Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Traveling Quilt, Can you Help?

My Quilt Hanging at Seminar
My 2014 American Quilt Study Group Civil War Era Study quilt was chosen to travel for exhibit the next four years.  

What's an AQSG study quilt?  Click HERE to read to the guidelines.

With permission, I am adopting an idea from Racheldaisy, of Blue Mountain Daisy's blog.

Here's where you can help!

If you visit a venue where my quilt is on display, will you take some pictures and email them to me?  I am making a journal to go with my quilt.  It can be whatever inspires you!  You with the quilt, my quilt next to other quilts, the building etc...feel free to be creative.
From the first stitch of the quilt, to the time it arrives back home it will be a six year journey!


Exhibit Travel Schedule:
Quilt on my wall before Milwaukee

  • February to June of 2015 
    Monroe County History Center, Bloomington IN
  • July 1 to October 2015
    New England Quilt Museum
  • November 2015 to March 1, 2016
    Virginia Quilt Museum
  • March 11-13, 2016 
    The Dallas Quilt Show
  • April 1 to July 30, 2016
    Quilter's Hall of Fame, Marion, Indiana
  • September 15 to December 15, 2016
    Northern Michigan University, DeVos Art Museum
  • December 20 to February 20, 2017
    Baldwin Reynolds House Museum, Meadville, PA
  • March 1 to May 31, 2017
    Gilbert Historical Museum, Gilbert AZ
  • June 2017 to October 20, 2017
    Rocky Mountain  Quilt Museum, Boulder, CO
  • November 1 to February 28, 2018
    Sheerer Museum of Stillwater, Stillwater, OK
  • June 1 to August, 2018
    La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum, LaConner, WA



Antique Inspiration Quilt

My inspiration quilt was chosen because it had a patriotic theme for the 1850-1865 time period.  By current judged quilt show standards it also has an unusual layout.   The unique setting with the central flag appealed to me. 
I was fortunate the owner of the quilt, Jeananne Wright, generously allowed me to borrow the treasured original.  I took close up photographs of the quilt including each star, the flag, binding and backing.  On the photos I added observational notes on thread, fabric and stitching.

In designing my reproduction I reduced the size to fit within the study guidelines and to have a wall size quilt.  It was important to me that I used the same layout as the original and incorporated what we might consider mistakes using today’s aesthetic quilt standards.  The layout includes omitted sashing, partial stars and cut off star points.  In executing the design I stitched the entire quilt by hand as the original maker did.   I used 100% cotton fabric, batting, light and dark thread to replicate the materials of the time.
 
My quilt in process - completely hand stitched
The quilts central flag design inspired me to research the use of flags in American history.  The American flag was changing during the study period (1850-1865) with the split between the north and south as well as the admission of new states to the union.  Patriotism ran high during the Civil War.  Numerous military flags were used in the civil war in both the north and the south.  There were numerous flags for infantry, cavalry, and artillery regiments and battalions. The navy also used multiple national flag styles.  Brigades, divisions and corps also carried designation flags.  In some cases flags were homemade and presented to the military companies.  Flags were protected by a color guard of a regiment’s most experienced noncommissioned officers.  A flag was also a rallying point in the confusion of battle.

Stars on the original quilt 
Flags are enormously important in the history of our nation.  Seeing the stars and stripes in any form evokes strong emotion and sentiment.  The maker of the inspiration quilt identified with a particular flag design that was important to capture and preserve in a quilt.  Imagine the anonymous makers surprise if he/she could see it now."




It is a stunning exhibit and I didn't have nearly enough time to see it in Milwaukee.  I am hoping to catch it at least once as it travels, I hope you can too. 
Thank you!
Dawn


24 comments:

  1. Remind me again in 2018 when it is in Washington state! lol

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    1. Sure will Lori, maybe that will be one I visit myself. A venue I have never visited!

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  2. Congratulations and what a marvellous idea . You never know I may get to see it some time some place.
    Happy trails to your quilt.

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  3. Great Sue! Would love to have a photo with you and the quilt!

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  4. Wow! I love this! I just got my day planner for 2015 and made a note in red to go to VQM asap in November. I can't wait to see this in person. And if you come to Va to see it I hope you can stay with me. This is just the kind of quilt I love but somehow never make. Probably because I don't take the time to study the details and then execute them so accurately. Did you use fabric colors that would have been similar to the original before the fading? It is the missed sashing and cut off points that I love the most. I'm a fan of pink and I love how it looks in the original with the light brown (faded from red?) and then again with the red in your reproduction.

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  5. Thank you Maureen! It is actually harder to incorporate the 'mistakes'. I did decide to make mine with what I thought the original colors were. A few of the browns probably started purple, red went to brown etc.

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  6. Very exciting to have it out traveling, but I bet you're going to miss it too! Love the blocks with the points cut off. Wonder why the maker did that? It's a really lovely quilt--old and new!

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  7. What a wonderful quilt. The placement of the flag in the centre us so striking. I love that for your recreation you followed so closely in the footsteps of the original quilter. I wish we could add Sydney, Australia to the list of venues.

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  8. What an interesting reproduction this is - even with the 'errors' built in! Good luck with the journal and congratulations on your selection.

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  9. It's beautiful! Is the New England quilt museum the one in Lowell? I don't know if I'll make it there but if I do...

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  10. This is such an interesting quilt!! I really like the original but I love yours with the brighter, unfaded pink sashing. I'm wondering about the sizes - from clues in the picture yours looks small - very small. It's hard to get an idea of the original size. I love the half blocks and didn't even miss the sashing until you mentioned it :0) Handpieced and handquilted - a marvelous little quilt that you don't get back until 2018!! Many people will be able to enjoy it as it travels - a lot :0)

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  11. Congratulations! It is GORgeous and so is the original one. What you did is truly a work of love to follow the original quilt so precisely. How big are they?

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  12. There is a slight chance I could be within visiting distance of the New England Quilt Museum next Oct. Oh, I hope so! What an honor for you and your wonderful reproduction quilt!!

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  13. What a great idea! I have been trying to figure out how I could get a chance to see my own quilt, that will be traveling along with yours, at each venue. But, I hadn't come up with an idea.
    I will get a picture of yours when it will be in Meadville, PA. That is when my quilt will get the chance to hang next to its inspiration quilt. That will be cool!

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  14. beautiful quilt - wow it has quite a travel schedule! I wish it was coming near me.

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  15. What a beautiful quilt and congrats to you on it being chosen. How I wish it were going to be displayed near my area. Love the idea of having pictures of it as it makes its travels!

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  16. Dawn, your quilt is beautiful and will have a journey all of its own. Your research is always so interesting. I can see where intentionally making mistakes is a hard thing to do. What an honor to have your quilt chosen.

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  17. love the patriotic quilts. and my son is in the army so... :)

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  18. Congratulations your quilt is gorgeous!
    I will take pictures for you of it's arrival at the VA Quilt Museum next fall.

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  19. Really Awesome! Your quilt is wonderful! Congratulations. Hope I get to see it as it travels.

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  20. What a lovely quilt! I see LaConner WA on the list. I am entering it in my planner now so I won't miss the show.

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  21. Oh what a great quilt and what a great idea! I will most definitely e-mail you a photo when it comes to the NEQM next summer. I was lucky enough to have my Colonial Revival quilt in the traveling exhibit and I now wish I had thought of keeping a journal as it started on its journey. Thanks for sharing this wonderful quilt.

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  22. Oops! Just disregard my previous comment. I don't know how I got so confused! Anyway, I'm making a note on my 2016 calendar to take photos of your quilt.

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Thanks for your comments!