And the Oscar Goes to...

With the Academy Awards on Sunday, we wanted to get in the spirit of the Oscars here on the IQSCM blog. So we dove into our Collections database to take a look at what quilts we could find to properly celebrate the year's best in movies.

Unfortunately we couldn't find many quilts in our collections that scream "American Hustle," "Gravity" or any of the other Best Picture nominations. And as beautiful as our quilts are, we were hard-pressed to find one we could see any of the Best Actor or Actress nominations wearing down the red carpet. Still, we hope you will enjoy taking a look at some other start-studded pieces we found suitable to mark the occasion.

First up, a tribute to Hollywood with a pattern named... Hollywood from our Mountain Mist Collection.

Hollywood, maker unknown, 85 x 73 inches. IQSCM 2012.015.0042.

What would an Academy Awards show be without the fashion on the red carpet? This piece by Jean Ray Laury takes a look at fashion design.

"Fitting Garment" by Jean Ray Laury, dated 1997,
22 x 18 inches. IQSCM 2010.014.0009.

Not to forget the men in their tuxedos, here's a Bow Tie pattern quilt from the Ardis and Robert James Collection:

Bow Tie by Ervin Hochstetler, probably made in LaGrange County,
Indiana, dated 1947, 82 x 71 inches. IQSCM 1997.007.0129.

The first Academy Awards were held in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Though the hotel was named after President Theodore Roosevelt, we selected a Roosevelt Rose named in honor of his distant cousin President Franklin Roosevelt.

Roosevelt Rose, maker unknown, probably made in Missouri,
circa 1934, 82 x 67 inches. IQSCM 2005.048.0001.

We'll finish this Oscars quilt tribute with a California Star quilt from the Linda and Dr. John Carlson Collection to celebrate the stars gathering in California this weekend.

California Star, maker unknown, possibly made in Pennsylvania,
circa 1890-1910, 79 x 73 inches. IQSCM 2004.016.0024.

Public Lecture - "The Importance of Being Ernest" by Jonathan Gregory

Earlier this month, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions Jonathan Gregory gave a public lecture about Ernest Haight. Ernest was a Nebraska farmer, trained engineer, father, husband, son and legendary quiltmaker.

Ernest generated quite a buzz in his day - and not simply because he was a man making quilts. His techniques innovative techniques and bold - and often surprising quilts - drew plenty of attention.

Jonathan, who curated our exhibition “The Engineer Who Could: Ernest Haight’s Half Century of Quiltmaking,” drew from extensive study of Haight’s quilts, correspondence and diaries for the talk. Thanks to generous support from Humanities Nebraska, we're able to share that lecture with you here.

You can also learn more about Ernest's life, family, innovations, style and legacy by watching this series of videos:

You can learn more about Ernest by viewing the online exhibition on our website. 

Roses are Red...

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! Instead of writing a poem or sending all of you chocolates, we thought we'd send you some flowers. Quilt flowers.

Enjoy taking a look at a few of the quilts from our collection that prominently feature flowers in their designs. You can search for more on your own by visiting our website and selecting "Search the Collections."

Pots of Flowers, maker unknown, possibly made in Holmes County,
Ohio, circa 1915-1935, 85 x 72 inches. IQSCM 1997.007.0558.

The Pots of Flowers pattern from the Ardis and Robert James Collection is an Amish quilt that is based on a kit that was widely circulated from the 1920s to1950s. It is rare, because Amish quiltmakers seldom used applique.

Rose Bower made by Rose Modjeska, probably made in
Downer's Grove, Ill., circa 1935, 85 x 72 inches. IQSCM 1997.007.0638.

From the Ardis and Robert James Collection, this quilt's pattern appeared in the Chicago Tribune in 1935. Rose Pagers Modjeska was born and raised in Chicago. According to her grandson, Rose and her sisters would occasionally move the dining room furniture to set up a large quilt frame to work. He recognized this quilt as one she made with the help of her sisters.

Prairie Rose, maker unknown, possibly made in Indiana,
circa 1935, 92 x 90 inches. IQSCM 1997.007.0820.

Prairie Rose, from the Ardis and Robert James Collection, is also known as "California Rose." It appeared in "The Patchwork Book: The Women's World Service Library," from Manning Publishing Co. This quilt features exceptional feather quilting, which unfortunately isn't visible in this photo.

Whole cloth, maker unknown, probably made in Marseille, France,
circa 1830-1850, 60 x 54 inches. IQSCM 2005.018.0009.

From the Kathryn Wilson Berenson Collection, this Provençal wedding quilt was made circa 1825-1840 in the broderie de Marseille technique. The small floral nosegays include lilies, tulips, roses and marguerites or daisies. Fruit forms, symbolizing prosperity and fertility, include grapes, cherries, pears and pomegranates. The border holds garlands of leaves and flowers, with each corner marked with a kashmir cones formed with puffed center and outlined in corded puffs and rosemary sprays. It comes from the same atelier as a wedding quilt in our Byron and Sara Rhodes Dillow Collection.

Wreath of Roses, maker unknown, possibly made in Indiana,
circa 1930, 60 x 84 inches. IQSCM 2006.043.0042.

Wreath of Roses, from the Ardis and Robert James Collection, is a 1930s Marie Webster kit purchased from her Practical Patchwork Co. It features six repeated floral ring motifs with eight segmented roses each and an art deco scallop border.

As an added bonus, here's a Valentine-themed paper quilt you can print out and color:

We'd love to see your finished product. Snap a photo and post it on our Facebook page or send us a tweet on Twitter.

Quilt of the Month: February 2014 - Star Puzzle

This month, we wanted to showcase one of the masterpieces from the Robert and Helen Cargo Collection.

"Star Puzzle" by Nora Ezell is a variation on a Blazing Star pattern.

"Nora Ezell (1917-2007) made many versions of this pattern, which she called "Star Puzzle," starting in the 1970s and into the 1990s.  Among the best known late twentieth-century southern African American quilters, Ezell's work has been in numerous exhibitions; she won an Alabama Folk Heritage award in 1990 and an NEA National Heritage Fellowship in 1992."

- World Quilts, "The American Story"

The International Quilt Study Center & Museum is fortunate to have seven other pieces made by Ezell in our collection. They include...

Cathedral Windows, variation
Made in Eutaw, Greene County, Alabma
Dated 1985
90 x 70 inches
IQSCM 2000.004.0026

"Everybody Quilt"
Made in Eutaw, Greene County, Alabama
Dated 1985
97 x 90 inches
IQSCM 2000.004.0031

"Gambler's Dream"
Made in Eutaw, Greene County, Alabama
Dated 1995
101 x 71 inches
IQSCM 2000.004.0025

And more. If you would like to see more of the Nora Ezell quilts in our collection go to "Search the Collections" and type "Ezell" under "Quiltmaker."

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• Quilt of the Month: January 2014 - The Reconciliation Quilt