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Antique bird drawing, one of many for Outline Stitch Embroidery (Redwork, etc.) from the e-book, Redwork Renaissance Revisited, available on the Products Available page of Quilter’s Muse Publications website.

Who doesn’t thrill at seeing the first Robin of Spring, with its ear so finely-tuned as to detect worms just under the surface of the ground? Sometimes, like last year, Robins have appeared in my yard, while snow was still on the ground. Just recently, I learned that Robins are changing their migratory patterns. Some are remaining year round in heavily-wooded areas of New Hampshire.

We all love to see birds, and in New England, there is an abundance of them. My favorite bird is the Puffin, although I have never been to the rocky area off the coast of Maine where they live. I have just viewed them in videos and in photos. I remember seeing a picture of an outstanding quilt that depicts Puffins. The birds live in colonies, as do seals and sea otters. They travel together, as do Cedar Waxwings, another very social bird.

It is no surprise that photographers have wanted to capture the beauty of birds, scientists have wanted to study them, and the ordinary citizen has joined the Audubon Society to be with other birding enthusiasts. Some people decide to help the birds survive the winter by putting up bird stations. This seems like a wonderful thing to do, at first glance, but think again.

In New Hampshire, our state bird, the Purple Finch, has been dying off, perhaps due to the diseases they are picking up from other birds who visit feeding stations. Birds are not exactly clean creatures, especially while eating. Feeders pose a danger that are seldom or never washed or sterilized with Clorox bleach.

Authorities warn about the fact that outdoor feeders can and do attract Black Bears to yards, even in residential neighborhoods. Bears have a keen sense of smell, which is why they will tear their way into tents that have food inside, and will sometimes, even break windows to get into houses. I have not heard of that happening in New Hampshire, but I have seen videos of bears entering homes in Colorado.

Nature is always in a fine balance and whenever man inserts himself into the picture, changing food sources, or habitat conditions, there is always a price to pay. In the case of wild turkeys, just a few years ago, there were few of those in this state. They have made a comeback, due partially to restocking, and partially to no wolves or natural predators that can “take them,” except for man, in a limited turkey-hunting season.

The result is that we see turkeys in fields and by the side of the road, all the time. The other more serious result is that they sometimes fly in front of motorcycles and cars, unexpectedly, and in some cases, have caused fatalities.

In the dead of winter, we feed the birds with suet. When it is freezing cold outside, there is no chance of the animal fat becoming rancid, and birds happily utilize this food to help them keep warm and survive New Hampshire’s dire cold. As soon as the “bear alert” goes out, or as soon as the weather warms, that is the end of our bird feeding efforts. Birds are beautiful! I love them. To preserve them, it is best to leave them alone and let them feed on the natural seed pods and other forage they find for themselves.

In textiles, birds have been an endless theme of celebration in lovely old chintz fabrics and in more recent bird prints, as well as in Crewel embroidery kits, and in quilts, both antique and new. Have you made a bird quilt? If so, we’d love to see it! As birds are one of my pet subjects, I could say much more, but will leave you for now, with the suggestion of a book title that seems most interesting.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications website

American Quilts: The Democratic Art, 1780-2007 is a book that will become a “must-have” for anyone interested in the history of quilts. Written by Robert Shaw, this heavy, hard cover volume, comprised of 376 pages was just published by Sterling Publishing of New York/London in 2009.

Surprisingly, the dustjacket features a “tied” quilt, which to some purists’ way of thinking would be called a “comforter” or a “comfort,” instead of a quilt, as it is not quilted (held together by running stitches). Nonetheless, the photo is a cheerful introduction to a book that is full of Shaw’s personal observations and thoughts about the process and history of quilting.

Amazing, full-page views of quilts are offered in this very colorful book, as well as smaller photos.

The inside book cover declares this statement:

Spanning more than four centuries, American Quilts is the first book to cover the entire historical panorama of quiltmaking in the United States, from the quintessential patterns to their cultural significance … ”

While many of the quilt photos have been published in other printed documents, and therefore, are extremely familiar to me, other quilts seem to be appear in print for the first time, in this book. It is great to have photos of these important American quilts contained within one volume.

I am especially fond of “Amigos Muertos” by Jonathan Shannon and am pleased to see that quilt included. No matter what style of quilt you prefer, from traditional to modern art quilts in America, you will most likely find examples provided. Shaw has gathered quilts from all historical time periods that will amaze you and inspire you to quilt a little faster on your own creations!

If this book were only used for a coffee table book, it would still be worth its weight in gold. However, I am sure that you will want to linger over every word of history and every point of reflection. In a discussion of “time” and “quilts,” Shaw states:

“Quilts ask us to slow down, to step into their world and partake of their full and measured sense of time, to allow them to envelop us in their own languid, slowly unfolding tactile language.”

With a great deal of insight, Shaw has managed to elevate the art of quilting to a higher level. I do suspect that he had a lot of fun while compiling the information and images for this new quilt history edition. I can’t wait to read all of the words in this book and view all of the beautiful quilts. This is an exceptional work, and one to put on your holiday wish list!

The following is one of two books of which I am aware that have the same title, It’s Not a Quilt Until It’s Quilted.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

A few new quilt books have just been announced and they are being raved about by those who have seen them at Quilt Market. I thought I’d share their titles with you.

Quilts of the Golden West by Cindy Brick is a book that has come to my attention online, in several spots, already. Apparently, one of its features is a set of patterns. I’m intrigued and can’t wait to see this one.

The second hot-off-the-press book is the much awaited one, Amish Abstractions by Joe Cunningham. The name of it is Amish Abstractions, and that is all I can say for now.

Another book in the “news” is Patchwork and Quilting, a book in English, by Larissa Denisova. The goal is to extend the awareness of quilting done in Russia today. I have no information yet on where to find this book to purchase.

Jinny Beyer has recently published a new book, The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns.

A fourth book that looks very interesting is a catalog published (or “to be published”) in the United Kingdom, titled, Quilts 1700-2010: Hidden Histories, Untold Stories by Sue Pritchard. If I find out how this item can be ordered, I will post that information here.

So many books, so little time. That is my mantra. I LOVE books! My house looks like it. So, I share this information with you, in case there are any other book lovers out there who want to be kept “up to speed.”

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Laurie Aaron Hird, author of The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt (Cincinnati, Ohio: Krause Publications, 2009) created a quilt inspired by contest letters in January 1922 to The Farmer’s Wife: A Magazine for Farm Women. Women were asked to respond as to whether or not they would want their daughter to marry a farmer. The consensus was in the affirmative.

In this new book, Laurie offers up a dose of farm wife sentiments via reprinted letters from that contest. She has included photos of quilt blocks throughout the book, and on a separate CD, she provides templates that can be printed out, one to a page.

The book features clear diagrams that demonstrate how blocks can be put together, one block per page, with a colorful thumbnail view of the block in the upper left hand corner.

The letters are charming and are truly a piece of United States History. The blocks utilize reproduction fabrics from the 19th century and that may confuse a few people if they expected the hues to coincide with 1920s colors. If we use our imaginations, we might think of this quilt as one that used left-over scraps from the former century. Laurie hand-pieced the entire quilt, but “farmed it out” to be longarm machine-quilted.

Some of the letters writers had strong opinions. One woman from Cheshire County, New Hampshire ended her letter with:

When someone offers my daughter love, marriage and a home, I would much rather it would be a clear-eyed, clean-hearted, penniless farmer than a city man with a white-collar position and a large salary.

This book is worth collecting, if only to read the letters from farm women and see all of the 111 quilt blocks they inspired. If one is ambitious, one can choose from different sizes of quilts to re-create Hird’s vision and make a quilt of their own. The Bonus CD offers 106 templates for piecing. It is abundantly clear that this book was a lot of work to create!

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

After months of waiting, and having this book on pre-order with amazon, on Friday, the book, Border to Border: Historic Quilts and Quiltmakers of Montana by Annie Hanshew arrived in the mail. This is an oversize book with many beautiful photos of quilts from sugans to quilts that depict the activities of Montana’s Indian (Native American) population. For good measure, there is even the story of a Sanitary Commission Quilt thrown into the mix. Anyone who loves quilt history will be delighted with this latest state documentation book, the work of many dedicated volunteers. From the beautiful quilt on the cover, to what is written inside the covers, to the introduction and the contents, this book is a page turner. I’ve yet to devour every word, but even a brief overview shows this book to be one of interest and note.

Many congratulations for work well done, and to those who served as advisers on the project, including Margo Kramer, a quilt historian and a shop owner.

Patricia Cummings