Eastern Shore Quilt Study Group 

 The first meeting of the Eastern Shore Quilt Study Group was held today in St. Michaels. Twenty-five quilt lovers joined us and think this is going to be a success. The theme was "Eastern Shore quilts or your favorite quilt." 

I started with my 1st quarter 19th century Framed Center quilt from Somerset County (right on the border between MD and VA). It's huge (115" square) and a veritable catalogue of early 19th century fabrics. Next came a collection of sampler blocks set in rows with plain indigo squares but not assembled as a top. A circa 1900 quilt from Talbot Co.,MD was tired and worn, but the stash of fabric that was found with it was fabulous especially a large piece of red printed with black bearing two labels: a picture of an elegant lady in evening dress (1870?) and the guarantee from T. H. Green and Sons "Turkey Red Oil Color guaranteed to withstand severest washing expose and even the action of bleaching material without deterioration." How's that for a warranty? 

There was also a charming washdress of purple check (1900?). We saw a 1930s Feathered Star with very fine quilting found in Missouri. It was surprising to see the elegant Stars pieced in typical Depression Era prints. 

There were Log Cabins with several different sets and interesting foundations from around 1890 and a silk and velvet Log Cabin "parlor quilt" made near Philadelphia around the same time and a particularly lovely wool challis LC from the 1860s. 

The 1930s were represented by a heavily quilted Dresden Plate with the applique done in a black running stitch, a couple of kit quilts (Rose, Poppy), a Carolina Lily baby quilt with orange and pink flowers. Particularly interesting was a crib quilt from Canada appliqued with various motifs: a little girl, a Christmas tree, a wreath, a flower basket. 

One lady brought a set of 20 blocks that her niece in Upstate NY wanted her to finish into a quilt. What the niece thought were 1940s blocks were actually mid-19th century (a Whig Rose variation combining piecing and applique). We told the aunt to do nothing with the blocks and to tell her niece to cherish them as they are. My appeal for Eastern shore quilts did not go unheeded. We saw three glorious red and green appliques including a very idiosyncratic Prince's Feather and a classic Crossed Laurel Leaves with a swag and bow border from Dorchester Co., MD. I like to refer to Dorchester as "the back of beyond," but they were cranking out some great quilts at the height of the Baltimore Album craze. 

There were two tops that were orange, orange, orange, a color that the Maryland Album (the book from the MD documentation) says was used a lot on the ES but hardly anywhere else. Somebody remarked that when you see an orange quilt it's usually in good shape because they never went with anybody's decorating scheme. 

There was a redwork coverlet with motifs from US history. The maker embroidered the numbers which led us to wonder whether she had given a list of the subjects to a child to use as a key. The prize for "most unusual" came from an auction in Delaware. The quilt looks like a piece of minimalist art. A huge circle with a hole in the center (like a millstone) framed by borders pieced of odd curved shapes has a back made of large squares of every conceivable mid-20th century fabric including what appears to be knitted socks. Even more amazing was the quilting. The motifs look like what we see on Welsh quilts: intricate swirls and spirals. The batt is very heavy so the stitches are large, but very even and the overall effect of the quilting in stunning. None of us had ever seen anything like it. 

There was more, but I'm tired. We've decided to meet quarterly, to move the location for each meeting and to choose a theme to give some structure. I'll let you know the details of the next meeting when we have a plan. All are welcome. Cinda on the Eastern Shore (you all know where that is)