quiltersmuse.com Blog

Yesterday, I watched the ceremonies that surrounded the creation of closure for the life of Senator Edward “Teddy” Moore Kennedy. In thinking about his life and its importance to others, the fact that he was a “Dad” stands out above others. Anyone can be a “father,” but it takes a real man, with values and substance, to be a “Dad.”

His sons, Ted Jr. and Patrick, gave speeches testifying that their father was there for them, when they were young, supporting them and teaching them life’s lessons, even when the going got rough. Ted lost a leg to cancer and Patrick had chronic asthma. Their “Dad” was there at the times that counted the most: when they were ill, struggling, or when they needed reassurance. He was there at Mission Church in Roxbury, to pray daily, when his daughter was recovering from lung cancer. She was present at the service and was looking well.

Their stories remind me of a book for children that I have always enjoyed:

Coincidentally, yesterday was August 29, the same day that my own father died, in 1974. He had been there for me, all of my life. Just like Ted Kennedy, John Edward Grace instilled in me the thought that I could do anything. A frail, undernourished and sickly child, I went on to ride horses, learn to swim and teach swimming, graduate from the university, study in Spain, and be the certified school teacher that my “Dad” always had encouraged me to be.

In a sense, watching the funeral proceedings on television yesterday was a sort of homecoming. The Catholic Mass inculcates the root values with which I was brought up. Even the lingering Irish accent on the lips of one of the priests created joy in my heart. As an extension of my own Irish heritage, the “Celebration of Life” ceremony was very much in keeping with my own thoughts about life and the hereafter.

Few people will get as much attention, in death, as “Ted,” nor the sincere good wishes of an appreciative public, all witnesses to his life. Any secrets of his misbehavior surrounding have now gone to the grave. Perhaps, this goes to prove the Senator’s thought that “Redemption” is possible, after all, and not just with God, but with the public at large. Good things were remembered and shared: how he went out of his way to help others, how he loved to sing and joke and sail, and what a loving family man he truly had become.

We, by nature, are an imperfect people. Good thing that none of us have to be perfect to be loved. Senator Kennedy was loved by many, as witnessed by yesterday’s turnout and tributes. Now, he is placed at rest, with honor. The person who attempts to fill his shoes in the Senate shall have a mighty task at hand. The sacrifices of the Kennedy family have been incalculable. On the “hill,” I suspect that it will not be “business as usual,” … for a very long time. I only wish he’d have been present to hear the accolades.

Be sure to view an extraordinary edition of “Meet the Press” in which David Gregory interview Maria Shriver and others important to Senator Kennedy. Taped on August 30, 2009.

Patricia L. Grace Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

James Gorham standing in the Cathedral de Notre Dame in Paris, early 1990s

My son, James Gorham, has been vigorously researching family genealogy for some time now. Today, he told me that he has pretty much nailed down the idea that on my father’s (Irish) side of the family, the first generation to come to America were Bryan and Rosanna Smith, both born sometime in the first decade of the 1800s. They and their descendants were involved in textile production in the 19th century in the Blackstone River Valley of Massachusetts.

Like many Irish immigrants, my ancestors helped to build canals and then worked the cotton, woolen mills and rubber mill that were built along the fast-flowing Blackstone River.

This past week, James took a step back in time to our ancestors’ haunts, with a trip to the Blackstone River area. He found the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park and River Bend Farm Interpretive Center to be most enjoyable, and sent along the following photos.

Model of the Lady Carrington, the first boat to “traverse the Blackstone Canal that connected Providence (RI) with Worcester (MA).

James knew that I’d be pleased to see a quilt hanging in the River Bend Farm Interpretive Center, so took this photo:

A quilt called “Churn Dash,” or “Monkey Wrench,” among other names. At first glance, this appears to be a 20th century quilt but I’d have to inspect the fabrics, close-up and personal, to know for sure.

Nice to see that the museum has textile items. My grandson, Patrick, seems fascinated with all of the exhibits including this wheel. Wheels differ. Some were used to spin wool, and others to spin flax.

Looks like this was a great family destination. James’ wife, Rebecca, and the new baby, Hannah, were along for the trip and enjoyed hiking along the trail in the park. Thanks to James for the use of these photos. He continues to delve into family history, on both sides of the ocean, and has uncovered hundreds of relatives, including Rebecca’s family. This has resulted in family reunions from Illinois to Sweden and England. We await further updates on research discoveries!

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications, a site featuring a few Irish ballads. Check our Song Playlist.

In life, WWII correspondent Ernie Pyle wrote dispatches from the front lines that riveted a nation consumed by war. In death, his own sacrifice underscored the anxieties of a nation steadfast in its resolve, yet increasingly weary from the war’s mounting human cost.

Ernie Pyle, WWII war correspondent

Ernie Pyle’s columns reached 26 million faithful readers each week. His inimitably plain-spoken – yet profoundly eloquent – descriptions of ordinary GIs brought the war home in a way no other writer’s words did.

“Ernie Pyle was basically America ’s first embedded reporter,” said Mark Foynes, director of the Wright Museum of WWII History. On Thursday, August 13 at 7 p.m., the museum will host a dramatic performance based on the correspondent’s life and writings.

“When the Army marched, Pyle marched,” Foynes said. “And his writings bore a level of authenticity and tangibility unmatched by his journalistic contemporaries.”

In North Africa, Pyle observed soldiers on the march: “The men are walking. They are fifty feet apart, for dispersal. Their walk is slow, for they are dead weary, as you can tell even when looking at them from behind. Every line and sag of their bodies speaks their inhuman exhaustion.”

While Ernie was much admired by the servicemen whom he lived among and wrote about, he was keenly aware of his role. “The front-line soldier wants it to be got over by the physical process of his destroying enough Germans to end it. He is truly at war. The rest of us, no matter how hard we work, are not. … His blood is up. He is fighting for his life, and killing now for him is as much a profession as writing is for me.”

After covering the war in North Africa and Europe, Pyle set out for the Pacific in 1945. While embedded with the Marines on the small island of Ie Shima in April, he was killed by Japanese sniper fire. The news of Pyle’s death stunned the American public still mourning the recent death of President Roosevelt. Phone lines at news organizations across the country were jammed as grief-stricken readers called to confirm the awful truth.

Said soldier-artist, Bill Mauldin, whose droll, irreverent GI cartoons had made him nearly as famous as Pyle, “The only difference between Ernie’s death and that of any other good guy is that the other guy is mourned by his company. Ernie is mourned by the Army.”

Celebrated in life and revered in death, Pyle’s own words presaged how he would be remembered, “War makes strange giant creatures out of us little routine men who inhabit the earth.”

“Pyle had a need to be where the action was,” said Gary Morrison, a writer, actor, and theater director who will be portraying Ernie Pyle in the August 13th presentation of “Hi, I’m Ernie Pyle” at the Wright Museum. “In a way, though his untimely death was tragic, it is befitting of who he was in life.”

The August 13 fundraiser event at the Wright, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature a performance of Morrison’s “Hi, I’m Ernie Pyle.” In addition, there will be a one-night-only display of Ernie Pyle artifacts. Among them is a very rare photo of Pyle, taken after he was killed. The photo is one of only three copies known to exist; the U.S. War Department had ordered the destruction of the negative and all known prints – a measure taken to protect morale on the home front and among America’s servicemen.

Written and performed by Gary Morrison (who was born the day the correspondent was killed), Hi, I’m Ernie Pyle is a poignant – and occasionally humorous – look at the stark realities of war. The play, performed in honor of all veterans, captures the period in Ernie’s life when his articles were the most widely anticipated of any war correspondent. Morrison has performed the play across the Midwest and the East Coast at venues such as the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA.

Admission to “Hi, I’m Ernie Pyle” is $25 and $10 for museum members. Tickets are available at the Wright Museum gift store, or by calling 603-569-1212. Payment may be made over the phone by credit card, or attendees may R.S.V.P. and pay at the door. All proceeds from this important fundraiser will help support educational programs offered by the museum.

The Wright Museum of WWII History is a non-profit educational institution whose vast collection of fully-operational military vehicles and extensive exhibits relating to the American home front bring the past to life. The museum is a member-supported national treasure located right here in New Hampshire. In the words of filmmaker Ken Burns, “The Wright Museum’s work to preserve and share the stories of the WWII generation is vitally important. I am proud to support its efforts to educate present and future generations about the triumphs and sacrifices of America ’s Greatest Generation.”

Mark Foynes
Executive Director
Wright Museum of WWII History
P.O. Box 1212, 77 Center Street
Wolfeboro, NH 03894

603/569-1212
Visit www.wrightmuseum.org for frequent updates!

This press release is brought to you as a public service by Quilter’s Muse Publications

Today, just when I was dismayed over no mail delivery, Jim stumbled over two heavy boxes that had been delivered by special delivery at the back door. One of the boxes held a quilt. The other one brought a book that I had been saving my pennies to order, ever since I knew it had been published. All I can say is, “Wow!”

American Quilts in the Modern Age: 1870-1940 is eye candy for the soul with its many beautiful photos and writings about quilt history by familiar names. I did not weigh the book. It is very heavy, and very large. I love it!

There is a foreword by Marin F. Hanson.

The chapters consist of:
1. American Adaptation: Block Style Quilts by Barbara Brackman and Marin F. Hanson
2. Building on a Foundation: Log Cabin Quilts by Patricia Cox Crews, Carolyn Ducey, Marin F. Hanson, and Jonathan Gregory
3 Regularly Irregular: Crazy Quilts by Beverly Gordon and Marin F. Hanson
4 Simple and Complex: Allover-Style Quilts by Laurel Horton
5 Perfecting the Past: Colonial Revival Quilts by Virginia Gunn
6 Repackaging Tradition: Pattern and Kit Quilts by Merikay Waldvogel, Deborah Rake, and Marin F. Hanson
7 Innovation and Imagination: One-of-a-Kind and Niche Quilts by Jonathan Holstein, Merikay Waldvogel, and Marin F. Hanson

To see a preview of this book, visit American Quilts in the Modern Age: 1870-1940.

I know that I will spend many happy hours with this book, and in order not to feel guilty about spending that much money, I am calling it a “birthday present to myself.” Some buys are just worth every last cent! By the way, this book is based on The International Quilt Study Center Collections.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

From the NH Humanities Council site:

June 3 Chocorua Wednesday, 11 a.m., Chocorua Library, 25 Deer Hill Rd.

American Quilt Traditions
Do you love looking at quilts? With her slides and quilts, Cheryl Savageau will discuss quilts from Anglo (mainstream), Amish, African American, and several Native American traditions, and will “read” them for their cultural context, historical meaning and significance, political, religious, and geographical influences and the differing aesthetics they embody. Co-hosted by the Tamworth Historical Society. Contact: Gary Mason, 323-8610

June 3 Jackson Wednesday, 1:45 p.m., Red Fox Pub, 148 Main St.

American Quilt Traditions
Do you love looking at quilts? With her slides and quilts, Cheryl Savageau will discuss quilts from Anglo (mainstream), Amish, African American, and several Native American traditions, and will “read” them for their cultural context, historical meaning and significance, political, religious, and geographical influences and the differing aesthetics they embody. Co-hosted by the Jackson Women’s Sewing Club and the Jackson Historical Society. Contact: Helen Matesky, 383-9271

Just “Google” Cheryl Savageau, and you will begin to understand this woman’s many accomplishments. Apparently, some of her inspiration is derived from being an Abenaki Indian descendant. The Abenakis were just some of the Indian tribes located in New Hampshire. We are looking forward to learning more about this lady, whose name we have not heard before.

I hope that some of you can attend one of her lectures.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
pat@quiltersmuse.com