May Part 3

In our May travels, we also made arrangements for a private presentation from collector, historian and author Ann Hermes. You can visit Ann's blog, Notes From The Quilt Lab - HERE.

Ann has a world class collection of antique American doll and crib quilts, doll and children's dresses and well as treasured accessories like cradles and cupboards.

I had been to Ann's lecture and presentation at the Temecula Quilt Company a few years ago. It was a packed room at that event.  Arranging our own event, we were spoiled to have Ann to ourselves.

Ann is available for lectures and trunk shows - you can contact her through her blog.  HERE








We opted for the doll quilt trunk show.
Ann's patterns for some of her little quilts have been published in American Patchwork and Quilting, Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting and Quiltmania.

Her book, "Pennsylvania Patchwork Pillowcases and Other Small Treasures" is available in her Easy shop along with some of her reproduction doll quilts and antique finds. HERE.


It was a wonderful, inspiring time - we enjoyed every minute.

Our only question - When's the next book coming out?

There was additional show and tell at my house during the May Event.

Shona brought her finished Catherine's Garden BOM quilt.

She used Moda Mustard yellow ground fabric, with reproduction prints. Her quilt is beautifully hand appliquéd and hand quilted.

In this photo, you can see the medallion setting of Catherine's Garden on the wall.

Both quilts are patterned from an 1855 quilt in our collection.
Great work Shona - It is a beautiful quilt!


Thank you to everyone who was part of my May 2016 - It was a very special month!
Happy Stitching,
Dawn

Sunflowers

Shenandoah Valley Botanical Album Month 9

I love sunflowers, they are such bright and happy flowers.
This is my sunflower block for the Shenandoah Valley Botanical Album Quilt.

There are so many lovely SVBAQs in the works. I am in awe at the variety of beautiful fabric combinations and sizes.
I opted to do the petals with a single circle of fabric. First the green appliqué. I cut out the center of the green out to reduce bulk, leaving the ground fabric uncut. Next, I basted the yellow over the finished green petals. This reduces the chance of the darker green fabric showing through the final yellow center.
All one yellow fabric, you can see a variety HERE.

I've appliqued sunflowers before.
On my Memory of Morris quilt (HERE)

I used at least six prints in the sunflower petals.

The MoM quilt was started in 2007, also a group project where we all chose our own fabrics. I did this project using freezer paper on top. I now back baste all of my appliqué.

Sunflowers remind me of road trips through the Midwest with acres of sunflower heads sparkling in the sun.

When the kids were little we planted sunflowers in a circle. When they reached full height we tied them at the top to create a tipi.

Do you have a sunflower block? Quilt? Garden?
Planning one?
Please take a minute and share by leaving a comment.

Have a great week,

Dawn
Please join us, you can order your pattern HERE.

May Part Two

In my last post, I left off with the Winterthur Museum visit.

This display shows layers of bedding on a four post rope bed.

The rope is threaded through the wood frame of the bed. On top of the rope is a straw 'mattress'.  The next layer on top of the straw is a feather filled mattress.

Under the bed is chamber pot for night time personal needs. There was a humorous drawing on the wall done by one of the DuPont daughters showing the awful mess a used chamber pot can make if one trips over it in the dark.

The bed hangings are reproductions used to show how the frame over the bed was used. At Winterthur, the DuPont family had their textiles in each room changed out to frame and compliment what was happening in the gardens.

Doreen starting the fun with introductions

After a day home, I welcomed a group of quilters from Virginia. We went out to dinner and gathered at my house the next day.
You can read more about it on Doreen and Kyle's blogs, HERE and HERE.
It was a wonderful day filled with new friendships, special quilts and lots of fun. We even had a participant Skype in with the fun.

Aussie Floral Splendor
Mary Hitchens, Victoria
81" x 81"
Design by Lee White, Australian Floral

The following day the girls did some touring around the area. I've heard the local economy had a nice spike!
On Thursday we went to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. The girls enjoyed, "Australia Uncovered" and picked up some treasures in the RMQM gift shop. The museum has bolts of their new fabric lines available.  You can see the fabrics HERE and HERE. If your LQS doesn't have the fabrics call the museum gift shop.  303.277.0377

Collection of Kathy Kenny

In the afternoon I arranged for collector and historian Kathy Kenny to give our group a presentation. She has several lectures to choose from and owns many fabulous antique quilts. She held us captivated as she showed quilt after wonderful quilt.

In April I attended her lecture on Women's Suffrage and quilts of that era. She has attracted the attention of non quilters like book clubs with her detailed research.




After another busy day we went to dinner...
Did I mention we ate out...some...I have no idea why restaurants would think a large group of quilters would talk and laugh (make a little noise) ??

The week passed all too fast.

I am blessed and thankful for all the quilting adventures, quilters and quilts the month

of May brought to me. They are memories I will always treasure.

Thank you for reading, have a great week!

Dawn

My Merry Month of May Part One

Janet at the beginning of the exhibit

I am not really sure I could have fit more fun into the month of May. I am so lucky.

I started the month spending a couple days with Australians Janet O'Dell, and Denise Reynolds here in Colorado. Janet was curator of the 'Australia Uncovered' exhibit at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. Denise has a quilt in the exhibit. I took them on some quilting adventures all around the area. I hope they had as much fun as I did.

Denise with the back of her quilt, "Under Flynn's Wings",
 it was hung for viewing on both sides.
It was very popular!

Being at the exhibit, Janet and Denise were able to talk to guests about the quilts. How surprised visitors were when they learned the curator and one of the quilt makers was there to speak with them - - all the way from Australia.

This is one of those posts where 100 photos would not be enough...

Denise is posing here with the front of her quilt, "Under Flynn's Wings".  Her quilt was made with mostly Australian themed fabrics and tells the story of The Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Notice how she varied the fabric colors by the climate of Australian, surrounded by the beautiful blue water.

The signs in the museum provided visitors with a country map of Australian to refer to as they viewed the quilts.

The museum has a QR code system that offers audio to visitors. Exhibits can record audio and tell more about their quilts than the exhibit tags can. The Australian accents are a very popular as visitors view the quilts and get a real 'down under' feeling.

Mary Hutchins, from Victoria is a stitch counter.
Her quilt has 6,063 hexagons.
At 120 hand stitches per hexagon she estimates the quilt has
727, 560 stitches.


Sisterly Love
82" x 100"
Inspired by a quilt in Annette Gero's book, "Fabric of Society".


The original circa 1850 coverlet was made in England by Mary Chubb Tolman for her brother, James Chubb Tolman who resided in Hobart Town, Van Diemans Land.

The quilt is hand quilt using the stab stitch method.

The hand quilting is so uniform I initially mistook it for machine stitching.

Very beautiful!!

Another hexagon quilt in the exhibit is
Eleanor Jean
By Linda White, Victoria
76"
It is made of 22,500 quarter inch hexagons.
All hand sewn.
The quilt was quilted using anchoring stitches spread evenly over the quilt.
The quilt is named after Linda's Maternal grandmother. This is her second hexagon quilt because she needed one for each daughter.

This quilt had visitors enthralled.
Margaret Rolfe - Quiltmaker
98" x 84"
Jenny Bowker, Australian Capital Territory

There is all kinds of uniquely Australian flora and fauna are included in the quilt as well as the likeness of famed quilter, Margaret Rolfe.





I left Janet and Denise in capable hands for more quilting adventures and I flew to Minnesota.

Mother's Day was extra special this year because it was graduation weekend at The University of Minnesota.
The Graduate was back from Tanzania and decided to partake in the commencement ceremony.

Graduating meant it was time to give him the THE QUILT.  That wasn't his only gift, but maybe it was the best.

He loved it.
He noticed it was hand quilted.
He studied all of the carefully selected fabrics.
He has proudly showed it to his friends.

Success!

Winterthur 1808, English. By or for Joanna Southcott

I flew back from Minnesota and was home for a day - certainly long enough to repack!

Then off I went to Pennsylvania with friends.

We had a rendezvous at the Philly airport and off we went.

The first couple days were for shopping; fabric, antiques, then antiques and fabric...
No incriminating photos of the first two days are available.

Winterthur - Probably Pennsylvania 1800-1825

We attended Penn's Dry Goods Market. Two more days filled with excellent lectures and more shopping.  I was too busy to take photos there.

We did go to UPS and pack and ship some treasures home. More to come on that.

Then we went to The Winterthur Museum. in Delaware.

At Winterthur we took the garden tour. I was so 'in the moment' I forgot to take garden photos.
I think that's a good thing.

Once inside, the special exhibits at Winterthur were, "Made in the Americas' and 'Embroidery, The Language of Art'.


The in process embroidery piece is important in understanding their processes in centuries past.

Winterthur

The embroidery was so inspiring.

This tambour work with lace insertion was beautiful.

The circle in this piece was about 3" in diameter.

Winterthur

There were more quilts on exhibit.

The crewel embroidery on this example provided wonderful color and texture.

After a great day at Winterthur we had a wonderful meal an relived some of our adventures and proposed some future ones.

We flew home the next morning.




Working on the one day of rest plan, guess what I did the following day?
Stay tuned for Part Two!
Have a great week,
Dawn