I told you last week that we received a quilt donation from Honoree Donna Wilder, but maybe you don’t know who she is.  Well, if you know Kaffe Fassett, Tula Pink, Kathy Doughty, and Jane Sassaman, or if you drooled over last Fall’s collection from the original (William) Morris Company, you should know Donna.  She was the founder of Free Spirit Fabrics, the manufacturer for these designers. Here’s a photo for  everyone (myself included) who hasn’t been able to get into a quilt store lately.  Thank goodness for online shopping.  But I digress.

Bringing together so many talented people to produce the wonderful styles we see at our local quilt shops would, in itself, be a point towards recognition by The Quilters Hall of Fame, but Donna Wilder had many more points in her favor. Donna has quite a few books to her credit, and most of them were written to introduce people to quilting.  Take a look, and you’ll see the theme.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

That’s right, samplers! One of my first quilts was a sampler made from monthly blocks sold by JoAnn Fabrics; I didn’t purchase until they were on sale, and was only able to get four kits, so it’s just a table topper. But what a great way to get started. Donna didn’t do only sampler books.  Here’s her book of florals, and you can see that she included an unusual mix of antique and contemporary projects.

• 

• 

Starting with a B.S. in Home Economics, Clothing and Textiles from Pennsylvania State University in 1964, Donna Wilder held several positions in the textile industry. She began as Assistant Buyer for Abraham & Strauss in Brooklyn, NY, and then moved on to Simplicity Pattern Company. She also worked for Fabricland, Riegel Textile Company and Springs Industries. Her final position, for which she is best known, was V.P. Marketing of Fairfield Processing Corporation.

While she was with Fairfield, Wilder promoted their annual fashion show, providing opportunities for designers of wearable art to strut their stuff.  I wouldn’t have anywhere to wear some of these beauties, especially now when I’m staying home in my comfy clothes, but I can still admire the creativity and craftsmanship involved.

Most of you know that Free Spirit closed last year, (there’s a link below to an interesting article on the economics involved), but let’s take a look back to 2000 and see what Donna did then. “I was asked to come up with a whole new fabric line… and I knew we couldn’t come in looking like Moda, RJR or Hoffman” she said in an interview for The Quilter’s Catalog: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Meg Cox.  To attract younger quilters and spark creativity, she focused on fabric designs that would lend themselves to a quick and easy, while still gorgeous and impressive, quilt. She called them “large format” quilts. Here are some of Donna’s own designs in that style.

Over the course of six years, from 2000-2006, with a team of just four employees, Wilder grew Free Spirit into a profitable company that she says was grossing five million dollars when Fabric Traditions sold it to Coats & Clark in January of 2007.  And we still love many of her chosen designers today, even though they’ve moved to other manufacturers.

Donna was also a media star.  She hosted Sew Creative with Donna Wilder which had a long run on PBS stations and produced several “how to” books that are still available on Amazon, Etsy, abebooks, and eBay. She also co-hosted episodes of Quilt Central, and you can see some of them on YouTube; there’s a link below to the show on wearable art. And here’s Donna “on the job”.

If you want to read a more detailed biography of Donna Wilder, check the link below to The Quilters Hall of Fame website. But I don’t think a short bio really gives insight to someone’s personality. I don’t know Donna (yet) but I feel I know something about her based on her “quilt criteria”.  Donna has been a judge in many venues, and what she looks for in a winner says a lot about her.  Here are two quilts from her judging along with her comments:

Yes, I think that sums up Donna Wilder: exuberant, respectful of tradition, excited about modern style, aware of composition.  And above all, colorful!

But I’m not ready to sum up yet.  There’s one more thing you will want to know about Donna Wilder.  She wrote a chapter for America’s Glorious Quilts titled “Quilts at an Exhibition” in which she reviewed the history of quilt shows and contests.  One of the things she mentioned was sampler block contests in which participants submitted a block based on the contest theme, and the winners were made into a quilt which was either raffled or displayed by the contest sponsor.  She herself spearheaded several such contests when she was with Fairfield.

This would be a great idea for a guild to do as a pandemic project.  With so many events having been cancelled, we are all looking for ways to keep our hand in the quilting community. My guild is having virtual show and tell along with monthly Zoom meetings, but that can’t replace the feeling we get from doing something together. So why not try a Donna Wilder-style contest?  Your theme could be virus-related, or (if you want to take you mind off all it entails for a while) garden, floral, Roaring 20s, patriotic or something with local relevance.  You decide how to select the winners, how to finish the quilt and whether to raffle or donate it.  Just have fun, remember you’re following a great tradition of quilt contests, and give a nod to Donna Wilder.

Your quilting friend,

Anna

Closure of FreeSpirit https://craftindustryalliance.org/free-spirits-closure-signals-weakening-quilting-cotton-market/

Quilt Central episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM305qJZNd0

Wilder bio https://quiltershalloffame.net/donna-wilder/

In addition to writing this blog, I am also a member of the Quilters Hall of Fame Collections Committee.  At our annual meeting a few weeks ago, something came up that started me thinking about quilt collecting.

 The Collections Committee reviews potential donations and recommends to the Board which items to add to our Permanent or Education Collections. We try to preserve items that will give meaning to the legacy of our Honorees. We have practically no budget for acquisitions, so we rely heavily on donations. One of the items offered this year was from Honoree Donna Wilder’s collection; it had been selected by another Honoree, Georgia Bonesteel, as one of The Twentieth Century’s Best Quilts, Judges Choice.  So, we had a dilemma: accept it for the Wilder collection or for the Bonesteel collection. In the end, we decided that the selection by Bonesteel, along with her explanation of why she thought the quilt was significant, said more about her than we knew about Wilder from her “mere” ownership. Tough choice! And I’ve been ruminating about it ever since, which brings me to write about collecting and Mary Barton.

One very nice thing about the COVID-19 closures is that, since we can’t see collections in person, many museums and individuals have been sharing their quilts online. And that has given me a little glimpse into some things I didn’t know about my friends and acquaintances; what they collect often says something about them. Most of us know that Ken Burns has a quilt collection, and we understand that it reflects his love of history. Some of us may know people who have family quilts and their collections reflect personal memories. Recently several friends have been participating in the Facebook “Post a quilt for 10 days” challenge, and I can almost always tell whose collection is up by the style they choose. Clearly, our collections say a lot about who we are.

I have a number of vintage and antique quilt tops, most of which I acquired from eBay.  It was back in those heady days of dial-up internet connections when the challenge of a putting in a last-minute bid was as exciting as the item itself.  I tried to obtain a fair representation of block patterns, and when I had most of the common ones, I moved on to looking for interesting variations of the old favorites.  Here are some of the star tops I got when I thought I might take my show on the road to give lectures at quilt guilds. (That third one, the Lone Star, is made from ribbons from 1930s Livestock Show.)

• 

• 

• 

• 

But did that make me a collector or just a diversified shopper?  When I compare myself with Mary Barton, I know I’ll never be a serious collector (and that’s okay). But hat’s off to Mary, and I’ll tell you why.

Have you heard the old saying, “When you have three of something, you have a collection”?  Mary had a collection of quilts; she had three times three, times three times three, and more. Between 1987 and 2001, Mary Barton of Ames, Iowa, donated more than 1,500 items, including over 100 quilts, to the State Historical Society of Iowa. Barton also donated quilts from her collection to the Living History Farms, Simpson College, and the Farm House Museum at Iowa State University. Most, if not all of these quilts are related to the State of Iowa: either made there, collected there, or owned by someone who locates there. Mary didn’t want the Iowa quilts leaving home, and her purchases were driven by her affection for her home state. You can see some of the quilts Mary collected at the links below.

Mary didn’t just collect quilts, and her collection shows her to have been a serious researcher.  She was a pioneer in fabric dating and determining the age of a quilt by the fabrics it contained. Her collections also included 30 shoe-boxes of annotated fabric samples and 15 notebooks of quilt blocks and fabric swatches.  She also assembled a fashion collection; there’s a link below if you really want to take a side trip.  But maybe it’s not so much of a side trip since Mary used her fashion records in quilt dating. Here’s a photo of her doing a comparison of the fabric in an old quilt, a dress and a costume illustration.  

Mary’s research career began when, as a member of the Faculty Woman’s Club, she became involved in 1968 with a group called the Heritage Division. Mary did her own study and gave the group a program on quilts and quilt history that included a play, Aunt Mary’s Quilting Party, actually performed around a quilt frame. From there, she went on to design and make her Heritage Quilt which depicts the settling of pioneer America, and specifically of central Iowa. The 100 x 102 inch quilt was completed in 1976 and won first place at the Iowa State Fair that year. The quilt also received honorable mention at the National Bicentennial Quilt Contest held in Warren, Michigan in 1976 and was later selected as one of America’s 100 Best Quilts of the 20th Century. I love the pioneer women walking West with their little quilt blocks!

This wasn’t the only quilt Mary made. She loved the old patterns and made an indigo Storm at Sea, a blue Churn Dash with red sashing, a Tree Everlasting with chrome on indigo fabric, and a sampler of Hawaiian applique designs. The Quilters Hall of Fame has the patterns for “Hawaii Remembered” along with a hand-written note from Mary explaining how she and her husband loved the flowers they saw when they visited that State. There’s a link below, and it includes shots of all the pattern pieces as well as photos of the Hawaiian quilt and the others mentioned.

Mary was always generous with her research results. In 1983, she created an early “Study Center” at the Heirloom to Heirloom Quilters Conference held in Ames, Iowa to share her collections. In the “paper” room were rows of three ring binders containing quilt-related periodicals from the 1920s and earlier, patterns, research material and personal notes. In the “textile room,” Mary shared dozens of antique quilts and tops along with her shoe-boxes of fabric swatches. Here are a few photos of the scene:

Another thing makes Mary Barton beloved among quilt historians: she collected old blocks and mounted them on panels for study purposes. She used them to show pattern and fabric choices, and how use affects fabrics. Mary explained, “One reason for the panels — I started with one and organized more as the collection grew — for the researcher they would be more meaningful than just a pile of blocks. Also, if they were mounted they would not be used for small projects and lost for historical reference.”

Here are just a few of the 111 panels in her collection.

I wish I could see this one in person. I have a feeling that some of the colors might be more purple than they look online. Oh heck; I wish I could see all of these panels, including the next one which looks almost good enough to be a banner or wall quilt.

(If you want to know what the blocks are, they’re listed below.)

So, after having read about Mary Barton and her collections, what do you think of your own collection? What does it say about you? If you are a collector or want to become one, I hope you give some thought to what and why you are collecting, and what you will do with your treasures. I think that’s the lesson from Mary Barton: she collected to preserve Iowa heritage and to learn about quilt history, not just to add to her acquisitions, so that’s what made her more than just a shopper like me. And of course, that’s what makes her a Hall of Fame Honoree.

Your quilting friend,

Anna

1. Quilts held by Living History Farms. https://livinghistoryfarms.pastperfectonline.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_criteria=barton&searchButton=Search&only_images=only
2. To see Mary’s Collection on the Quilt Index, go to http://www.quiltindex.org/index.php. Then click these tabs: Browse. Collection. Mary Barton
3. Mary Barton Fashion Illustration Collection https://digitalcollections.lib.iastate.edu/fashion-plates. The collection (1776-2008) contains plates of general fashion dating back to the 18th century and continuing through the 20th century. Additional categories within the files include accessories, baby and beach fashions, bridal fashions and portraits, children’s and communion clothing, footwear, inaugural gowns, maid uniforms, masquerade costumes, men’s fashion, millinery, mourning dresses, negligees and undergarments. There are also magazine issues relating to fashion as well as magazine articles discussing fashion of the Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern periods.
4. Hawaii Remembered and others https://quiltershalloffame.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/51F86959-33E2-45F6-A002-383291449415
5. 21 blocks. Described in rows, upper left to lower right. Row 1: #1 North Dakota, the Windmill, Windmill Star, the Wandering Flower, Quilt Star, Crazy Star Quilt, Amethyst (Brackman 3873). #2 Cake Stand/Basket (Brackman 707). #3 See #1 (Brackman 3873) Row 2: #1 Square and Points (Brackman 2138 c) #2 Broken Dishes, Jack in the Pulpit, Double Square (Brackman 2472) #3 Square and Points (Brackman 2138 c) Row 3: #1 Balkan Puzzle (Brackman 1211) #2 Variation – Nine Patch in center (Brackman 2121) Row 4: #1 Ocean Waves, Tents of Armageddon, Thousands of Triangles (Brackman 3150) #2 Monkey Wrench, Snail’s Trail, Indiana Puzzle (Alternate coloring to make square in a square) (Brackman 2399) Row 5: #1 Nine Patch, Sheepfold, Irish Chain (Brackman 2020) #2 Checkerboard Design, Nine Patch (Brackman 1601 a) Row 6: #1 Checkerboard Design, Nine Patch (Brackman 1601 a) #2 Square Within a Square (Brackman 1102 b). Colored to appear like Brackman 2020. Row 7: #1 Double Hour Glass (Brackman 1701) #2 Double Hour Glass (Brackman 1701) Row 8: #1 Nine-Patch, Checkerboard Design (Brackman 1601 a) #2 Nine-Patch, Checkerboard Design (Brackman 1601 a) #3 Nine-Patch, Checkerboard Design (Brackman 1601 a)

Did you enjoy the 2020 Virtual Celebration? I sure did!  While nothing takes the place of seeing quilts “in the cloth” and getting together in person with quilting friends, it was still a fun experience.  Maybe you bought something in the vendor mall or bid on an auction item—thanks for your support of The Quilters Hall of Fame. I’ve put some links to quilters featured during the Virtual Celebration 2020 below.

Usually I write about persons who have been inducted as Honorees of the Hall of Fame, but today I’m going to tell you about one person who’s behind it all.  We wouldn’t have The Quilters Hall of Fame or Celebration without her, but since she’s not an Honoree, you may not know her.

Hazel Carter is the Founder of the Quilters Hall of Fame; she began honoring inductees at the 1979 Continental Quilting Congress (which she had also founded).  When asked in an interview what aspect of her research or contribution to textile studies satisfied her the most, she replied, “I saw The Quilters Hall of Fame officially opened to the public in July 2004. Our book on Honorees (was) published at the same time.”  Here’s a photo of the 2011 printing of the book:

This is a beautiful coffee-table book and a font of information about the Museum and Honorees, and it’s still available for purchase on the Hall of Fame website (link below).  Hazel has every right to be proud.

Hazel Carter is still an Honorary Board member of TQHF, and will always be closely connected with the Museum (we hope), but she’s got her own story to tell too.

Back in 1972, Hazel ran across and article about the renowned 1708 Levens Hall bed furnishings, and she began her serious study of quilt history.  She went to England to view the ensemble in person and in 1985 wrote her own article about them in Lady’s Circle Patchwork Quilts. Here’s a photo of what started it all for Hazel; you can see why she was interested—think about those fabrics being available when the US was still colonial!

Hazel went on to write numerous articles, for the popular quilting magazines of her day, for her professional appraisal colleagues, and for the American Quilt Study Group.  Here’s a partial list of her publications:

• “Apple Pie Ridge Star Quilts.” Blanket Statements, Summer 2010.
• “Unique and Diverse Strippy Quilts in the United States.” Blanket Statements, Spring 2007.
• Introduction in “Quilts of Virginia 1607-1899.” Virginia Consortium of Quilters PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2006.
• “New Revelations about The Garden Quilt.” Blanket Statements, Winter 2004
• “Three Centuries of Quilts Observed Over Two Decades of Appraising”. Blanket Statements, American Quilt Study Group Newsletter, Winter, 2002.
• “Three Centuries of Quilts Observed Over Two Decades” and “Timeline of Early Textile History up to 1700”. Personal Property Journal, American Society of Appraisers, Winter 2000.
• “What is the Value of My Quilt,” Baltimore Appliqué Society Newsletter; May 1998.
• “Retreat”, Traditional Quilter, July 1998
• “The Evolution of Organized Quilting”. Blanket Statements, American Quilt Study Group Newsletter, Fall 1997.
• “American Quilts – 1750 to 1950” Personal Property Journal, American Society of Appraisers, Fall 1996.
• “Quilt Appraisals:  A Pleasure and a Privilege”. Virginia Quilt Museum Newsletter, Winter 1995.
• “What is the Correct Price for a Quilt?” (with Bunnie Jordan), Patchwork Quilts magazine, October 1994
• “Quilters Unlimited”, Patchwork Quilt Tsushin (Japan), August 1990.
• “American Patchwork Pillowcases and Shams”, Quilting Today, October/November 1990, p.52
• Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine:
  • “The Smithsonian Collection,” August 1988, pg 12: July/August 1977, p. 12 and June 1977, p. 12.
  • “4th International CQC Tour Goes Downunder,” April 1987, p. 6.
  • “U.S. Postage Stamp Promotion,” July/August 1978, p. 17.
  • “Woodlawn Quilts,” March 1978, p 17.
  • “Wall Quilt to Ceret, France,” October 1977.
  • “The Meeting Place- Introduction of Jinny Beyer,” September 1977, p. 11.
  • “Teacher Tac Tics,” January, 1977, p. 11.
  • “The Meeting Place- Introduction of Hazel Carter,” September 1976, p. 20.
• Virginia Quilts, 1987, publication resulting from Virginia quilt search.
• “Quilt Touring in England:  Oldest English-Made Patchwork”, Lady’s Circle Patchwork Quilts November 1985, p. 62
• “The Conference Speaker”, The Professional Quilter, September 1984, p. 6
• Bee Quilting resource book published by the Smithsonian Institution, 1997. Resource book accompanied exhibit “Quintessential Quilts,” SITES program.
• Start Quilting, 1977 and 1975.  “How-to” manuals, self published.
• “Bicentennial Quilt Presentation”, Nimble Needles Treasures, 1975, p 33.

And that list doesn’t include the numerous articles she’s written for the Quilters Hall of Fame Newsletter. Or the many exhibits she has curated at the Marion IN Public Library in conjunction with Hall of Fame Celebrations.

Her interest in quilt history also inspired Hazel to organize one of the earliest series of international quilt tours, with tours to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in 1981 and 1985 and to New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii in 1986. These days, we think nothing of retreats, quilting cruises, shopping trips to London for quilts, but it was all new back then, and Hazel was in the forefront of organizing the fun.

Hazel is a quilter herself. She was born in Iowa and she credits her mother, Grace McDowell, and her grandmother, Elsie McVey, with starting her off in quilting as a child. Here’s one of her quilts which is featured in the Hall of Fame book.

In addition to being a quilt history devotee, Hazel has been an appraiser of quilted textiles. Since you need to be able to determine the age of a quilt to know its value, she and her quilting buddy, Bunnie Jordan, organized the Fabric Dating Club, an informal research and study group that has been meeting in Virginia since 1995. And, as if three groups weren’t enough for any one woman to start up, Hazel also began Quilters Unlimited which now has 11 chapters of active quilters in the northern Virginia area. Phew! What a remarkable woman!

You would think that the Hall of Fame would have many Carter artifacts in its Collection, but I couldn’t find much.  And the reason for that may be because Hazel seems to be giving things away.  I don’t think a year goes by when there isn’t some Hazel Carter donation made for the Celebration auction.  And some years, she buys items from other Honorees and gifts them back to Collections; we’ve gotten Sally Garoutte silk screen prints and Mary Schafer quilt blocks from the Joyce Gross collection that way.  Thanks, Hazel.  These and your other contributions to The Quilters Hall of Fame have been many.

Next week, I’ll get back to my rotation of Honorees, but I hope that whenever you think about The Quilters Hall of Fame, you remember and cherish Hazel Carter.

Your quilting friend,

Anna

https://quiltershalloffame.net/1876-centennial-quilt-project/

Mimi Dietrich

Eleanor Burns

Marie Webster

Hall of Fame book https://shop.quiltershalloffame.net/products/the-quilters-hall-of-fame-42-masters-who-have-shaped-our-art

If you were quilting in the late 1970s and 80s, you were lucky to have Eleanor Burns; she made quilting easy.  She pioneered the use of time-saving devices like rotary cutters and specialty rulers, and showed you how to make a quilt in a day. And if you didn’t start out with Eleanor, she’s still someone you should know about because she’s still going strong. If you want to see Eleanor in action, join The Quilters Hall of Fame Virtual Celebration 2020 and watch her video on July 17^th about log cabin quilts.

I’ve made a few log cabins in my day: a pair of flannel ones that cover our couches in the winter, the one in my profile picture using my hand-dyed fabric, the straight furrows setting I showed in the post about Jean Wells, and this top.

But, even though this is a basic block, I’ll bet I can learn something from Eleanor, so I plan to watch the video.  She will probably demonstrate the use of her log cabin ruler which is on sale now through Connecting Threads (link below)

The log cabin block is a fitting subject for Celebration; Eleanor launched her quilting operations with “Make a Quilt in a Day: Log Cabin Pattern” published in 1967. She went on to write 125 quilting books including several more in the Quilt in a Day series, and she named her business Quilt in a Day. Here are some of the titles still available, from the original to the 6^th edition.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Eleanor is also known for her early promotion of strip piecing—another way to make a quilt easily. Many of her students are proud to say, “Eleanor Burns taught me to strip”, and some have the t-shirt to prove it. If you’ve been to Quilt Week in Paducah, you know Eleanor for great shopping—the year I went, she had three locations around town, including one in tents where she offered sales on a different color every day. You can still shop with Eleanor virtually (link below). There are 240 different rulers and template sets; I came away with one for Winding Ways that has helpful registration marks—I’ll post if I ever get something made with it.  And a nice feature of the fabric store is a link to other fabrics in the same line; if you see something on sale, you can check whether companion fabrics are available.

But although she is an energetic and successful quilt entrepreneur, Eleanor Burns is a teacher at heart. With her BS in Ed (same as me, a long time ago), she has the perfect background to know how to reach and motivate students.  And she’s generous with it; you can find dozens of videos and free patterns on her website—if you want a really rowdy, fun time, try the block party series. Or, check out some of the episodes on the playlist below. Why didn’t I find these at the beginning of shelter in place?  If I had watched a video once a week, and tried the techniques Eleanor demonstrates, imagine how much my quilting repertoire would have improved!

And in her spare time, she has designed several fabric collections for Benartex, Inc., including “Eleanor’s Anniversary Florals,” “Rainbow Florals,” “Yours Truly, Eleanor Burns,” Yours Truly Holiday,” Magic Vine,” “Victory Garden,” “Ellie Ann,” and “Zoey Christine.” .”  Below are samples from her recent Garden Party Collection (from the Benartex website). I think I could make a quilt out of this line—it’s so fresh!

• 

• 

• 

It’s no wonder that Eleanor Burns is a Quilters Hall of Fame Honoree. But look at this list of other awards and recognition:

• Primedia Awards of Excellence, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2003
• Business Advocate Award for San Diego 1993
• San Diego Book Awards Association Certificate for Outstanding Accomplishments 1993
• Michael Kyle Award of the San Diego Book Awards Association for outstanding accomplishments in “How To” books
• American Quilter’s Society All-American Quilter 2005
• Michael Kile Lifetime Achievement Award given by Quilts, Inc. (host of International Quilt Market)
• Spokesperson for Elna sewing machines and for Baby Lock Quilters Dream machines

With all those accolades, you might wonder if Eleanor Burns has a swelled head—no such thing!  She’s the most down to earth person around. She’s been described as a “scream” and a “hoot”, and she’s not afraid to dress up and have a little fun. These photos are from the Quilters Hall of Fame archives, but you might also see her like this in Paducah.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Eleanor’s designs are well-represented on the Quilt Index.  This sampling shows not only to her popularity, but also her ability to teach so many. None of these quilts is flashy or modern, but each one is a reminder of the impact Eleanor Burns has had, and continues to enjoy, on the world of quilting.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

So, how was that for eye candy?  If you want more, Eleanor has a Facebook page, Quilt in a Day and Eleanor Burns, and you can keep up with her there.

And one more reminder: check the Quilters Hall of Fame website for details on Eleanor’s Log Cabin video on July 17 during our Virtual Celebration (https://quiltershalloffame.net/).

Your quilting friend,

Anna

Connecting Threads site: https://www.connectingthreads.com/quilt-in-a-day-log-cabin-ruler/p/82595

Quilt in a Day shopping https://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponline/

Free patterns https://www.quiltinaday.com/freepattern/

Playlist https://www.youtube.com/c/quiltinaday/playlists?view=1&flow=grid

When I first started quilting, my guild buddies talked me into taking a workshop to learn how to appliqué. Even though I was–and still am—drawn more to geometric rather than organic shapes, they suggested that I should have this skill in my wheelhouse.  Having heard other piecers refer to appliqué as the ‘A’ word”, I wasn’t convinced. When I resisted, they brought out their ultimate argument, “You never know when you’ll need to slap something on to cover up a poorly joined seam”.

I signed up, needle-turned a leaf and stem, made a charming ruched flower, and never finished the project. In fact, I just recently tossed it out in the Great Covid Cleanup. But over the years, I have come to terms with appliqué, and even enjoy it in small doses. Here’s my largest hand appliqué project. I’ve also just finished two tops with appliqué or broderie perse borders, and if I remember, I’ll show you photos when they come back from the quilter.

• 

• 

So, not too shabby for someone who was dragged kicking and screaming into appliqué, but I wonder what my attitude would have been if I had known Mimi Dietrich in my quilting salad days? Well, it’s never too late to find out.  Mimi Dietrich, the Pride of Baltimore (quilting, not the ship), will be teaching in The Quilters Hall of Fame Virtual Celebration which starts this week. But let me tell you about her before I give you info on the class.

Mimi is a Baltimore native and graduate of the University of Maryland.  It’s no wonder she specializes in Baltimore Album quilts. She is the author of numerous books, including “Baltimore Basics: Album Quilts From Start to Finish,” “Baltimore Blocks for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide” and “Baltimore Bouquets: Patterns and Techniques for Dimensional Appliqué” . She has taught for Craftsy and for University of Maryland and was named Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals. Here’s the little quilt she donated to the Hall of Fame when she was inducted:

• 

• 

• 

Earlier this year, Mimi was featured in the Hometown Girl exhibit at the Maryland Historical Society with quilts made by her and her students. It’s over now, but here are two of her quilts that were on view, a classic applique and a quirky conglomeration (“Pun Quilt”).

• 

• 

Seeing them together, you wouldn’t guess they are made by the same quilter, but it shows Mimi’s depth and sense of humor. If you would like to see more about this exhibit, there’s a link below to Mimi’s “Farewell Tour” in which she describes the sections of the exhibit and talks about her Top Five pieces.

Mimi has a long-standing association with the Maryland Historical Society (MdHS) eginning in 1993 with the exhibition, “Lavish Legacies: Baltimore Album Quilts, 1845-1855,” when she lectured and gave a workshop. In 2001, she and members of the Baltimore Applique Society (BAS) prepared quilts for the MdHS exhibition “The Baltimore Album Quilt Tradition.” Between 2011 and 2015, Mimi was a key member of the volunteer group that catalogued and rehoused the MdHS quilt collection. Additionally, in 2014 she was chosen to applique the stars on a reproduction Star Spangled Banner and lead 200 volunteers in the effort. A real Hometown Girl! And a reminder to us all that our local museums and historical societies could use our help and quilting expertise.  Mimi is so well-regarded by the MdHS that they consulted her about a special 1840s red and green applique quilt in their collection.  There’s a link below to a video of Mimi sharing her knowledge about the quilt.

Don’t you wish you could learn applique from someone as skilled and knowledgeable as Mimi Dietrich?  I’d like to talk my guild into having her come to us when the pandemic is under control.

In an ordinary year, there would be lectures offered in conjunction with the July Celebration, but this year we’ve had to punt, and Mimi Dietrich has graciously stepped in to help.  Even though it won’t be the same as an in-person class, you can still learn from Mimi in a virtual format.  Join her on July 14^th at 10:00 EDT (details coming to the Hall of Fame website) and see how she creates her beautiful applique. You won’t be calling it the ‘A’ word anymore.

And if you would like to own an original piece by Mimi Dietrich, you can try to win this beauty in the Quilters Hall of Fame online auction.  Bid at https://www.benefitbidding.net/auctions/listings/details.cfm?item_id=121839

Before I go, I want to wish a belated Happy Birthday to Honorees Michael James (June 30) and Eleanor Burns (July 3).  I’ll tell you about Eleanor next week because she also has a Celebration activity coming up, and Mr. James will go onto my random rota. In the meantime, here’s a virtual card for them both.

Log cabin for Eleanor; graphics for Michael.

Your quilting friend,

Anna

Farewell Tour https://vimeo.com/399169303

Backstage Consultation of 1840s quilt https://vimeo.com/398923199

I’ve been writing every week about Honorees of The Quilters Hall of Fame, but this time I’m going to switch up and write about people who haven’t been inducted—yet.

My inspiration, if you can call it that, was my sewing experience earlier today.  Did your mother ever say, “Don’t sew on Sunday or the Devil will make you pick out your stitches with your nose”?  Well, that’s what happened to me; seventeen seams in, all but four taken out.  But thank goodness for my seam ripper!  Or as I like to call it, the Mulligan Stick. (If you or your husband golf, you’ll recognize a Mulligan as an opportunity for a do-over.  My husband turns on a wood lathe, and he can’t correct his mistakes like I can, so I try to keep a cheerful attitude about un-sewing.) 

We all joke about seam rippers and the stitch removal process.  We use terms like frog stitching/ ribbit; reverse sewing, etc. I recently ordered some tools online that were called stitch fixers: same thing, but with a more positive spin. So, who invented the seam ripper, and why isn’t he in The Hall of Fame?

Here’s the answer to the first question, from Tenrandomfacts.com:

Seam rippers where probably invented sometime in the late 1800s, and one of the earliest patents for a similar tool was a thimble that had the addition of a small knife that was patented in the United States by W Miller in 1883, that was used to rip threads in a similar way; while a later patent exists for a tool designed for the sole purpose of ripping seams, in 1898 by John Fisher from Canada.

Fisher’s device was a piece of twisted metal with a small blade held between two pincer-like ends. The drawing with the patent doesn’t show up well here (a better view is in the link below the photo), but you can recognize this as an ancestor of what we use today.  The design evolved from the single slicer between tiny jaws into a curved blade by the 1950s, with a little knobby protector appearing later. We’ve come a long way and today we even have electric ripper scissors, but that’s too modern for me.

As an aside, I learned that I have been using my ripper incorrectly—or at least not as originally designed. Fisher prescribes the method of slashing along the seam line, but I insert the blade into every third to fifth stich on one side, and then pull up the uncut thread on the other side.  At the risk of starting something akin to the toilet paper role debate, I’ll ask, “Which way do you rip?”

I couldn’t sew without John Fisher’s invention, and there are many other tools that have changed quilting in a dramatic way. How about the rotary cutter and mat? Or all those specialty rulers we know and love?  And, of course, the invention with the biggest impact on our craft/art—the sewing machine.  I’m sure you’ve got some favorites too.  Why aren’t these inventors in the Quilters Hall of Fame?

And for that matter, why isn’t Jenny Doan of Missouri Star in?  Or someone from the Modern Quilt Guild? Or that fabric designer who always comes up with a new line for you to fall in love with?

Well, the number one reason someone doesn’t get in to the Hall of Fame is that they haven’t been nominated. Yes, everyone agrees that Elias Howe and Isaac Singer made invaluable contributions to the world of quilting, but unless someone puts those names forward, they won’t be honored.  There is no group at the Hall of Fame whose job it is to cast their collective mind around the quilting world and see who is worthy. Instead, the Selection Committee relies on you—actual quilters, quilt enthusiasts, scholars and historians — to present a name for consideration. It’s a way to ensure that the Committee doesn’t play favorites or skew the decision to their own ideas, but it doesn’t work unless you give them something to work with.

The process is quite simple; you can find the nomination form and instructions on the Hall of Fame website (link below). But essentially, all you have to do is “Tell how he/she has made outstanding contributions to the world of quilting.”, and provide some back up info.  The website doesn’t tell you, but there are two categories of inductees, one for contemporary nominees, and the other for persons who lived/quilted 50 years ago or are deceased (Heritage Honorees).  

One caution: nominations close on August 30^th for selection/ announcement at following Celebration. So, you either need to get organized quickly for a 2020 submission/ 2021 decision/ 2022 induction, or take your time knowing, that the earliest your nominee would be honored would be 2023. Either way, it’s worth doing.

I submitted a nomination last year, proposing a woman from my hometown, Chicago, who had begun her quilting career around the time of the 1933 World’s Fair.  The process was enjoyable and gave me the opportunity to get acquainted with my quilter’s descendants, learn more about quilting and the Century of Progress, and practice using the Quilt Index. If you go this route, you’ll soon become an expert in your area.  If you propose a current quilter, you can rely on your own experiences (maybe your nominee gave a lecture or workshop at your guild), you’ll find it easy to gather data from the internet, and you may even make a connection with your nominee. Please consider making a nomination.

Next week, I’ll be back to writing about actual Honorees. Don’t ask yourself why that person was chosen.  Ask why you haven’t made your choice known. (Channeling JFK here—sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

You’ve been very attentive to all this narrative, and I know that Fourth of July is coming up, so here are some photos of my Patient Piecers Bee group and our patriotic projects. The first two are a round robin started with some unusual (read: ugly; Americana prints don’t often have that coppery green) fabric, and the second is Quilts of Valor.  Have a good Fourth!

• 

• 

• 

Your quilting friend,
Anna

Suggested Links:

http://tenrandomfacts.com/seam-ripper/

https://quiltershalloffame.net/honoree-nomination/

I’m writing on Father’s Day and realized that we often talk about our mothers and grandmothers in relation to quilting, but rarely are fathers mentioned.  So, I thought it would be fitting to focus on a “father” whose baby has been a joy to all of us quilters: Robert James.  The baby is the International Quilt Museum at Lincoln, Nebraska. Of course, there’s no father without a mother, so Ardis is included too.

You can read about Robert and Ardis’ life at the link below— including a spy connection! Who knew? We can just be glad that their collection took a turn to textiles.  And what a collection it was. When they helped establish the IQM (then called the International Quilt Study Center), they gave a total of one thousand— that’s right, 1,000– quilts.  And you thought you had too many.

The collection was originally housed at the University of Nebraska Home Economics building, but the Jameses and others were instrumental in moving it to a separate facility, the building affectionately known as “Quilt House”. I’ve been there a couple of times for American Quilt Study Group Seminars, but I never noticed that the lobby is designed in the shape of a needle. I guess I was too busy drooling at eye candy in the store, anticipating the quilts on display upstairs and looking forward to the “backstage” tour of the storage rooms. This is a quilter’s bucket list must!

I definitely can’t tell you about all of the James’s quilts at the Museum. There are scores of Amish quilts, medallions and mosaics, crazy quilts and wholecloths, geometric patterns, albums and floral designs, modern quilts and kit quilts from Marie Webster. If you have time to see them all, there’s a link below through IQM and a link to the collection on the Quilt Index. There are 54 pages on the IQM site, so you could do one a week and still not be done in a year. But, in the meantime I can give you a representative peek.

There are currently seven Amish quilts from the James Collection on view through the IQM website (link below). Here’s one from Wayne County, Ohio that just glows.

In addition to the original quilt donation, the Jameses continue to fund, through their Acquisition Foundation, the purchase of other quilts including these two modern ones.  They were part of the exhibit Perspectives: Art, Craft, Design & the Studio Quilt which can be viewed at the link below.

• 

• 

Ardis was especially supportive of art quilters; her interest dated to the mid-70s when most of the country was busy with the Bicentennial (what a visionary she was!)  When she passed in 2012, 26 quilters donated studio quilts to IQM in her honor.  Here’s the one by another Quilter’s Hall of Fame Honoree, Michael James. The full collection of these gifts is linked below.

Robert James’s overseas work is probably the spark for the international aspect of the collection. Here are some examples, ranging between modern and traditional.

• 

• 

There are also five quilts from China, including the 1992 Reproduction of Bride’s Album [E.J. Baile (1850-51)] and Reproduction of Harriet Powers Bible Quilt. It may seem odd that the Jameses chose to collect these mass-produced copies rather than textiles in traditional Chinese style, but they are historically significant as representative of the “knock off” market trend.

Starting with these modest examples in the James Collection, the International Quilt Museum is now truly international, with textiles from 50 countries and numerous cultural groups. You can find Russian, Ralli or Native American quilts, quilts representing the Black experience, Hawaiian quilts (which aren’t international to us, but definitely cultural), and of course European antiques. It’s exciting and comforting to know that textiles are made and treasured the world over.

There’s lots more to be found on the IQM site, but I’ll let you poke around on your own.  For now, let’s just say Happy Father’s Day to Robert James, and thank him and Ardis for all they’ve done to make Quilt House a home for quilters.

Your quilting friend,

Anna

Biographical info https://quiltershalloffame.net/ardis-robert-james/

James Collection  IQM https://www.internationalquiltmuseum.org/collections/search?title=&field_quilt_primary_pattern_tid=All&field_quiltmaker_value=&field_quilt_geo_origin_country_tid=All&field_quilt_geo_origin_state_reg_tid=All&field_quilt_predominant_techniqu_tid=All&field_quilt_object__value=&field_quilt_collection_tid=3212&field_quilt_date_range=&field_cultural_group_tid=All

James Collection Quilt Index http://www.quiltindex.org/search_results.php?keywords=Ardis+and+Robert+James&search=go

Amish quilts https://www.internationalquiltmuseum.org/exhibition/variations-theme-virtual-pop

Perspectives exhibit https://www.internationalquiltmuseum.org/exhibition/perspectives-art-craft-design-studio-quilt

Ardis Tribute https://www.internationalquiltmuseum.org/exhibition/tribute-ardis-james

I had planned to write about Mary Barton who had a birthday last week, but I spent time weeding my  garden, and that put me in mind of Marie’s Garden at the Hall of Fame.  Let me show you a little of what’s blooming here, and then we’ll head to Marion.

• 

• 

• 

When you park in the back lot at the Museum, you wander through what was Marie Webster’s original back yard. Take a pictorial stroll up to the house like this group of visitors did.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Did you notice the brick walk? There’s something special about it: the bricks are impressed with names, quotes, and dedications.

• 

• 

If you or your guild would like to have a brick engraved with their name, the cost is only $100 and the form is on our website: https://quiltershalloffame.net/brick-order-form/ (Also, if you have already purchased a brick, they are now all online in a searchable database: https://quiltershalloffame.net/bricks-in-the-garden/ )

We know Marie was a gardener. It’s said that her first quilt, American Beauty Rose, was inspired by her garden. She later submitted that design for a contest in the Ladies Home Journal magazine and caught the attention of the editor. The editor then requested three more designs from Webster, and she supplied “Iris”, “Snowflake” and “Windblown Tulip”; all were featured in the magazine on Jan. 1, 1911, turning Webster into a “national celebrity.” Here’s a photo of the article, followed by “Iris in Baskets” and “Windblown Tulip”.

Back to the garden.

• 

• 

For all the beauty, I’m pretty sure this is not what the yard looked like in Marie’s time. Her style would probably have been simpler and somewhat old-fashioned, leaning more towards bedding plants and perhaps a border. The garden is now maintained by volunteers… thanks to every one of them! And while it is still a lot of work, many hands make the work lighter. But there is still one element of the original: hollyhocks. The seeds from which these plants were grown were found in the basement of the house when The Quilters Hall of Fame took ownership of the house. Are they left over from Marie Webster days?! In the fall we will sells seeds from these plants.

• 

• 

• 

Now let’s take a look at how the garden inspired the famous Webster designs. What’s a garden without at least one rose bush? (Up until last year, I had 40, but it was just too much work, so I cut back to six.)  After that first “American Beauty Rose,”  Marie patterned “Magpie Rose,” “Cherokee Rose,” “Wreath of Roses,” “Cluster of Roses,” and “Wayside Roses.” Here are two of those quilts.

Daisies are another old-time favorite. An early daisy pattern is recalled today in clumps of daisies from Marie’s Garden.

• 

• 

And here’s a shot of the current dogwood tree along with an original pattern for one dogwood quilt, followed by a Webster dogwood quilt in a different setting. If you would like to see the complete Dogwood pattern, and two others (fascinating to imagine using those old templates), there are links at the end.

• 

• 

I imagine any old-fashioned garden would have poppies, and that flower inspired one of Webster’s most iconic quilts.  Here it is in the yellow colorway; it’s also popular in pink and stunning in red.

Marie didn’t just have a quilt design business; she actually made quilts.  Here are some which might have come from her own flowers. Morning Glory, followed by two versions of Morning Glory Wreath. This graceful design first appeared in the Ladies’ Home Journal in August 1912, along with five other baby quilts she designed. Marie made this larger version of the pattern for her granddaughter, Katherine Marie, about 1940. From the collection of Katherine Webster Dwight.ned.

• 

• 

Here are two more Webster-made quilts based on popular flowers, nasturtiums (I’ve grown them; they’re edible) and pansies (an early-spring pop of color).

Of course, there are other popular designs growing in the Webster flower bed: more tulips, sunflowers, baskets of blossoms.

Marie Webster’s designs have a timeless appeal in and of themselves, but her style is not in vogue today—maybe more white than we want, maybe too ordered.  But her flowers still work in present day contexts. A friend of the Hall of Fame collaborated with one of Marie’s granddaughters on this book which adapts the designs to pillows, small quilts and other contemporary uses.

I saw one of the designs at the Museum a few years ago, and it’s a great sampler of Marie’s flowers. The addition of the ticking fabric gives it a fresh, modern look.

---

And in Fall, 2017, there was a juried exhibit called Dialogues: Contemporary Responses to Marie Webster’s Quilts with contemporary quilts by Midwestern members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates juxtaposed with Marie’s designs. Here are some photos from that exhibit to show you how the two styles both capture the essence of the flowers.

• 

• 

• 

• 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk through Marie’s Garden of quilts. When you’re able, try to visit in person. It even looks good in the winter.

Your quilting friend,

Anna

Suggested links:

“American Beauty” pattern https://quiltershalloffame.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/42E3C360-77E5-45E7-ACEE-559504503319

Complete “Dogwood” pattern https://quiltershalloffame.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/52FC825B-AA24-4391-BC00-995383132853

“Pink Dogwood” kit https://quiltershalloffame.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/2D593DFC-0BB6-46D6-9F70-172460710460