Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 23:16:40 -0600

From: Mary Waller <mswaller@iw.net>

I also saw the quilt Jeanne asked about on 'Antiques Roadshow'.  I'm not

going to second-guess Leslie Keno's estimate, but I will mention his

business is in New York City and his main area of expertise seems to be

furniture, it's a great quilt in great condition, has a family history

and a cross-stitched label about the maker and the person who made the

label on the back.  I was concentrating on every word, so when they went

to the next item, DH Steve said, "I can't believe you weren't yelling,

'Tell her to get it the hell out of the cedar chest!'".  But of course I

would have added, "And refold it!"

Mary Waller, Vermillion, SD

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

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 07:36:52 EST

From: CToczek@aol.com

Hi everyone,

I've lurked for awhile; enjoying the commentary and doctoring the boys'

chicken pox here at home. 

Poly batts-For a while I've been machine quilting several smaller projects,

playing with the technique. (new things-not vintage) However, recently I went

back to a small applique project to hand quilt and was reminded of how much

tougher, literally, it is to hand quilt through cotton batting as opposed to

the thin poly batts.  Yes, I saw posts here regarding wool batts and the newer

cotton batts like Hobbs organic and Fairfield Soft Touch, but I would like to

throw out this question:

Can any of you say from hands-on experience that you've found one of these

cottons to quilt as easy as the thin poly-batts?  Any "stories from the field"

are welcome.

Thanks,

Carla, at chilly West Point, NY, who hears of 70F from Mom in Little Rock, AR

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

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 08:07:23 -0500

From: Alan Kelchner <quiltfix@mail.jax.bellsouth.net>

To: qhl@cuenet.com

I'm glad to know my predilection for using orange in my quilts is

genetic !

(family is Pennsylvania Dutch). But to paraphrase an old quote, gaudy is

as

gaudy does, so forgive the poor souls that call PA German quilts gaudy.

They

don't know better :)

The lack of knowledge of quilting in dealers extends from country

auctioneers all the way to those fancy-types that appraise for the

Antiques

Roadshow. I watched it Monday night and was dumbfounded when they

appraised a fantastic quilt (textiles are so uncommon on this show).

Well, the appraiser, Mr. Keno from Sotheby's (that 40ish thin blond guy

who's a furniture expert, and occasionally we see him with his brother -

they look very much alike).   Anyhow, he appraised the piece as a piece

of folk art, rather than as a quilt.  Verrrrrry

interesting. But his ignorance was showing very badly (I was quite

embarrassed for him). He talked about the design work, the "pinwheels"

pattern, and the

weaving patterns (this was a magnificent 1850 Princess Feather, four

blocks, peacocks and other birds appliqued into the border,and it was

quilted, not woven !). He appraisal bowled me over.  I'm definitely

dealing in the wrong sellers' market. But really, if you're gonna get up

and talk, you need to talk intelligently. I was so disturbed by it that

I emailed the Antiques Roadshow. It's a disservice to the viewers to

appraiser something when you can't discuss the piece properly. And yes,

this was a Southeby's auction price for what appeared to be an

extraordinary.

What's that other saying .... Keep your mouth shut and be thought a

fool, or

open it and remove all doubt ......?

Alan

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

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 08:07:43 -0600

From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@mail.airmail.net>

Hi Carla,

As I stated before, I quilted many, many tops in the late '70's & early

'80's with Fairfield poly batts....traditional to be specific, until they

came out witht he low loft.....and yes, they are like quilting on butter...

I now use the either the F. Soft Touch or the Hobbs Organic.  Yes, they are

a little stiffer to quilt on, and I do bend many more needles that I would

like, but I am still able to get my 18-22 (on a *really* good day) stitches

to the inch .....incidently, not only does the batting effect the

sluggishness of your stitching, but I've found that the fabric really plays

more of a role.  I am finishing up a baby quilt that my mother did for my

cousins baby and they used decorator fabric with a shrinirized (sp)

finish...boy, even after washing it's so stiff I cant quilt on if for very

long...and they put a poly bat it in!

As I tell my beginning students, quilting is a masochistic art form and we

just have to * suffer in silence* <VBG>

Laura

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

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 08:10:10 -0600

From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@mail.airmail.net>

I'm glad that others of you saw the quilt on Antiques Roadshow.

I loved Mary's comments - and her husband's.  I am teaching a conservation

class in a couple of weeks and will probably tell them remember at least

their two

comments.

As to the price of the quilt . . . after seeing some of the pieces in the

James collection last fall, I'm not so sure the pricing was out of line

(remembering he is from New York.)

We were shown a Baltimore Album quilt which the James' paid $160,000 for in

1989.

A quilt is always worth what someone will pay for it "with a knowledgeable

seller and a knowledgeable buyer.

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

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 11:57:15 -0600

From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@mail.airmail.net>

To: "Jeanne.Fetzer" <Jeanne.Fetzer@integrityonline3.com>,

        <quiltfix@mail.jax.bellsouth.net>, "QHL" <qhl@cuenet.com>

Subject: Re: QHL: Re: colors/dealers

Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19990217115715.006de3a4@mail.airmail.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Jeanne, et al,

Did anyone else happen to see Martha this morning? I caught just part of it

and she had a woman on there that was talking about caring for your antique

and fine linens.  She was a textile conservator.  She showed how to wash a

deuvet cover using Orvus paste in a professional washing table (can you see

the envy here) like the one that Maury has....<G> Her formula for Orvus was

1 tsp per quart of water or 1 TBS per gallon.....is'nt this similar to what

was discussed in Omaha this year?

Then she talked about storage, acid free tissue, buffered tissue and acid

free boxes....She also discussed all of the wrong ways that people  send

items into them wrapped in paper, masking tape and all the horrors....

anyone else see the spot?

Laura

In springy N. Texas

>

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

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 11:23:20 -0700

From: "Jeanne.Fetzer" <Jeanne.Fetzer@integrityonline3.com>

To: "QHL" <qhl@cuenet.com>

Subject: QHL: Re: Orvus

Message-ID: <000801be5aa2$ab12f260$2ce399d0@jeanne.fetzer>

Content-Type: text/plain;

        charset="iso-8859-1"

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I saw it, too.  There are a couple of things different about her

recommendations on the use of Orvus.  One is that Deborah Bede uses a lot

(understatement) more than 1 TBS.  per gallon.  Due to my brain cell

deterioration, I can't remember the amount, but I think that it was a least

a cup to a gallon of water.  I am sure it would depend on the amount of soil

and the type of textile you are cleaning.  Also, other sources for Orvus are

available in larger quantities - like an animal feed store.  It is horse

shampoo.

Please correct me if any of this is incorrect.  The great thing about brain

deterioration is that you also lose any sensitivity to correction!  Jeanne

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

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 17:42:36 EST

From: SudaNim@aol.com

To: qhl@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: story on URR code

Message-ID: <5eb4e7bb.36cb45dc@aol.com>

Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Thanks to the folks who responded to my request for interviews. There were

enough of you that I didn't get to call everyone. Apologies to those I left

out. (And also, apologies to those I interviewed who also got left out.)

The story is scheduled to run Sunday. It may be posted on the web site as

early as Saturday; not sure about that, though. The paper's website is

www.dallasnews.com. 

Be warned it's not entirely about the URR code, or the Hidden in Plain View

book. It's more of an essay, based on an interesting personal fabric-

identification experience.  I only get to write in first-person about once a

year, so gotta milk it for all it's worth!  :)

Aline

From: KirkColl@aol.com

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: Re: Orvus and cotton batting

Message-ID: <2a7aa2fc.36cb8c0e@aol.com>

Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

1.  I was talking to Deb Bede yesterday.  She''s planning to move to New

Hampshire and go into private practice in late spring/early summer, so all of

you in New England will have a new great resource.  She recommended a 2%

solution of Orvus for maximum cleaning power.  It also takes a lot of water

for rinsing, and of course she uses all deionized water (special plumbing).

2.  Re: cotton batting.  The new batts, especially Quilter's Dream, are great,

but it still helps to have the right needles.  We recommend the Majestic 88

which is an English steel needle that is brought to the States and taken to an

electroplater where the outer coating of steel is stripped off and then

individually dipped in nickle.  If you look at a regular needle under a

microscope, there are all kinds of little ruts from the mass production

process.  These are absolutely smooth.

They are expensive -- 2 for $3.75, but I always tell people there are very few

things you can get for less than $5 that will change your life, but this is

one of them.  The downside is that they are so slick they will fall into your

pin cushion, never to be seen again, so they must be kept in their case when

not in use.  Also, if you get them mixed up with your other needles you have

to get out the microscope.

They are not stronger than steel needles, but because there is no resistance

as they go through the batting, it takes a lot less effort to quilt, usually

meaning fewer bent and broken needles.

I don't mean this to be an ad -- I know these are available at some other

shops and frankly I wish every shop in the country carried them because it

would convert a lot more people to using cotton batting.  They are great for

wool as well, and an absolute must for silk batting.  Plus I usually lose

money selling them -- by the time I pay for the 800 call and explain about the

needle I'm in the hole about $5 on the sale.

Nancy Kirk

The Kirk Collection

www.kirkcollection.com

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 00:07:54 -0500

From: "J. G. Row" <Judygrow@blast.net>

Correct me if I am wrong.

Deborah said that the "ions"(?) in Orvus bind themselves individually to

particles of dirt in the object being washed.  When all the Orvus particles

are attached, no more cleaning can be done.  So you might as well use a lot

of Orvus the first wash, than have to go back and do a second wash.  We want

a lot of suds and foam.  No suds, no foam, no cleaning.

Yes?  Do I have it right?

Judy in Ringoes, NJ

judygrow@blast.net

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 07:35:02 -0500

From: Alan Kelchner <quiltfix@mail.jax.bellsouth.net>

To: qhl@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: Orvus

Message-ID: <36CC08F5.657FDD2B@mail.jax.bellsouth.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

If you want large quantities of Orvus, go to your local feed-n-tack

store (supplies for your barnyard animals, for all you city-types <G>.

Hmm, for you those stores may not be all that local !! )  And if memory

serves me right, when I last saw a large bottle at the feed store, it

said on the label it was for washing the teats on a cow's udder prior to

milking.  The horse shampoo is the Mane and Tail on the supermarket

shelves. But if you buy this stuff at the feed store, it's much more

inexpensive than those 8 oz bottles at Joann's !

Alan

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 06:42:46 -0600

From: "Sehoy L. Welshofer" <sw4quilt@bellsouth.net>

To: "QHL" <QHL@cuenet.com>

Subject: QHL: batting

Message-ID: <000001be5b3c$2f91c400$1e01a8c0@patrick>

Content-Type: text/plain;

        charset="iso-8859-1"

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi everyone,

Can any of you say from hands-on experience that you've found one of these

cottons to quilt as easy as the thin poly-batts?  Any "stories from the

field"

are welcome.

Thanks,

Carla,

Reply:

Clara - I use nothing but Hobbs all cotton or 20/80 for my hand quilting. I

love it. The needle glides through with no problem at all. The secret for

hand quilting is to presoak, spin out, put in dryer on high heat. No, it

doesn't come apart, and it doesn't shrink. It comes out of the dryer

wonderfully soft.

Visit Web Threads, the Newsletter for Net Savvy Quilters at:

http://personal.bna.bellsouth.net/bna/s/w/sw4quilt/index.htm

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 08:02:30 -0600

From: Laura Hobby Syler <texas_quilt.co@mail.airmail.net>

To: "J. G. Row" <Judygrow@blast.net>, "Quilt History List" <QHL@cuenet.com>,

        <Jeanne.Fetzer@integrityonline3.com>

Subject: Re: QHL: Deborah Bede and Orvus

Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19990218080230.006f52e0@mail.airmail.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Judy, Even though I was not in Omaha, I have talked to a couple of my

friends that work in the textiles testing lab here for JC Penney's  and

they concur with Deborah's theory....molecule for molecule kinda

thing......as opposed to detergent that acts in a scraping method to remove

the dirt molecules the Orvus binds itself to the dirt ( do they have

something that I can spray over my whole house?????)

Laura

In Springy N. Texas.

>

>

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 08:59:52 -0700

From: Eileen Trestain <ejtrestain@earthlink.net>

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: Orvus

Message-ID: <36CC38F8.1E7B6033@earthlink.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Deborah Bede said  three cups of Orvus to 10 gallons of water, in a big

textile tank, with very little agitation. You need enough soap molecules

to bond with the free radical dirt molecules to remove dirt. Not enough

soap leaves the textile still dirty.  She said to rinse rinse rinse.

Even after many rinses, you may have a few bubbles in a test tube when

shaken, but she also said you could have bubbles in the test tube when

the soap could no longer be chemically measured.

Eileen

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 11:59:31 -0800

From: "R & L Carroll" <Robert.J.Carroll@GTE.net>

To: <QHL@cuenet.com>

Subject: QHL: Orvus

Message-ID: <01be5b79$4da3bf60$b134fcd0@r.-carroll>

Content-Type: text/plain;

        charset="iso-8859-1"

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hello!  Our quilt study group had a speaker a few months ago, Kay Walcher, a

textile conservator.  She mentioned that other conservators in their group

were no longer using Orvus because it leaves a residue which shows up later

as a film on textiles.  They have seen it most notably on carpets.  They

feel that it cannot be rinsed out completely.  For myself, I have not found

Orvus cleans a quilt very well. I don't see the point of washing a quilt if

it does not clean up. Using the high concentrations mentioned would only add

to the difficulties of rinsing.  Has anyone used the new Quiltwash by

Craftgard?  I met the people from Quiltwash and they tell me it is perfectly

safe for antique quilts, and that Piecemakers is using it for all their

antique quilts.  They explained it all in scientific terms, but I've

forgotten.  I have used it to wash new quilts and it does a great job of

cleaning.

Laurette in So. California

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 17:12:39 -0500

From: Steve Greco <GrandmasAttic@compuserve.com>

I had to laugh about the comment that your dear husband said he couldn't

believe you weren't yelling "tell her to get it out of the cedar chest"

because when my husband and son came into the living room during Antiques

Roadshow, they actually did see me hollering at the TV, "Get it out of the

Cedar Chest and for heaven's sake REFOLD it!!!"   I too noticed that this

fantastically beautiful quilt  was being talked about as a piece of "folk

art" and not as quilt, and I couldn't BELIEVE the guy doing the appraising

didn't know what he was talking about.  Sigh.  Anyway, husband and son

decided I needed to calm down with a cup of hot tea since I was yelling at

the TV!.

Rachel Greco

Grandma's Attic Sewing Emporium, Inc.

155 SW Court Street

Dallas, OR  97338

1-503-623-0451

e-mail: GrandmasAttic@compuserve.com

www.grandmasatticquilting.com

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

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 15:53:32 -0700

From: "jenniferl hill" <hilljl@shaw.wave.ca>

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: Poly vs. Cotton batts

Message-Id: <v04020a00b2f24577c095@[24.65.199.123]>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The first quilts that I made were quilted with poly batts, on the advice of

my aunt, who taught me the basics.  She was one of those mid-century

quilters for whom poly batting was the best thing to happen to quilting

since the sewing machine (she obviously never used a rotary cutter!).  By

1994 I decided to try  cotton, since I liked the old fashioned feel it

imparted.  I used Hobbs Heirloom, and I sure regretted it, at least for the

first few "reaches" of my queen-sized Lone Star.   However, by the time I

finished it, I was quite accustomed to it, and now, I think I could quilt

through steel wool, if I really had to (well, maybe not!)  I use cotton

batting almost exclusively now, and I find poly quilts have a very limp

drape to them.

  My favourites are Hobbs Organic Cotton for very fine work, and Mountain

Mist Blue Ribbon for scrappy, "utility" quilts.  I like to quilt rather

densely, so I don't think it worthwhile to pay extra for the brands that

say they can be quilted up to 5"-10" apart.

Like Laura mentioned, the fabric used can make a big difference, blends,

and decorator fabric being tough.  However, I think the quilting pattern

chosen can also have an effect.  I did a fairly comprehensive survey of

quilting needles on a wholecloth muslin quilt I made.  I broke over 40

needles in it, quilting lots of feathers and grape clusters.

Jennifer Hill

Calgary, AB

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 08:45:06 EST

From: CToczek@aol.com

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: batt info

Message-ID: <9d3df7a9.36cd6ae2@aol.com>

Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Thanks to everyone who has offered field advice on the cotton batts.  Thanks

also, to Nancy, in regard to the note about the needles.  You read my mind!  I

have wondered if perhaps my difficulties with the cotton batts might be

partially related to my generic quilting needles.  I'll try the stronger ones

and see if I find an improvement. 

Best to all,

Carla, at West Point where the snow forecast disappeared.....as a new resident

up here, I think you're all pulling my leg about winter snow amounts! <vbg>

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

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 08:26:47 -0600

From: "Brian/Jen Schmidt" <brian_jen@prodigy.net>

I have used Hobbs Thermore Ultra-Thin poly batting and the thinnest loft of Quilter's Dream Cotton Batting.  To me, they needled the same.  However, I favor Quilter's Dream Cotton because it ends up shrinking a little after I've washed the finished quilt, and I like the effect.  But if I had to use a poly batting, it would be the Hobbs Thermore.

Jennifer

Can any of you say from hands-on experience that you've found one of these

cottons to quilt as easy as the thin poly-batts?  Any "stories from the

field"

are welcome.

Thanks,

Carla,

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

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 10:43:49 -0500

From: "J. G. Row" <Judygrow@blast.net>

To: "Quilt History List" <QHL@cuenet.com>

Subject: QHL: Two items

I've got two things to share with you today, both from newspapers.

1.  On page 3-A of the March issue of the Maine Antique Digest   are two

small photos and accompanying short editorial.  The photos are of a quilt

that is just a single large apple tree; one photo of the quilt itself (wish

I could see it in color) and one of the quilt as the cover of "Yankee"

Magazine.

The paragraph says that in August of 1998 M.A.D. took a picture of the apple

quilt in a dealer's booth at the Union, Maine, antiques show.  At the time

the dealer told them that the quilt was "probably" turn of the century and

signed by the maker, Polly Leavitt.

 In January M.A.D. got a letter from Polly Leavitt with a picture of her

making the quilt in 1974.  It was on the cover of "Yankee" in September of

that same year.

When M.A.D called the dealer, he said, "Nothing surprises me anymore."

Right!  Isn't he supposed not to be surprised if he gives a prospective

buyer a description?

2.  New York Times, Thursday Feb 18, page F-11.  There is a large

article/review by Phil Patton of the book "Hidden in Plain View" .  This is

the first review or article about the book that  I have read or seen that

finally casts doubt  about the veracity of the facts as stated in the book.

Some quotes follow --

"Did Ms. Williams, who died last May, really present the code as a practical

aid?  As recited, it seems more inspirational than navigational."

"John Michael Vlach, chairman of African American studies at George

Washington University, reviewed an early proposal for the book for a rival

publisher and was not convinced. ' It's a nice idea,' he said, ' and it

would be marvelous if we could prove it.  But from the evidence I don't see

the smoking gun -- or quilt.' "

"Quilt codes are not mentioned in contemporaneous accounts of the

underground railroad, and the code doesn't reach the systematic nature of,

say, the symbols scrawled on fences by tramps a century ago to set apart

friendly farms from hostile ones."

" .... the Northern Star for guidance; the Drunkard's Path pattern advised

taking an irregular course to avoid apprehension; Flying Geese signaled the

way north -- but only in the spring.  These are not exactly Rand Mc Nally

maps."

"Designs for escape or designs for the dream of escape, the quilts raise

problems............But to romanticize efforts to escape from slavery

underplays the hopelessness that made the institution so evil."

And finally:

" The sad but likely truth is that for many, if not most, quilts were not

the escape map but the only escape."

What a wonderful last line.  As quilters we know that quilting does not show

us how to get OUT of unpleasant situations in our own lives. But we do know

that we can escape from those situations, even momentarily, INTO our

quilting.

Judy in Ringoes, NJ

judygrow@blast.net

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

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 08:45:02 -0800

From: Marilyn Maddalena <marilyn@crl.com>

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: Re: NQA show

Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19990219084502.006ed510@mail.crl.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I am a Board member of NQA and Publications Chair, so I produce the

magazine, The Quilting Quarterly.  I am not aware of any "flap" about

entering quilts in the NQA show.  I think you may be thinking of Houston,

where I understand there were some problems with entries.  The NQA show is

held annually at a different location each year, to ensure we reach the

most members possible.  It is a non-juried show, and in my experience has

been great.  It is a big show, with quite a variety of quilts to be seen

from all over the country, and   great vendors -- everything you'd like to

see in a quilt show.  The magazine has an article about the show this year,

which is in Omaha, NE.  If you're not an NQA member, at a cost of $17.00

per year, you won't be able to get the magazine -- it's sent only to

members.  NQA is completely non-profit, has a program to certify teachers

and judges (where AQS has a program to certify appraisers), also gives

grants and lots of other "good stuff."  You might look into it.  You can

call the office at 410-461-5733 for more information,

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

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 12:29:19 EST

From: ZegrtQuilt@aol.com

For those of you in Florida and near Naples, I will be speaking at the Naples

Philharmonic on Monday, March 22 at 10 A.M. The title of the lecture is

American Quilts: A Patchwork of Meanings, Purposes, and Origins. It is part of

a series called The Tactile Series. Please contact the Philharmonic for

individual ticket prices. I would  be pleased if some  QHL folks could be

there. Shelly Zegart

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

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 13:28:05 -0800

From: "pepper cory" <pepcory@bmd.clis.com>

To: <QHL@cuenet.com>

Subject: QHL: Re: No flap with Houston--all settled

Message-Id: <199902191849.KAA22293@orbital.cue.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Friends, let's get the facts straight before some misunderstanding happens

about the "quilt flap." Last year AIQA  (Houston organization) came out

with some guidelines for entry into their fall show that included a

prohibition against exhibiting the submitted quilt elsewhere. Perhaps this

was in response to some famous quilts that had been making the quilt show

circuit and AIQA wanted to ensure that new and different quilts were seen

at their show. However, in response to many letters and communications,

AIQA rescinded this prohibition. The jurying for that show took place much

later than usual because folks had to get their facts straight. I know this

to be true because I was one of the jurors along with Jane Hall and Linda

Feidler. Locked in a room with 500+ quilt slides--throw me into the briar

patch! If you have questions, please go to the source (AIQA). I was glad to

see Mary from NQA  (another fine organization) getting information out.

Don't worry--both AIQA and NQA hold fine shows as does AQS (Paducah).

Pepper Cory

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

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 15:45:50 EST

From: Lekhbah@aol.com

Hi,

I am the mother of two equestrians, and the wife of another.  Orvus is the

shampoo for horses.  Mane and tail, as my daughters sniff, is just shampoo,

and is available for human heads.  (they won't use it on horses)

You can buy little bottles of Orvus at quilt stores, or big jugs of it at

tack/feed stores.  We have to buy a halter this week-end, so I'll check out

Maryland prices.

Kim

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

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 22:47:54 -0000

From: "Jenni Dobson" <jenni@dobson4qu.freeserve.co.uk>

To: "Quilt History List" <QHL@cuenet.com>

Sorry I'm a few days late but I read Carla's enquiry about quilting =

other batting compared to poly. I still have a cotton batting waiting =

for a hand project - I know cotton is popular with machine quilters & =

that's what I've used it for, a limited amount.

Just wanted to say, I recently finished hand-quilting a double quilt =

with a wool (+ a small percent poly) batting (Hobbs). It was fantastic - =

so easy on the needle & the quilt feels lovely. If you want a natural =

fibre instead of polyester, you could try wool. It is light & fine, but =

warm yet not "sticky" to sleep under. I guess where you live in the US =

affects how useful wool is for you.

BTW, I'm not making a commercial plug here - just a satisfied user.

Jenni, in cloudy England.

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

Date: Fri, 19 Feb 99 21:45:23 EST

From: "Bob Mills" <decision@tigger.jvnc.net>

To: "Quilter's Heritage List" <QHL@cuenet.com>

Subject: QHL: Repro fabric

Message-ID: <decision.1269866363E@tigger.jvnc.net>

Does anyone know if the repro fabric from the antique quilts and clothing at

the Shelburne Museum in VT is sold anywhere besides their museum shop and a

Shelburne Quilt shop?  I bought two fat quarters there this summer, thinking

I could find it elsewhere.  I would love to see a catalog with these

fabrics.  Also, is Sharon Newman's fabric line sold thru any catalogs?  Who

is the manufacturer of this fabric?

The DAR quilt fabric line is sold in several catalogs but I was wondering if

anyone knew if there was a larger selection than appears in Hancock's catalog.

I feel more comfortable knowing who designed the fabrics (Sharon) or from

what museum the fabrics were chosen.  Much of the repro fabric in catalogs

is advertised as 'based on' or 'inspired by' quilts in a museum or

collection.  My question becomes how closely was a fabric based on real

fabric?  Even the DAR Museum Collection ad in Hancock's catalog uses waffley

words like 'are the inspiration for'.

Can someone explain the process as to how an antique textile fabric is

reproduced? 

My other question for the experts is how reliable are the 'reproductions' to

reality?  Why would they be called inspired by rather than an accurate

reproduction ?

Is there a graceful way of suggesting to QHL which of the designers seem to

have patterns and colors in line with the experts knowledge of fabrics?

Kaye England Voices of the Past, P & B DAR, Moda English Oak, Moda Secret

Garden, Moda Folk Art Wedding, Shelburne, and Sharon Newman's Browns...

Part of the reason I ask is that if these are good repro's I want to catalog

the pictures of the fabrics in my brain as well as in a notebook.  If not, I

don't want to look at them anymore.

And Eileen, J. G. Row and I were hopping up and down last night when we

found an exact match of fabric in your book to a quilt top I own.  It is a

yellow with small red figures from 1830-60.  If only your book was three

times the size!

Jan Drechsler (not Bob)

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 11:10:00 +0100

From: "Tilde Binger" <binger.hougaard@get2net.dk>

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: Once more ? Hidden in Plain view.

Message-Id: <199902201010.LAA09404@bednorz.get2net.dk>

Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Now, I'm getting curious here. Can any of you ladies, who have actually read

this book (! "Hidden in Plain View") tell me a little more about it. From

the review extracts that Judy sent, it seems, that the information of which

it is based, has been collected rather late in this century, and that

nothing exists from any Underground-users ? Is that correct ? Please e-mail

me privately, if this horse has been beaten to death on the list already.

Since the matter seems to have created quite a stir on other lists as well,

I would be interested in knowing exactly where the data for the book came

from, and when. I would also be interested in knowing, whether any material

from "Underground-users" has been published, and what this material says

about the Underground.

Thank you in advance

Tilde in Copenhagen

....

>2.  New York Times, Thursday Feb 18, page F-11.  There is a large

>article/review by Phil Patton of the book "Hidden in Plain View" .  This is

>the first review or article about the book that  I have read or seen that

>finally casts doubt  about the veracity of the facts as stated in the book.

.....

>Judy in Ringoes, NJ

>judygrow@blast.net

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 06:29:40 -0500

From: Jean Ann <quiltmag@mindspring.com>

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: AIQA, NQA, AQA

Message-Id: <v03007806b2f44c844626@[207.69.154.28]>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Well, for my two cents, I supported the decision of the (A)IQA to have only

quilts that had not been exhibited elsewhere. There are so many wonderful

quilts out there that it is good to see different quilts at the different

shows instead of quilts "making the rounds". It made good sense, but public

opinion is also very important and I am sure that the people making both

decisions did so with great thoughtfulness and much consideration.

Jean Ann Eitel, Editor

QUILT magazine site: http://www.quiltmag.com - IRC chat site:

http://www.quilttalk.com

Personal web site: http://www.mindspring.com/~quiltmag/jeanann/jaeindex.html

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 09:01:53 EST

From: EGinebaugh@aol.com

Hi All,

I need some opinions on a quilt I saw yesterday.  It's calling my name, but I

need more info on it before I buy. 

It's a single Irish Chain, made from that "creamsicle" orange & white.  It has

very little batting, almost full-size, pretty worn on the edges, and a nickle-

sized hole on a side, about 2" away from the edge.  The quilting is a

crosshatch grid, with feathered wreaths in the open spaces of the chains, and

is exquisite!  I love it for the quilting, but it is very fragile.

My questions are: About what year are we talking for this quilt?  Can it be

displayed in any way?  (I think hanging is out) Should it be repaired or

restored?

Any other input you have would be appreciated, and you may reply privately to

me if it is not of interest to the list.

Thank you for your input,

Liz in Michigan

EGinebaugh@aol.com

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 09:31:44 EST

From: Jilly31@aol.com

Hi Everyone.  I am a beginner here and my question is about humility blocks.

Do quilters still put them in their quilts?  Many quilts I have seen at

auction or at quilt shows do not have them.  If quilters don't use them

anymore...when did they quit?  Is this a useful way to help date a quilt?

Thanks for any input.

Jill ---- In cold Indiana --- If you don't like the weather stick around ---

it is bound to change in an hour or two.  It was 70F one day and it snowed the

next day!

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 09:44:47 EST

From: CToczek@aol.com

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: fabric repros

Message-ID: <440bb8cd.36ceca5f@aol.com>

Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Not an expert (yet!<VBG>), but I can answer some of Jan's questions regarding

the reproduction fabrics.  

Having had the great opportunity to work at Sharon Newman's shop for a year in

Lubbock, TX before the military moved us to New York, I can say first hand

that she's an interesting lady with a head filled with facts and a temperament

for accuracy.  (I learned quickly to measure through the center to avoid wavy

borders!<G>)  Sharon bases her repro collections on actual fabric pieces from

blocks, tops and quilts in her collection, plus some from friends and some

that Moda adds.  Moda falls under United Notions Corp. out of Dallas.

By the way, Bobbie Aug and Sharon have a new book out this spring called

"String Quilts With Style," a modern twist on an old favorite.  Through AQS, I

think? 

Back to repros......Some lines have an "accurate" coloring in say, reds and

greens, and then a modern update in blues and purple to attract a variety of

customers.  Sharon is particular and tries to have ALL accurate colorings.

For instance, with the Vintage Garden line last fall, she was unhappy with the

blue colorway, (which I loved), because "it wasn't right" for the period, but

lost out to the Moda folks on the decision.  As for the production methods, I

don't know the technicalities, but do know samples are sent numerous times

from the plants to the designers for adjustments. 

Hope that helps a little; hopefully we'll hear more from the experienced folks

about the process involved in the fabric lines.

Oh, and a teaser....Sharon has a red and green reproduction line in the works

for later this year!  

Have a nice weekend,

Carla Toczek

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 09:12:26 +0000

From: Bobbie Aug <qwltpro@uswest.net>

To: Jilly31@aol.com

CC: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: Re: QHL: Re: QHL-Digest Digest V99 #49

Message-ID: <36CE7C7A.B6F0CF06@clsp.uswest.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Dear Jilly,

By humility blocks are you speaking of the purposeful practice of making a

"mistake" in one's quilt top?  The "Devil's Eye" to allow a place for the "evil

spirits" to escape the quilt?  The belief that to make something perfect would be

evil - only God made perfect things?  If this is your meaning, then I would say to

you that there has never been any conclusive evidence shown in any research that I

or anyone else has ever done that supports any of the above as being an

intentional practice - at least as it would apply to any formal time period or

group of people.  In other words, one individual quiltmaker may have done this

throughout her lifetime of making quilts, but this does not constitute a

"practice."  Too bad as it is such a romantic idea!

Bobbie A. Aug

Jilly31@aol.com wrote:

> Hi Everyone.  I am a beginner here and my question is about humility blocks.

> Do quilters still put them in their quilts?  Many quilts I have seen at

> auction or at quilt shows do not have them.  If quilters don't use them

> anymore...when did they quit?  Is this a useful way to help date a quilt?

>

> Thanks for any input.

> Jill ---- In cold Indiana --- If you don't like the weather stick around ---

> it is bound to change in an hour or two.  It was 70F one day and it snowed the

> next day!

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 10:21:01 -0700

From: "jenniferl hill" <hilljl@shaw.wave.ca>

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Cc: Re:

Subject: QHL: Re: QHL-Digest Digest V99 #49

Message-Id: <v04020a00b2f49ddc7d94@[24.65.199.123]>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I guess the horsey set hereabouts have deeper pockets than quilters, or

maybe they just seldom wash their horses.  I went to a local tack shop

seeking Orvis or even an Orvis-like product in large quantities.  I was

told it was a special order, and the price quoted was more than the local

quilt shops charge for the little 8 oz. bottle.  Go figure.

Jennifer Hill

Calgary, AB

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 12:20:25 EST

From: KirkColl@aol.com

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: Re: Repro fabrics and Omaha

Message-ID: <fef379da.36ceeed9@aol.com>

Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Two things to comment on:

1) I hope everyone can come to Omaha in June for the NQA Show.  The local

committee is knocking themselves out to make it the best NQA show ever.  In

addition to the main show, there are 28 other special events and exhibits

around town at the various museums and historica houses including patriotic

quilts at the Strategic Air Command Museum.

The Quilt Heritage Foundation is coordinating the appraisals and offering

lectures across the street at Trinity Cathedral in a "Quilt Heritage Days"

celebration.  We'll be doing two lectures a day on "Taking Care of Grandma's

Quilt,"  "What's My Quilt Worth?" and "Tell Me About Grandmother's Quilt".

The last is kind of like super show and tell with a lecturer commenting on

each quilt.

On Friday night, everyone is invited over to our shop for a party (and

shopping of course).  We'll have free trolley rides from the Doubletree up til

about midnight.

The other big news is NQA has established a new category for Crazy Quilts this

year -- the first big national show to do so.  (Yeah!) 

2.  On reproduction fabrics.  The surface design on most of the reproductions

on the market today is great, because it is all done with computers and they

can get it very accurate.  Sometimes the companies take liberties with the

sizing however. 

The colors, on the other hand, are a different story.  In some lines, all the

colors are taken from fabrics of the period.  This was true of Harriet

Hargrave's first collection from P&B.  Two pieces (the light cadet blues) were

taken from faded fabrics, but otherwise they were dead on.  I remember Harriet

was in the shop the day after she got the strike offs and showed them to me

and I was on the phone ordering them before her car pulled away from the curb.

Some other companies take only the design and don't worry at all about the

color -- they just go with 1990's colors so they fit in with the rest of their

line.

Many are now going to a plan of one fairly accurate original colorway, and two

or more alternate colorways that probably are based in contemporary colors

rather than original ones.

Remember, their business is to sell fabric, and there are many fewer quilters

wanting to re-create older quilts, than contemporary quilters wanting to make

new quilts.

The minimum run of a given print is 3000 yards  with a minimum of 1000 yards

in each color -- if you print in Japan.  If you print in the the U.S., the

minimums go up to 7500 yards of one print, with a minimum 3000 yards in one

color. 

That's why many of the companies sell the fabric at market from painting and

color copies before they even print the fabric.  Then they don't even print

what doesn't sell well -- and if that was the original colorway -- sorry.

A few companies are finding that color accurate reproductions are selling

better than "kind of close" reproductions, and are trying to do a really good

job with at least one color way. 

Some retail businesses sell all the "reproduction" fabrics that come out.  We

decided to focus on the ones we felt were accurate for both color and surface

design.  But there are still some good ones out there we miss.  Usually we

pass because those particular companies don't stock the fabric and you can't

reorder with any certainty.  Because we're primarily mail order, we need

reliable supplies.

It's a fascinating business, and there are lots of factors that come into

play.  It certainly makes sense for appraisers and quilt historians to  try to

keep up with the repro market because some of them are very, very good and in

100 years it will be hard to date the quilts if they are quilted with

traditional cotton batts and thread that doesn't flouresce. 

Right now we don't worry about counterfeiting because it costs so much more to

make a new quilt than the buy an equivalent old quilt.

Thanks for the forum.

Nancy Kirk

The Kirk Collection

www.kirkcollection.com

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 11:46:27 +0000

From: Bobbie Aug <qwltpro@uswest.net>

Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Nancy, thanks for the repro information.

Please tell us who is the Quilt Heritage Foundation.  How does one become a

member.  Who will be doing quilt appraisals.  The lecture titles sound great!  Who

is giving which lecture?

Thank you.

Bobbie A. Aug

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

Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 18:26:55 EST

From: Jilly31@aol.com

To: QHL@cuenet.com

Subject: QHL: humility block & display ideas

Message-ID: <1591c4e3.36cf44bf@aol.com>

Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/20/99 11:22:51 AM US Eastern Standard Time,

qwltpro@uswest.net writes:

<<  In other words, one individual quiltmaker may have done this

 throughout her lifetime of making quilts, but this does not constitute a

 "practice."  Too bad as it is such a romantic idea! >>

Thanks for the input.  I am really sorry to hear that this isn't or wasn't a

"practice" of a particular period of time or a group of people.  Personally, I

like the idea...it is a romantic idea!  I have seen on samplers where the

maker cross-stitches the letter Z backwards so as not to offend God by making

a perfect piece and have thought the practice might carry over to quilting. 

I have a Rose of Sharon quilt which is quite old and I am having difficulties

trying to date it.  Anyway, the quilt has what I would call a humility block

in the lower right hand side of the quilt.  The "mistake on purpose" is that

the flowers are a totally different color than the rest of the quilt.  It

looks quite purposeful that the colors are different.  Any ideas on this?

Also, I am sure this topic has been discussed before...but what is the best

way to fold and store quilts.  Also any display ideas out there? 

Jill in Indiana - and it is snowing again!

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

  [ 99051 ]