My Transgenerational Quilt, 1835-1945 & 19th Century Fabric Swatch with Purchase Offer Extended to July 18th

The winner of one set of Antique Quilt Dating Guides on The Quilting Gallery's Friday Give-Away is Diana Higdon from Clarksville, Indiana. Congratulations to Diane.

Last week one set of my Antique Quilt Dating Guides...by Style were the featured Friday Give Away on Michele Foster's Quilting Gallery here -http://quiltinggallery.com/2009/07/03/antique-quilt-dating-guides-by-style/   Here is a shout out and big thank you to Michele Foster, the creator and publisher of The Quilting Gallery's many offerings.

My offer for a 9" swatch of 19th century calico (cut from antique yardage I was lucky to find years ago) with your order for a set is being extended to July 18, this coming Sat. until midnight. Michele asked if she could extend the offer from her website so again I decided to follow suit. Thank you to Janet Dykstra for answering my question about the origins of "following suit," which came from playing card games such as bridge or hearts. Of course now that I hear it, it comes back. I was an avid card game player during cold Chicago winters as a kid and I was good. We played gin, canasta, and double solitaire, but Michigan Rummy was my favorite when 4 or more were playing.

Here is the deal for you:

For each set of AQDGs ordered I will enclose a 9" swatch of late 19th century fabric, ca. 1880-1900. Until I run out of either fabric, you can chose the print you prefer to receive as your gift with purchase. They are like new, in perfect condition from my antique stash. The double pink photo looks fuzzy, but the fabric is perfectly clear.

Simply write Double Pink or White Floral on the comments line on the order page at www.antiquequiltdatingguides.com This offer has been extended until next weekend, July 18 midnight, PST. You can get 4- 2.5" squares, 4- 3" sqs. , 2- 4.5x9" strips, or keep it as one block in your quilt or fabric collection.

(left-This Guide is for 1900-1950 quilt styles only. On the front is a check list of the main features of a 20th century vs. a 19th c. quilt) The Guides will help you date the era of a quilt or decide upon the style you'd like to make with that great repro fabric you just had to buy!
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This is one of my favorite quilt in my collection and this is why; the puss in the corner, or elongated nice patch blocks are made from beautiful intact, not faded early chintz and calicos, ca 1835. Steam and mineral dyed chintz, my favorite ones, often in ombre tones and wood blocks prints and early roller prints are combined with plain muslin that was bleached in it's day and now has a beautiful patina.

Apparently the blocks were put away until later in the century, like in the 1880s and put together with sashing in a Pepto Bismo pink color. Yikes! And again it wasn't finished, but folded away until the 1940s or there about.I assume that because if it were used as a top on another back there would be more evidence of use or fading I think, but of course, can not be sure. At last, someone who loved the blocks as much as I gave this top a back. She chose a fabric popular in her time that had a similar color of pink, in a paisley of pink and yellow-gold with thin black details and outline on the paisley shapes. She tied the layers together with floss through a thin flannel blanket for batting and it remains intact and safe today.

My Dating Guides would have alerted you to the fact that this quilt wasn't from one era had you been basing your thoughts on the fabrics. Dating quilts is so much fun!

Check out my next group discussion/interview tele-conference on Women On Quilts that I just posted. We are getting together on Monday. Please join us!

Have a great week everyone!

Kim

Friday Give-Away and 19th Century Fabric Swatch with Purchase, Plus a Most Unusual Lone Star Quilt

This week one set of my Antique Quilt Dating Guides...by Style are the featured Friday Give Away on Michele Foster's Quilting Gallery here -http://quiltinggallery.com/2009/07/03/antique-quilt-dating-guides-by-style/

All you have to do to win is read the post describing them and leave a comment. The winner will be randomly drawn on July 9th. You must comment by next Thursday to be in the drawing. It's that simple. You'll enjoy other pages on The Quilting Gallery too.

Since Michele asked me if I wanted to participate in her TGIF on the 4th of July, honoring our history, I decided to follow suit (where did that saying come from anyway?) and make you an historic offering too.

For each set of AQDGs ordered I will enclose a 9" swatch of late 19th century fabric, ca. 1880-1900. Until I run out of either fabric, you can chose the print you prefer to receive as your gift with purchase. They are like new, in perfect condition from my antique stash.

 

Simply write Double Pink or White Floral on the comments line on the order page at www.antiquequiltdatingguides.com This offer is good until next weekend, July 11 midnight, PST. You can get 4- 2.5" squares, 4- 3" sqs. , 2- 4.5x9" strips, or keep it as one block in your quilt or fabric collection.

Win a set from Michele as a gift and buy one for yourself with fabric included. (left-This Guide is for 1900-1950 quilt styles. On the front is a check list of the main features of a 20th century vs. a 19th c. quilt) The Guides will help you date the era of a quilt or decide upon the style you'd like to make with that great repro fabric you just had to buy!
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Last week I gave a lecture and showed about 40 quilts from my antique collection to a guild up the coast. While there a woman from the audience mentioned a scrappy Lone Star quilt from her collection. As Rene Guenthart was describing it I couldn't believe it would be so, but it was! The diamonds in this quilt are pieced, as in several pieces of fabric make up one small diamond, like a flip and sew on a large diamond shape of newspaper, but these are tiny diamonds in a huge Lone Star!

 

Rene wrote- It is all hand sewn except the purple border is machine stitched on.  Most of the diamonds are pieced, some are one fabric and a few even have a square in a square sewn into the diamond as shown in the close-up picture. The fabric is very thin. (see examples of the sq. in a sq. at bottom middle and top right of this photo)

Happy 4th of July America!  Kim

The Mouse Lost! Results of the Repaired 1840-50s Quilt Top

Hi Everyone!

The results are in and I couldn't be happier with the repaired look of my acid green sashed quilt top. I took pictures throughout to show you my process. I am no pro at this, but it worked I am pleased  to say. The close match of fabric made all the difference. We are very lucky to have such an option today. And it doesn't hurt, that many patches made before us, which didn't match, we find to be precious. So even at closest range, my patch-work is precious.

First a reminder of what it looked like before.

 

 

 

First, I trimmed away only those ends that would make bumps on the top patch. I ironed everything flat before trimming and I saved the trimmed pieces. GUILT!

I made a patch the entire length of the blocks next to the sashing and stitched it on with the green facing up. the edges were turned under with a wide seam allowance and I made the piece ever so slightly larger than the original sashing. I hand-sewed it down from the top stitching through the seam. this means that the edges on the back side are freer in some areas and the stitching is right at the edges in others. Nothing is square in old tops!! this was my way of going with the flow of the years and wear.

 I put it in a hoop and I hand-stitched all those loose edges (in the 3rd photo above) down to the back piece I sewed on first. That's why I put it face up.The bit of white you can see are the turned edges of the seams.

There are tons of tiny stitches holding the little chomped pieces down with matching green DMC thread.

Lastly,  I sewed the final template of acid green fabric across the same space, sewing it as close to the same size as the original, but the brown woven plaid fabric had pulled away and was thread bare, so I darned that area to strengthen it.

In the end, this new patch served two purposes, to cover the mouse hole repair and to correct the failing seam.

Next I am going to repair this area in the top. There are two crocking triangles in this block. I made the paper triangle templates, each being different. Then I cut the fabric, turned the edges under, basted and just need to sew them down to the seams surrounding the triangles there now.

It would do not good to sew the new fabric on top of the rotting brown fabric. I decided not to cover it up with a back patch because it is so beautiful.

When I put the top on my lounge chair for the photos I turned around to see this, my kitty Haley watching over the repair in process on the left side, or was he actually hoping for another mouse visit?

 

I have kept you apprised about the creative writing challenge and fundraiser on Women On Quilts.The results of this challenge are in too, so take a peek to see who wrote the stories you will be reading in the eBook I am putting together for a fr.ee download of pure enjoyment.

Small Blocks, Stunning Quilts

The new bookwritten by Mary Elizabeth Kinch and Biz Storms (That Patchwork Place)

In one sentence, this pattern book is a reproduction fabric-lover’s dream.The quilts made by the authors make it clear they are bonafide scrap loving quilt makers who put as many different reproduction prints into one quilt as humanly possible.

Mary and Biz define small blocks as under 5” square and stopping short of being miniatures. Any collector knows their raison d’être for the choices they make in purchasing an antique quilt. For Mary and Biz it’s the quilts made exclusively with small blocks that knocks the wind out of their chest in a gasp of glee when seen from across a room or vendor booth. their enthusiasm is palatable through the book and you can’t help but appreciate them for this. The book came from this passion and their hands.

In the first section are pages of 19th century quilts made with small blocks of rosettes, stars, flying geese, half square medallion quilts and others, which the authors studied for inspiration. There are scrumptious pictures of fussy cut hexagons in repro fabrics that match any antique ones I’ve seen. They make me want to get out my hand sewing and try a few. They use clear template plastic and a sandpaper board to mark then cut these little pieces just so.

One of the antique quilts pictured in this section is an outstanding chintz medallion coverlet made c. 1841 in Australia, the “Rajah Quilt.” Female British prisoners on board the convict ship by the same name as this quilt made it. It is a beautiful medallion quilt with 12 borders of various widths with myriad blocks or appliqués. they counted 2,815 pieces of fabric. Biz and Mary are fabri-holics to their core.

With fabric and color leading their every choice in making small block quilt, less attention was paid to the era of the reproduction fabrics they chose. The book is does not mention fabric dating or reproduction quilt making. It doesn't tell the reader how to make their quilt look like a certain era, but their quilts have a traditional and older feel.

Mary and Biz like to machine sew, they find the repetition calming and meditative, so making little blocks with simple shapes gives them lots of quiet time!

They work in an organized manner of chain piecing mixed with liberated techniques of taking the next fabric in a stack without deliberation. The color decision and fabric choices are made at the start then the project proceeds from there without too much attention to what color ends up where. They dedicated the book to their mentor and friend Gwen Marston who inspired them to get out of the rut of worrying about each piece in a quilt. Yet, they remind us that measuring and precision in the sewn seam allowance, is extra important when making small blocks, and they prefer to slow down the sewing and enjoy the process and feel of the fabric. I like this too.

I wonder if there is a Universal move toward smaller going on as our world economy shifts... as I was typing this from my longhand, a Burger King ad for their new smaller tiny burgers came on TV. All the girls gathered around them cooing. Do we coo over small block quilts...really, do we?

***Not to be missed! Do we coo over wonderful old dresses too? Yes!! Check out this just published online article that features a pre-Civil War dress in Nancy Kirk's collection, The Story in a Dress written by Suzanne  Arney. It is also published in the March/April issue of PieceWorks magazine. Click on the link for a full color article PDF.***

Piece,

Kim

What? is on a Wall? & Catching Up on Loose Ends

Where has the time gone? Every day is so busy and often it's spent out of town being a teacher or a student. In January I was a student at The Freedom Formula Experience a four day seminar that was, as promised by Christine Kloser the hostess and main speaker, a  profound experience.  The tag line of her book by the same name as the seminar is "how to put soul in your business and money in your  bank." She taught us her way of doing business that is practical and spiritually based. I will blog  more about the event and speakers on my Women On Quilts blog  which "seams together business and spirit for women in the creative arts." (my tag line :)) The entire time we were there, our focus was on  finding our purpose in life or if we knew it, how could we best express it and make our living doing it, giving us the best of both worlds.

When I returned home, with a notebook of my journaled ideas that took me to places I would not have imagined prior to going, there was an email from Patti Williams. We do not know each other, but she is a lurker on QHL, the Quilt History List, for those of us who adore antique quilts. She tells me about a museum's exhibit in Washington state that she has helped with and attaches this picture. The wall is at the entrance of the quilt exhibit and it reads "Quilts can open our eyes and our hearts to share who sewed before us. It is a wonderful way to learn history." Kimberly Wulfert, PhD

Do you think anything could be cooler to me? Me who shares quotes as often as possible and who buys the books of themed quotes and reads them!  On Women On Quilts I place a new one in the margin each month. A great quote is a marvel to read and hold in your mind, to take in and manifest. This is an honor I will cherish forever and I thank the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture from the bottom of my heart for thinking my quote was worthy of being on their wall. The exhibit will run through May and I hope to make it up there. I want to place my face under the quote for another picture for posterity. In the meantime, take a look at their terrific collection of quilts displayed online.

CATCHING UP ON LOOSE ENDS
Thank you to all of you who wrote me by email or posted a comment with your heartfelt sentiments about the passing of my dear friend and friend of quilter's everywhere, Giles Wright. Your sharing meant allot to me.

Remember the Case of the Mouse Who Ate My Quilt and the Hunt for Green 1840s Fabric? Alls well that ends well, but we hit a snag in the middle of the hunt. When a real swatch that matched was not to be found, reader Kathie Holland graciously sent me her remaining yardage of matching acid green from Judy Rothermel's Lancaster 3 collection. But, it never arrived, anywhere. I searched for more, found none and then went to Road to California last month, and when I got to their booth, Schoolhouse Quilt Shoppe, on Sat., the cupboard was bare! I mean seriously- their booth was nearly empty! Bob knew what I was talking about and said he thought he had some at the shop and to contact him there, so I did. He was able to scrounge 1/2 yard and now, finally,  it is in my hands and soon will be in Kathie's too. lesson learned, never give up on the hunt for fabric. :)

Is the match perfect, not quite. The pattern is exactly the same so you wouldn't realize the difference unless you held them side by side (and it will look fine enough in the quilt top, certainly better than the mouse holes). The difference is the background color is darker on the old fabric than the reproduction. Here's a picture. You probably think, what is she talking about, they  match! I think it will work just fine even though they are not the same color. The original fabric has more contrast between the two greens that form the background.

Katie Pasquini Masupost has written another new book that is fabulous and easy enough for beginning art quilters and the more advanced that need some nudging to expand their techniques will love it too. The text Katie writes is focused on her own thinking processes of analysis and alternatives as she plans a quilt from finding the initial concept to the various ways you can turn your idea or photo into a one-dimensional design. She includes her methods known as ghost layers, fractured landscape and the painterly painterly approach.  Check out more details in my book review of "Design Explorations for the Creative Quilter: easy to follow directions for creative art quilts."

A quilter who is also an expert in traveling for business, Carol Margolis, will be my guest on Monday evening, Feb. 23, on a fr.ee tele-interview where we will ask her all kinds of questions to  make traveling easier for quilters, authors, vendors, teachers and women in business. Carol is  the Founder of SmartWomenTravelers.com

This coming Monday evening, on WOQ,  I will  bring you Part 2 of the quilt history study group discussion with Beth Davis and Karen Parrett. Join us from the comfort of your home and share your group's experiences, struggles and highlights, or ask questions. All input is important and welcome.

Have a great weekend everyone. May you be warm, dry and cozy. Piece, Kim

American Flag of 1813

An American Flag, with 15 stripes and 15 stars, that flew over Fort McHenry has been conserved at the Smithsonian Institution's labs since 1998 and is finally on display along with the reopening of the renovated National Museum of American History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. It is huge!

Star-Spangled Banner Days You can see pictures of the original flag maker, the flag in a Smithsonian Museum's conservation lab, which gives you a sense of its enormous size, how it looks in the display case now and more. Click on the photo icon that says "Picture Gallery" to the right of the article. Here are a few paragraphs from the article about this Flag- worthwhile article,an historical account.

"To make the flag's stripes, she overlapped and stitched eight strips of red wool and alternated them with seven strips of undyed white wool. While the bunting was manufactured in 18-inch widths, the stripes in her design were each two feet wide, so she had to splice in an extra six inches all the way across. She did it so smoothly that the completed product would look like a finished whole—and not like the massive patchwork it was. A rectangle of deep blue, about 16 by 21 feet, formed the flag's canton, or upper left quarter. Sitting on the brewery floor, she stitched a scattering of five-pointed stars into the canton. Each one, fashioned from white cotton, was almost two feet across. Then she turned the flag over and snipped out blue material from the backs of the stars, tightly binding the edges; this made the stars visible from either side.

"My mother worked many nights until 12 o'clock to complete it in the given time," Caroline Pickersgill Purdy recalled years later. By mid-August, the work was done—a supersize version of the Stars and Stripes. Unlike the 13-star ensign first authorized by Congress on June 14, 1777, this one had 15 stars to go with the 15 stripes, acknowledging the Union's latest additions, Vermont and Kentucky."

"There was nothing special about it," says Scott S. Sheads, historian at Baltimore's Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, speaking of a time when a new nation was struggling for survival and groping toward a collective identity. That all changed in 1813, when one enormous flag, pieced together on the floor of a Baltimore brewery, was first hoisted over the federal garrison at Fort McHenry. In time the banner would take on larger meaning, set on a path to glory by a young lawyer named Francis Scott Key, passing into one family's private possession and emerging as a public treasure."

"On the most memorable of those occasions, the flag was displayed at Fort McHenry with George Washington's campaign tent and other patriotic memorabilia when Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette visited in October 1824. When Louisa Armistead died in 1861, she left the flag to her daughter, Georgiana Armistead Appleton, just as a new war broke out."

A patriotic quilt exhibit is currently at The Women's Museum in Dallas TX is on Judy Breneman's blog Among the Usual Days.

Mmore about patriotic quilts can be found at Patriotic Quilts through Time. It's been on my website quite awhile and many of you have probably read it already. That's the good thing about writting about antique quilts, the articles never really get old. :) In it I ask you to use the book by Safford and Bishop "America's Quilts and Coverlets" to see the quilts pictured in it that I discuss in the article and give page numbers to.


Piece,
Kim

Mouse Attack- help needed

I hope he enjoyed himself or better yet, was a mother mouse feeding her babies. Whoever lunched on my otherwise pristine pre-Civil War quilt top, left a gaping hole in an acid green fabric c. 1840 and a smaller chomp in a madder red print with black, white and tan motifs. See for yourself--

I have gone through my stash looking for reproduction fabric to repair the top but can't find either one in my stacks. They both look so familiar to me me, I'm pretty certain both were reproduced. Can anyone tell me which company made either of these, or the the designer? Here are closer shots.





I showed this top at a Guild lecture I gave last week and upon packing it noticed the brown fabric was splitting, cracking in one block. (Crocking is when color from the dye rubs onto another block) This happens over time to browns when they are washed or in the sun. That's not the case with this top, but the brown pieces feel dry and inflexible compared to the others fabrics. If the top had been batted and backed the splitting probably would not have happened, yet anyway. Iron was used to make brown dyes and this is what often happens to brown fabrics in quilts.They are the first to deteriorate, and this is how it begins--





Please help me find the fabrics. The brown fabric I have not seen reproduced. I plan on putting a dark brown plain fabric underneath it and crepoline across the top in order to save it from further deterioration from movement.

Lest you wonder, I bought the top with these mouse chews included, free of charge!

Piece,

Kim

Hewson & the French Connection

My article "John Hewson and the French Connection" is currently in The Magazine ANTIQUES , August 2008 issue. This is my second research paper about John Hewson in less than a year, but I have been engaged in in-depth research about him and his work since 2002.

The first paper appeared last October in FOLK ART Magazine of the American Folk Art Museum. Hewson is considered to be one of the earliest and the finest of chintz block printers in America's history. He emigrated from England to Philadelphia in 1773 to set up one of the first textile printing factories here. His goal was to dye and print cotton and linen fine enough to compete with England's dyed and printed cottons. Colorfast printing on cotton was still new to the Western world at that time and they loved it; colorful cottons from India, called chintz, were all the rage around the world and now Europe and America would be competitors.

A small number of textiles printed by Hewson exist today (as far as we know there are twenty-eight) and the majority of them have a large vase holding a bouquet of garden flowers placed in the middle of a square printed panel. The quilt maker often placed this panel in the middle of a medallion or frame quilt. Or the vase and flowers design was carefully cut-out of the chintz and appliquéd to a different background in a quilt.

The vase and flowers are colorful and naturalistic in their depiction. Hewson's influence was thought to be from his homeland and from Dutch flower paintings. A closer look at the neoclassical decorations on the vase indicated to me that it was in fact more like the decorative arts I was seeing made in France in the last quarter of the 18th century. With the decorative arts as my field for research, I became more convinced of the French connection as I went along. Then in 2004 I found the source of his design!

What I reveal in this important paper is the late 18th century French arabesque wallpaper in the Louis XVI style from which Hewson borrowed the vase and flowers design to print onto cotton. He took the central portion of the vertically repeating design on the wallpaper, adapting the tip top of his flowers and bottom of base of his vase, to show a complete free-standing design.

The wallpaper curators of museums in France and America are of the belief that this wallpaper was from the atelier Jean Baptiste Réveillon, whose manufactory was known for producing the finest luxurious arabesque wallpapers at that time. 1780-1790. Who printed the French wallpaper I discuss in this article, is not certain as it is not stamped with a manufactory and it is not in the sample books of Réveillon's wallpapers kept at various museums. However, the late 18th century printing was likely printed at his manufactory after he retired, by the new owners were Jacquemart and Benard.

I also reveal how the manner of Chinese wallpaper artists probably affected Hewson's designs and choices he made for the lay-out of his panel. This is not to be confused with the style called chinoiserie. The manner of early Chinese wallpaper artists, who were the first to make wallpaper, is the influence I write about here and it is significant.

Wonderful photos accompany my article. The highlight of all the photos however is the pair of portraits of John and Zibiah Hewson!! Their portraits have not been published before.

I will be publishing more of my research findings and assessments about John Hewson’s life and his work. I am available for lectures and presentations. To talk about this further please contact me directly at a different email address, quiltdating@gmail.com or go to my website for the phone and address at http://www.antiquequiltdating.com/ I welcome your inquires and contributions!

The month is nearly over, so if you haven't found a copy yet, order one from the publisher by email: avalarezo@brantpub.com or to subscribe call 212.941.2806. Some Borders and Barnes & Nobles sell the magazine, as well as other fine bookstores, and many libraries subscribe.

Enjoy,
Kim

Kimberly Wulfert, PhD

State Flower Embroidery Quilt Blocks Mystery Solved

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.

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 quiltersspirit@antiquequiltdating.com 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.

Piece,

Kim



2008 - 2014 Copyright Kimberly Wulfert, PhD. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for reprint permission at quiltersspirit@antiquequiltdating.com or www.antiquequiltdating.com

Brackman's NEW Book

First I'd like to welcome all of the new subscribers to my newsletter blog! Thank you for subscribing to the Quilters Spirit circle. Knowing you are interested makes it more fun writing as I imagine you out there listening, like when I give a lecture. Smiles on faces in the audience are a barometer of how I am doing.

Sometimes when the audience is real quiet, I worry. Afterward I ask the program chair about it and she tells me it was a sign they were really into it- mesmerized, wanting to hear every word. Well in that case- silence is golden, but with blogs, silence is, well, silent. Feel free to join in and comment any time! The opportunity is at the end of a blog, right beneath the line. (I have tried to place it to be above the line, but no luck so far.)

Now it is my pleasure to tell you about Barbara Brackman's newest book- MAKING HISTORY Quilts and Fabrics from 1890-1970." Of course it is excellent. Although this time frame is not at the top of my favorites list, Barbara's analysis of changes seen in quilts and fabrics from these later eras brought my other favorite field of study into focus, decorative arts for home interiors. For details read my review. To see her book's Table of Contents page scroll to the end. (be sure to stop and read paragraph 5 as you scroll down)

MAKING HISTORY is the sequel to America’s Printed Fabrics, 1770-1890s and together they comprise the updates to Clues in the Calico. Anyone who is serious about learning to date fabric will want to have all three, but Clues is OOP and therefore $$$, if you can find one for sale.Her update books are still in print and affordable, especially through Amazon.

My review of America's Printed Fabrics,1770-1890s(2004)is here.

Enjoy!

Kim

Acid Green Fabric

What do the early 19th century dyers of acid green fabrics and the Mad Hatter have in common? Mercury poisoning, and that's why acid greens are also called poison greens.

Acid greens may have yellow or black or dark brown motifs, or a combo.

I happen to love this color of fabric, but it can appear gaudy to contemporary eyes when placed next to the beautiful fondue printed plaids and serpentine chintz prints in mid-19th century quilts. It's easier on the eyes later in the century when placed next to jewel tone double pinks and dark browns and chocolates. (Did you see project Runway last week? They used Hershey chocolate products and premiums as their 'fabric" for the challenge. Great show! It will be re-run this Wed. before the new show if you missed it)

In fact, acid green prints with pink fabrics were a very popular two-color quilt combo in the 1880s. I have a robbing Peter to pay Paul quilt like this, and a scrap basket pieced blocks quilt in this combo with a rust madder brown for the scraps from this time period. Currently the scrap basket quilt is on a Victorian bed in a local museum, Carpinteria Historical Society Museum. RPtoPP is needing to get out more, he has been packed up for too long. I haven't ever taken him on a teaching trip, and I adopted him in 1993 or so.

Read more about mercury poisoning's interesting past in New York's hat manufacturing business in The Mad Hatter Mercury Mystery, by Peg Van Patten.

Piece,
Kim