An 18th century schoolgirl Sampler came up for auction in Maine and has commanded the highest price of any Sampler sold: $465,750, according to Antiques and the Arts Online. A photo of the piece, which was expected to sell for much less, appears on their website:
Be patient. The remote site takes a long time to load.
Generally speaking, my husband is fun to take along on visits to stores that sell antiques. More often than not, he will spot items that I have overlooked. One fine example are Victorian tradecards that can be stuck in the most unlikely places.
We used to have a ready-made place to buy them, until the Laconia antiques store burnt to the ground on one winter’s night. I could go on and on about those special little cards, but have already written a large file about them for our website, so you can learn more there.
No, the purpose of this column today is to talk about antique needlework. For me, it is often “love at first sight.” For example, this past week, I spotted a gorgeous “runner” done in Cutwork, with green thread, a stunning piece to freshen up and use on a bureau.
On one particular summer’s day, Jim and I spent quite a lot of time looking around a shop that has an upstairs and a downstairs. After going down the stairs and turning a corner, my heart beat a little faster when I saw this item:
Fire screen rendered in Crewel Embroidery, with the typical, stylistic, swirling motifs of Jacobean Era embroidery
The tag on the framed, free-standing object had no provenance information, just the words, “Cruel Embroidery.” I figured this must have come out of an estate sale, but no one knew much about it, least of all how to spell “Crewel” correctly. I suppose the embroidery technique could be considered “cruel,” depending on how many times the needleworker stabbed his or her fingers while making it.
I stopped dead in my tracks and proclaimed, “I want that!” I don’t believe that Jim took me seriously. We picked up a few other small items of interest and then he said, “Ready to go?” I replied, “Yes, except for one thing … will you please carry the fire screen up the stairs? It’s a little too heavy for me to manage.” Then he knew I meant business. Still resistant, he retorted, “And where do you think you will put that?” I said, “Don’t worry. I’ll find a spot.”
I love this piece! The stitches are impeccably executed and the framing is exquisite. Its latest “provenance” (our purchase of it) brings a smile to my face because every time I look at it, I recall what Doreen Speckmann once told a worker in a quilt shop who quizzed her about what she wanted to do with the fabric she’d lined up to buy.
She reportedly said, “I’ll take it home, I’ll pet it, and I’ll love it.” Doreen, rest in peace, you made all of us laugh more than once. For me, I am visually-stroking this piece and am enjoying it so very much. If anyone happens to know more about who made it, or where the design originated, I’d love to hear from you! e-mail: pat@quiltersmuse.com
Click on the link below my name which will take you to the front page of our website, where, at the moment, there is a close-up view of the needlework of the fire screen.
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
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Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
The last time I visited with a dear friend of mine, she left a quilt with me that she calls “Yellow Work” Quilt. Most likely, it was made in Pennsylvania. The color is a good tip-off to that. She accompanying paperwork states that the quilt is from circa 1930, and measures 76″ long x 75″ wide, approximately twin size today.
Whole view of Cheddar Color Embroidered Quilt
Like Redwork, Bluework, Greenwork, Purple Work, Variegated Work, etc. this quilt has line drawings that were rendered into designs with the use of cheddar color thread. All of these kinds of embroidery use the same technique: Surface Embroidery with Outline Stitch Embroidery being the predominant factor.
The surface represents some designs that are clearly from the Kate Greenaway era before the turn of the 19th century to the 20th century. (Kate died in 1901). This kind of embroidery is still popular today and is the topic of my e-book: Redwork Renaissance Revisited, available to purchase as a mail-order product from our website.
Here is a close-up of the quilt just shown:
All photos, on our blog and website, copyrighted; property of James Cummings, photographer, et.al.
Many of the motifs on this quilt are botanical, as are the designs in the borders. The quilting is “Baptist Fan” style, sometimes called “Methodist Fan,” depending on who was behind the needle! I certainly treasure the chance to enjoy seeing this beautiful piece of work, from a time when quilters really did a lot more handwork than we are seeing today, oftentimes.
Blessings to my friend. She has hinted that she may just reclaim this wonderful quilt, at any time, so I guess I should get busy studying all of the details!
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
President Obama and his sister, Maya, have inherited their mother’s collection of Batik fabrics that she bought while living in Indonesia. Ann Dunham was an anthropologist. She died of ovarian cancer in 1995, at the age of 52.
Meanwhile, clothes were made for her using the beautiful Batik fabrics she collected. She had lived in Indonesia, marrying there in 1967. A current news story broke last week and has been featured in an audio version on National Public Radio, as well:
An exhibit of her Batik textiles and dresses can be seen until August 23, 2009 at the Textile Museum at 2320 S. St., NW, Washington, D.C., (202) 667-0441
Batik fabrics are made via a wax resist method of dyeing. The areas that are to remain free of dye have hot wax applied to them. After dyeing the fabric, the wax is melted by application of heat. Even a hand-held, hair dryer could work! Here are a couple of African batiks from my own collection, as well as a small quilt in which I used a modern batik fabric as one of the borders.
Miniature quilt designed by Patricia Cummings
I hope that you enjoy these additional examples, and if you are in the Washington, D.C. area, perhaps you’ll have a chance to stop by the Textile Museum, a fun place to visit at any time!
Stay cool!
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications – our main website
