Exhibits

I recently attended a few quilt exhibits on the Eastern side of the US.  My favorite was 'The Quilts of Union County' at the Packwood House Museum in Lewisburg, PA.  All the exhibits displayed exceptional artifacts, but I'm partial to pieced quilts and the Packwood exhibit and museum tour displayed many fabulous pieced quilts.  The exhibit has been extended to October 12, so if you're traveling on I80 across PA, it's well worth a stop.

Double Nine Patch on point c. 1890 believed to be from the Blyler family.

Geese In Flight c. 1845-1850, hand pieced.

Wild Goose Chase c. 1891, pieced and quilted by hand.  Purchased from the estate of Mary I Shively.

Eight-Pointed Stars on point c. 1926.  The information states the quilt was made for Edwin by the Ladies' Aid Society of Union County.

A Piece of Her Mind exhibit at the DAR included many noteworthy objects - samplers, cards, household objects, quilted clothing and, of course, quilts.

Applique Quilt c. 1850.  I can't read the quilt provenance from my pic - sorry for the omission.

The butterfly bush is still blooming!  What beautiful contrasting colors.

I'll post about the other exhibit and my challenge quilt soon. 

Pour l'Amour du Fil 2019

A beautiful Quiltmania Editions book, part of the Collections and Collectors series, was introduced at Pour l'Amour du Fil, Bliss of a Quilt digger by Charles Edouard de Broin.  Charles, a Parisian, has collected American quilts for forty years.  A sampling of log cabin, pineapple and crazy quilts was exhibited at the show.  You'll want to add this book to your reference library - excellent full and detail photography!

Following is a peek of my digs for four days.  It was a magical experience.

I managed a spare hour to walk the historical section of Nantes.  The cathedral and castle were amazing.

And now, back to reality!

Florida Quilt Museum - Part II

A few more quilts from the Florida Quilt Museum -

Crosswick's Mariner's Compass Quilt (1840) was sold at auction in 2000.  Judy Kaman Grow wasn't the final bidder, but reproduced the quilt from photos and notes.

The Whig Rose Quilt (c 1850), owned by Teddy Pruett, is named after the American Whig Party which formed in 1835.  Women voiced their politic opinions through their needlework.  This quilt pattern was the most popular red and green applique design  throughout the mid and late 19th century.

The Double Irish Chain quilt top is from the collection of Judy Kaman Grow.  It looks the perfect Christmas quilt to me!

Yesterday was a beautiful day for the Cub's home opener!  I'm hoping spring continues to find us.  Hope the sun is shining on you, too.

Florida Quilt Museum

One of the current exhibits at the Florida Quilt Museum in Trenton features the antique quilt collection of Judy Kaman Grow.  Sadly, the museum is closing at the end of this month, March 2019.  The exhibit includes several choice quilts from the 19th and early 20th centuries.


This c 1840 hexagon quilt, entitled Anne Foley #5, was acquired in Fort Worth, TX.  The quilt is inscribed 'Anne Foley x No. 5' in tiny backstitching

Flying Geese Strip Quilt, c 1840, includes over 70 different geese fabrics set between strips of unpolished chintz.  It is hand pieced and hand quilted with a beautiful tape binding.

Lebanon PA Sampler Quilt, c 1880, is constructed with 72 7" on-point blocks (6 x 7) set without sashing.  I've seen two similar quilts (same format and colors) attributed to Pennsylvania neighbors.

Foote Warmer by Judy Kaman Grow was completed for the 2006 American Quilt Study Challenge.  This piece is an applique interpretation of an embroidered Bed Rug attributed to 

Abigail Foote in the Connecticut River Valley between 1760 and 1780.  Judy's interpretation is stunning!

What a special treat.  THANK YOU, Judy, for sharing your fabulous collection!!

My next post will include a few antique quilts that were on display from other collections.

P.S.   This Saturday, March 16, is Trenton's Suwannee Valley Quilt Festival.

October Catch Up

In late October, Jan and I took a quick road trip to take in a few quilt exhibits - Waste Not, Want Not at the Iowa Quilt Museum, Pattern and Purpose: American Quilts from Shelburne Museum at the Joslyn Art Museum, and multiple exhibits at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum.  We were fortunate that our visit to Lincoln coincided with the Clues in the Calico presentation by Barbara Brackman.  We even fit in a quilt shop stop at The Woolen Needle in Williamsburg, IA - a treasure just off I80.

First are photos from Waste Not, Want Not.  My favorite at this exhibit was the Slanted Strips of Scraps, c 1890.

 The diagonal stripes are made up of four rows of tiny half-square triangles.  The common alternate fabric is very dynamic - what a perfect fit!

The standout of the Shelburne exhibit for me was the Pieced Rising Sun, Kansas Troubles, and Star of Home quilt attributed to Eunice Haynes Baker Willard, c 1860 - 1870, from Vermont.  The border held my eye for quite awhile.  The exhibit included amazing quilts.

Jan and I attended the Red and White exhibit in New York City, so we knew the Joanna S. Rose cheddar quilt collection would be worth the drive.  There were many beautiful quilts included in the exhibit.  My favorite was a pineapple hung too high for close study.

I really appreciate that pictures are allowed at most exhibits.  There is definitely overload when viewing so much exceptional art in a short timeframe.  If not for pictures, many would be forgotten.

That catches us up thru October.

Travel Wrap Up

I have seven more Skinny 'T' blocks to piece.  I hope to have a completed center section to share soon.  I've calculated the first border dimensions to fit the second pieced section.  Now to get crackin'.

One afternoon of my vacation was spent at Old Sturbridge Village to view the exhibit 'Early New England Quilts: Repurposed, Refashioned, and Recycled' (on display thru early Feb, 2019).  Although the exhibit is small, the items on view were exceptional.  If you're interesting in visiting the living museum, the timing is great.

The featured quilt from the exhibit (c1840) was made by Susannah Allen Anderson Howard (1813 - 1891) from Ware, MA.  Nearly 12,000 pieces, likely from old garments and household textiles, were used to complete this quilt which was probably made for her marriage to Emery Howard in 1839.  The proportions of my photo seem to have skewed in cropping, but a close-up follows.

One of my favorites was the Orange Peel quilt (c1830) attributed to Matilda Fiske, Sturbridge, MA.   She was my kinda girl - the quilt was appliqued rather than pieced and the melons float, so no worry about melon ends meeting.

I'm in love with the indigo pockets in the next photo.  All cotton items on the mannequin are from 1830 - 1840.  Love that indigo!  The pieced quilt to the right of the mannequin (c1820) is from the Arnold family of Providence, RI - relatives of the infamous Benedict.

There was a kids event going on the day I visited.  The period activity was a pleasant addition to the living museum.

The morning of the following day I visited Old Deerfield Village in Deerfield, MA - a New England treasure.  The village is perfect for a quiet stroll of picturesque historic homes.  The draw for me is the fantastic graveyard (carved tombstones from the late 1600's forward) and the Memorial Hall Museum (the best $6 you'll ever spend).

I'll share more tombstone carvings near Halloween, but how cool is this?  You aren't allowed to clean the markers, so most are adorned with bird droppings.  The earliest carvings are skeleton heads with angel wings followed by angelic faces and wings.  Again, I think cropping altered dimensions.

The Memorial Hall Museum (founded in 1870) includes a quilt room.  The Stars, Hexagons and Polygons quilt top (c1860) was made by Mrs. Carpenter of Vermont.  It contains 82,000 1/4" pieces.  The lower right shows the back of the quilt top.  I think it's rather sad - similar to my Grandma's Welch Grape Jelly box of quilt pieces I posted about on the old blog.

The Rising Star quilt was owned by Martha Washington (DeWolf) Briggs (1815 - 1879) of West Deerfield, MA.

The pumpkins are growing - anticipation for my favorite season!!

Schwenkfelder Heritage Center

I visited the  Schwenkfelder Heritage Center last week while vacationing in Pennsylvania.  The beautiful textiles were a treat. The plaid silk dress from 1860 was very fetching.   The two brown dresses on the platform were believed to be worn for weddings in 1892 and 1894.

I especially enjoyed the German Sampler exhibit.  The sampler above was made by Rosina Schultz over the period 1809 - 1817.

The center tulip design is unique to Rosina.  My time was limited, so I wasn't able to study the samplers closely.  There were many extraordinary pieces in wonderful condition.

There was also a Perkiomen Valley split nine patch quilt exhibit.  The quilt above is circa 1900.

I'll share some photos from Old Sturbridge Village and the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Hall Museum in another post.

I'll close with a photo of a charming barn from Lancaster County, PA.