Musings about quilts and much more; website: http://www.quiltersmuse.com
Just now, I have added a file to our website about Carol Godreau’s art quilt that depicts a Maine ship, built in 1874, of which a relative was the captain. For more details and to see this ingenious recollection of history, please visit the file associated with the “Grace Deering” quilt.
Pat
The Pine Tree Quilt Guild, a guild that is comprised of members from all over the state of Maine, has succeeded in hosting yet another spectacular show at the Civic Center facility in Augusta, Maine.
Of course, the first place to which Jim and I headed was the room of antique quilts. This year, a small group of antique quilt owners allowed their quilts for children or for doll beds to be placed on display. A quilt for a trundle bed was included in the mix. For those of you who do not know what a trundle bed was, it was a shorter bed that slid under a taller bed during the day. It was often used for children. Many historic sites in the New England area feature examples of trundle beds. Two of those that come to mind quickly are Storrowton in Massachusetts, and Strawbery Banke (actual old spelling of the name), in Portsmouth, NH.
An all-white child’s quilt that was composed of nine-patches and heavily quilted is an unusual approach to a “wholecloth” quilt. Other quilts included early to late nineteenth century pieced quilts, an unusual appliquéd “Boston Pavement” quilt, and some examples of small Redwork quilts, that were tied, not quilted.
One could have spent a much longer time than an afternoon, to fully enjoy the many quilts on display. I have chosen just three of Jim’s photos to share with you.
This quilt is called simply, “Mariner’s Compass” by its maker, Kathy Elders Wiesner. The colors in this quilt caught my attention immediately, and I noticed later that the quilt had also won a ribbon.
“Toy Garden” seen above, was made by Donna Hamill for her ninth grandson. This quilt, as I had immediately recognized, is an adaptation of the “Calico Garden Quilt” originally made by master quilter, Florence Peto, in the 1950s. The original quilt resides in the Shelburne Museum in VT, and Donna used Froncie Quinn’s reproduction quilt pattern in designing this quilt.
“Tribute to Stephen King” by Judy Kenney is a very innovative quilt. King is, after all, a Maine resident, so this quilt seems most fitting for the occasion of the Pine Tree Quilter’s Show.
The show featured outstanding quilts. There were a number of group quilts in which members would take a slice of one photograph and re-create the landscape scene in their own way. The three, four, or five panels were hung together, closely, side by side in the show. This is not a new technique, but can be a very effective one if the quilters in the group are artistically-bent, and of a similar level of quilting expertise.
The 30th annual show continues all weekend. Tomorrow the hours are 9-5 p.m. and on Sunday, you may visit the quilts from 10-4 p.m. The space is air-conditioned, and many vendors are on hand to help you open your pocketbook. We thoroughly enjoyed this year’s show. Congratulations to all who were involved in its planning and execution. Here’s to at least 30 more wonderful years of quilts in Maine!
Patricia Cummings
Lake Winnipesaukee Museum, Route 3, Laconia, NH was the site of a talk provided by Alan Fraser Houston about his new book, Keep Up Good Courage: A Yankee family and the Civil War. photo by James Cummings
Alan Fraser Houston presented a most engaging talk about the Civil War, and his family’s connections to it, at the Lake Winnipesaukee Museum on July 25, 2007 at 7 p.m. He explained that a Civil War pocket diary from 1864 surfaced among family belongings. He found out that a soldier, Cpl. Lewis Q. Smith, had a granddaughter who married Houston’s great uncle. Some 125 letters from the soldier, sent during the war years, are divided evenly between letters from the soldier, and letters to him from home.
Dr. Houston engrossed in explaining a point in his speech. photo by James Cummings
All of these letters are currently included in Houston’s book, Keep Up Good Courage: A Yankee family and the Civil War (Portsmouth, NH: Peter E. Randall, 2006).
Cpl. Lewis hailed from Sandwich, NH which is still a small, rural town in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. He belonged to the Fourteenth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteers, 1862-1865. The Sandwich Historical Society, with whom the author collaborated for this book project, holds all of the regimental histories for New Hampshire, save one that has “gone missing.”
Alan Fraser Houston has a deep understanding of the militia units and their history. He shared insights with the audience that were astounding, centered around conscription practices, the draft, war protesters and how policies were ever evolving and were also influenced by decisions made for political reasons.
As a former flight surgeon, and as a medical doctor, Dr. Houston researched the medical end of things and found that death by disease killed twice as many soldiers as did death during battle. He spoke of nineteenth century diseases that we may have heard by name, but have certainly never experienced or seen these conditions in other people. He also mentioned that the number of amputations were actually much less than some have assumed.
For one hour, the audience sat captivated as Alan Fraser Houston shared his vast knowledge of conditions during the nineteenth century, his awareness of the major political players of the time, details of a deciding battle in the war, and the situation of the woman left at home.
Of greatest interest to me, personally, are the occupations of the men and women of Sandwich, NH during one census taken while the Civil War raged. 75% of the men were farmers. Only fifteen women of the 2,200 surveyed had occupations other than homemaker. There were seamstresses, and teachers, and mill girls. He describes the conditions in the mills as “dust, din, and danger.”
These tantalizing tidbits do not begin to scratch the surface of all that Dr. Houston said that evening or the information contained in his book. If you love history, this is one volume you will definitely want to add to your library.
We are very happy to have had this fine opportunity to hear Dr. Houston speak, and we are looking forward to reading his book. Please visit his website: www.alanfraserhouston.com
For more information about the Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society, please contact Ann W. Sprague, Executive Director at (603) 366-5950 or visit the museum’s website: www.LakeWinnipesaukeeMuseum.org
As a final anecdote, I will share a statement that impressed me a lot. I overheard the good doctor say, while he was autographing books after the lecture, that he does not sign his name with M.D., except for official purposes. He stated that he was born without those initials after his name and that some things in life are earned. What a refreshing thought! We wish this very sincere man all the best that life has to offer!
If you go to our website and key in the words “Civil War” in the word search function on the home page, a list of quite a few articles will pop up. Enjoy!
By the way, we saw this event advertised in The Weirs Times, Thursday, July 19, 2007 edition.
Patricia and James Cummings
