Online since 2002.
Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH
Online since 2002.
Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH
Welcome to Our Educational Website!
Quilter's Muse Publications and Virtual Museum is a diverse website that consists of a main site and two blogs. Topics highlighted include: Quilt History; Baltimore Album Quilts, Bible Blocks and their History; Book and Quilt Show Reviews; Crazy Quilts; Textiles from Countries Outside the U.S.; Martha Washington's Counterpanes; the Underground Railroad Controversy (secret quilt code); Spoken Files and a Song Playlist; Galleries; Poetry; Recipes; Spanish language features and songs; William Henry Harrison tribute quilt blocks; Redwork and other embroidery; and New Hampshire history.
"Calico Garden" reproduction quilt by Patricia Cummings, hand pieced and appliquéd and hand quilted. Originally designed and made by quilt historian, Florence Peto. Read more about her in my book about Ellen Webster.
Also featured are: Photos from Readers, and Letters to the Editor; Free quilt and embroidery patterns; Songs (including some Christmas songs) in English, Spanish, German; and two songs in Hebrew; a slideshow of our entire Christmas ornament collection; and collectibles such as Dolls. Many other articles are included, as well.
Home of the Brave Quilt Project
Directions for Making a Civil War Quilt Reproduction by Machine/ an original step-by-step set of directions for rotary cutting, prepared and illustrated by Patricia and James Cummings for the Home of the Brave project. These directions, first of their kind published on the Internet, have been copied and widely-used by everyone involved with this project to make and give charity quilts to families of fallen members of the Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Block made by Patricia Cummings to illustrate one of a series of articles about Bible Blocks for The Quilter magazine. This is called "Balm of Gilead."
Articles by Patricia L. Cummings, quilt researcher, and James Cummings, photographer
Note: A list of many articles written by Patricia Cummings, for The Quilter and other print venues, are now listed in one file.
Our latest article is "Vintage Embroideries to Warm the Spirit, Part II," November 2010. Available in September 2010
Voyages in Learning
Click on the link above to see a list of places where I have taught or lectured, and upcoming presentations. My current lecture centers on Ellen Webster, the subject intensive research that resulted in a comprehensive biography (e-book)of her life and work, that includes her landmark quilt charts.
This is a bumper sticker I designed.
"Liberty is Our Motto" wall quilt, made and designed by Patricia Cummings. photo by James Cummings. This quilt was inspired by a song performed by the Hutchinson Family Singers of the 19th century, New Hampshire's "own."
Getting Around This Huge Site
The left side navigation bar OR the site navigation tools below will help you to navigate this extensive website.
SITE NAVIGATION
WORD Search or SITE MAP Function
Be sure to place your cursor in the right spot and then type in key words to find articles of interest.
"Quilter's Muse" is a registered business name in the state of New Hampshire and a name for our website and blog since 2002. Beware of copyists who have lifted the name to create their own Internet sites and blogs. Just sayin'.
Books for Sale!
Six e-Books are Currently Offered
Straight Talk About Quilt Care II: Display, Cleaning and Storage of Quilts, Needlework and Textiles - everything you need to know about taking good care of textiles.
Ellen Emeline (Hardy) Webster (1867-1950): Her Amazing Quilt "Charts," Her Writings and Her Life. New Hampshire's Own Early Quilt Historian (1930s). 355 pages / 340 photos!
Nineteenth and early Twentieth century history comes to life in this biography of New Hampshire's own early quilt historian. Born on a farm in Hebron, NH, she learned quilting at her mother's knee. She was an ornithologist, a musician, a teacher, a writer, a quilter and quilt historian, and a college professor. This book celebrates a marvelous life and is quilt history at its best!
Girl with duster - an antique Redwork pillow
photo by James Cummings
Three Books about Redwork and Its History
Redwork Renaissance Revisited - greatly-expanded version of our very first book in 2002. Directions for doing Redwork, many antique designs, and wonderful photos.
Redwork Embroidery and Needlework Traditions in Europe and America - great examples of outline stitch embroidery and a selection of Redwork items made in Europe, as well as America.
Antique Redwork Designs from New Hampshire - mainly a pattern book based on two antique Redwork bedcoverings made in New Hampshire.
Please click on links to read more about each e-book
or to order.
Biography
A high school photo of John E. Grace, with his clarinet. He played in the Central High School marching band, and music was an integral part of his life.
The Profile of the Life and Times of John E. Grace (1911- 1974), Credit Union Founder / Organizer (Concord, NH: Quilter's Muse Publications, 2006) is now available as an e-book on CD. The biography is written by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings.
John E. Grace was a multi-talented man who served his community. He was a pioneer in establishing Credit Unions in the state of New Hampshire. With only $15.00, he established Utility Worker's Credit Union in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1945 and served as its Manager / Treasurer until 1973. Renamed "Granite State Credit Union," that organization has more than 45,000 members and assets in excess of $218 million. This year marks its 65th anniversary!
This book is a celebration of New Hampshire life and twentieth century life, including that of the Grace family. Abundant photos that are pertinent to John Grace's life and career are included. The price of the e-book on CD is just $10.00, plus $2.00 shipping. Pay with Paypal below, or contact me at: pat@quiltersmuse.com
Features of our e-books
The internal navigation system that we build into our e-books (pdf files) makes it a breeze to navigate the pages. These e-Books are compact, easy to store, and generally offer larger, clearer photos and more information than a conventional print book.
e-Books can be read on any computer, and the buyer can print any pages for personal use. This facilitates the tracing of any designs for needlework or quilts so that they can be adapted for new creative works.
These are not "downloads." Rather, a disc will be mailed to you. We accept Paypal, personal checks, cashier's checks, or money orders (US funds only). Wholesale ordering available. Contact: pat@quiltersmuse.com
The blog posts go back to 2006 and reflect my interest in books, music, the arts, museums, current events, and of course, quilting and embroidery. You will find many topics and more than 1,340 posts, many illustrated with photos.
We love Nature! Garden spider photo by James Cummings
James Cummings writes about New England cooking as well as vintage textiles. Frequently, he includes line drawings that are cooking-related, from antique sources. These motifs can be used for Redwork (outline stitch) embroidery.
He often posts photos of his own delectable food creation samples! Warning: Don't view this blog when you are feeling hungry!
Thanks for visiting us!
Copyright 2002-2010. Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, New Hampshire. Please ask permission before re-publishing any images, text or music files you see here. We appreciate links. pat@quiltersmuse.com
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