Perhaps the title for this blog should be Synchronicity at My Workshop. I define a synchronistic event as when two independent events occur close together in time and together form a bigger whole that is unexpected AND answers a question or need. (This often happens when I am doing research. I see it as a reward for my hard work and also as an indicator from above that I am exactly where I should be at this moment in time.)
This past week synchronicity happened. It began the day I gave an evening lecture. The quilt guild was selling bundles of old quilt magazines and I bought a dozen Quilter's Newsletter Magazines spanning the 1980s.
The next day was my workshop "Creating Antique Inspired Quilts" I love teaching this class because of the blocks and tops women bring to share for study and discussion. Cheryl couldn't be there and sent some blocks with her friends after hearing my lecture "From Folks to Folksky: Wild & Wacky Quilts & Quotes , 1840-1940" the night before.
As you can see from the pictures they are embroidered blocks of state flowers and the state's abbreviated initials are in a small circle formation next to the flowers. The blocks are rectangular, approximately 8" across by 6" high. Wow I immediately thought- they were beautiful, well done, and sophisticated compared to some other state flower blocks. The colors are subdued in earth tones on a background fabric in natural or beige cotton, and the flower patterns were quite detailed.
I saw Arts and Crafts period all over these blocks- but who designed them?? There was no provenance with the blocks. They were a mystery to be solved. I didn't even know where to look. I suggested I put them on my blog to ask what my expert readers had to offer. With permission, I took the photos you see here for just that.
Piece,
Kim
The next day I was looking through the Quilter's Newsletter Magazines I had bought there and half way through I came to my favorite cover of the bunch. It shows an appliqué quilt with four waving flags on poles with their cantons meeting in the middle. An eagleappliqued in the BAQ style, has a shield in its mouth and arrows and laurel leaves are placedin- between each of the flags. The stars form a circle in the canton; two have 29 stars and 2 have 31 stars. QNM states it is c. 1847-1858 and quilted in 1940. They suggest it was made near Baltimore MD. BUT keep in mind, this issue of QNM dates to 1985, July/August, and more about this quilt may be known now.
QNM's "QNM Readers' Quilt show" brought the synchronistic moment to the forefront- there on page 25 is a full page picture of a quilt with the same blocks! Forty-eight in total, set in a medium blue plain sashing and border with plain red cornerstones and white stars on the sashing strips and corners. The blocks are embroidered in various colors of floss.
Henrietta Bradely Ringhoffer (1902-1964) made her quilt for the Century of Progress National Quilt contest. Of course Sears sponsored this contest. She entered it in 1933 from her home in Texas. She was a perpetual quilt contest enterer the magazine says. She won many ribbons and this one was recognized by other contests, but not CofP. Unfortunately it is not shown in the "Patchwork Souvenirs" book.
Thanks to Henrietta, QNM, Cheryl, her friend and synchronicity completing the circle, I found out that the state flower blocks were designed by Ruby McKim and sold as patterns in the early 1930s. The quilt setting was Henrietta's design, QNM states. If you have any updated information about this pattern series, please comment, or better, if you have a quilt, please email a photo to me at quiltdating@jetlink.net and I will put it here for all to see if you like.
This was rewarding enough but as it turns out, another synchronistic event happened at the same workshop! I will share this with you in the next blog.
This was rewarding enough but as it turns out, another synchronistic event happened at the same workshop! I will share this with you in the next blog.
Piece,
Kim
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Just to let you know, I have 45 embroidered quilt blocks of this pattern done by my cousin in Memphis TN. I am in the process of trying to figure out how to put them together for a wall hanging.
To anonymous- Henrietta's setting was very simple- she used plain fabric not a print, and had somewhat wide sashing strips and a slightly wider border all the way around. That's it! The photo is black and white, so I can't tell the color, but after seeing the blocks, I think a greyed shade of yellow, or moss green, or tan/brown would be a nice compliment. A bright or clear color would not blend well. Hope this helps, Kim
This pattern is now available from www.mckimstudios.com as pattern number QS 205. I have most of the original clippings (mine from the Portland, Oregon News-Telgram) which were published in 1931-32. The drawing which introduced the series shows the blocks set in alphabetical order is a simple narrow sashing with corner blocks and a slightly wider outer border. My last clipping (from January 1932) says that "A drawing of the whole quilt will follow, showing how they may be set together, but a woman's quilt is always an individual project, nothing else exactly like it, so you may have an individual way of setting together your blocks."
Hope this helps, Susan
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Your comments, questions and answers are welcome! It may take a little while for them to show on my blog - I like to see them first. Thanks for sharing.