98195 - 98205

 Date: Sat, 11 Jul 1998 10:26:12 +0400 From: Xenia Cord To: BPack55294aol.com What a wonderful word- derivation, please? I found "scroop" in the dictionary, meaning a harsh, grating sound. Is this the same word? Also, while I agree that iron salts in some silks, especially at the end of the last quarter of the 19th century, caused shattering over time, not all silk during the "Victorian" era (1837-1901) did so. I have a wonderful ca. 1865 black silk dress, 1 piece with waist enhancer, that is soft and pliable. A friend brought it to a show where she knew I would be, to give to me. She carried it in a knapsack on her back, and retrieved it by reaching over her shoulder, unzipping the pack, and pulling the dress from the backpack. I was horrified, but it wasn't harmed at all. Xenia, in Indiana ------------------------------

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My grandmother was one of those frugal quilters that used whatever fabric people gave her and definitely didn't throw away used pantyhose. She used to crochet toy balls stuffed with nylons. If she wanted to get fancy she would put a bell in the middle. She gave my 2 YO DS two before she passed away in April. Perhaps someday they will be prized by textile historians! Suzanne in hot Utah ------------------------------

Sal, > >The best book around for dating quilts by fabrics is Barbara Brackman's >"Clues in the Calico". Get it from Kris at Hickory Hill, our list-mistress, >and you'll get a discount. > >As to care of vintage tops. I just fold and store them unless I am going to >quilt them. Beware of crispy fabrics that aren't crispy from starch. They >are crispy from age, and will destroy themselves as you quilt them. The >quilting threads will just cut and slice the fabrics! > >But, if the fabrics are OK, and many of the old quilt tops are just like >new, I would use thin cotton batting like Hobbs Heirloom or Quilters Cotton >Dream Select, and quilt them in a simple old-fashioned pattern, like Baptist >Fan, or grids done on the bias of the fabric grains. > >Don't wash just plain tops. Wait until they are quilted. Sometimes the >seam allowances are so small that washing will fray them out, unless they >are stabilized by quilting. A couple of tops that I have are never going to >be hand quilted with batting. But I'll back them someday , and tack the two >layers together, to make sure that the seam allowances and edges don't start >fraying. > >Hope this helps. I don't feel I am expert, yet. I just read a lot, and ask >for a lot of advice, as you are doing. The more questions you ask, the more >you'll know. > >Judy in Ringoes, NJ >judygrowblast.net > > > > From: DDBSTUFFaol.com Hi everyone, A few weeks ago I noticed some discussion about "sewing chickens" (?) I know what they are but didn't follow the discusion. I'm looking for info. about "Pincushion Chairs". These are little fabric covered cardboard chairs that have sets that lift up, exposing a compartment that houses either spools of thread or other sewing related items. The chair, which is padded, is used as a pincushion. Does anyone have an original pattern or any idea when these were first made and where they originated? I'm guessing that patterns for these were published in magazines or newspapers. Any ideas or info. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Darwin ------------------------------

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 08:39:02 EDT Vicki, Here is a little more info I found for you: First, the book "Quilts In America" is a classic, if you are interested in quilt history, you would definitely want a copy in your personal library. I ordered mine through the American Quilters Society, where if you order 6 books, you get a discount, as it is a little expensive (hardcover, some color pages, 368 pgs.) You might also check with Kris Driessen at http://www.HickoryHillQuilts.com as she carries quite a few quilt history books, and sells them at a discount. I also checked my "Clues in the Calico" by Barbara Brackman, another excellent resource, which I have heard may be going out of print....buy one if you can find one!! She has one paragraph on stenciled quilts, on page 111: "Stenciling was a popular decorative art in the first half of the 19th century when would-be artists made use of precut paper templates to decorate floors, walls and furnishings as well as to compose pictures. Young ladies learned what was called "theorem painting", using stencils to paint on fabrics. Some used stencils to dye fabrics for spreads and quilts. Diana Church, in a 1983 research paper, noted that 30 stencil spreads have been recorded, made between 1825 and 1850, primarily in New England and the mid- Atlantic states, with the decade of 1825-1835 as the prime time. I have seen an example dated 1867, made in New York, which expands the possible time period for stenciled spreads to between 1800 and 1870. The artists used both the medallion and the block style formats for their designs and probably followed applique fashions; the medallion format would probably indicate a date before 1860, the block format a date after 1840." The "research paper by Diana Church" that Barbara Brackman refers to, was published in the American Quilt Study Group annual, UNCOVERINGS in 1983. The title of her paper is "Bayless Stenciled Quilt". This book is still available through either the AQSG (aqsgjuno.com or http://catsis.weber.edu/aqsg ) or through Kris at Hickory Hill (address above). A message to AQSG might put you in touch with others who are also interested in stenciled quilts. There are also listings in my Index to Quilter's Newsletter Magazine (but this only goes up to about 1983, so these would be in old issues). I will try to look these up later for you & see if they would be of interest. Must run, or will be late for work! Happy searching!! Karan ------------------------------

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 08:38:51 EDT From: SadieRoseaol.com To: QHLcuenet.com Vicki & other interested quilters: I found quite a bit of information on stenciled quilts in the book "Quilts In America" by Myron and Patsy Orlofsky. This book was originally published in 1974, then reprinted in 1992, by Abbeville Press, ISBN # 1-55859-334-9 Chapter 5 is titled "Stenciled, All-White and Embroidered Quilt Tops" and has a number of pages with information on the technique, how & when it was done. There are also a number of photos of antique quilts with stenciling. To quote a little from the book: "The stenciled quilt is rare. In fact, museum visits and considerable research have turned up fewer than 25 spreads, of which a small percentage are actually quilted. They were all made in the early nineteenth century; most probably date between 1825 and 1835, although educated estimates have placed some as late as 1850 and as early as 1800. All spreads are said to come from New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, and one from New Hampshire. All have floral and more or less related designs. " "There is plenty of evidence that a craze for stenciling existed throughout the second quarter of the nineteenth century in the decoration of various types of furniture, floor coverings, walls, and textiles. Stenciling on textiles was the least common of all these, but it would appear that there was a fashion in rural communities for stenciled bedcovers either as substitutes for the more elaborate embroidered spreads, or possibly as a means of approximating the effect of block printed decoration." "Stenciled spreads were a product of thte home and were not made commercially. Presumably, the household knowledge of stenciling was born of theorem paintings or stencil painting on velvet, which was a fad in the young ladies' seminaries that lasted for about 25 years in the first half of the 19th century.....The stencil was thought of as a means of guiding the hand of the less talented artist or of achieving results quickly." Hope others who have more information on this topic will post to the list so we can all benefit! Happy Quilting!! Karan from hot & sunny Iowa ------------------------------

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 09:02:52 EDT The Heritage Quilt Project of New Jersey documented only one stenciled quilt out of approximately 2300. It is pictured in our book, New Jersey Quilts. No firmly attributed date, but probably c. 1820. Red and blue stencil on tan linen: medallion center surrounded with paisley shapes, circles, half-circles, and pots of flowers. Heavy quilting follows the stencil designs. Owned by the Hopewell Museum in Mercer County, NJ. There are stencil quilts in the collections of the Shelburne Museum in Vermont and Historic Deerfield in Massachusetts, but I don't think published photos are available. --Rachel in NJ ------------------------------

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 07:59:24 -0500 From: Merry May Vicki wrote: > I am a quilt teacher/lecturer from California. I am currently doing stenciled > quilts and am interested in the antique stenciled quilts made in New England > during the 1820-50's time period. Have you any references, or do you have any > of these types of quilts? There are not very many surviving early stenciled quilts. However, there is at least one pictured in the book "55 Famous Quilts from the Shelburne Museum" (published by Dover). Another one dated 1826 is in "The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection" booklet, published by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Brackman's "Clues..." refers to a research paper by Diana Church which was published in 1983 "Uncoverings" by the American Quilt Study Group. Brackman summarizes "...30 stencil spreads have been recorded, made between 1800 and 1850, primarily in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, with the decade 1825 to 1835 as the prime time." Ms. Church's paper is entitled, "The Baylis Stenciled Quilt." Just last year I designed a small, central-medallion stenciled quilt based on a couple of antique quilts (the stenciled one in Abby's collection, plus another central medallion appliqued one from the Shelburne), which I use as a class sample. Eventually (after my workshop runs for the second time on July 27!), I'll incorporate it into my quilt history lecture, so people can see what these quilts might have looked like. Hope this helps! Take care. :-) -- Merry May (a.k.a Inspector Cluesew & Jessica Four-Patch) Shelly Zegart=0A ------------------------------

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 12:49:09 +0000 Re: Chair pincushions. Darwin: The Frederick Herrschner catalog of Fall/Winter 1932-33 advertised a "novelty work box." The description is as follows: "Grandmother's chair work box of rose or blue sateen. Has pockets for sewing supplies. Size about 8x12 inches. Each postpaid 30¢." (The embroidery thread was extra) The seat had a little tassel attached, so obviously it lifted up. I have seen various smaller padded chairs similar to this one in the years past, but I have never seen a pattern for them. Shirley Mc

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 98 22:22:55 PDT From: "Maxine" I was given a pin cushion rocking chair a few years ago, made of wood. . . there is a drawer under the seat for thimbles, the seat and back are padded for pins, each arm has a couple of spindles for thread. The chair stands about 10 inches high. Is this an overachievers version of the Pincushion Chair? Maxine < Shelly, I ordered your book last month through AQS through my guild, and got the big discount you are graciously giving list members. However, I GOT the book last night at the guild meeting, and devoured it all last night and today. There is nothing we like better than lots of full page color pictures of antique quilts, and you sure delivered. Nice job! It is nice that most of them have not been published over, and over, and over again. It is good to see new stuff. Judy in Ringoes, NJ

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 00:45:47 -0400 From: "J. G. Row" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all -- Yesterday I spent at least 9 hours basting a really nice old 2 color quilt top -- bubblegum pink with a white/black shirting. The sub-blocks that make up the larger design are 3" square. Since the last turn-of-the-century top I quilted I did in the Baptist fan, I decided to alleviate boredom by quilting this one with a diagonal grid going through the corners of the 3" blocks. So I set it up on my floor Q-Snap, and then realized that I wouldn't be able to quilt long lines unless I put it in the frame on the diagonal. I did one short row this way and realized that this had to be a definite no-no. You don't stretch a quilt on the bias! So, I went through all my books looking for the correct method of quilting this pattern, but found nothing except the description or a printed pattern anywhere in my extensive library. You know, they all said, "Quilt as desired." I realized that most older quilts were quilted on large floor frames, and those quilters had to have a method for quilting long lines on the diagonal. Nowhere is it mentioned in any of the literature. And then the great "AHA" light bulb went on in my head, and I figured out how to do it! I don't know if it is how the older quilts were done, but this is how I am doing it, without having to quilt long lines in the wrong direction, or having to quilt short lines with a lot of starting and stopping. First, I had to stop seeing long diagonal lines. What I had to see were the diamonds formed by those long lines. Once I marked the quilt top I saw that I could work my way completely across the top by doing short zig zags --- \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/. It takes two passes to complete one row, and if I am very careful it is not detectable on either the front or the rear of the quilt. You restorers out there -- have I rediscovered the wheel? Is this the way old quilts were done in all-over diagonal grids? If you had to pull a quilting thread from an old quilt, would it pull in a straight line, or would you be pulling up/down/up/down etc.? And why in the world have no quilting books actually given the working method for doing these old patterns. Anyone want to collaborate on a book or article with me? I had to figure out how to do Fan quilting on my own -- and 2 months after I finished the quilt a magazine (forget which) came out with MY method (which I am sure is epochs old). What other old timey quilting patterns have an easy way of working -- if only you knew how? I've put off doing feathers because I couldn't figure out how to do them in a frame. Sure I can do them in a Jasmine spinner hoop, but how do you do a feather pattern in a frame? The Amish only used frames, right? I just can't see doing that much quilting AWAY from me, or going from left to right, and that's what feathers would ultimately require. Anybody else out there find quilting the most satisfying part of being a quilter? "Quilt as desired" my foot! It should be "Quilt the pattern the following way, for comfort, speed, and the smallest most even stitches." Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrowblast.net

From: Quilt97aol.com To: judygrowblast.net Date: Wednesday, July 15, 1998 11:03 PM Subject: fan >So, Judy, please tell -- what is the simple way to quilt the fan pattern????? > >EKarenbeth Hi -- What I discovered is that any way to quilt the fan pattern is simple. It is probably the most comfortable pattern to quilt ever invented. What can be difficult is to mark it accurately. First I tried a template with every other arc cut out, but that was very cumbersome and inaccurate. Then I tried the string and pencil method, and that was very inaccurate. Then I made my own marking tool, which worked just perfectly. Here's how: 1. Get a piece of template plastic and cut a strip 1 " wide by at least 2" longer than the radius of your proposed fan. 2. Mark a line right down the center of the strip. 3. Mark a dot on that line at each inch. 5. Using a 1/8th inch paper punch (smaller than what you use for punching holes for notebooks) punch a hole at each inch mark. Your tool is now finished and ready to use. How to use your tool: 1. Place a long, large headed straight pin through the hole at the one inch mark. This will actually be zero, or the center of your "circle". 2. Sitck that pin though the quilt at the lower right hand corner of the quilt and hold it there with your left hand under the quilt. 3. Put your marking pencil in the next hole in the template and starting from the upright position (12:00 o'clock) swing an arc down to the left to 9:00 o'clock, marking the quilt top as you go. 4. Continue moving your marking tool up one hole, and swinging and marking arcs. 5. Move the tool to the left and place the pin through the fabric at the bottom of the outermost arc you just finished marking. Mark a new set of arcs. Continue across the quilt for the first row, or wait to mark until you quilt up to that place. 6. Move the tool up and mark the next row when you come to it -- no need to mark everything at once. Such a small tool, and so accurate. I just love it! Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrowblast.net ------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 18:29:53 +1000 From: nomad1 To: QHLcuenet.com Dear QHL'ers, I am back home after having some marvellous adventures through LA, Denver, Maysville in the Rockies, Salida, Houston, San Antonio, Ohio, SF, Lake Tahoe and Carmel. Time was so limited that I did not get to meet everyone. My apologies especially go to Cindy and Darwin and Jane a la Baglady, who I had made plans to meet.. After an adventure in a cornfield I ended up looking like Godzilla, so felt a tad self-conscious to be sociable! Though I did make some friends in ER! It was a fabulous treat to meet my wonderful QHL pals. I flew to visit Tiffany in Denver, then to Melissa in Houston and EKarenbeth drove up from Corpus Christie to visit Then it was off to see Susanne in Ohio. They are all wonderful ladies full of fun and we had an absolute ball. Their Dh's are just as fab and were most patient as we nattered on at 100 miles per hour! .Folk were amazed that we had met on the net and then become such great friends. I took 25 rolls of film and managed to use them all plus bought more!! All wonderful memories and freinds that I will always treasure. I am already planning hols for whn my pals visit Oz. :> I did buy some wonderful quilts that I will share with all of you later when I have a bit more energy to stay awake! Quite strange being so dopey as usually I am a night owl. Choofing off with many thanks to my dear pals, Hiranya Loder, Parramatta, Sydney, Australia where it is freezing…that's Summer to you in Parker Tiff!!:> ------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 06:57:00 EDT From: QLTmavenaol.com To: QHLcuenet.com Hi Everyone. It's time for me to come out of lurkdom and contribute two things. Regarding the HGTV Simply Quilts episode on Necktie quilts.... My Mom taped the episode for me because I don't get the show in my area of Pennsylvania. The Author featured on the show was Shirley Botsford. Her book is called Daddy's Ties. I believe she used cotton foundation squares to stabilize the bias tie fabric. then she even machine stitched aroud the edges of the finished blocks before sewing them together. She had a cute way of making a kind of Prairie Point around the edge of the quilt using the ready made tie points. Maybe you ought to purchase her book to get more detail. Next, regarding quilting of long diagonal lines..... I was told by members of my quilt guilt that you should never quilt more than 4 inches in one straight line without switching directions. This ensures that if the quilt is ever pulled in that direction (such as a person rolling in bed) , the quilting threads won't snap. A zigzag pattern will stretch and strengthen the quilt, but long lines are weak. By the Way...I have never seen this in a book or article. So pass the word to all you know who might be making their quilts this way. Eileen in PA ------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 11:00:07 EDT From: ThreadDogaol.com Regarding cat spray. Cats develop urinary tract problems because of the amount of ash in cat food. There are cat food products designed to avoid this. Read the nutritional analysis on the package. Of course, they cost more. It's a hard call to understand whether your cat is marking territory, trying to discipline you, or has a medical problem, but changing food products might help, in addition to more than adequate fresh water, and a nice litter box might prevent a lot of angst. Ever have a bladder infection? L. Claussen ------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 11:58:40 -0500 From: Swede To: QHLcuenet.com I've been lurking for months as I have not had anything to contribute - until now. I'm no expert on quilts, but do know quite a bit abouts cats, having been owned by them for 30 years. :~) Some cats just pick out a spot and keep going back to it. As someone pointed out, it's important for a vet to determine whether kitty has an infection of the bladder or kidneys first, before assuming the cat is marking its territory. Male cats are notorious for marking (spraying) their territory and I've had to deal with the problem many times. Here's what I've learned: 1. For males, biggest tip is to have them neutered. If you can do it before 6 months of age when they just *begin* to reach sexual maturity, so much the better. If you never allow that nasty ol' testosterone to coarse thru their bloodstream (and it even shortens their lives - neutered cats live longer) you may never have to deal with this problem. 2. When and if kitty does whiz in an area, use a commercial neutralizer to clean it up. This is VERY important. You can use bleach, soap, perfume, whatever have you; but unless you neutralize the scent with an enzyme cleaner, kitty can still smell it even tho you can't - and he/she keeps going back. Neutralizer is available at most pet shops like Pets Plus, industrial cleaning supply houses, and anywhere Rug Doctor products are sold/rented. It costs about $5 a bottle. Don't cheap out and buy a bargain brand. It DOES make a difference. Some of the cheap stuff smells worse than cat whiz. The better stuff has a pleasant smell and totally eradicates the cat odor. This stuff is magic for cleaning up human odors too...vomit, cig smoke, perspiration, etc. 3. Keep the kitty [litter] box clean. Change at least once a week depending on how many cats you have. Currently, I have a funny little kitty that was whizzing outside the box. He's neutered so shouldn't be doing this. He would kick some litter out on the floor and whiz in that (it's in the cellar so it wasn't a big deal, just hated cleaning it up everyday), or would rip up the newspaper under the cat box and go in that. DS who fancies himself a Dr. Doolittle, kept telling me that he thought Blackie didn't like whizzing in the same place he pooped. So DS bought an extra (smaller) box and placed it alongside the main one. Guess what? It worked! Blackie whizes only in that box and everyone is happy. Finally, assuming your cat is healthy, neutered, not picking up old odors in the area from himself or other cats, and has a clean box, one other thing to try is this...Clean up the area with neutralizer and then place his food NEAR the area where he whizzed. NOT ON IT. Cats are pretty clean animals and won't mess where they eat or sleep. (That's why he's whizzing on YOUR quilt instead of in his own bed!) Hope this helps. Annastina -- *Today's Animal Trivia****** Cats will not walk on aluminum foil. This is good to know when you are trying to protect something that your cat would tend to walk on such as a part-done jigsaw puzzle.------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 13:02:12 -0400 From: D Bourgoyne Hello everyone: The following book has a reprint of the pattern for three sizes of these chairs. The author states that her grandmother used to sell the chairs forty years ago for 35 cents! Scrap Saver's Christmas Stitchery by Sandra Lounsbury Foose (copyright 1986 by Oxmoor House) I have no idea if this book is still in print. It believe I bought it at a used bookstore somewhere. Hope this helps, Denise > > Hi again everyone. Just want to straighten out some apparent confusion about > the Pincushion Chairs I enquired about. \Please note, I am NOT talking about > the little wooden rockers. What i'm interested inare NONROCKING chairs made > of cardboard nd covered with fabric. These remind me of a Wing Back Chair. > the backs and seat are used as the pincushion and the seat lifts up for > storage. They are usually around 8=10 inches tall and I've seen some very > little ones about 3-4 inches tall. They seem to date from the teens and > twenties. > The wood rockers are much later. I believe they are from the fifties and > later. > > Hope this helps. > > Thanks, > > Darwin > *************************************** ------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 14:00:23 -0400 From: "litfinr" I received one answer on this from Karan in Iowa to use Isopropyll Rubbing alcohol, diluted 1/2 and 1/2 water. I thank you Karan. I would really like more imput before I try anything so if anyone else has any comments I would appreciate it. Connie In Indiana ---------- > From: litfinr > To: QHLcuenet.com > Subject: QHL: Bleeding on quilt >

Date: Sunday, July 12, 1998 12:00 PM > > I recently purchased a redwork quilt that had been tied with red yarn. It > is dated 1914 and has beautiful blocks, very well done. It has a very thick > cotton batting. When it was washed the red yarn left marks all over the > quilt. The red fabric border and the red floss did not bleed. > > I plan to remove the red yarn (it is rotting and falling out) and retie > with cream pearl cotton. Then wash to hopefully remove the red. Because of > the age of the piece, I'm concerned about what to use. > Has anyone used Synthrapol on an older quilt or a product like Biz or > Vivid? Also the batting probably has red in it. Would it be better to > remove the batting before washing? > > Any help would be appreciated. The blocks are too special to ruin. > > Connie in Indiana > ------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 22:10:31 -0700 From: arleneggicanect.net Judy wrote a great description of how to mark a fan pattern for quilting. If you didn't have a 1/8" hole punch or were in a hurry for a "ruler", you could use plastic needlepoint canvas. Cut a strip, about an inch wide. The holes are already there! Arlene ------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 06:44:14 -0500 From: Laura Hobby Syler To: arleneggicanect.net, QHLcuenet.com Judy, Arlene, You can also use the "C-Thru" ruler that we were so fond of using in the '80's before we got all these wonderful rulers introduced into the quilting world. There are several different flavors...one with a metal edge, one without and one with holes every 1" or so down the middle. My GM & GA's used the string and pin & pencil method to mark the fans...tie a string to a safety pin \. Then tie a knot in the string at 1/2 to 1" intervals. Pin the safety pin to the quilt ....this is the pivot point for your arcs...then tie the string to the pencil at the knot desired and keeping the string tight draw your arch. I 've done this simple method with great success using everything from soapstone markers to the "wonder markers" to chalk markers and mechanical pencils...simple but effective. Laura At 10:10 PM 7/16/98 -0700, arleneggicanect.net wrote: >Judy wrote a great description of how to mark a fan pattern for >quilting. > >If you didn't have a 1/8" hole punch or were in a hurry for a "ruler", >you could use plastic needlepoint canvas. Cut a strip, about an inch >wide. The holes are already there! > >Arlene > > > ------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 07:55:09 -0400 From: Bonnie Lynn Campbell Hi Everyone, Just found a great solution to getting blood stains out of fabric. = While working on my future daughterinlaw's satin headband I stuck my = finger and bled on the top of the band! Tried the old saliva trick but = it did not remove it totally. A friend told me about using Peroxide. = It WORKS. Blotted it on with a cotton ball and before my eyes the stain = disappeared. Seems the peroxide breaks down the protein. The satin is = perfect, no shadows from the dampened area. Bonnie in DE ------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 16:26:11 -0700 From: Kathleen Ballard To: Quilt History List Subject: QHL: book Message-ID: <01bdb19f.9d004940ppp57.pressroom.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Dear List, Has anyone read this book? Would you reccommend it? SHARED THREADS: Quilting Together--Past and Present .=20 By Jacqueline Marx Atkins=20 A patchwork history of group quilting in America, emphasizes its social = role both yesterday and today, discusses the origins of quilting bees, = the types of quilts most often made communally, quilts with a social = conscience, like the AIDS Memorial quilt, Wedding Quilts, Mourning = Quilts, and more.=20 TIA. Kathleen ------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 16:40:22 -0400 From: "Kelchner, Alan" I have a quick comment regarding Q-snap frames. I bought one early last year and started using it. I really liked the square format of the frame, but the fastening method really scares me. I'm concerned that, especially with vintage/antique tops, it places too much stress on fragile/possibly fragile fabrics. So I gave it away as a door-prize for the quilt show last year. Someone else is happy, and I don't worry about ripping my quilts (no - I actually didn't rip anything, but the worry ..... ugh.) For those of you who work part/full time as restorers, I have a question. Someone I know, a business person, knows of some people who would use my services. I was asked if I would be willing to pay a finder's fee for work sent my way (I have a feeling this would be more actual business than tentative questioning). 10% fee. I have no problems with this myself. I had planned on doing something like this when I'm set up to supply quilting services (although I had planned on a set fee for myself). We've tentatively made an agreement to do this, but I have asked that we wait a couple or three months - I have three very major jobs due out (two chintz, one nearly-dead feedsack - hundreds of man-hours involved) and do not want any further jobs waiting on me until their done. Has anyone else done something like this? How did you work it? Did it work out relatively well? Did you base the percentage on the total bill? Inquiring minds want to know! Alan ------------------------------

Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 00:45:06 -0400 From: "J. G. Row" To: "Quilt History List" , Subject: QHL: fan quilting Message-ID: <002a01bdb206$d7157ee0$57e8c6cfjudy-grow> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >If you didn't have a 1/8" hole punch or were in a hurry for a "ruler", >you could use plastic needlepoint canvas. Cut a strip, about an inch >wide. The holes are already there! >Arlene How I love being on this list! There are so many creative people! What a great idea, Arlene! Just mark the holes with a dab of magic marker and off you go! Judy in Ringoes, NJ judygrowblast.net ------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 17:10:22 +0100 From: "Audrey Cameron" To: "Quilt History" Subject: QHL: Amy Emms Hi Everyone, The Times newspaper here in England has not yet had an obituary of Amy Emms. This was sent to me by Marie, a QNL member so I hope it's ok with her that I am sending it to the group. Davidnodanw.demon.co.uk Here is an article about Amy Emms, the British quilter, who died this week, aged 94. Some of you may have her book on Durham quilting (wholecloth). Stitches in time AMY Emms, who has died aged 94, was one of the last true folk artists of England. She quilted in the style called Durham because that county was still stitching tradition ally when Edwardian folklorists rediscovered the art around the time of her birth in the village of Fullwell, near Sunderland. It's now, more fairly, called north-country quilting, She learned from her mother, a widow who came home, from skivvying and sat by gaslight at the quilting frame in a tiny bare house. Aged seven, Amy threaded the needles. Durham quilters stab their stitches through two layers of cloth and the wadding between a technique descended through medieval masterpieces and a craft industry in 18th-century Marseille - so that the plain fabric is shallowly, and subtly sculpted. Amy's mother drew her designs in chalk, or with the point of her needle; a folk-baroque iconography of feathers, flowers, shells and ropes scrolling over the fabric. As Amy grew, she joined her mother making quilts for sale; after the first world war, it was fashionable to commission quilts and puffier eiderdowns, not of the turkey red or white-cotton of poverty, but of softly shiny sateen. To Amy, the labour was pleasure and entertainment, as well as job satisfaction. At 20, she married Albert Emms, a stained-glass maker. They lived with Amy's mum and the women went on needle-working. Amy had a son, George, and a daughter, Olive, and handed down the craft to her. Olive's wedding dress, a sculpture of dinted snow, remains Amy's masterpiece. Amy was gifted, a prize and cup winner; the finest of her work is both rigorous and exuberant, like a Jacobean plasterwork ceiling. During the second world war, when her mother and brother died, Albert took sick, the children, were billeted away and the secure little house of her birth was destroyed by a landmine, she found comfort and refuge in her handicraft. Lady Havlock-Allan bought her work, became her patron, and Amy was a local celebrity. In 1951, she began to teach at local evening classes, and for almost 50 years shared her expertise with ever-widening circles. Women's institutes and colleges called her in; she gave lessons at her own dayschool at the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead, made television films and videotapes for craft courses. Design students made pilgrimages to her home. Her work looked discreetly handsome in church settings, and she completed commissions for copes and altar cloths. Amy had a rhythm in stitching, hypnotic to watch, and idiot questions from onlookers were always answered tolerantly, whether they were from daft ha'porth kids at Beamish Open Air Museum or rich nit-wits at Liberty, the London store. She was usually asked how long a quilt took, a sum she never bothered to tot up until she was getting old, when she discovered each had absorbed at least 350 hours of her life to embellish, plus a week of assembly. Needle-workers all over the world know her name: they read her unpretentious instruction book in the American National Museum of Quilting in Paducah, Kentucky, and in Australia and Japan. She was awarded the MBE In 1984, and was overwhelmed with pride at her visit to Buckingham Palace. She did not take the award as a compliment to herself; but as an honour to the craft she had passed safely on to the future. Ethol King Amy Emms, Quilter, born 1904; died June, 17,1998 -- Marie

Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 16:04:38 EDT From: ZegrtQuiltaol.com To: QHLcuenet.com I am curating an exhibit and writing an essay titled"Kentucky Quilts Roots and Wings in Oct 98 at Morehead State University's Kentucky Folk Art Gallery. I am looking at creativity in quiltmaking in Ky past and present .I am also looking at the outside influences on quiltmakers in the state that could have affected their creativity I am looking for something quite difficult to find - quotes from 19th century quiltmakers-talking about making "art" and or "creativity" , even vaguely going beyond normal descriptions of quiltmaking during the 19th or early 20th century . These quotes do not have to be from Kentuckians. In addition, I am searching for an early example ,1930's or 40's of a quilt from the workshop of Eleanor Beard from Hardinsburg,Ky. to include. I would be most appreciative of any assistance any of you might be able to offer.Thanks so much, Shelly Zegart

Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 08:56:17 EDT From: ZegrtQuiltaol.com Perhaps this can help you. Cuesta Benberry wrote an excellent article in Uncoverings:Dispelling the Myths. (not sure of the title early this a.m. and no time to look it up)..but...the hardback ..titled Quilt Cottage Industries..A Chronicle ...beginning p.142 She discusses Eleanor Beard's business and others that thrived in Ky and elsewhere during the same period. Shelly Z. ------------------------------ >

Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 22:34:41 EDT From: BrickWks1aol.com To: QHLcuenet.com Subject: QHL: Re: My 2 cents on Alan's stuff Message-ID: Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Maybe it's my suspicious little mind, but I have a little trouble with the finder's fee idea, Alan. In my years as a restorer, I've had plenty of instances where another professional passed my name on to the client, but they never have asked for compensation for doing so. I, of course, return the courtesy by recommending them and their work when I get a chance. (If, of course, they do good work -- and fortunately, I haven't had a "bad" professional I've dealt with yet.) If you really really think you'll get some business from it, and you can make sure your fee for said business will make this worth it, then why not, I guess. But I still have trouble understanding why said clients couldn't just find you via the normal channels. For me, it's word of mouth, word of mouth, word of mouth...and the Internet. I also am a little afraid of the pressure that Q-Snap Frames deal, as well as hoops...don't use these unless I am pretty sure that the quilt top can stand the stress. (And the last top I did via hoop, a feedsack, did have a few seams loosen up.) If at all possible, I prefer to use John Flynn's frame. You don't have to baste the layers together, and the tension is quite even. The Flynns sell the kit; you can make it up to any size, using the proper poles. Mine's queen- sized, and the ends fit comfortably on either side of the couch. That way, I can move up and down as needed to finish a "reach" before I roll to a fresh spot. When not in size, the frame, with quilt still on, just rests standing up in a corner. Works for me... Cindy ------------------------------

Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 12:03:38 -0700 From: "susanlk" I like the idea of the fur storage, except what was requested was a FREEZER to kill the microbes and insects. So at least that's a start, and maybe the fur storage places have some idea where to find the freezer required!! I was thinking of places which sell big blocks of ice at marinas... there must be other ice houses, mustn't there??? We have to think "outside the box" to solve this one!!!! Best regards...this is a GREAT listserve!!! SusanLK ------------------------------