A reader has sent us a photo of a crazy quilt block in which acidic ink has rotted the fabric that previously featured a saying. The words that seem to be in place are “I’ll be married” – (“some fine day”)?? The block appears to have the image of man and some daisies.
By any chance, does anyone have this same motif and saying on another crazy quilt? The reader would like to know how the entire poem or saying reads. Thanks for any help!
Pat
I have just written a new file about the topic of “Chalk Talks.” These appear to have been most popular in the early twentieth century. I have been intrigued with the name. If anyone hears of some other person who is known for this kind of illustrated instruction, I’d love to hear more!
Pat Cummings
Whenever we go antique hunting, inevitably, we come across a large cardboard box in which the dealer has thrown a potpourri of this and that kind of textile. There could be doilies, old kitchen towels, lace, quilt tops, Redwork, you name it. Usually, items “displayed” in this manner don’t amount to much. They could have torn edges, may be stained, or look undesirable in a wrinkled state. Sometimes, one gets lucky.
That was the case when Jim found the “Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest,” (casket cover for a child?), in Maine. We bought it, I took it home and washed and pressed it, and proceeded to copy the design to make a pattern, researching its meaning, in the meantime. My research led me to a book titled, Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography, in which the author shows a color photo of angels as rendered in a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792). The placement and the faces of the Redwork image look much like those in the painting. The saying on the piece is from Shakespeare.
One never knows what one will uncover when one opens his/her mind to the possibilities. This incident just reminds me, once again, that all of material culture does not happen in a vacuum. Items are related to words, and often to the deeds or preceding works of others.
For more information see:
Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest pattern
I have a few of these Redwork patterns left @$8.49 each (that includes shipping.) If you’d like one, please contact me at: pat@quiltersmuse.com for payment details. Paypal, U.S. checks and money orders accepted.
Patricia
In 2005, Elizabeth Davis wrote a lovely book that served as a museum catalog for an exhibit at the Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, NY.
I enjoy looking at the photos of these quilts, every time I pick up the publication. It’s a real treat to see the diversity of the collection of quilts that the museum has collected. All of these particular quilts represent the work of quilters in the nineteenth century.
There is now a review of Beth’s book on our website, along with several photos.
Enjoy!
Pat
With quilting having become an ever-growing industry garnering billions of dollars a year, worldwide, one has to stop and wonder if, for some people, quilting is just all about money. From where I sit, that seems to be what is currently happening…at least for certain individuals and businesses. As more people leave full-time jobs, or “retire,” in order to devote themselves entirely to the process of being involved in one aspect or more of the quilting world, we are seeing market saturation, or so it seems.
The current emphasis on the “value” of a quilt makes me long for a time when a woman made a quilt with a certain innocence in her eyes, not dollar signs. That is a time so far in the distant past, it is difficult to even know when the transition to quilts as big time moneymakers occurred.
Not all quilts are created equal.
I have been doing some restoration work on a quilt that was given to me. Someday, I hope to find someone in the family who would like it back, maybe after the person who made it is six feet under, and there is more sentimentality associated with the item.
In the meantime, I am “fixing” the seams of a circa 1970 quilt that has polyester, cotton, wool, and corduroy fabrics, and a kind of acetate or polyester backing. That quilt was valued at $0. by the family. To me, it is an example of a rural quilt from a woman in northern Maine who lives in one of the poorest, potato growing areas of the country, and is a lady of French-Canadian origin. She made this baby quilt for her grandson, and he apparently, “loved it to death,” …almost, but not quite.
Quilting used to represent some core values of thriftiness, generosity, and community. In a sense, I mourn the fact that big business is taking over. Yes, we have more gadgets than ever before. Yes, quilts made by ordinary people, both Black and White, have been elevated to “art” status. Yes, the recognition for quilters, and the potential prize money at quilt shows is grand.
That said, I wish I lived in the 18th or 19th century, when all of that was not going on, and quilting happened just for its own sake. What I enjoy most about quilting is the fact that it is a solitary, quiet, and reflective activity, a time of peace, and an experience in creativity.
Have a great weekend!
Pat
We do not have to look very far into the words of public officials to understand that telling lies has become a nasty habit. Lies have been present, as far back as I can remember paying any attention whatsoever to people in Washington. I guess that would be the Nixon administration. Sometimes, lies are a cover-up, and sometimes, lies are just an attempt to sugar-coat a situation or even a way to get a desired result. Usually, the TRUTH speaks for itself in the long run, and a lie does not remain uncovered for very long.
This habit of telling lies is a very pervasive one, I’m afraid. Why, just yesterday, someone whom I would have thought I could have trusted, told me a bold-faced, unabashed lie. To be a good liar, one has to possess superior powers of memory. Otherwise, it’s easy to flub up. She did.
Don’t worry, I have my B.S. deflector ready at all times, and this old girl has been around the mulberry bush far too often. So, if you are the young person, working in an office, who just lied to me yesterday, then you are put on notice.
God knows, and I know, and what’s worse, you know! Don’t lie. T’ain’t worth it.
That’s my preach-y message today from a disgruntled person who is tired of hearing lies. Don’t lie to me, unless it’s a compliment, like how beautiful I am. Some lies we can just bask in, can’t we?
Pat
Today, we were sent new photos of lambs recently born at the Remick Country Doctor Farm & Museum. One is on our front page, and the other is on the Remick Museum New Announcements page.
I remember how delighted my grand nephew, George, was to visit the Remick Farm. He had never been around farm animals…at all, being a city boy from California. He was only two years old, at the time of the visit, but he certainly got a big kick out of the cows, steers, and horses, and other animals. In fact, my niece’s husband had never seen farm animals before, in person, so he was quite fascinated.
Just now, I posted a photo of our grandson, Patrick James, on the front page. He is now four months old. This is his “beach bum” picture.
Hope you enjoy the new photos. I’ve been right out straight, so I have nothing further to add today. Hope you are well and happy! See you later!
Pat
Just when I thought that the milkman concept had gone the route of two cent stamps, I am told that there is a dairy in Rhode Island that delivers milk right to your door. I am amazed. This seems like such a “retro” concept, and it brings back such fond memories.
In my early lifetime, milk delivery was the standard, not the exception. The milkman would drive up to the back door, near which sat a silver colored, insulated milk box that kept the milk cold, until it could be retrieved. The milk itself would be in glass bottles, and there would be a little round waxed piece of cardboard, at the top of the bottle, with a lift tab. The rich cream that sat at the top, for an inch or two down, was always poured into a separate container by my mother. This was destined for coffee.
Thinking back to the “old” days, there also was a truck that brought around baked goods like Table Talk Blueberry Pies, baked in real metal tins. Like the glass bottles for milk, the pie tins could be given back to the seller to be recycled.
My mother was a fan of “Wonder Bread,” and I have a vague reminiscence of that being on the truck as well. She bought a lot of it, as she felt that she had to help her four children to be healthy by eating bread with vitamins added.
Then there was the ice cream truck that circled the neighborhood, making lots of noise, balloons streaming from it. Ice cream never tasted so good as when I handed over the quarter, or whatever the cost was, on a hot, summer day.
A lot of what I knew as a child has gone bye-the-bye, never to be again. However, if you live in Rhode Island, you can call Munroe Dairy for home delivery of milk. For $2.78 for a half gallon of milk, they will cheerfully deliver fresh-from-the-dairy milk, with no growth hormones or other additives. For busy people, this is a nice option and a very handy service. (No affiliation with the company. I’m just tickled to hear that what is old is new again!)
This is your life, and you’ve just heard the latest connection being made to the past, a time that we all seem to revere, in memory.
Have a wonderful day, as we slowly edge our way toward the weekend.
Patricia
Need a beautiful fashion creation? Sew the edges and “go.” Found in Maine in 2006.
To read a research paper by Jennifer Lynn Banning entitled, “Feed Sack Fashions in South Louisiana, 1949-1968: The Use of Commodity Bags in Garment Construction,” please visit the pdf file link, underlined above.
There are a number of files related to feedsack on our main website and a word search there will bring up the possibilities. In the meantime, here is a link to our main article on Collectible Feedsack.
Pat
This morning, I found an online file of quotes from H.L. Mencken, a person who has been called one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. I delight in his way of looking at the world. He was quoted once as having said that if one wanted to make his ghost happy, to just wink at an ugly girl.
I suppose it is no wonder that I like Mencken. I also enjoyed the radical, satirical, “Week That Was” television show of the 1960s. Humor seems to never grow old. More often, it is timeless, and helps us to deal with the reality of the world as we know it to be.
Now, I will re-direct you, momentarily, to the site with a few quotes. I hope you’ll come back to visit me! Here it is:
