quiltersmuse.com Blog

For some reason, this week I have been thinking a lot about my friend, Donna Maglin. Blinded at birth by a machine that delivered too much oxygen, she could rattle off the long name of the condition from which she suffered for a lifetime. She never tried to hide the fact that she was blind by wearing sunglasses. She was a “real” gal. She walked with a cane, took buses and planes, and was fearless.

When I think about her life, it is easy to see that she accomplished much more than some people who have sight. She was a graduate of Bates College with a B.S. in psychology. She worked for the state of New Hampshire as a word processor for seventeen years. That was what she did to earn her daily bread. However, she had a rich life beyond the confines of work.

Donna played the banjo. She collected old, funky records of very early music – country music, that is. She was a contra-dancer and traveled all over New England to participate in dance events. She would find a way to travel all over the country to attend conventions of the National Federation of the Blind, or meetings associated with rats and mice, critters that she could not see, but loved and owned.

Wherever she went, Donna put friends at ease because of her infectious laugh. Her sense of humor was unbeatable as was her passion for life. Sadly, in 1996, a brain tumor ended her life, at the age of 42. It is hard to believe that she has been among the missing for such a long time now.

I have many good memories of Donna, and she is just one of the friends that God placed in my life for only a short time. We can all inspire each other, and Donna’s love of life, in spite of not being able to see at all, taught me some basic life lessons:

1) No matter how little we may think we have, we can always give something to others.

2) Those who dwell on their own disabilities, limit themselves from reaching out to help anyone else.

3) Perceived obstacles to our happiness, are often just that: perceptions. We can get around the boulder, climb over it, or crawl under it. We might even chisel our way through it. Anyone who wants to find a way to do something, will eventually be able to do it.

4) A smile costs us nothing, but is the best gift we can give to each other.

5) Laugh at your problems and you’ll begin to diminish them. You win. They don’t.

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point.

We never know how long we will be here, and the odds of continued longevity decrease with age. In the 42 years that Donna Maglin spent on this earth, she brought sunshine into the lives of others, and developed a network of friends who were there for her, in good times and in bad.

I was blessed to know this funny, quirky, old maid who loved life, music, and other people, and who taught me to look past the obvious fact that she was blind, and enjoy her for who she was. I would only wish that in your life, you could look past someone’s disability, whatever it is, and see who the real person is, behind the problem. You may be blessed with a life-enriching experience greater than imagined.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

We just returned from an all day trip, part of a quest to track down some information and partly a “let’s fly the coop today” day. We beat over the roads to find a tiny town in Maine where a quilter and her family once lived. I had never been to that area of Maine before. Although she has long since gone to her reward, she left behind a quilt that must speak for itself, via the clues in its construction, its colors, and its pattern.

Elusive genealogical tidbits of data, are beginning to fall into place. How wonderful that a descendant recalls some circumstances that no one else would be able to tell. First hand information serves well, in terms of understanding what may have happened.

You know, all of us are witnesses to the deeds of other living souls. When someone is gone, all that is left are examples of their work, if they created art, or potholders, or quilts, wrote a poem, or left other extant works.

Unless there is a written record of our life and work, somewhere, then when we pass on, no proof, except perhaps a grave marker, will signal that we were here at all. Of course, there are loved ones and friends who will remember us, until they reckon with the same fate as all mankind.

Today was an adventure! Just this morning, Jim and I were discussing yellow lady slippers, (as seen in my e-book about Ellen Webster), and pink lady slippers (wildflowers). We were saying that neither of us have seen them lately. Riding along a Maine road I spotted some pink lady slippers. They are delicate and do not do well if transplanted. In fact, I believe it is against the law to disturb them.

I saw one deer, from the Maine turnpike, along a little riverlet. On a back road, there was a flock of newly-shorn sheep in a wooded pasture. It was a cold, rainy day and they looked rather cold. We saw many miniature horses in a big field, and Swiss cows, those black and white bovines that are marked in a very unusual way, in wide vertical stripes. We passed a horse farm, Christmas tree plantations, and too many antique shops that we simply did not have time to stop at!

I’m always on the lookout for wildlife, birds, and animals. Before leaving Concord, I saw five Great Blue Heron standing in a low bog, down the hill from the turnpike. There were 9 of them together, yesterday. I do not see any signs of a rookery there, and they usually nest atop dead swamp trees. They look so awkward while trying to feed their young in these huge treetop nests which I’ve seen just off the turnpike near Londonderry, NH and again, near Grantham, NH. Never before have I ever seen more than one Heron, at a time, unless one was feeding its young.

We stopped for lunch at Governor’s in Waterville, Maine. The Haddock Chowder there is “to die for.” Jim had breakfast (at 2 p.m.) and I had a shrimp roll. Around the perimeter of the restaurant, a train set runs along an extended shelf, for ambience.

This was a rare “vacation day,” so we splurged and had a dessert (I’m so glad we decided to share it, as the Apple Fritter with vanilla ice cream was huge!). We did not bother eating supper, and at 11:37 p.m., I am not sure I want anything else to eat today!

All in all, when we got to our destination, we found the town to have no signs of visible life, except for a country store and a post office. I was able to find someone to ask a few questions and her answers will be helpful, I believe.

I have much more to do in tracking down some additional information, but this was a fun, but exhausting trip. Sitting for about 14 hours is more tiring than anything I can imagine. Yet it is for a good cause: quilt history, my passion. Much more to follow …

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Art is alive and well in New Hampshire in the home of Bill and Betsy Davis, our longtime friends. Bill has been in love with drawing, ever since he could hold a pencil. Although he has tried other media, he always comes back to charcoal, graphite, and watercolors. He states that he loves the large selections of color that are included in some professional watercolor paint sets, as that precludes having to mix colors. Trying to mix the same watercolor hue, a second time, is a bear.

Just recently, Bill posted a website that shows a small portion of his work that is for sale: William Davis Fine Art. He is semi-retired, having owned his own drafting business in Webster, New Hampshire, for a number of years, called DraftTech.

The sketch above is one by Bill Davis, seen here, with his permission. It is one of my favorites, reminding me of the farm and small town where I grew up. The drawing shows a horse-drawn mower from circa 1925.

I have lost track of the number of Christmas cards that Bill and Betsy have artistically-drawn and painted. Of course, I have saved them all. Here is an example of a greeting card, used here with Bill’s permission.

“Wood Lilies” by Bill Davis, 2002

The Internet version cannot capture the true color of the sky, which is blue. Called “Wood Lilies,” Bill created the card in memory of his beloved sister, Paddy. On the back of the card, he identifies the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain, West Rumney, New Hampshire as the place where he saw these Lilies. This was a favorite destination for his sister. She held a deep appreciation for nature. He painted the image in 2002.

This is a photo of Bill and Betsy when they were visiting Pat and Jim Cummings at the Cummings’ home on 11-14-1994.

Betsy, who is a State of New Hampshire retiree in the field of health promotion, is currently studying with Elaine Farmer of Londonderry, a renowned local artist who sells her work in galleries.

Betsy prefers acrylic paints. Having done some oil painting in my teen years, I asked her if the acrylics dry too fast, and she replied that she likes to purchase Utrecht paints and the company sells a retardant that slows down the drying process. However, with acrylics, once they are dry, they can be painted over.

She also likes the company called Gamblin because they stress that their products are safe for the environment and people! However, she is always sure to wash her hands before eating, especially if she has been working with “Cadmium Red” that contains Cadmium, not something that is good to ingest.

After dabbling in “En plein air” painting, which simply means painting outside to take advantage of natural light, the couple has traveled to Spain, Morocco, Portugal, Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, and Switzerland, in search of places to set up their easels and record bridges, buildings, and other sights.

In New Hampshire, a favorite place to do plein air painting is in Tamworth, at the Remick Farm & Museum, with its view of Mt. Chocorua and the yellow farm buildings.

For more information about plein air painting, a favorite technique of the school of French Impressionism, see this website.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little profile of two of my favorite people. We wish them all the best in all of their artistic endeavors.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

I am happy to say that my husband not only “brings home the bacon,” he cooks it, too! In fact, he cooks a lot more than bacon, and he has started a new blog to reveal all of his cooking secrets.

He hopes to add new items, daily, with wonderful photos to tempt you to try the recipes for yourself. New England regional cooking is a bit different than elsewhere, and was always based on what could be grown or raised, here.

Here is the link: Jim’s Cooking Blog

We are all victims of our own preconceived notions about most anything. When it comes to quilt history, we must approach it with an open mind, and bring to any study, knowledge that we know to ring true.

Due to the fact that quilts were not often marked with labels, in the past, it is often a guessing game as to which ancestor might have made a quilt. However, quilt historians can look at available fabrics, styles in vogue during the quiltmaker’s lifetime, published patterns, and other clues that help a lot to determine when a quilt could have been made.

The more family information that is available, the better.

That said, even the people who are expected to be “experts” are just willing volunteers who are new to quilt documentation, and while they do their best, their best is often not accurate.

I am thankful to see the growth of quilt history and women’s studies in the past thirty years. Those of us who are interested are digging for the “right” information to add to the mix. In many instances, even the most respected historians or quilt historians have turned out to be wrong in their hunches or guesses. With any luck, we all learn from each other. Quilt history is a worthy study and elevates common, everyday, household objects to a new level, and has engendered the remarkable transition into the realm of art quilting, a fairly new phenomena in the scheme of things.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications