off to dye.
Anyone know how to turn cats into bathmats? I swear I’m tempted sometimes!
Karen Evans
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 17:51:31 +0100 | From: Sally Ward <sallytatters@>
Pointed up on a UK list today, you can ‘Listen Again’ to an item from today’s BBC Radio 4 magazine programme ‘Woman’s Hour’.
Linked to the opening of a quilt exhibition in the north of England, it includes short interviews with local quilters, and longer ones with Quilt Art member Elizabeth Brimelow and historian Dorothy Osler. You’ll hear mention of quilting to use up dressmaking scraps <G>
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2004_36_thu_02.shtml
the programmes are usually kept on ‘Listen Again’ for one week.
Sally W
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 14:16:57 -0400 | From: Patricia L Cummings <quiltersmuse@>
Thanks, Sally.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2004_36_thu_02.shtml
the programmes are usually kept on ‘Listen Again’ for one week.
* * * * * * Interesting to hear the presenters say that quilts utilized scraps that were leftover from sewing. These pieces of fabric were used because of “thrift, but not the need to make warm bedcovers”. The two people interviewed were Elizabeth Brimalow and Dorothy Osler.
Thanks again, Sally.
Pat Cummings
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 13:42:58 -0600 | From: “Ann-Louise Beaumont” <albeaumont@>
Would replacing the worn binding on a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt worth less than $300 affect the quilt’s value? Many thanks for any information. Best Wishes, Ann-Louise Beaumont in Greeley, CO
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 17:26:29 -0400 | From: “Jo Williams”
I just received the 2005 Quilts Engagement Calendar from Barnes & Noble, and it’s just as beautiful as last year’s — tons of color photos of antique quilts with their history. The price is $12.95, and, if you order a total of $25, your shipping is free.
I also received an e-mail from www.calendars.com today, which also has the same calendar for $12.95, along with a 20% coupon. If you want to order anything, use the coupon code “05EB20.” Jo in New River Gorge, WV
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 17:39:00 -0400 | From: Patricia L Cummings <quiltersmuse@>
On the subject of calendars, Gerald Roy also has a wonderful calendar for 2005 which features photos of the beautiful antique quilts from the Pilgrim/Roy collection.
Printed by the American Quilter’s Society, the calendar has plenty of space for writing in appointments, etc. and is especially valuable because of the additional sections on quilt conservation and preservation. ISBN 1-57432-855-7, AQS#6513. One can order toll-free: 1-800-626-5420.
I mention this only because I know that we have quilt calendar collectors in this group.
Pat
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 05:14:46 -0400 | From: Kathie Holland <kathieholland@>
Thanks for the information Pat! Yes, I will have to buy this one too! Kathie in NJ
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 09:33:35 -0400 | From: “Candace Perry” <candace@>
I’m in a show called HONK! that was originally produced in the UK, and a group of us have been wondering about a word that’s used in the show — “moggy.” A lot of the British slang has been changed in the US version, but this word is actually in a song and couldn’t be changed… Can you help? Candace Perry
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 09:39:58 EDT | From: Midnitelaptop@
evidently moggy is a scottish slang word for cat if you go to http://www.christymarx.com/moggy/horde.htm there’s more info. jeanL
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 10:15:43 -0400 | From: “Candace Perry” <candace@>
Wow, makes sense because the character is referring to the cat character in the song…I thought it might be a slang word like “bloke.” Thanks! Candace Perry
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 10:15:57 -0400
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Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 15:42:27 +0100 | From: Sally Ward <sallytatters@>
Midnitelaptop@ wrote: > evidently moggy is a scottish slang word for cat
Yep. Maybe Scottish in origin, but used all over the country now. A moggy is a common average ‘Hienz 57’ kind of a cat.
Sally W
— Sally (‘Tatters’) Ward
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 16:34:51 +0000 | From: brickworks@
For the Nashville file — one of the editors at QNM, Kay — (darn, know her name well…another senior moment! 🙂 ) presented Randy Travis with a Hawaiian applique quilt. I don’t know if that qualifies him for the “collector” moniker, since I have no idea whether he owns other quilts.
Since we’re talking about the entertainment field, I do know that Tim Taylor’s “wife” on ‘Home Improvement’ has actively made quilts in her ‘real’ life…so has the lieutenant on ‘Law and Order.’ With a little mental activity, I might even remember their names!
Cindy
Brickworks http://www.cindybrick.com –NextPart_Webmail_9m3u9jl4l_22628_1094834091_0–
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:40:00 -0400 | From: “Pepper Cory” <pepcory@>
‘Moggy’ is a term applied to a street-wise cat and it seems a lot of the Brit ‘Moggies’ I’ve met have been black and white. We like to call them Tuxedo Cats here in the US. According to a Scientific American study (true!) from years ago, the black and white cat came into the US from seaport cities (like Philadelphia and New York) and then spread west. Makes sense if they came over as sea-faring rat-catchers on British ships. More than you wanted to know I’m sure…. Pepper
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:13:03 -0700 (PDT) | From: Rissa Peace Root <rissapeace@>
Gail, the timing on this post really struck me. I just found a photo of my grandfather’s shop. I am unsure of the date, but I would venture to guess WWII era or shortly there after. I was a late in life child, so I have no memory of the store, just the workshop…but the photo clearly shows bolts of fabric and premade clothing with pricing and a patron! 🙂 I do know for certain this was Augusta, GA…and my grandfather extended credit to everyone. EVERYONE.
The ready made clothes were dirt cheap…but so was the fabric. LOL
It is plastered on the main page of my website! LOL
http://www.prettyimpressivestuff.com
Rissa
— Gail Ingram <gingram@> wrote: > While members have taken it for granted that > everyone sewed garments for the > family, that is not true for many in the Deep South, > especially for > African-Americans. In many such families there is > no tradition of home > clothing construction, something that surprised me > when I began to recognize > it. I don’t know if it stemmed from the inability to > purchase a sewing > machine. I’m sure merchants did not always extend > credit to African-American > women, particularly those who were the sole heads of > households; and the > wages for domestics were unimaginably low in many > cases. Possibly it is the > same reason many women do not sew clothing > today–most of these women worked > outside the home and probably had little time in > which to get their house > work done. Often they depended on hand-me-downs from > their employers’ > families.
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2004 20:53:14 -0400 | From: “Lucinda Cawley” <lrcawley@>
Hey Gail, These people up here in MD think they are southerners–and the natives here on Eastern Shore think that with a vengeance. Why do you think I am always “on” but never “from” the Eastern Shore. The Marylanders will not be happy if you draw the line at VA and WV. You know they only stayed in the Union because Federal troops made them. I say you go with Mason and Dixon; those boys got it right. As a displaced Pennsylvania I want to come to Nashville to learn some of your secrets. Might help me blend in better (will never fit in, I know). Cinda on the you-know-where
