quiltersmuse.com Blog

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

The Eastern States Exposition includes agricultural components: livestock shows and exhibits of vegetables, such as the “Great Pumpkin,” seen in the photo from 2007. Charlie Brown might be jealous! This year, the event will be held from September 18 – October 4, 2009. Mark your calendars!

This ESE file photo, courtesy of Eastern States Exposition, was taken in 2007 and shows a huge pumpkin! I can bet that a forklift probably was needed to transport it! We can only guess how many pumpkin pies that would make!

Ever since I was a child, I heard about the “Big E,” an annual enterprise that is sure to please the entire family. I believe my older brother, Steve, showed a heifer, or a cow, there. I would verify that with him, but he is no longer with us. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of New Hampshire.

The “Big E,” its nickname, always hosts great music, rides, and exhibits. Features include vendors and food stands to suit anyone’s taste.

Here are a few of the quilts exhibited in 2007. Photo courtesy of Eastern States Exposition.

I recognize the pattern of the quilt, on the far right, as the one called, “Calico Garden,” designed by Florence Peto, noted quilt historian. I wrote about Mrs. Peto in my book, Ellen Emeline Hardy Webster (1867-1950), Her Amazing Quilt “Charts,” Her Writings, and Her Life. Mrs. Peto’s observed that it is not necessary to be didactic about nomenclature, when it comes to designating quilt block names.

My 355 page, 240 photo biography of Mrs. Webster, a New Hampshire quilt historian in the 1930s, is an e-book on CD. This is still available to order, on the products available page of our website.

As an aside, a number of simulated quilt patterns that Mrs. Webster made were based on quilts she saw at Eastern States Exposition and at Storrowton (a re-created old village with antique buildings moved onto the site. I wrote about Storrowton for my “Pieces of the Past” column in The Quilter magazine. Mrs. Webster was a quilt judge at some of those exhibitions, and my book has a list of the quilts and their origins upon which Webster based her work in saving quilt designs.

Click on this link for “Calico Garden,” and you will be able to see my re-creation of the same quilt, using Froncie Quinn’s pattern. My quilt is registered, as a reproduction, at the Shelburne Museum.

More information about the quilt, and ordering information for Froncie’s pattern, are located here.

Pumpkins seem to be the theme of my week. Please click link to read an interview with Anne Copeland, author of Pumpkins, Pumpkins (cookbook and more). I feel gleeful to see this other photo of a truckload of pumpkins at the ESE event in 2007. I am thankful to Eastern States Exposition for making these photos available for use in this press summary.

Please do go to the gala happenings this year, if you are in the area. The Eastern States Exposition is located at 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. (413) 737-2443.

Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
Concord, NH
http://www.quiltersmuse.com

Book cover quilt by Barbara Williamson

Read my interview with Anne Copeland, on my website.

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/Pumpkin-Cookbook-author.htm

This is the cover of the new cookbook, Pumpkin, Pumpkin: Folklore, History, Planting Care, and Good Eating, just published by Anne Copeland of Lomita, California

Truly, this is the most amazing cookbook I have ever seen! Throughout the 129 pages you’ll delight in the beautiful photos and art quilts, all related to pumpkins, shared by Anne’s fiber artist friends from around the country and around the world. The book is an international effort!

Anne Copeland is interested in so many areas of life, it is hard to keep up with her. She holds a university degree in Archaeology with a minor in English. She is a freelance writer and researcher, and a certified appraiser of quilted textiles. She has done much to promote art quilting in southern California and is a fiber artist herself. Her “day job” consists of teaching special needs children, as a paraeducator in California. She loves animals and has even worked for a veterinarian!

Annie Copeland, the author

Moreover, Anne loves the color Orange, and everything about pumpkins, including their shape and texture. She says that she takes a lot of time in choosing just the right ones to buy that will please her aesthetically. She lets virtually none of the pumpkin go to waste, even saving the seeds, piercing them with a needle, drying them, and adding them as components of necklaces. She is so frugal, and caring about the environment, one could mistake her for a Yankee!

Anne is not the only one who loves pumpkins. My son, James Gorham, has enjoyed carving pumpkins since he was a teenager. This photo is in front of his house, 2008.

This current venture, a Pumpkin cookbook, has been many years in the making and reaches far beyond just offering recipes. The history of the pumpkin is explored as well as the folklore and traditions surrounding pumpkins. She describes the various names of different pumpkins and the sizes to which they grow. She discusses their nutritional value, reveals how to store them in various ways and how to prepare them. Only then does Annie offer an array of mouth-watering recipes from soups, salads, breads, biscuits, sauces, condiments, drinks, baked goods, and more!

My grandson, Patrick, loves pumpkins, too. Here he is shown in 2008, picking out a “Patrick-size pumpkin.”

This wonderful cookbook can be downloaded from Kindle, in which case, I don’t believe the photos will be in color. My suggestion is to order the slightly more expensive CD that will be mailed to you, via snail mail. We printed out the pdf format of the book and bound the top of it with a coil. The pdf format tells you the page you are currently viewing, at the top of your computer screen.

There are 129 pages, and we printed the book, single-sided, and laminated the covers. To keep the ink jet colors from running, we plan to cover the pages with a piece of heavy plastic that has weights on two opposite ends and is see-through. I will have to investigate who carries the product. We have had ours for years. Check your local cooking stores.

Last year, we went to the Pumpkin Festival in Jackson, NH. There are photos of Pumpkin Head people, elsewhere on this blog!

For more information about ordering this book that you didn’t know you needed until you saw it … go to Anne Copeland’s blog. There, you will see more ordering details and a Paypal button. I guarantee you that you won’t be sorry!

Autumn is a great time of year, here in New England, and part of our delight is in seeing pumpkins growing in fields, and piled up after the harvest. Anne Copeland has created a one-of-a-kind pumpkin cookbook that is unequaled! Do yourself a favor. Order it today! The beauty of an e-book is that it can be printed, one page at a time, if desired! To contact the author directly, please write to: anneappraiser@yahoo.com

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Textile marked “made in India – 100% cotton”

Last week, I purchased an antique textile from India. It is heavily appliquéd in mostly colors that are not vibrant, but tend toward gray and beige. Elephants and camels are heavily represented, an indication that this piece is not Islamic made. According to one source, “living beings are not usually represented in Islamic Art.”

More than likely, this is a ralli quilt. The name “ralli” is thought to be derivative of the word, “ralannu,” a verb that means to mix, to join, or to connect. A number of name variations for “ralli” exist, and ralli quilts are made in Rajasthan. As is typical of rallis, patchwork (a sawtooth appliqué design) adorns the edge of the piece I bought, and there is embroidery on the back that the maker has made no attempt to hide or disguise. Some of the fabric is Indigo-dyed.

In the book, Ralli Quilts: Traditional Textiles from Pakistan and India by Patricia Ormsby Stoddard, page 63 shows a woman in Mirpurkhas who has cut out multiple elephant pieces to appliqué onto a ralli made for commerce. Seeing the elephant appliqués has convinced me that I have a ralli quilt. The tag on the back simply says, “100% cotton, made in India.” It was clearly made for the trade.

Ralli quilts are created in both large and small cities, including places in Sindh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. I have a file about textiles from Pakistan and India on our website.

The International Quilt Study Center will exhibit thirty textiles in a display titled “South Asian Seams: Quilts from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh,” from May through November 2010. The curator of the exhibit is the aforementioned book author. Workshops will be held in conjunction with this exhibit. Check www.quiltstudy.org for more details, as they become available.

I am sure this exhibit will be welcome, as before Stoddard’s book, not a lot has been written on this subject for the general public. For more online information, visit: www.ralliquilt.com

Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications