Chicago Int'l Quilt Show 2015
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Hello there, It’s been too long, and I have lots to catch up on…life has been crazy for me. Hopefully I can get back into a blogging groove, because I’ve quilted some pretty amazing quilts over the last several months.
Just two more columns left to do now! I finished quilting the scallops, so I'm all set to add the binding on Monday and start the hand stitiching. Christmas Day was gloomy - rainy and windy. It was so nice to be cozy in my house enjoying a quiet day of stitching, cooking and jigsaw puzzling! I've been busy thinking about the New Year and making some plans. I've started my UFO list for next year, and definitely have 12 more to work on, but not too many more than that! It is nice not to have a pile of projects left over from 2020 that I will need to finish, thanks to Gail's PHD in 2020 program! If you have a lot of UFO's lingering in your sewing room, I highly recommend it! Here is her post for the Quilting PHD in 2021 - I'd encourage you to join in if you are serious about reducing the amount of guilt you have for having so many projects started and not finished! It's very satisfying to look at the list of my finishes for 2020, so I definitely am participating again. I think I'll go quilt another row...I don't know if I can hold myself back from doing it all today, so exciting to be at the end of this project!
March is Women's History Month and what better way is there to celebrate than with Marci Hainkel's women's history quilt?
Life is so much easier without arm restrictions and look - at last - I have simplified Dancing Dollies © - it has been on my agenda for man...
Since I lost my old Blog when my new website was created, I'm going to duplicate a couple of my more recent posts. I wanted to share the small hankie quilt that will be up for bidding at the Silent Auction booth at the upcoming Houston International Quilt Festival. This started out as a beautiful hankie that I stabili
Mary Jane Hannaford (England 1840 – Blandford, New South Wales, Australia 1930)
....otherwise known as the Dear Jane Quilt. And she was quite a dear to accomplish such a feat, while living in a boarding house with the Civil War raging in the distance. Detail has not been given, however, she was living there alone....one might assume that her husband was fighting in distant places. This is Bonnie Quigley's Version of the quilt.....and as you can see it is simply beautiful. . Here is a side view.....I look forward to seeing Bonnie every year at this retreat. I would enjoy her company more, but she lives in Connecticut. Here is her label in the corner.....quite an accomplishment! Here is Trudy Johnson's quilt....they were enjoying sleeping under them while at the retreat......and they were much needed as we had some cold days. Nothing is quite as wonderful as sleeping beneath a quilt. Trudy chose to sash hers with a dark brown fabric. It is the first Dear Jane quilt that I have seen sashed with dark fabric.....and it is also amazing. Trudy lives in St Louis Missouri, so she is a friend I do not get to see often, and that is unfortunate. Both she and Bonnie come early to the retreat, so we spent a day sewing together......and that was good......very good! There are ever so many ladies, that this is the only time during a year that I get to be with them......and that is another reason why this retreat is such a special time of my year. I have a few more heart quotes since Valentine's day is fast approaching. "Never get tired of doing little things for others, sometimes those little things occupy the biggest parts of their hearts". -unknown
Over the months I'll provide inspiration and ideas for period quilts with quilts actually from the era. Few quilts survive with dates 1812-1815 but this chintz eagle medallion is not only dated 1814 it is inscribed with a patriotic motto under the eagle. "Strong in thy strength we bend no Knee To Monarcks or to Tyranny But borne upon thy ample opinion We ride to freedom and dominion 1814" The eagle is the great seal of the United States, used since the 1780s, with 17 stars (Louisiana, the 18th state was admitted in 1812.) The applique combines cut-out chintz with conventional applique. The inked verse, a tribute to freedom, seems derived from poetry of publisher and diplomat Joel Barlow who published The Columbiad in 1808, an epic about America with the lines: Almighty Freedom! give my venturous song The force, the charm that to thy voice belong.... Strong in thy strength I bend no suppliant knee, Invoke no miracle, no Muse but thee. The outer border is a pillar or architectural print framing a field of hexagonal patchwork (undoubtedly paper template pieced). Someone had access to the latest imported fabric. The quilt top was pictured in the 1989 Quilt Engagement Calendar from antique dealers John and Jeannette Bronstein. It looks very English but the verse and Great Seal are very American. The letters in the banner are worn away. It may have said "E Pluribus Unum"---Out of Many One.
Poppy by Marie D. Webster from her 1915 book Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them Copy of Webster's Poppy Marie Webster had a good deal of influence on the look of twentieth century quilts. One important style characteristic was the use of solid color fabrics rather than prints. She advocated pale colors rather than the saturated Turkey reds and chrome yellows that had been the standard for applique. Webster's quilts began to appear in the Ladies Home Journal in 1911. Edward W. Bok 1863-1930 Edward Bok, editor of the Ladies Home Journal for 30 years, was a fan of modernism, advocating liberal thinking in social issues, publishing the work of modernists such as Maxfield Parrish, featuring home designs by Frank Lloyd Wright between 1901 and 1907, and encouraging needlework designers to update traditional techniques. "The New...." was a regular feature. Marie Dougherty Webster 1859-1956 Webster's quilts were examples of "The New Patchwork Quilt." It took several decades for her influence to be felt, but she did create a new style of appliqued quilt. Detail of Webster's Morning Glory Wreath in Ladies Home Journal in 1912. One reason for the lag between idea and fad was the lack of solid color cottons for quilters to work with. To get the colors she wanted Webster advocated appliqueing with linen. The quilt above from the collection of the Indiana State Museum is Webster's model, done in linen and cotton. See the quilt here: http://www.imamuseum.org/collections/artwork/quilt-morning-glory-wreath-marie-d-webster Webster's Granddaughter Rosalind Perry in her book A Joy Forever Marie Webster's Quilt Patterns explained the inspiration: "By choosing linen, muslin and solid color cottons, she reflected the Arts and Crafts preference for sturdy materials with a hand-woven look." This quilt from about 1890-1920 was probably once a dark green on red. But linen was expensive and hard to work with. In 1911 solid color cottons were not reliably colorfast. It's hard to know what this one looked like when it was new. The synthetic dyes, particularly the solid blue background here, were apt to fade from light or bleed in washing. Greens were the least reliable, the most fugitive. Women were unwilling to invest time in applique if the fabrics were likely to fade. After 1925 we start to see Webster's ideas about color become popular with new cottons dyed with new synthetic dyes. Solid pastel cottons are a hallmark of the New Patchwork Quilt.
You do know how much I love traditional quilts. I have been following Linda Collins quilt journey through the reports in Quiltmania and thro...
Circles & Spikes Georgia auction Tennessee project, Betsy Parker ? Alabama, Flavin Glover's family There's a certain appealing style of quilt. We've seen a lot of them on our Facebook group QuiltHistorySouth. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2427588900863781 Defined in Teddy Pruett's chapter in Mary Kerr's Southern Quilts as "Circles & Spikes." Texas auction These wheel patterns require some skill ("Not for the faint of heart," says Teddy) and I have been struck, as Teddy has, by the contrast between skill and ambition. Ken Burns's Collection Not exactly precision piecing. Julie Silber's Inventory Similar pattern Georgia seller, Etsy The contrast between the time required to piece these designs and the quality of the fabric is also striking. We've established that cheap solids prone to fading were what they had---the available Southern cottons after 1880. Thread count was rather low and colors rather limited, yet the stitchers were remarkably creative within a narrow palette of primary solids. Hermann, Missouri Stella Rubin's Inventory And even when the blues and greens faded to gray they still look good. Texas auction Stephens County, Georgia Florida, Maria Theius The style thrived in the South between about 1880 and 1930 and then faded away. Shown at Houston years ago North Carolina auction But there is no reason we can't revive it. Well, those of us who can piece precisely. My job is to give you patterns and offer color and setting advice. Florida, Mrs. Cox North Carolina project It will be the job of our skilled model makers like Becky Brown to actually sew. Georgia, Elizabeth Salter Smith, National Museum of American History Arkansas, exhibit at the Old State House Museum Looking for a challenge? I'll post a pattern once a month here from March through November: Nine Hard-to-Piece Circles & Spikes. Look for the monthly pattern on the last day of the month. Fabrics: That's up to you, but if you want to go South consider solids. Here are a few from Moda that echo the primaries with some approximating the faded glories. The Official Set = 60" x 60" The patterns are drawn to finish to 14" so they fit on an 8-1/2 x 11" sheet of paper. The sash, a triple strip & 9-patch, finishes to 4-1/2" wide. You may want to make bigger blocks. I am giving you the BlockBase numbers so if you have that computer program you can print the blocks any size. Typical Tri-Color Scheme Teal, red and chrome orange First pattern March 31st. New Facebook Group: SouthernSpinQuilt https://www.facebook.com/groups/4975521932493960 It's a public group so you don't have to join. Post pictures etc. And you can buy all 9 patterns right now in my Etsy shop for $12. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1191051821/southern-spin-sampler-nine-traditional
Super-size it! That’s something Nancy rarely said at a restaurant, but often when quilting. Nancy started with a traditional quilt pattern and expanded the
Last Thursday I went to the Quilt Show in Melbourne and here are some of the photos I took of quilts that impressed me. There was a Challenge also on to make a quilt from the Australian book The Fabric of Society by Annette Gero. The first 4 quilts were in the challenge. This one really caught my eye, as you will see I photographed both, of the same quilt, made by 2 different people. This is the Auntie Green quilt, the one I am making just now. and this was another one. It had one less border of flowers and was light bright with more modern looking flowers. Both were beautiful. It was so nice to see someone else's interpretation of the quilt I am making just now. Just a few subtle changes from the first one and they were both lovely. The Civil War Brides quilt, in blue, stunning. This quilt was made by Ester Elui and was wonderful. It has been a free pattern over the last few months on her blog and will now be for sale. This Applique quilt was lovely. It was the pink ripple line on off white fabric that had been used for the background that caught my eye. I always like different background fabric and this one was very effective. After looking at the quilts, Bev and I walked round all the traders. I bought some fabric, a BOM pattern, a small halogen book lamp which can also stand on a work table and runs on batteries, which will be taken to sewing days away from home. We met lots of friends doing the same as us and had a great day out.
It is a beautiful day for a beautiful quilt. My Dear Jane Journey is complete | Enjoy!
This is a beautiful 1890-1910 antique Carolina Lily quilt signed DW on the back. The beige was most likely a dyed green that turned beige overtime. This has denser quilting and also has the triple stitch. Binding is hand stitched. There is some weak areas in the binding mainly on the beige sections and one spot on the beige fabric that lost its stitch along with a couple weak spots. Most antique quilt are not perfect as there are some small spots on back, faint age spot on the fold line. I have not washed this. Please review images. This came from a historic estate in the Roanoke Park district of Seattle. Measurements - 66x78 inches NOTE: If you live abroad, I am happy to check the shipping costs to your location. Please message me the country you live in. Thank you! For the USA if you want more affordable shipping, choose ground. All sales final! For additional questions, images or issues with your order please contact me! Vintage products may not be perfect so I give honest reviews and critiques of the items as is and with any damage associated with it in the description and in the images. Go vintage and save the world! For bulkier and heavier items some larger box package materials may be recycled to reduce waste. For international shipping, please message me to get an estimate of the shipping costs if you have any questions or concerns. Since I am focusing on free USA shipping, I will refund overages for international shipping for anything over $1.50. Please visit or favorite my shop if you’d like to discover more funky finds and treasures every week! https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheElizabethanCloset
Made by Lucinda Ward Honstain of Brooklyn, New York in 1867, it mixes scenes from her own life with scenes of war, runaway slaves, and other political events. Large image here. Above, home scenes. Note the soldier in Zouave uniform at center right. Yes, they really wore those things, at least in the first two years of the war. That may be Lucinda's brother in the dry goods wagon along the left side. This is the bottom right quadrant of the quilt, so the celebratory image in the lower right corner might be considered the last. This was auctioned in 1991 for $265,000, at the time the highest price ever paid for a quilt. It is quite a remarkable thing.
Antique pieced Double Wedding Ring quilt - such a lovely example
The end is drawing near for the completion of this quilt! Started over a year ago, put aside numerous times and then taken back out and put aside again. Finally deciding the only way I would finis…
....otherwise known as the Dear Jane Quilt. And she was quite a dear to accomplish such a feat, while living in a boarding house w...
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Let’s spend a little time and talk about how ribbons and buttons work so well together when embellishing vintage linens.Once again I am going to use the picture captions to give you step by step in…
Just letting you know that Craftsy is launching their big Summer Sale starting today and ending at midnight, Monday June 9th. All courses are a whopping 50% off!!! CLICK HERE to be taken to Craftsy...happy shopping!!! Hugs, Cindy :)
Finally finished scanning all the Civil War Diary and Love Letter Blocks! If you want to see closeup of the blocks you can check them all out here.
This is Katie's second layout, using white as all of the plain triangles... she's after more opinions! Any suggestions?
This lovely traditional quilt made from Liberty fabrics was pieced by Edwina. I quilted a feather in the centre of the plain fabr...
Quilt dated 1862 from the Dutton-Steers families, Virginia A letter sold on an online auction a while ago was from a Union prisoner of war from New York. He had lovely penmanship, creative spelling and a sad tale from prisons in Virginia: Belle Isle is an island in the river outside Richmond where Union prisoners were housed in tents. "October 21 1862. Camp P? Prisoners Near Elexandery Virginia My dear Grandmother. I write these few lines to you hoping it find you as well as ever. I am just recovering My health. 6 weeks ago I walked Anopilas streets Maryland with a cane. But now I throwed that a side and begin to look like my self. I had come from that enfurnal hole called Bellislands Richmond there was about five thousand in all. We was hardest looking lot of boys.... . "We all got new clothes Blanketts and a'int had one in 2 months, Each of these simple pieced quilts is dated 1862 A woman gave me a Bed Quilt the other day. The blanketts aint come yet a third of us is with out blankets. We seen hard times since we left york State. We get plenty to eat heare. What they going to do with [us] I dont now. We look like so many Criminals We took the oath not to take up arms against Southern Confedrancy....
I am very excited to share our first ever extended Linen Ladies Workshop. I have been teaching one-day classes on how to create these be...
Greetings dear readers! I went to the New England Quilt Museum Saturday and met Barbara Brackman!! She, of course, ran the Hospital Sketches sew-along and came to the museum from her home in Kansas…
