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Here are some more examples of textiles with words on them.

This hanky from Iowa is delicately embroidered with the names of the major cities there. At the time I was collecting hankies for an article that was published in The Quilter magazine, I also found a similar hanky, no doubt manufactured by the same source, that was a map of New Jersey. Since then, I have given away both of these items to friends.

Seeing this photo makes me smile. Jim made the wooden hanger for this German overtowel. Recently, a friend came into my kitchen and said, “What does the saying on the towel mean?” I replied, “Cook well.” Indignantly, she said, “Why do you have that hanging there? You know that Jim cooks well!” Indeed, I can attest to that as the smell of pot roast is winding its way up the stairs, at the moment! I am lucky, indeed, to have a man who loves to cook! By the way, if you haven’t checked it out yet, please visit his cooking blog. He works really hard at making additions to it, frequently!

Many more European textiles, including Redwork splashers with words, are featured in my book, Redwork Embroidery and Needlework Traditions of Europe and America. The expressions have all been translated for you, courtesy of friends at the European Commission.

The honesty of Abraham Lincoln is celebrated in this quilt block, part of a larger tribute quilt that I made.

Politics and Redwork come together in this block created by Don Beld, one of four political cartoons that he stitched in Redwork embroidery. Published here with his permission.

“On Windy Whispers,” based on the words of a song “Redbird’s Wing” by folksinger / composer Bill Staines, one of New Hampshire’s own!

I often add (my own) lines of poetry to quilts but do not have any photos of those, at the moment. The wall quilt above is one that I thoroughly enjoyed designing to capture some of the imagery as described in one of Bill Staines’ original songs. With his permission, I used my computer to print the words of the entire song on fabric and I attached it to the back of the quilt so that those going to the quilt show might be able to begin to understand my choices of fabric and embellishments.

I hope you have enjoyed these additional files. Be sure to visit the wonderful art quilts on our website. The links are listed on the home page.

Patricia Cummings, photos by James Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Undocumented friendship quilts are always a challenge. Sometimes, it is difficult to track down the signers, and sometimes, it seems next to hopeless. However, I like a mystery. Here is a small glimpse of a new (old) Friendship quilt I collected this summer. Okay, it is not too old. It is dated 1989. The condition of it makes it seem much older, but the newer fabrics present also tell the story. Yes, every quilt DOES have a story!

Quilt acquired in New Hampshire

The names of the signers of this quilt are embroidered. There is a wide range of blocks that include a Hmong block, a block with 19th century shirting fabrics, one with Guatemalan woven fabrics, one with ribbons, one that is crayoned and has an embroidered dinosaur, and others.

The overwhelming tribute these blocks have in common is that they are absolutely filthy. Due to the fact that there are so many different kinds of fabrics and fibers in this quilt, I have shipped it off to the University of Rhode Island as a learning project for students in the department of Textiles and Fashion Design. It is beyond a home-cleaning situation, and they should have everything at their fingertips to remove dirt and stains.

Why try to save a dirty old quilt that no one else seems to value? Well, whoever the recipient, she was apparently well-loved in her time, and equally apparent is the fact that she is no longer among the living. If she were, I can bet that the quilt would not be in this condition.

I sincerely hope that this quilt can be restored to the point that I feel I want to add it permanently to my collection. As a matter of course, I try to avoid collecting soiled or contaminated textiles. I would love to find out more about what prompted the making of this quilt and who was involved with it, and most certainly, more about the life of its former owner. If the quilt looks familiar to you, I’d love to hear from you. I purchased it in Rumney, New Hampshire.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications