Thoughts about Quilting

If you haven't already, check out The Quilt Index! It has doubled and has nearly 50,000 searchable quilt records online. You can search for a certain block name, a state, name of quilt maker, anything!

http://www.quiltindex.org

At the recent International Quilt Festival held in Houston, Texas, they announced a Texas Quilt Museum to open in 2011. It will be in La Grange, Texas.

More info here:

http://www.quilts.com/announcements/y2009/TexasQuiltMuseum.pdf

For additional information: The Quilt Institute, 979-249-4271

I started doing some web research on a topic brought up in the Quilt Research d-list. Namely, Roger Penrose and his mathematical description of a certain type of tiling. See more on this here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penrose_tiling
Penrose Tiling - Wikipedia



And, that led me to some present day mathematicians who use this tiling to create art and clothing... very cool!

http://www.woollythoughts.com/afghans/penrose.html
WoollyThoughts.com



Of course, this type of design is seen in quilts and can be quite intricate. I have tried it and getting the angles to meet and then the piece to lay flat is very hard. I will try in the future using paper piecing, that should solve the problem. But, reading about the math behind these designs and seeing others' work is very inspirational!

This is a great article that ties together my interests in science and crafts... found in the New York Times Science (online) today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/science/15obfiber.html?_r=1&ref=science

Accidentally, scientists doing research on ancient climate changes by studying pollen, found evidence of fiber craft. This is the oldest anyone has seen until now, dates in the article range from 6,000 to 24,000 years ago, but most of the flax fibers were from the older layers. The cool thing is that they can tell the fibers they found were cut, tied and dyed... probably to make clothes?

Quote:
Fibers in a Cave Point to Ancient Craft Work
by HENRY FOUNTAIN
Published: September 11, 2009
"Archeologists looking for signs of what the ancient climate was like in the Caucasus Mountains have come across something else: signs of ancient craft work."

Yes, you can get your own Obama fabric to make a quilt. I love it!

Barbara Brackman, a quilt historian and author has created this and posted the pdf on the Black Threads blog - http://blackthreads.blogspot.com.



From there I found an article in The Telegraph.com about a quilting group that has created a wonderful quilt that includes photos of all four people that ran in the election. They documented the historic race that included a woman vice presidential candidate and of course, the first black presidential candidate!



The quilt was sewn and quilted by the "Busy Fingers" quilt club, made up of members Mattie Jean Miller, Georgia Bratton and 11 other members in Alton, IL. The women created a quilt with the presidential hopefuls in the top left and right corner and the two vice president candidates in the lower left and right corners. The quilt was made just in time for the December 6th open house of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Alton, it is not permanently hung anywhere at present.

Check out the Black Threads blog, there will be more, no doubt. They have a tag for "Quilts for Obama."

I finally finished my sun quilt, I love it - I used paper piecing for the first time and I think it helped quite a bit. I tied the quilt to finish it and it hangs in our bedroom.




I am also starting on a new quilt with pieced squares I designed myself. I love shore birds so I tried to depict a little bird standing in the water. To achieve the best look I also use embroidery for the legs and beak... I've just started so we'll see how it turns out, but here's one block finished:




Happy New Year and Welcome President Obama!
I am thrilled and excited.

"The familiar squares of faded patchwork met his eye."

It is wonderful how you run across things in round-about ways...I was checking out something a friend posted, that was completely unrelated... then I searched for "quilt" items within that resource...and found this story:

The Quilt That Jack Built
by Annie Fellows Jackson
1904

(found in full text online - in the Prelinger Archives thanks to the Project Gutenberg eBooks)

This is a wonderful story of a boy who is desperate for money and agrees to "a penny a piece" for a quilt his mother requests. He then enlists his buddies to help him, lest they find out and make fun of him. They use all sorts of scraps - from their clothes, their mother's apron, etc. to cut into squares and then piece them in secret in the barn. The picture above is a depiction of Jack as a grown man looked at the quilt he made when he was 10 years old.

He says, "It was funny...the way I farmed out those two hundred blocks to the other boys. Why here's a piece of one of those little striped waists I used to wear, and there's a piece of Rob's checked shirt and Rhoda's apron. .."

The story is mainly told, I believe, to teach a life lesson; about keeping one's promises. But, it also reveals much more, especially about the power of sewing, quilting and keepsakes... the quilt is a chore that keeps a 10 year old busy and quiet, but it allows him to make money to buy a toy. It becomes something his friends can share in to make some money of their own. And, in his college years, it becomes a valuable reminder of his mother's love and integrity, which helps him remember a promise he made.

Check out this fun timeline of the history of quilts...

http://explorer.quiltstudy.org/timeline.html

Brought to us by the International Quilt Study & Center. They also have a huge Quilt Index online.

This timeline is great, starting at 1700 and going to the present, very cool!

Of course, right in my own backyard (Austin, TX) is a wonderful collection of quilts and quilt research materials. At the Center for American History on the University of Texas campus is the "Center for the Quilt". So, I will continue to check it out. Plus, at the historic Winedale Center they have events related to quilt study and quilt exhibits.

Check it out:
Winedale Center for the Quilt

The center is involved in a quilt documentation project called Boxes under the Bed -- and an online research tool called The Quilt Index.

I've run across many instances of quilters using various clothing items as fabric for a quilt. And, there are many that are from traditional men's clothing; ties, shirts and trouser cuffs. Here are some places to read more:

---

• Ties:
  Article in Periodical - "Ottawa's Necktie Quilt" by Roselia Verhoff, in Timeline 2001 18(6): 48-53
  *This article is very cute, about a restaurant in Ottawa, Ohio that collected neckties from all fo the men going off to fight in WWII. These ties were later made into a "victory Quilt" that is now owned by veteran Richard Brickner.
  
  Blog Entry - "Necktie Feathers Pressing Tutorial" on BurdaStyle.com -- http://www.burdastyle.com/howtos/show/722
  *This could be a good technique if you are now inspired to use those old neckties to make a quilt, or something else. They show step-by-step how to open up and use ties, in this case for women's dresses or decorations.
  

  ---

  
  
• Shirts:
  Article in Book - "Enrique Caruso Haberdashery Quilt" by Jennifer Regan, in American Quilts: A Sampler of Quilts and their Stories (1989) Gallery Books
  *This article explains about a beautiful quilt that is made up of very expensive and rare fabrics that were left-over from making shirts. The shirts happened to be ordered by the famous Italian tenor, Enrique Caruso. The women that made his shirts simply kept all of the scraps and then made a wonderful quilt - using mostly log cabin blocks.
  See page 85.
  

  ---

  
  
• Trouser Cuffs:
  Article in Book - "Trouser Cuffs Strip Quilt" by Jennifer Regan, in American Quilts: A Sampler of Quilts and their Stories (1989) Gallery Books
  *This one is not only interesting because of the material used by seamstresses, the cuffs from trousers; but it is an example of early African-American quilts - using stripes, assymetry and the predominant use of the color red. The stips of scrap fabric were sown together in varying lengths and then used to make a strip quilt that is striking... especially with the splashes of red.
  See page 93.
  

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This is all so inspiring, it makes me want to start saving every piece of clothing I might otherwise give to Goodwill. Hmmmm.... maybe not, but the ones with cool fabric maybe. It also inspires me to be more frugal with my quilting fabric and keep all scraps - as they can all be used in a future quilt.

Check out a minichallenge on BurdaStyle.com --

http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/show/681

The BurdaStyle Mini challenge is back but with a twist! Starting today Sunday the 12th of October you have 2 weeks to make and upload your creation to the site for a chance to win some special secret sewing treats and BurdaStyle goodies! And the twist? Your creation MUST be recycled. You may use any patterns, how-to’s or techniques featured on the BurdaStyle site.

THE RULES:

• You need to be a registered member to take part.

• Your creation MUST be recycled.

• You must upload your creation into the ‘Mini Challenge’ category by Sunday the 26th of October.

• When you upload your creation you must give a detailed description of how you made your creation, the patterns, how-to's or techniques you used, materials you used and how it was recycled etc.

• Show us your ‘before’ materials in a photograph.

The mini challenge will be judged by you the members. Voting will start on Tuesday the 28th of October, more details about how to vote will be given at a later date. When voting you should take the following into consideration:

• Creativity.

• Wearability.

• Skills and techniques used.

• Best use of recycled materials.

• And of course your favourite!

• You can vote once only.

This is going to be fun!!! Are you up for the challenge?
Feel free to ask any questions.

'A Legacy of Quilts, Pearls of Wisdom from Our 1st 30 Years'

Austin Area Quilt Guild
September 26-28, 2008
New Crockett Center
10601 N. Lamar
Austin, TX
For more information:
Visit http://www.aaqg.org/show2008

*** Check out the page for Austin Area shows...
http://www.aaqg.org/html/quiltshows.php

A Crazy Quilt
by Douglas Malloch

They do not make them any more,
For quilts are cheaper at the store
Than women’s labor, though a wife
Men think the cheapest thing in life.
But now and then a quilt is spread
Upon a quaint old walnut bed,
A crazy quilt of those old days
That I am old enough to praise.

Some woman sewed these points and squares
Into a pattern like life’s cares.
Here is a velvet that was strong,
The poplin that she wore so long,
A fragment from her daughter’s dress,
Like her, a vanished loveliness;
Old patches of such things as these,
Old garments and old memories.

And what is life? A crazy quilt;
Sorrow and joy, and grace and quilt,
With here and there a square of blue
For some old happiness we knew;
And so the hand of time will take
The fragments of our lives and make,
Out of life’s remnants, as they fall,
A thing of beauty, after all.


***********
I’m at that stage I reach with every quilt in which I need to procrastinate. Other things come up and I don’t feel like moving to the next step with my current sewing project. I’ve almost finished the top of my sun quilt, and I just need to finish the border and then sandwich and tie... unless I decide to be adventurous and machine quilt it... we’ll see.

But, in the interim, I’ve been to the library and found some great books on quilting history.

First book; “Romance of the Patchwork Quilt” by Kretsinger (1935)

“The pieced quilt in pioneer days provided means of turning to good account the precious scraps of printed cottons, at that period so rare and costly.”

Okay, so we know that! But, here’s another observation by Mrs. Kretsinger, “In the ready-cut quilts offered for sale are seen the effects of this hurrying age in which we live.” Already in 1935, I never would have guessed. One underlying theme of this book, besides the wonderful reference material, is that when it was published there was a resurgence in quilting and other “colonial arts”.

I would definitely recommend it if you were researching a quilt block design, looking for the historical name of it, for instance. There are 37 plates of photos of quilt blocks with their name and arranged in themes, stars, flowers, etc.

Today's weather in Austin, Texas.

Here’s a fun way to spend the afternoon, browsing an historic collection of quilts online!

The International Quilt Study Center has a great online collection you can search or browse –Quilt Explorer --- http://explorer.quiltstudy.org/


I found one that was interesting, using tobacco company premiums... #1997-007-0198 from the Ardis and Robert James Collection, made sometime between 1915 and 1925... the fabric premiums were all appliqued on a solid background.

There are so many items in 20th Century women's lives that they used in different ways. I've found information about women using feedsack (flour, sugar, etc.) bags and the companies cashing in on that. Now, I've found another example along the same lines, cigar and cigarette packaging. Over time the companies realized what potential lay in adding a premium for women. The cigar, cigarette and tobacco companies all had premiums that were used in some innovative ways.

In the early 1900’s women used cigar ribbons in decorative ways, including to make quilts. And, cigarettes were becoming more popular among women so the companies started including silk pictures in the packaging (called “silkies” by some)... these made perfect additions to a quilt. Before World War I printed flannel fabrics were found in tobacco packaging. I love the idea of making items out of these promotional materials. It adds such a sense of history and culture to the items.

Details and examples can be found in Judy Ann Brennan's article from 2001, WomenFolk.com:

http://www.womenfolk.com/quilting_history/tobacco.htm


Want to see more? Check this out:

Rachel K. Pannabecker, Ethel Ewert Abrahams, "Better Choose Me": Addiction to Tobacco, Collecting, and Quilting, 1880-1920
Found in the Uncoverings, 2000, v.21 --- periodical


Here's another good resource for the study of quilts:
American Quilt Study Group -- http://www.americanquiltstudygroup.org/index.asp

Green Quilting: Improving the Earth One Fiber at a Time
This is an article about the Green Quilt movement, started by Susan Shie in 1989.

Green quilting doesn’t just mean making a quilt with fabric in shades of green, it can also mean using organic fabrics or recycling fabrics. This article goes into the history of this practice and also talks about recycling clothing in general. I love the little cupcakes (pincushions) made from recycled sweaters...not exactly a quilt, but a great example of recycling clothing!

In order to use organic fabrics and supplies, there are specialty companies that cater to your needs. EcoCraft is an example of an entire line of items that are made from organic materials. And, this past spring there was a competition sponsored by the company that offers the EcoCraft line, Mountain Mist, and the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska. It was called Crafting a Better Planet Quilt Competition. Any quilt submitted was to have environmental and ecological themes and use green products and techniques. The deadline was March of this year, so the winners must be out there somewhere, but I couldn’t find a listing or photos. They say that winning quilts will be part of the Quilt Study Center’s traveling exhibit after the contest.


Other links –

http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/118/fabrics
The Green Guide – from the National Geographic Society

http://www.forevergreenquilts.com/organic-fabric.html
Forever Green Quilts

http://quilting.suite101.com/article.cfm/ready_for_organic_quilting
Are you ready for organic quilting?

In my neck of the woods:

International Quilt Market -Fall
October 25-27
classes begin October 24
George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas, USA

International Quilt Festival/Houston
October 30-November 2
classes begin October 27
George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas, USA

I'm excited about this news - art to be added to the UT campus, where I work. I love to walk around this campus, it holds many memories for me from when I was an undergraduate student here many years ago. I also have fond memories of working on campus in the 1990's... its a pretty campus.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Loans Sculptures to The University of Texas at Austin for Public Art Project
August 5, 2008

AUSTIN, Texas — The Metropolitan Museum of Art is lending 28 mid- to late -twentieth-century sculptures to The University of Texas at Austin to be installed across campus as part of the university's Landmarks public art program.

The first group will be installed in September 2008, the second in January 2009. The sculptures are on long-term loan from the Met.



Here is a picture of a current outdoor art piece that you can walk through, outside the Blanton Museum of Art (will update with artist name when I can find it)- I found this picture on Flicker

Tags: art, campus, sculpture

One of the quilts I've made had some antique quilt pieces that I inherited and they included very pretty small pieces with muted colors and designs. I didn't realize that they are probably fabric from feed sacks! Here's what I've found out about this great way to recycle - at least in the 1930's:


From Getcrafty.com --- “Feedsacks: A tradition of recycling and repurposing” – tales from a modern day crafter enthralled with using feedsacks in quilts

(this is in the "stories" section of the blog, "Getcrafty") - there are some pictures of modern items made with these vintage fabrics.


History of Feedsack Quilts from Womenfolk.com –

In 1925 feedsacks began to use colorful, pretty prints on their sacks. The manufacturers used what they knew to help sell their brand.

"By the late 1930s there was heated competition to produce the most attractive and desirable prints. Artists were hired to design these prints. This turned out to be a great marketing ploy as women picked out flour, sugar, beans, rice, cornmeal and even the feed and fertilizer for the family farm based on which fabrics they desired. Some sacks displayed lovely border prints for pillowcases like the above print. Scenic prints like the one below were also popular. Manufacturers even made pre-printed patterns for dolls, stuffed animals, appliqué and quilt blocks."

1992:

This is my first quilt was made mostly by hand and with a small hand-held sewing machine - completely from stuff I had at hand, and one cool patterned housecoat from a friend, and a blue striped shirt.

1994:

Another quilt I like is my sunflower one, using a simple star block. It has lots of yellow from a suit that my grandmother made for me and other scrap fabric, plus the inside batting is from a Goodwill mattress pad...I like the bright, happy feeling of this one. The scalloped pieced addition along the bottom is antique feed sack quilt pieces I inherited.

1999:

This is one I made from a huge batch of upholstery samples that my ex-mother-in-law got for me at a garage sale... she gave me this huge bag of fabric, all in neat little squares... a quilters dream! :) I used a simple nine patch design and then to finish it I used a skirt of antique embroidered pillow cases, it sort of makes a bed skirt look.... these pillow cases were from my grandmother's house.

2008:

I made this wall hanging from an antique quilt piece that had never been finished; I had a huge pieced star I inherited; so I cut it to straighten it out and create these triangles that hang down... I was picturing a banner from medieval times to hang in Cecilia's "castle" room -- I think it turned out okay and has the perfect colors for this... with bows and buttons, of course, for extra detail.

2008:

This is what I'm working on now -- "Summer Sun pattern using a new technique, paper piecing and its great! I'm very happy with this so far -- it should be a nice wall hanging when its finished.