97203 - 97205

From: "Bob and Karen Osborne" <osborneiinet.com>
To: <QHLcuenet.com>

Cathy, what an abosultely fabulous story! Thanks for sharing it with us. 
And congratulations on your new found family history!

Karen O sborne
summer in Murrieta 
osborneiinet.com

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 23:08:43 -0400 (EDT)
From: aol.com
To: 

Just a few random thoughts on the latest digest - 

Merry May - completely agree with you about the "intentional flaw." A lot of
those muddy blocks in otherwise red (or blue in otherwise green) quilts are
because the quilter had to use a different fabric with a less stable dye -
Turkey Red in particular was expensive, and the new aniline reds *looked*
good enough in the short-term. I've always suspected that the famous
Kentucky Coffin Quilt wasn't originally brown, but was actually made from
fabrics dyed with unstable dyes that went brown as the quilt aged."

Sue in NW Ohio - I was recently re-reading an Anne of Green Gables quilt and
came across a reference to one of the characters "knitting a quilt," which is
probably where the whole thing started. According to an armorer I know,
originally "knit" was a synonym for "make" and did not necessarily refer to
what we commonly think of as knitting. Chainmail, for instance, was (and is)
"knitted," even though the armorer has to interweave the links by hand
without needles.

Re: "the way we used to do it" - primary sources are great, but sometimes it
can backfire. I once read about a vintage clothing collector who was told,
in all seriousness, by an old woman that she had worn a pink polyester mini
dress in the 30's. :)

Documentation - whenever I find something new, I check to see if there's
anything else like it made around the same period. For instance, I was
researching Islamic calligraphy for a friend and saw a picture of a quilted
14th century Mamluke cap from Egypt. The citation in the index gave the
locations of several other surviving caps from the same period (at least one
of which I confirmed with the museum's curator), so it's safe to say that
yes, the Mamlukes wore these little quilted caps. Same thing with trapunto -
in addition to the three known 14th century Sicilian trapunto quilts, there's
a painting of the Dormition of the Virgin by Bartolmeo Bermejo from the
mid-15th century that also shows what is obviously a trapunto coverlet.
There's also a similar coverlet (of silk, not linen) in the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum in Boston, so it's safe to say that trapunto coverlets were at
least semi-common in aristocratic circles in southern Europe in the 14th and
15th centuries. The rough rule of thumb I use: one example may be a fluke;
two indicates a school or regional tradition; three or more suggests a common
or at least widespread 
style.

Jane - your story about the signals reminds me of the flaming chalice symbol
my church, the Unitarian Universalist Association, uses. The chalice was
first used by members of the American Unitarian Service Committee to signify
a safe house during World War II, when the church was trying to smuggle
children and intellectuals out of Europe. After the war, the Unitarians
began using the flaming chalice as their own symbol, and it was adopted by
the whole denomination after they merged with the Universalists in 1961. 

Also, the idea that neighbors would be close enough to see what quilts were
being aired on a particular day shows that modern Americans have pretty much
forgotten just how isolated farms are. My uncle's farm, which was a station
on the Underground Railroad, is something like a third of a mile from the
nearest neighbor - which was built *after* the Civil War. At the time the
Railroad operated, the nearest neighbor was probably around a mile away.

"The Quilters" on TV - I seem to recall that this *was* on TV about ten years
ago on something like Great Performances. Or have I lost my mind????


Karen Evans

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 23:50:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: HPQuiltingaol.com
To: 

Although all of this is conjecture until we verify a primary source, I
concur. The runaway slaves were not wandering about on their own. There were
conductors who took them to safety. They were handed over to various folks
who took them part of the way and then conducted them to another person,
rather like a relay race. The quilts could just as likely have signaled a
conductor waiting for his next group of slaves to arrive that this particular
house was safe. Although some conductors were black, the vast majority were
not. It certainly wouldn't have seemed strange to anyone for a white man to
ride by a neighbor's house.
Another thing: I do not think that very many men of that period would have
thought much about the quilt or its pattern. My husband has a wife who eats,
drinks and sleeps quilts, but I know he wouldn't notice something like that.
My DH is a great guy who is interested in all I do, but in those days women
were pretty much dismissed from anything but domestic activities. I doubt
that the men would notice such a domestic practice, since it would have been
considered to be umimportant. I know of very few men who would notice that
the quilt was made differently.
Just conjecture as I said before, but logical, I think, nonetheless.

Penny (HPQuiltingaol.com)

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 23:50:37 -0600
From: "Brian Potter & Family" <bfpottertelusplanet.net>
To: 

Am really enjoying all the postings about the log cabins!

Cathy Anne,
Welcome to QHL and I enjoyed hearing about your quest over the past 4
years. You truly deserved the quilts!
A few years ago, I puchased a quilt top at an auction ($40) and have been
pondering the question of what to use for the backing. The fabrics in the
top are very thick/stiff - whole top weighs alot even tho its only a long
twin size. The blue sashings and borders are the thickest! I haven't
really spent the time investigating the age of all the fabrics but suspect
that they are 1940s era. I wish I would have had the sense to ask
questions at the auction! Anyway, my question is......Do I find some
similar era thick fabric or use modern thinner fabrics as the backing? 
I am finally going to call Singer tomorrow to find out the birthdate of my
treadle machine!
Dale Anne in very hot central Alberta, Canada
bfpottertelusplanet.net

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 06:53:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: Baglady111aol.com
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: Re: QHL: mexican War
Message-ID: <970804065321_1761184717emout07.mail.aol.com>

In a message dated 97-08-03 15:34:22 EDT, you write:

<< 
The point of this brief history lesson is to wonder if quilt designs out
of this situation would be called "Mexican" anything. They were, after
all, the enemy. The derogatory term "gringo" comes from this war;
A >>
Xenia's portion of this marvelous post. In my lecture on how quilt patterns
were named...brought to mind the BURGOYNE SURROUNDED pattern..named for a
Revolutionary War battle of Saratogo on Oct 17, 1777, when a small force of
Americans surrounded the army of General John Burgoyne, forcing him to
surrender..Irronically,the block's name immortalizes the defeated Burgoyne
rather than the victor..the earliest know date for this pattern was 1890 and
given as BEAUREGARD'S SURROUNDINGS..later it was published at WHEEL of
FORTUNE and ROAD to CA. But most often known as BURGOYNE SURROUNDED..

I wonder, Xenia,how many patterns WERE named for what we would thing 'the
opposite side' or the reverse as to what we would feel should be the
attribute?? Jane of THE FEEDSACK CLUB

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 21:11:17 +0900
From: "Atsuko Ohta" <aootamscom.or.jp>
To: <QHLcuenet.com>
Subject: Re:QHL:Miscellaneous
Message-Id: <199708041207.VAA05061mailhost.mscom.or.jp>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-2022-JP
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Karen Evans wrote:

>Sue in NW Ohio - I was recently re-reading an Anne of Green Gables quilt
and
>came across a reference to one of the characters "knitting a quilt," which
is
>probably where the whole thing started. According to an armorer I know,
>originally "knit" was a synonym for "make" and did not necessarily refer
to
>what we commonly think of as knitting. Chainmail, for instance, was (and
is)
>"knitted," even though the armorer has to interweave the links by hand
>without needles.

When I visited Paula who is a daughter of Myrtle McNiel (Sorry, the
spelling may be wrong), a cousin of Lucy Maud Montgomery, and was born and
raised at the house which is now called Green Gables, she showed me a
"quilt"(she called it) with Apple Leaf Pattern knitted by Maud, herself. It
wasn't really a quilt but a knitted bedcover. So I GUESS the word "knit" is
not the point but the word "quilt" seemed to have broader meanings.

I don't remember the original post, so if this is beside the point, I'm
sorry.

Atsuko

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 09:17:43 -0400 (EDT)
From: Baglady111aol.com
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: Re: QHL: Miscellaneous
Message-ID: <970804091742_-1974595563emout03.mail.aol.com>

In a message dated 97-08-04 02:21:44 EDT, you write:

<< 
Jane - your story about the signals reminds me of the flaming chalice symbol
my church, the Unitarian Universalist Association, uses. The chalice was
first used by members of the American Unitarian Service Committee to signify
a safe house during World War II, when the church was trying to smuggle
children and intellectuals out of Europe. After the war, the Unitarians
began using the flaming chalice as their own symbol, and it was adopted by
the whole denomination after they merged with the Universalists in 1961. 

Also, the idea that neighbors would be close enough to see what quilts were
being aired on a particular day shows that modern Americans have pretty much
forgotten just how isolated farms are. My uncle's farm, which was a station
on the Underground Railroad, is something like a third of a mile from the
nearest neighbor - which was built *after* the Civil War. At the time the
Railroad operated, the nearest neighbor was probably around a mile away. >

My father (now deceased) belonged to the United Methodist church and I often
wondered about the flaming chaice on a flag in their sanctuary..thanx for the
info..

Yes, the houses were far apart..until about 6 yrs ago..I could not see my
nearest neigbor..the farms are so scattered..when farm next to ours was sold,
the new owners built a house at the top of the acreage..the house from OUR
back porch looks like the size of a house you use in Monopoly..BUT when I
would pass thru the kitchen at night (no light one) the light from THEIR
house..was like a HUGH SPOTLIGHT..it seemed to take FOREVER for me to be able
to go thru the house at night and NOT see that beacon..16 yrs of NO
SIGHTING..and all of a sudden..IT WAS THERE.. and yes, they would not be
able to see a center of a quilt from the woods..where they most likely would
have been hiding..or possibly in another house some distance from their next
'safe house'..they certainly were'nt arriving my yellow cab..
I am just amazed that more people did'nt have this in history in school..we
did..and that was ,many moons ago..sometimes all the best plans were set..no
one was expected, no activities were going on..and then SOMETIMES..activities
WERE GOING ON..like a great party..there would so much noise from music,
people were more contained to a given area with dancing, eating, etc..much
chatter..that they were able to slip the slaves into the area where they wer
going to be kept..houses in that time didn't always have a stairway to the
cellar..you would enter the cellar from the outside..remember the slanted
doors at the back of the house?? They still have them on many houses at my
home in VA.. they are called storm cellars, root cellars, coal cellars..so
what better time when there was noise of a party..to hide any sounds of
people moving around..for anyone who has never lived in the country..and I DO
MEAN COUNTRY..when it gets quiet at nite..you can hear the butterflies (g)
flying...BUT..if something would happen that they had to postpone receiving
the slaves..they were stuck at the place they HAD been hiding..AND that was
one reason why many were caught..they COULD NOT STAY there and were just
plain tossed out. Jane

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 10:03:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: JZgliniecaol.com
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: QHL: Burgoyne Surrounded
Message-ID: <970804100334_-689705053emout11.mail.aol.com>

Dear QHL,

I have seen the pattern, Burgoyne Surrounded, also called Homespun. I have
always thought the pattern bears a striking resemblance to woven coverlet
patterns. It does not take a great leap of faith to think that there may
have been some translating of a design from one medium to another.

Regards,
Julia

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 10:34:14 -0400

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 09:29:23 -0400
From: Diane McGuire <dianemcgici.net>

Hi, All,

Just a note about how ideas and traditions get passed along in our 
subconscious memory.

My friend of many years Brenda was quilting with us at my house a few 
years ago, and I noticed when she went over to the ironing board to 
press her square she licked her finger and touched it to the iron. I 
asked her why she did that since we had all been using the iron for 
hours and it was plugged in and obviously hot. She thought a moment and 
said she always did that because her mother (who had been a professional 
seamstress) always did it. She also remembered that her grandmother had 
done it, too. So even though for two generations the women in her family 
had had electric irons, they still used the old spit test to see if the 
iron was hot.

She also passed along a super tip: To clean an iron (not a teflon coated 
one) of gunk you have picked up from wonderunder or starch, sprinkle 
waxed paper with a little salt and run your hot iron over it for a few 
seconds. Iron the gunk off on some scrap or an old towel, and your iron 
will be clean. 

Diane in Massachusetts

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 12:00:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: JQuiltaol.com
To: qhl-digestcue.com
Subject: Hallmark & Quilters
Message-ID: <970804115925_-2041341924emout05.mail.aol.com>

Thanks to Janet Shurts, who sent the e-mail address of Hallmark Studios....
republicsegi-mail.com,

I sent the following post to Hallmark. Maybe some of you would like to do the
same?
..............................................................................
.............................................
As a member of several quilt lists on the internet. One of which has over
1,000 members...
I would love to see a Hallmark Production of "The Quilters" written by, Molly
Newman & Barbara Damashek ISBN# 0822290284.... I have seen it performed on
stage and it its wonderful..

Please think about producing this show on television on the Hallmark Hall of
Fame series...

Jean
jquiltaol.com

------------------------------

Date: 04 Aug 97 10:28:00 MDT
From: BReynoldadmin.nmt.edu
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: QHL: colored quilting thread
Message-Id: <6000E633013F2F79-SMF->
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

I'm currently working on adding a border to a double wedding ring quilt to 
change it from double bed to king size. The quilt was made by the 
grandmother of my customer who is a man in his 70's. The fabrics of the top 
are recognizable 30's prints, but the quilt is finished with a backing and 
binding of a rather heavy polyester blend fabric. So I'm presuming the 
quilt was not completed until 1960's or later. The thread used in the hand 
quilting is a light blue.

My real question is--when did quilters begin to use colored thread for hand 
quilting? All my own family quilts were done with white or antique white 
thread.

Thanks, Betty
====================================================
Betty Reynolds -- New Mexico Tech Library -- Socorro NM USA
breynoldnmt.edu 
http://www.nmt.edu/~breynold

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 11:38:35 -0500
From: LAURA SYLER <texas_quilt.coairmail.net>

BReynoldadmin.nmt.edu wrote:
> 
> I'm currently working on adding a border to a double wedding ring quilt to
> change it from double bed to king size. The quilt was made by the
> grandmother of my customer who is a man in his 70's. The fabrics of the top
> are recognizable 30's prints, but the quilt is finished with a backing and
> binding of a rather heavy polyester blend fabric. So I'm presuming the
> quilt was not completed until 1960's or later. The thread used in the hand
> quilting is a light blue.
> 
> My real question is--when did quilters begin to use colored thread for hand
> quilting? All my own family quilts were done with white or antique white
> thread.
> 


Betty: I have a broderie purse quilt from a client circa 1790 that has
an indigo blue stairstep borders...quilted in navy thread...Red paisley
inner border...quilted in what was probably red thread....I'll be
bringing it to QRS next month if you are coming.... In the late 70's
and early 80's colored quilting thread was quite popular...the thread
companies had begun to make it again. However, much of it was cotton
covered polyester...not 100% cotton, and continued that way until not so
long ago when Gutterman and Metrosene began producing colored cotton
quilting threads. Corticelli/Belding Lily (now defunted)also made some
colored cotton threads early on, but the best range was in the blended
flavor. BTW.. Do you plan to rebind with a more appropriate fabric?

Laura

information contact:
Laura Hobby Syler
Karen Erlandson
Vintage Quilt & Textile Society
2401 Blue Cypress
Richardson, TX 75082
texas_quilt.coairmail.net
Please include snail mail address

Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 11:45:55 -0500
From: Maury Bynum <maurybynumtextileconservators.com>
To: Quilting Heritaage List Serv <QHLcuenet.com>
Subject: QHL: Black centers
Message-ID: <33E60743.7F0Etextileconservators.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I am of the impression that most of man's early history has come down to
us in the form of "Oral History"! Doesn't "Black Centers" apply?
Maury Bynum

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 16:51:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Quiltfixaol.com

I don't believe it. I bought another pink quilt Sunday. Walked into the
auction and saw two quilts and a blanket on the wall. When I got closer, the
blanket turned into a spectacular, mostly appliqued/reverse appliqued summer
quilt. The others were batting for new quilts. I eventually bought the
stunner.

But I am at this point unable to give a "Circa" to it. I know, sounds really
weird coming from me, but I cannot comfortably decide if it's a 20th century
quilt, or if it is a 19th century piece. 

This quilt is made entirely of solid-color cotton fabrics. Four colors -
white, pink, lavender, and raspberry (not wine/burgundy). That's where my
first and main difficulty comes, because I don't have any fabric patterns to
go by. 

There are four block patterns, different but similar in design. The block
starts with a 12" raspberry square, which is bordered with two 2" borders,
one pink, one lavender. Then, on top of the raspberry of all twelve blocks
(set on square, 3 by 4 blocks) is a white border, 2" wide. There are small
designs (running v's, soemthing that looks like a tiny variant on the orange
peel pattern, butterflies (X's?) that run in double rows along the white
border, each motif being *REVERSE* appliqued to the raspberry. Then every
block has a dog-tooth border on the inside of the white, teeth facing the
raspberry, in lavender. They are not separate triangles, but one continuous
piece running around the edge and appliqued down. The base design on the
remaining raspberry is variants on "daisies", three rows of three, in
lavender and pink . Some are six petalled, some four. All have a center
circle, the circumference of my fingertip, in a contrasting color. 

The kicker after all that is this: every block (around it's double border) is
sashed with running diamonds, in the colors, on white. All appliqued ! 

Single two inch border, pink, on the sides. Top and bottom have
pink-lavender- pink borders. It is not bound, but the edges of the top and
back were turned in. No batting at all. The backing is pink. The quilting
consists of parallel lines, 1/2" apart, running the length of the quilt, not
including the top/bottom borders. They are quilted the same, but
perpendicular to the rest of the quilting.

The lavender is not bright, but very grayed. The pink is not the bubblegum
pink of the depression era. All the fabrics seem to be inexpensive greige
goods. No wear, though. This quilt is in excellent physical condition, just
dingy. 

Oh, the quilting thread is basically pretty thick, and the pink color is not
regular. The thickness of the thread is also variable, from the thickness of
three strands of embroidery thread, to as thin as sewing thread. Is the
thread possibly hand-spun?

The quilt is very folk-arty. It feels Penna Dutch. Also Mennonite. Also
Amish (very unlikely). Also African-American. Also kind of like a mola. See
why I'm so confused?

At this point I have no provenance. The quilt was on consignment. The
auctioneer didn't know where it came from. I plan on asking if he'll put me
in contact with the consigner.

I'm of a mind that it is dated somewhere just the other side of 1900, and
from the Lancaster Co., PA area. This is instinct, and I've learned not to
ignore it. 

I was so anxious and excited yesterday, I was trembling (it's how my friends
know there's a "find"). 

And NO, I didn't get a deal. I paid much more than I expected (two to three
times average) - that's what happens when a rich woman with decent instincts,
but no real knowledge, decides she wants the quilt too, and doesn't really
care if the price is sort of high. The plastic was smokin' !

Any ideas? I'm really at a loss here. I have started looking in books for
similar quilts, but haven't seen anything like it, although the one or two
non-Amish, Lancaster Co. quilts I've seen have the right *feel*. I will
definitely bring it to Omaha next month. I think I have quite a find, and
very possibly a true, one-of-a-kind piece.

It also does not have the feel of traditional red/green patterns, nor the
30's applique patterns.

Pam, Teddy, and other appraisers - have you seen something like this? How
about you, Maury?

Alan

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 11:57:09 -0400
From: Diane McGuire <dianemcgici.net>
To: antique quilts line <QHLcue.com>

If any of you missed the November issue of Quilters Newsletter Magazine, 
try to borrow one or send for a back issue. It has the most spectacular 
example of Burgoyne Surrounded. It is actually reverse the usual red on 
white coloring. It is called "The Scalping of Jane McCrea." Jane was 
murdered on the morning of her wedding day, and her death, as ordered by 
Gen. Burgoyne, rallyed public sentiment against him and inspired many 
volunteers to fight the British.

One side of the quilt tells the story of Jane McCrea in words, symbols, 
traditional blocks, copies of documents, etc. the reverse is a white on 
red (ranging from slightly orange to red/purple) of the Burgoyne 
Surrounded pattern with a flying geese border of red triangles on white 
pointing to the words "Burgoyne Surrounded" at the bottom. 

I saw the quilt at the Vermont Quilt Festival two years ago. Almost 
everyone who saw it could just stand in front of all that blood red 
fabric and cry. The only other art that has ever inspired such strong 
feeling for me was when I went to Westminster Cathedral and saw poet's 
corner (as an English teacher, I have taught most of the works of those 
represented there).

The quilter was Connie Fraser who wrote the article for the magazine. I 
still gets chills just looking at the picture. What a testiment to the 
power of quilts!

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 17:17:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: Baglady111aol.com
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: Re: QHL: Burgoyne Surrounded
Message-ID: <970804171647_307598571emout14.mail.aol.com>

In a message dated 97-08-04 10:07:21 EDT, you write:

<< 
I have seen the pattern, Burgoyne Surrounded, also called Homespun. I have
always thought the pattern bears a striking resemblance to woven coverlet
patterns. It does not take a great leap of faith to think that there may
have been some translating of a design from one medium to another.
>>
Julia, how odd that you mention the coverlet patterns..it does indeed make
reference to it being a woven coverlet quilt as well..I just did'nt mention
it in the post..You have a keen eye..Jane

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 20:26:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: CToczekaol.com
To: QHLcuenet.com

And yet another thought on intentional mistakes: <G>

In John Irwin's book, *A People and Their Quilts*, the same source for the
baby-care piece I quoted, he liberally shares the myths and folklore of
quilting...i.e. the intentional mistakes. Several photos present the
intentional mistakes and it is well within the realm of believabiltiy that
the mistakes were *on purpose.* Some seem very obvious, like a bear's paw
with two backwards toes...or even more obvious, a bear's paw quilt of a
single overall print and only four blue toes. 

I would agree that the *myth* of intentional mistakes in quilting may well
have started when one woman declared, "Oh, I meant to do that!" However, it
may also be true that what began as a joke or a *cover-up* <G> later caught
on as *the thing* to do...like the blue bear's paw toes in Irwin's book. Or
could it be that what was a joke in one generation became the gospel in
another? 

Carla in West Texas where it finally rained in the wee hours this morning

Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 19:58:50 -0700
From: Diane Lockwood <dclinnercite.com>

Margaret Garland, who is on a couple of other lists that I am on has a
fantastic web site resource page. She's entered links on her page to
hundreds of quilt related subjects. And, of course, each of those links has
links. Those of you who do extensive research may find many of the links
useful. If you know of some that she should add, please let her know. 

The URL is: http://mh101.infi.net/~cookee/Cottonpatch.html

Happy Webbing!

Diane

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 23:49:31 -0400
From: "R. Shink" <mcr2musica.mcgill.ca>
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: QHL: Civilwar quilt
Message-Id: <1.5.4.16.19970805000129.118f4c24vm1.mcgill.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear Kris. I guess my request to take my name off the list for August did
not get through. Please lift my name for a month. I am leaving tomorrow to
visit family in NS.I was delighted that you news came through as I am in the
middle of studying a quilt made to commemorate the vetrans of the civil war
and I did not realize until someone at the re-enactment of the Civil War at
our old fort in Montreal pointed it out. I had just clued in to some of the
discussion and am still perplexed. One of the curators at the museum looked
at the picture of the quilt and said that the black centers would tie in
with Harriet Beacher Stowes book about Uncle Sam -Log Cabin. I am not great
on history so not sure of the dates. This adds another slant to the
discussion. The quilt I am studying was not finished until 20 years after
the war so I can go along with B.Brackmans theory that black centers were
used after Lincolns death. Was his death the reason they switched to black
centers. Does Brackman read this list or should I write her directly. I
trust you are going to Kansas. I will be thinking of you therand look
forward to meeting everyone at Lowell. Pins sound great. Diane
---------------------------------
R. Shink <mcr2musica.mcgill.ca>

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 09:48:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: CATHYANNEaol.com
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: QHL: Thanks for the Warm Welcome
Message-ID: <970805094806_604340982emout03.mail.aol.com>

Thanks for the nice messages from each one of you re: my adoption search and
49er birthday quilt. I am answering each of the private E-Mails I've
recieved and will be glad to share info on how I searched. 

Now to quilting. My Aunt Leota in Oklahoma is looking for a quilt patten.
It's the DAHLIA. Could you share where I might find this pattern for her?
I saw a picture of it in the fall 1984 Quilt book that my grandmother used
for the 49er quilt. There was a picture but no pattern. 

I go to the library often. Perhaps you could suggest a book I might find the
pattern in, or a magazine. 

Thanks again,
CATHY ANNEaol.com
Portland, OR

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 10:05:04 -0400
From: Merry May <gridgeesalgorithms.com>

For Jean Ann (& others!): The fee for Global Priority depends on where the
envelope is being sent. Also, the $3.75 fee is the minimum charge for the
SMALLER envelope (about 6 x 9"). The minimum charge for the large envelopes
(the 9 x 12s) is $6.95. They do usually go through very quickly, though -
I mailed an order out to a lady in New Zealand, and she had it in only 3
days! (I can't even send something across the U.S. in that amount of
time!) As someone who deals with shipping on almost a daily basis, I just
wanted to clarify this for you all.

Now, for the flaws (again)... on my second large quilt, I made a boo-boo in
piecing a Road to California block... one section somehow decided to turn
itself around when it was being pieced. I didn't notice the error until I
was quilting it, and I was NOT about to rip everything out and fix it at
that point!! So, in order for people of future generations to NOT
misconstrue this as an "intentional" flaw, I should document the error,
both on the back of the quilt, and on paper as an "honest mistake!!"
(There's nothing like pointing a neon light at your mistakes, is there???)
:-)




Merry in "down Jersey"
gridgeesalgorithms.com

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 10:25:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: NelBruaol.com
To: QHLcuenet.com

The United Methodist Church's symbol is the cross and flame for Jesus and the
Holy Spirit and is usually displayed somewhere on or in the church.

Nellie in dry and comfortably warm North Huntingdon (just east of Pittsburgh,
PA)

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 11:06:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: HPQuiltingaol.com
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: Re: QHL: Thanks for the Warm Welcome
Message-ID: <970805110518_952249871emout11.mail.aol.com>

You can find the Dahlia pattern in a book called The Collector's Dictionary
of Quilt Names and Patterns Yvonne M. Khin and published by Acropolis Books,
Ltd. The pattern is on page 339. Knowing how magnificient the Portland
libraries are, I am certain you can find it there. If you have any trouble
finding it, please contact me. I know our library has it here (I just
happened to have checked it out this week) and I will go and check it out
again, copy the pattern and send it to you snail mail.

Penny(HPQuiltingaol.com)

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 10:45:28 -0500 (EST)
From: Diane Krall <dkrall.inmuincolsa.palni.edu>
To: 

I have been eagerly following the log cabin thread with a friend of mine
who does not have e-mail. She suggests the following:

African Retentions in African American Quilts and Artifacts, by Rosalind
Jefferies in THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ART, v. 11, no.
2

Quilts as Communal Emblems and Personal Icons, by Ramond Dobard, also in
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ART, same issue as above.

She also suggested a book titled SPIRITS IN OF THE PASSAGE, THE
TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE IN THE 17TH CENTURY, by Madeline Burnside (NY:
Simon and Schuster, 1997)

Now if any of you could return the favor, she is looking for information
about a genre of art called "end of the trail," used to commemorate the
struggle of the Indian march. Can anybody out there help?

Thank you in advance

Diane Krall,
Indy

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 14:55:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: QltHMTaol.com
To: 

I'VE GOT DAHLIA'S!!!!!

Hi to all,

Cathy Anne, 

There is a dahlia pattern in the Fall 1997 magazine called QUILT. I also
have a book given to me by my Aunt Pearl, who lives in the Dallas area of
Texas. The book is one of Dover Needlework Series. It's called The Quick
and Easy GIANT DAHLIA QUILT on the Sewing Machine. Comes with step by step
instructions. Authors are Susan Aylsworth Murwin & Suzzy Chalfant Payne
(Dover Publications, Inc., New York). It has a 1983 copyright.

Let me know if you need more information.

Happy quilting!

Helen (Heirlooms by Helen) MN

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 14:32:45 -0700
From: Quilting Heritage ListServ <qrsmail.albany.net>
To: QHLcuenet.com

This is part of a note that came to me privately from a traveling Canadian
so I won't be able to get back to her for a while. Has anyone heard the
theory that black centers in log cabins came about as a way of mourning the
death of Lincoln? 

>I am in the
>>middle of studying a quilt made to commemorate the veterans of the civil war
>>and I did not realize until someone at the re-enactment of the Civil War at
>>our old fort in Montreal pointed it out. I had just clued in to some of the
>>discussion and am still perplexed. One of the curators at the museum looked
>>at the picture of the quilt and said that the black centers would tie in
>>with Harriet Beacher Stowes book about Uncle Sam -Log Cabin. I am not great
>>on history so not sure of the dates. This adds another slant to the
>>discussion. The quilt I am studying was not finished until 20 years after
>>the war so I can go along with B.Brackmans theory that black centers were
>>used after Lincolns death. Was his death the reason they switched to black
>>centers?

I had to smile at her comment about the dates. When I was in Montreal
attending CQSG, one of the speakers kept referring to the bicentennial
quilts made in the 1980's. It took me a long, long time to figure out that
Canada has a different bicentennial than we do...<G>

Kris

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 05 Aug 1997 00:18:53 -0500
From: Mark Mashaw <mtmsnet.net>
To: 

Dear Jean-Ann,

Thank you for the information on international mailing. As I am not
very good at delayed gratification especially when sending off a package
to Australia this is a great innovation. Thank you for the info. 

Had the pleasure of taking a class with one of your protegy's, Debbie
Moffett- Hall. She is so lovely and very patient. What a pleasure it
was to get to spend a whole day with her last Sunday in Cromwell CT! I
told her how you had taken the trouble to answer an email when I wrote
to ask you how you do it all. I continue to enjoy your magazine
thoroughly as it is chock full of history, patterns old and new and
wonderful pictures of lovely quilts. I very much enjoyed Debbie's
recent contribution of what to do with fat quarters, pine burr block and
ohio star I believe? I hope you will publish more of those. Thank you
again for a great publication and your informative contributions to this
Digest. Sincerely, Mary Herron

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 05 Aug 1997 19:01:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: JOCELYNMdelphi.com

On 4-AUG-1997 13:05:05.1 maurybynum said to JOCELYNM
> I am of the impression that most of man's early history has come down
>to us in the form of "Oral History"! Doesn't "Black Centers" apply?
Maury,
Alas, a similar heritage exists for gossip and lies. <G> The problem
is, we may never be able to separate the truth here. I remember several
years ago reading that McGuffey's Readers would use fictionalized accounts
of great people's lives, if the story made a good enough point. Thus,
Washington and the Cherry Tree was born. How many of us learned THAT as a
fact in school, when actually, it was created by a 19th century author as 'a
story that SHOULD have been true, even if it wasn't'?
The problem with oral history, is when you can't trace it back to at
least ONE source by name. If we had even ONE slave or ONE quiltmaker saying
it...but so far, no one has stepped forward with that sort of documentation.
Like Washington and the Cherry Tree...it may be something that so many
people have repeated, believing it was true, that we'll never get to the
bottom of it. But I think it's wise to question, even something in common
belief, until and unless we can get proof one way or the other. Sure, tell
the story...but let's not tell it as TRUTH, but as something that may be, or
may be a lovely made-up story. After all, we all appreciate the legends
about quilting, without REALLY believing that if you bounce a cat on a
just-finished quilt at a quilting bee, the cat will jump off closest to the
quilter destined to be the next bride! <G>
Jocelyn

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 19:03:55 -0400 (EDT)
From: aol.com
To: 

I have serious doubts that the green grass will do much in the way of
producing a *dye* as opposed to a stain - you have boil plant material to get
a dyebath, and leaves/grasses usually give you a good cup of tannin. Tannin
makes a terrific mordant, but it isn't really a dye. If it works, though,
let me know - natural greens are *very* rare!

As for the story about L.M. Montgomery and the "knitted quilt" - sounds like
"quilt" was a synonym for what we'd call an "afghan." There's a reference in
either Anne of the Island or Anne of Windy Poplars to a quilt with a
recognizable pattern name, plus a reference in Anne of Avonlea to (you
guessed it) an Apple Leaf "quilt" knitted by Mrs. Rachel Lynde. I know that
"quilt" has also been used to mean "coverlet" or "summer spread," but this
sounds like an interesting regionalism. Anyone out there from the Maritimes?

And as for the flaming chalice - evidently the AUSC (now the UUSC) used it
because it was used in Bohemia as a symbol of the martyrdom of Jan Hus, an
early Protestant. I wonder why the Methodists use it?


BTW, there's an interesting article in a 1950's issue of American Heritage
about the Jane McCrea story and its impact in early America. There's nothing
specifically about quilts, but plenty of interesting background material.

Happy quilting!

Karen Evans

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 5 Aug 97 23:02:35 UT

Diane: Thanks for the wonderful tip about cleaning the bottom of one's iron. 
That last time I looked at my iron, the gunk was there. Now it's not!! 
Appreciate the good tip and the sharing. Jeannette in Colorado

----------
From: Diane McGuire
Sent: Monday, August 04, 1997 7:29 AM
To: antique quilts line
Subject: QHL: passing traditions along

Hi, All,

Just a note about how ideas and traditions get passed along in our 
subconscious memory.

My friend of many years Brenda was quilting with us at my house a few 
years ago, and I noticed when she went over to the ironing board to 
press her square she licked her finger and touched it to the iron. I 
asked her why she did that since we had all been using the iron for 
hours and it was plugged in and obviously hot. She thought a moment and 
said she always did that because her mother (who had been a professional 
seamstress) always did it. She also remembered that her grandmother had 
done it, too. So even though for two generations the women in her family 
had had electric irons, they still used the old spit test to see if the 
iron was hot.

She also passed along a super tip: To clean an iron (not a teflon coated 
one) of gunk you have picked up from wonderunder or starch, sprinkle 
waxed paper with a little salt and run your hot iron over it for a few 
seconds. Iron the gunk off on some scrap or an old towel, and your iron 
will be clean. 

Diane in Massachusetts

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 09:07:40 -0400
From: Merry May <gridgeesalgorithms.com>
To: QHLcuenet.com

The Methodist symbol is a cross and flame, not a flaming chalice.


Merry in "down Jersey"
gridgeesalgorithms.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 09:15:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: Quiltfixaol.com

This post is a *teensy* but sarcastic.........

Well, I have it on authority that quilting began in the 1400's, on the
British Isles, during the Great Freeze (never heard of the Great Freeze, have
you? Did it last the entire century?).

That is how a book review in a local antique paper opens for "Instant
Expert:Collecting Quilts" (Alliance Press; October 1996; $14.00).

I'm going to the library and get an interloan on this. I haven't heard
of/seen it yet. According to the article,"...author Anne Gilbert provides
all the information necessary to become an overnite expert in this rapidly
growing collectible field. This unique, concise book, compact in size and
designed to take along anywhere in pocket or purse, contains all the
instruction needed to become an authority on quilting in a matter of hours."

Jeez, and I wasted all these years learning what I know.

"Starting with the history of quilting, the author explains how different
concepts and patterns evolved in different countries. Readers will develop
an expert eye as they learn about stitching, the different techniques for
putting pieces together, how to recognize different types of quilts, and
everything they need to know about patterns.
Since being able to determine the period in which a certain quilt was
crafted is an important part of ascertaining it's value, Gilbert shows the
reader how to date a quilt by color or by printed fabrics.
Readers will learn how to analyze the state of the market and determine
market influences....
Whether readers want to learn about the history of quilting, modern day
quilting techniques, or how to make the most of today's market, "The Instant
Expert"...offers all the knowledge necessary to become a part of this
interesting and highly lucrative field."

There's also an article on how the quilt market is booming, but it's just a
thinly disguised advertisement for Vanderkellen.

Has anyone seen this book? I'm really disgusted with this paper and intend
to tell them so. It's really irresponsible to tell people that they'll
become instant experts from one book, with no hands-on experience.

And now that I've complained, I'll shut up. But I am interested in anyone's
opinion of the book.

Alan


------------------------------

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 10:41:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: Sue <erroofalpha.wcoil.com>

Alan, Did this "Paper" say how many volumes this "book" was and how big a
purse you would need to carry it in?
What a *CROCK*
Sue in NW Ohio

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 09:27:00 -0700
From: lrobinscclink.fhcrc.org (laurarm)
To: 

A friend showed me her grandmother's quilt and asked me to tell her 
about it. I am not a professional and don't claim to be. I could use 
a little help/info on embroidery kits, patterns and techniques.

It is made of blocks of embroidered baskets and flowers (not close 
embroidery, just outline, french knots, etc) and with a few appliqued 
(blanket stitch) flowers. Sashing is pale pink, colors are pastels. 
All the blocks match very closely and I assume they weren't drawn free 
hand. There are still pencil markings in a lot of the quilting, but 
no marks at all in the embroidery. I don't know if it was a kit or 
some kind of iron transfer pattern, or what.

Did the markings of kits wash out really easily so that it is possible 
to see no embroidery markings at all while the pencil quilting marks 
remain? When did iron-on transfer patterns become available? and did 
they wash out really easily? Was there some other technique to get 
the patterns so identical?

I'd appreciate any comments. Thanks.
Laura in Seattle


------------------------------

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 12:43:44, -0500
From: LWKB50Aprodigy.com ( KEN AND TIFFANY REGAN)

Hi everyone,
I also have a source for a DAHLIA quilt. In the spring 1996 issue of 
Quilt, a Dahlia is pictured on the cover. An address is given for 
the pattern called Giant Dahlia: Quilt Pattern Reprints, P.O. Box 
172556, Arlington, TX 76003. Enclose $3.00. You can have the pattern 
without having to leave home! Hope this helps.


------------------------------

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 16:47:48 +0100
From: "Audrey Cameron" <audrey.cameronvirgin.net>

I think we underestimate "spur of the moment myth-making" . The other night
I was giving a talk to a quilt group about the making of miniature quilts.
While looking at the many examples I had brought one of the members asked
me if I put in "deliberate mistakes" & to my dismay I saw one of the blocks
in my Friendship Quilt had one of its triangles turned the wrong way. I had
never noticed it.To my chagrin I said "of course, it's all part of the
fun." So this note is a confession but at the same time why were our
quilting ancestors any different.
There are many reasons for the deliberate mistake including running out of
fabric, wrong dye mix, fun, or pride. Isn't it all just wonderful .. a real
human activity.


Audrey in sunny but windy England
audrey.cameronvirgin.net

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 13:46:42 -0500
From: Maury Bynum <maurybynumtextileconservators.com>
To: Quilting Heritaage List Serv <QHLcuenet.com>
Subject: QHL: S W Michigan
Message-ID: <33E8C692.A5Dtextileconservators.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Dear All,

My wife and I are going to Lansing, MI this weekend--Any good
Quilt/Antique shops between Chicago and Lansing?

Please reply to maurybynumtextileconservators.com

Thanks, Maury http://www.textileconservators.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 15:09:25 -0400
From: Ricki Maietta <rmaiettacsrlink.net>

This will be a disjointed message with many topis - hence "stuff" in the
subject line.

On the Underground Railroad thing, I recently met a local black woman who is
our local "expert" on the local Underground Railroad (enough "locals" for
ya?) I asked her if, in her research, she had ever heard of quilts of any
kind being used as a signal to the escaping slaves. In a word, no.

Next topic - I have a section of a quilt to be cleaned. It is a wonderfully
quilted red & green basket on white background - mid-1800s. Small, delicate
pieces, very well made. Unfortunately, like I said, only a section of the
quilt about 2 feet wide & 4 feet long. The owner wants a table runner. This
section has brown stains in the middle - maybe even coffee or tea, as I can
faintly smell coffee. The red fabric is good old-fashioned Turkey red, the
green, an equally coarse fabric, still dark green. Has anyone tried either
the buttermilk recipe, or Snowy Bleach, on these types of fabrics?????? I
fear Snowy may be the only hope of removing the stains (quite large), but
have great trepidation about what will happen to the colors, especially the
green.

Topic 3 - for those of you who restore - Do you charge a "consultation fee"
for just looking at & giving advice on people's quilts? I think I am going
to start doing this. I seem to get alot of calls that folks want me to tell
them what to do (kinda beating myself out of business), or they balk at
finding out there is a charge more than a couple of bucks for the repair
work (therefore, I've just spent an hour looking at quilts & no job comes of
it!) I'm thinking of charging $15 if they come to me, & $25 if I go to
them. Does this sound reasonable? What do others do.

Story time - Yes, this trip spawned the above paragraph. Spent some time
this afternoon with a lady who's husband had inherited several quilts. They
were all beauties. All made by the same woman, DH's great grandmother or
somewhere back the chain. Time ranging from 1870s - 1910. Beautiful old
brown Geese Chase, 2 Farmer's Daughters, a brown & pink Lemoyne Star, & a
great condition blue & white T-block!! Not to mention one of those long
skinny crazy quilt panels with red lace (curtain valence, coffin cover??) &
a crazy signature quilt that was made for great grandpa the preacher when he
left town, and one washday blues quilt that they had washed & ruined. I
was mortified that they were selling these quilts at auction. Their only
interest was "what are they worth?" I am not an appraiser & had told her
that on the phone. I told her I can only tell you what I would pay for them
& I'm a cheapskate! It just bothers me when families have no feelings for
heirlooms. Call me a sentimental fool (I heard that!), but they had
beautiful quilts that had been stored carefully since the 1930s & were well
made, etc. Not interested. So, those of you in the Ithca, NY area, watch
the newspapers in the next few months for an auction listing quilts - they
are good ones.

A question about one of the above quilts. It was a basket (triangles) with
a flower on top of chrome orange. The orange had streaking & fading of a
dark brown. I couldn't tell if it was coming from the orange (in a hot
attic?), or did it rub off the purple sashing that was fading to brown. Any
experience with this anyone?

Ricki in PA, swamped with restoration projects & trying to do the Hoffman
Challenge & curating 2 exhibits (more later) whew!

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 16:29:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Quilt97aol.com
To: 

Anita, who used to on Quiltopia sent me this information, and gave me
permission to post it for anyone else interested.

EKarenbeth 

> I got so busy i had to drop out of Qb. My son will wear his mittens and
they won't shrink, They may felt some but that just makes them warmer. I
prefer to use wool and know how to wash it so we have a lot of it around here
and the boys are learning how to care for it also so we don't have many
sweaters that need to be handed down to smaller cousins ahead of time.

To Wash Wool 
Wool does not like sudden changes in temperature, or agitation, So: 
1. fill washer tub with hot water and mild soap. 
2. TURN OFF WASHER. 
3. Put sweaters/ whatever-you-have-that's-wool in the washer, close the lid.
4. Go read e-mail for 30-40 minutes. 
5. Go back to washer set on last spin, (the one that does NOT spray cold
water on 
the clothes and cuts off after it's done) 
6. Remove all clothes from washer. 
7. Repeat above steps but leave out soap and add 2 glugs of vinegar (take
bottle of 
white vinegar to washer turn up, bottle will go glug, glug, ok that's
enough) the
vinegar is to get the pH back to the acid side which wool likes. You can
also add 
some hair conditioner, which will soften it. 
8. Lay flat to dry.

That is all there is to it, I wash raw fleece this way, but with more soaps
and at least 2 rinses.
Anita

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 17:25:01 +0400
From: Xenia Cord <xecordnetusa1.net>
To: QHLcuenet.com
Subject: QHL: Kit embroidery
Message-ID: <33E87B2E.2C58netusa1.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

To Laura and QHLers:

On embroidered kit blocks, sometimes the design was worked with the
printed guide marks on the back, especially when most of the work was to
be outline embroidery. That way minor deviations from the printed lined
did not show, and if the marks were indelible it wouldn't matter. I
have several sets of kit blocks that have been embroidered that way, and
that were either machine stamped, or "hand" stamped at home with iron-on
transfers or drawn with carbon paper as the transfer medium. Once the
quilt was finished no one would ever know that guide lines were used.

I also have a set of Sunbonnet/Colonial Ladies where the lines for
applique are on what is now the back of the block. Same principle.
Xenia

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 18:28:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: JOCELYNMdelphi.com
To: dkrall.inmuincolsa.palni.edu, HPQuiltingaol.com, QHLcuenet.com
Subject: Re: QHL: black centers/log cabins
Message-id: <01IM4NPKSBUW8WYFQFdelphi.com>
Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

On 5-AUG-1997 14:27:23.9 dkrall.inmu said to JOCELYNM
> Now if any of you could return the favor, she is looking for
>information about a genre of art called "end of the trail," used to
>commemorate the struggle of the Indian march. Can anybody out there
>help?
Diane,
I don't know about the art...but the Trail is the Trail of Tears.
Andrew Jackson decided that the Cherokees and other eastern tribes were just
too inconvenient, and ordered them moved to Oklahoma during his presidency.
They were not allowed to take their (rather considerable) wealth with them,
and huge numbers of them starved and died of exposure/exhaustion on the
trip. It's fairly well understood that the US government found this an
agreeable solution to the 'problem'....that there was full knowledge that
people were going to die, and plenty of alternatives, but Jackson INTENDED
the Trail of Tears as genocide.
My sister knows a Cherokee woman who will not take a $20. As she says,
we wouldn't marvel at a Jewish woman who refused to accept a picture of
Adolph Hitler.......
Jocelyn

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 18:14:04 -0500
From: LAURA SYLER <texas_quilt.coairmail.net>
To: 

Quiltfixaol.com wrote:
> 
> This post is a *teensy* but sarcastic.........
> 
> Well, I have it on authority that quilting began in the 1400's, on the
> British Isles, during the Great Freeze (never heard of the Great Freeze, have
> you? Did it last the entire century?).
> 
> That is how a book review in a local antique paper opens for "Instant
> Expert:Collecting Quilts" (Alliance Press; October 1996; $14.00).
> 
> I'm going to the library and get an interloan on this. I haven't heard
> of/seen it yet. 

Alan...This is a new one to me too. Be sure and bring it to Omaha if you
get it in time. I can't imagine that anyone would have the audacity to
even attempt such a publication!! I concur...what a crock!!!

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 18:55:29 -0500
From: LAURA SYLER <texas_quilt.coairmail.net>
To: Ricki Maietta <rmaiettacsrlink.net>

Ricki Maietta wrote:
> 
> Next topic - I have a section of a quilt to be cleaned. It is a wonderfully
> quilted red & green basket on white background - mid-1800s. Small, delicate
> pieces, very well made. Unfortunately, like I said, only a section of the
> quilt about 2 feet wide & 4 feet long. The owner wants a table runner. This
> section has brown stains in the middle - maybe even coffee or tea, as I can
> faintly smell coffee. The red fabric is good old-fashioned Turkey red, the
> green, an equally coarse fabric, still dark green. Has anyone tried either
> the buttermilk recipe, or Snowy Bleach, on these types of fabrics?????? I
> fear Snowy may be the only hope of removing the stains (quite large), but
> have great trepidation about what will happen to the colors, especially the
> green.


Ricki: As for the staining. since the piece is not really large, try
making a paste of Snowy or Biz..."painting" it on the textile with the
stain ( staying a little away from the seam line) ... Now here comes the
fun part...Rinse out by pouring warm water thru the piece ( I place the
quilt over a tub or large bucket. You can also do this on a trampoline
or something like the drying screen Carla had her DH make. Flushing
water thru the piece will help keep the majority of the cleaning agent
away from the fearful fabric, and hopefully won't even come in contact.
Also, if you make the paste thick enough you can flake it off after it
is dry and flush the remaining out.


Topic 3 - for those of you who restore - Do you charge a "consultation
fee"
> for just looking at & giving advice on people's quilts? I think I am going
> to start doing this. I seem to get alot of calls that folks want me to tell
> them what to do (kinda beating myself out of business), or they balk at
> finding out there is a charge more than a couple of bucks for the repair
> work (therefore, I've just spent an hour looking at quilts & no job comes of
> it!) I'm thinking of charging $15 if they come to me, & $25 if I go to
> them. Does this sound reasonable? What do others do.
> 
As to consultation fees...I state first off that I have a consultation
fee of $35.00 per hour, or any portion there of, $10.00 travel fee
additional. They can ask me anything they want pertaining to their
quilt, how to repair, clean, store, hang, date, condition...you name it
(however, verbal appraisments are $5.00, written $25.00 per quilt- no
excetptions).(I'm very specific<G>) However....if at the end of our
consultation they should decide to have me work on thier quilt, even
just sew on a casing or a documentation lable, I wave the consultation
fee. If not, then they have just bought a private class. I explain that
I have been doing this for almost 20 years, and decided several years
ago that I needed to do this to protect myself. This is, of course, how
I make my living, and I must protect my time. Most are in total
agreement, and even at that time they will tell me they do not even know
which end of the needle to thread so I shouldn't worry that they will
pick my brain and then say..." Gee, I can do that, Thanks" and they are
out the door. I have also found that the ones that can really afford to
have their quilts repaired will gladly pay for the consultation even if
I DO do the work.
I have also started teaching a class on restoration...great for the
bindings, simple applique, helping them see what is appropriate fabric
for the job. ($40. for a 3 hr class) I've taught it 3 times 5 max
students- 4 have ended up calling me back later admitting that they are
in over their heads and bringing me the quilt to work on.

Whew!!!Now that I've said all that...I gotta get casings on 2 quilts
circa 1860!! Can't do that on the computer!!!

Hey...are you going to Omaha?

Laura

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