Archive for the ‘Quilt Design’ Category

« Older Entries

Art Quilts with Words

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Little did I know that I would get such a huge response to my request from art quilters to share any quilts they have made that feature words. Since yesterday, I have published two huge files of examples and have begun uploading images for a third file.

quilt by Sherry Boram

Learn more about this quilt by Sherry Boram, in the website file!

As you will see, quilters have found innovative ways to add “words,” a term that can be interpreted broadly to include letters, names, and partially visible words. All of the work takes my breath away. I hope that you feel the same way.

I hope that my work has showcased a handful of very talented individuals. I know there are more of you out there (lurking). If you have the urge, take a photo and send it along with a few words about the piece(s). The photo will be digitally marked with your name and you will be given full credit and appropriate links to your blog, etc.

Here is the link to the first file. From there, you will be able to click onto the second file.

Update: There are now FOUR files in all, with more quilt images promised! All of the contributing artists are listed on the home page of my website with the file in which their work appears.

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/words-on-fabric-and-quilts.htm

Thanks to all who sent photos.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Tags:
Posted in Art Discoveries, Quilt Art, Quilt Design | Comments Off

Whig’s Defeat Quilt Block

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

Whig's Defeat quilt block by Patricia Cummings

Whig’s Defeat seems to be a curious name for a quilt block. The name “Whig” dates to revolutionary war times when anyone with radical ideas earned that title.

The Whig party attracted some notable politicians and had two elected U.S. presidents, and two vice-presidents who came to the office of president through the back door. William Henry Harrison, our beloved 9th president, died in 1841 after giving the longest-ever inaugural speech in the rain. He caught pneumonia and died, and John Tyler replaced him as president from 1841-1845.

The only other elected Whig president was Zachary Taylor who served from 1849-1850. Former vice-president, Millard Fillmore, served as president from 1850-1853. By 1856, the Whig Party was essentially defunct.

The “Whig’s Defeat” block is one that I always assumed was both pieced and appliquéd, as was stated in Rose Wilder Lane’s book. Recently, it has come to my attention that in the southern states of the U.S., the quilt block was entirely pieced, a way of working that makes no sense to me!

When I made this block a couple of years ago, I thought it to be somewhat difficult, but I liked the finished product which I have now incorporated into a wall quilt.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Tags:
Posted in Quilt Design, Quilt History | Comments Off

Another Mammy Quilt from Texas

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Sherri Winter's Mammy Quilt from TX hills

Mammy quilt from the Texas hills

The image above represents yet another “Mammy quilt.” Of the ones I have seen so far, they are all very different. This one features solid color fabrics for the dresses, in red, orange, beige, green, electric blue (my name for it), and tan. Notice that each “mammy” is wearing her hat a different way. The owner, Sherri Winter, states that she thinks the quilt is over 100 years old. It is always more difficult to guess the age of a quilt that has only plain, not printed, fabrics.

Although some folks would consider something like this a sign of racial prejudice, keep in mind that it is only a material object, and the maker probably had a fondness for mammies, those beloved and nurturing members of many a southern family.

Thanks very much for sharing this quilt.

I have posted other information about mammy quilts on this blog. Use the “search” function to find the other files, if you wish.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Tags:
Posted in Antiques, Quilt Design, Quilt History | Comments Off

Do You EQ?

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

I’ll tell you folks. I have purchased just about every version of Electric Quilt Software that has been put up for sale. The latest release is EQ7. It is touted as a great design product and The Quilter magazine even has a step by step tutorial in the July 2010 issue that is just out. The verdict is not in as to whether I will buy it. You see, I have never taken the time to pass the learning curve stage of all of the other EQ software packages, and I am not optimistic that this time, I’d do anything different. That said, the directions seem clear cut, in the magazine. I was trying to talk a teacher in my local area into giving a class. If so, I’d buy the product in a minute.

I can see how it would totally come in handy. What I do is kind of like cave-man style today… with the graph paper, or compass, and prismacolor pencils for coloring designs. Now, that seems pretty primitive, doesn’t it. I understand that with EQ7, one can drop swatches of the latest fabrics into place, using a Fabric Library. How cool is that?

Maybe someday, I’ll make it to the 21st century of quilting, but don’t count on it. I’m still pretty happy with hand quilting, even if it takes me a very long time to finish a quilt. For me, the joy lies in the process, not in how fast I get something done. So, I suppose my resistance to some of this new technology is somewhat based on my dislike of machine interventions (I chuckle as I am using software to share this message!)

Have a good week!

Patricia Cummings

Tags:
Posted in Quilt Design | Comments Off

Unusual “Mammy” Quilt Found in TX

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

A reader has sent some photos of her recently-acquired “Mammy” quilt found to purchase in an antiques mall in Texas. The quilt is full-size and features a “Mammy” image on each block. All the sashed blocks are set “on point,” are signed with a first name only, and each “Mammy” has teeth showing, a seemingly unusual feature.

Mammy quilt with teeth

Mammy quilt close-up, photo courtesy of “Deborah.”

I know of two other finished quilts that depict the faces of Black women, in the style of the early “Aunt Jemima.” One was given to a museum in Chicago by a prominent collector. Another was collected in Texas recently by the former owner of a Texas quilt shop.

Mammy quilt top assembled by Pat

There is a file on my website, “Mammy Quilts and Black Memorabilia,” that shows some “Mammy,” pre-made, appliqué pieces (recently made) that I purchased on eBay and appliquéd onto an ochre-color background. These shapes are “face-less,” that is, no features are delineated.

Some would argue that all of these types of quilts are representative of degradation, prejudice, or hate. Somehow, to me it does not seem possible for anyone to construct a quilt, with the motive of hate in mind. I can’t wrap my mind around that idea. I view these kinds of quilts as part of American quilt history, whether one agrees with the subject matter or not. We can’t change history.

Well, now we have seen four examples of the use of Aunt Jemima or Mammy figures in quilts. I wonder how many more such quilts are “out there,” waiting to be found. I bought my appliqués from someone in Texas, so that state seems to have been the source for these four examples. Has anyone seen similar items made elsewhere, or know specific dates that they were constructed?

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Tags:
Posted in Black History, Quilt Design | Comments Off

Caesar’s Crown Block Image Sent by Reader

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

A short while ago, a pattern for Caesar’s Crown block was requested by a reader who had seen the one that I made to illustrate an article about quilt blocks inspired by the Bible (one of several articles about the topic that are currently on our website). Not able to put my hands on the design, not having the time to hunt through sources, and not remembering whether or not I drafted the block myself after seeing a small line drawn image of it (which was probably the case), unfortunately, I came up dry. The reader was undaunted and her tenacity to find and re-create the block design paid off, when she was able to locate a pattern elsewhere.

Today, Peggy Arbuckle sent a photo of a beautiful quilt block. The background is a white on white fabric. She had success finding the “Roman” and “jewel” fabrics at Hancock’s, she states. While my block was totally hand-pieced, she decided to piece hers on the machine. She reveals that it was a challenging task but “after several mistakes, (she) finally got it.” The result is gorgeous!

Caesar's Crown quilt block

This Caesar’s Crown block was made for a monthly quilt block exchange at a quilt group that calls themselves “Peaceful Partners,” and Peggy made it “to represent the ‘Ides of March’.”

Thanks so much to Peggy Arbuckle for sharing her beautiful block. The colors are just grand!

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Tags: ,
Posted in Quilt Design, Quilt History, Reader Mail | Comments Off

The Quilt That Saw Me Through “Desert Storm”

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Country Bride Quilt

The Country Bride Quilt designed by Rachel T. Pellman and Craig N. Heisey/ made by Patricia Cummings

The quilt that you see above was “two years in the making” as its label states. It is the first large appliqué project and the first completely hand-quilted quilt I ever made! I worked on the appliqué squares while watching the news reports from “Desert Storm.” I was glued to the television for that coverage.

Later, I bought a large quilt frame from Keepsake Quilting and set it up in a then unused room on the second floor (now, my office). The quilt is queen-size, and if I ever set the frame up again, it will be in my yard. In this old house, the rooms are relatively small.

Country Bride label

Label that was sewn on the back of the quilt

Even though I didn’t know what I was doing, at the time, I thoroughly enjoyed the project. My mother had just given me a rhinestone setter and I decided to use rhinestones for the birds’ eyes. I like the effect better than embroidered eyes.

This quilt, as you can see, was meant to be a bed quilt and is actually too long to adequately hang in our usual spot for photographing large textiles. The design is from Amish Country. The authors of the book, The Country Bride Quilt, published in 1988 by Good Books in Intercourse, PA, sometimes commission Amish and Mennonite women to stitch their designs.

We visited Intercourse, PA in 1999 on a fabulous road trip that stands out in memory. Included in our agenda wa a trip to the Country Store there run by these same folks. The second floor houses the much-acclaimed People’s Place Quilt Museum. We were able to view some wonderful examples of very early quilts from the “two valleys.” I enjoyed seeing Amish-style hand quilting, up close and personal.

Pennsylvania has been a hot bed for quilts and crafts. Of course, there is the annual crafts fair at Kunztown that attracts countless visitors. Following our trail of thought in yesterday’s blog post about Jonathan Holstein’s “discovery” of Amish quilts as art, I would say that this artistic tradition has been magnified since that time, and that the quilt shown on this page is an example of artistically-inspired work. Don’t you agree?

I live in the city, but will always be a “country girl” at heart, having lived on a farm and loved being in the country. In New Hampshire, country folks are special! I hope you have enjoyed seeing a quilt that I made. No one except a few close friends and family members have ever laid eyes on it … until now. Is it any wonder that John Denver’s song, “Take Me Home Country Roads” is one of my favorites?

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Amish Quilts, Quilt Design, Quilt History | Comments Off

Website To Inspire Those Who Love Appliqué

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Today, I have received an e-mail from Margaret Mathews who told me that we have a wonderful site and she likes what we have done with it. Thank you, Margaret!

I visited the link she provided at the end of the note and found a very rich blogspot with all kinds of beautiful images of appliqué work and opportunities for ordering pattern designs for quilt blocks that are based on authentic antique designs, many of them Baltimore Album reproductions or made in that style.

It was refreshing to see ladies meeting together in a private home to share the fun of quilting, just like the “old days.” One woman is seen holding up a beautiful quilt block. Fun to see all the smiling ladies.

Be sure to see Margaret’s fine blog:
http://margaretmathews.blogspot.com/

We have five files on our website about Baltimore Album Quilts and their origins. An Index of the files is available by clicking on the word “Baltimore Album” that is located on the left side bar of our main website, Quilter’s Muse Publications. (see live link at the bottom of this note).

I love needleturn appliqué and “test drove” a few patterns for Future Heirlooms Co. about 10 years ago. Here is a link to one that Margo Rose calls “Tudor Rose Medallion.”

I love to hear from those who enjoy our website. Words of appreciation are welcome and I consider them my “paycheck.”

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Tags:
Posted in Quilt Design, Quilt History, Worthwhile Websites | Comments Off

Request for Help in Identifying Quilt Pattern or Name

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

unk quilt block

Unknown quilt block from photo dated 5/25/2004

Diane Fath writes:

Hello Pat,

We are trying to figure out what quilt block pattern was used in the attached quilt. My Mother made the quilt but has passed away in a car accident.

Can you please help me? Any help you can give is much appreciated. Thank you.

Diane

Full view:

quilt made by Debbie

Quilt made by Debbie

Sorry to hear of your loss, Diane. This looks like it is probably a “modern” quilt design from a contemporary design artist. If anyone has more information, please contact: pat@quiltersmuse.com
Thanks.

Tags:
Posted in Quilt Design, Reader Questions | Comments Off

Paper-Pieced Quilt for Autumn

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Ever since purchasing the book, Paper Piecing the Seasons, by Stephen Seifert and Liz Schwartz, I have been a fan of their work. In April 2000, I began making a wall quilt that they call, “Country Roads Quilt.” I finished the quilt and gave it to my niece in California for her birthday in October 2000. I thought she’d enjoy the autumn scene in this quilt that I called, “Covered Bridge in Autumn.”

covered bridge in autumn

Design from the book, Paper Piecing the Seasons. Pieced by Patricia Cummings. (The photo shows this piece when it was still a quilt top, – and although you can’t tell from the photo, the quilt does have even borders).

I remember the fun I had making this quilt! Not as many landscape fabrics were available, compared to today. The hunt for the perfect fabric to represent tree colors, the stones, and other elements, was a joy!

Today, I discovered that the singular pattern for this quilt is still available at eQuiltPatterns.com, along with many other tempting designs for those who love paper piecing. To see a larger view, click here.

I have made only a few foundation pieced quilts but have always enjoyed them. This one was particularly fun as I made it with love and with the expectation and hope that it would be enjoyed by the recipient.

Whatever you do today, take joy in your work. We pass this way only once.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Books, Quilt Design, Quilting | Comments Off

« Older Entries