A Mix of Old and New(ish)

Editor's Note: To celebrate the grand opening of the newly expanded Quilt House gallery, International Quilt Study Center & Museum team members are blogging about pieces in the gallery's inaugural exhibition, "Getting to Know You."

Whole cloth, maker unknown, circa 1890-1910,
made in Turkey. IQSCM 2010.045.0012.

By Carolyn Ducey
Curator of Collections

I love fabrics. I love quilts too, but it is the fabric themselves that call to me. This piece is block printed with a turquoise design reminiscent of an early Indian paisley. The fact that it was made in the twentieth century, with a technique that has been used for centuries is amazing. It tells me that traditional ways still have life and are still appreciated in their communities. This Anatolian variation is done in two halves that, when sewn together, make a whole cloth quilt.

Maybe that’s a part of the appeal of this quilt as well… I never could make seams match or corners sharp. I like the idea that the medallion, in its contrasting blue and yellow colors, the paisleys printed in the body of the quilt and the design of the outer border are complete – the only thing needed is to stitch the batting and backing together and you have a striking, warm, beautiful quilt. That’s my kind of piecing!

Black and Blue

Editor's Note: To celebrate the upcoming grand opening of the newly expanded Quilt House gallery, International Quilt Study Center & Museum team members are blogging about pieces in the gallery's inaugural exhibition, "Getting to Know You."

Checkerboard, maker unknown, made in United States,
circa 1800-1820. IQSCM 1997.007.0376

By Carolyn Ducey
Curator of Collections

This quilt calls to my heart. There is something so dramatic about the blue and black squares on point that I love. Rich, dark, pulsing… But then, you notice the candy cane outer border. The turquoise blue is just the right shade lighter than the center blue, so it adds a flash of color. The pale pink, in parallelograms that point upward, literally pushes your eye back to the quilt – a remarkably effective design element. Then, when you think you’ve seen it all, look – the maker brought the three border colors used together in the bottom center. Aaaaah, it just literally makes my eyes happy.

And, if you are lucky enough to have worked with this quilt, you know that is it composed of wool, some loosely woven but fused to create a luscious shine. The light plays with the designs the quilter used to join the layers… carefully crafted floral patterns.

I want to hug this quilt  – even though it is a bit stiff and scratchy. I want to wrap myself in this particular woman’s vision and just feel her creative  spirit for a moment. Wow.

A Visit to the University of Alberta

By Carolyn Ducey
Curator of Collections

Last week I was honored to be invited by the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta to speak about my research on quilts made by the Evangelical Sewing Society of the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia – a small part of my dissertation research. Like I told the audience, being asked to talk about your research is like someone sincerely – really! – requesting you show your vacation photos… Such an indulgence!

Lori Moran, Vlada Blinova and Rebecca Blakey made me feel so welcome. They graciously showed me around the University and Vlada gave me a personal tour of their clothing and textile collection. I kept my hands in my pockets the whole time… I wanted to reach out and touch the gorgeous chintzes and woven brocades, stroke the exquisite velvet shoes and the feathered hats. You know I know better, but it was almost irresistible.

I wasn’t aware that the evening of my presentation was also the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences College. That put a little more pressure on… I have to say I was a bit more nervous than usual when speaking! Lots of really smart people in the audience with a wealth of information. Lots of quilters too – and they had such thoughtful questions after I finished.

I also really enjoyed the impromptu exhibition of quilts made by the Edmonton Quilt Guild. They went to so much trouble to make the night special and I was overwhelmed to be a part of the celebration.

The Human Ecology department at the University of Alberta and the IQSCM have a lot in common. We both are devoted to the preservation and care of textiles and quilts, because we realize they have such rich stories to tell. We both take our mission seriously – to instill the same sense of delight we feel about marvelous textiles to future generations. Visit our websites, check out our exhibitions, read our publications – I promise you’ll be hooked too!

Additional Links:
International Quilt Study Center & Museum
University of Alberta Museums

Greetings from Austin

By Carolyn Ducey
Curator of Exhibitions

Hello from QuiltCon, in Austin Texas!

Wow, Day One has my head spinning. Yesterday morning we went to the presentation of awards. It was so much fun seeing the winners reactions--jumping up and down, screaming, even crying. They were so happy and proud. It was inspiring, but I'm afraid after seeing the quilt made by Mollie McMahon, a 9-year-old Australian girl, the winner of the Youth category, I'm also really intimidated. Her piece is definitely on my list of favorites.

Next we toured the quilt exhibition. International Quilt Study Center & Museum Executive Director Leslie Levy and I wandered for hours checking out all of the amazing new work done by the members of the Modern Quilt Guild.

Here's Leslie looking at one of the
quilts in the exhbition.

I love the Guild's approach to quiltmaking--simple dynamic shapes, bold new colors, and adaptations of traditional patterns. Its fresh and exciting.

And, I learned something new... Have any of you heard of matchstick quilting? It's closely stitched vertical quilting that gives a heavy textural finish to a quilt... love it! (Jazz hands! That's an inside joke for our fellow attendees.)

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of old friends and going to exciting lectures and workshops for the next few days. And I hate to tell you, all my dear quilt friends stuck in the winter weather, it's sunny, warm and welcoming--70 fabulous degrees today. I'll be back soon, suffering with you, but for now, it's friends, fun and sun (and some work, really!).

I love the places the IQSCM's quilts take us!

You can read another recap of the first day on the Modern Quilt Guild's blog here.

Reconciliation Quilt Heads to NYC

If you are in New York City this summer, be sure to stop by the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library to see "Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War," which opens April 5. While the exhibition will make stops around the country during the next couple of years, for its New York debut, the show features a little something special from the International Quilt Study Center & Museum collection.

Reconciliation Quilt, Lucinda Ward Honstain, made in Brooklyn, NY,
dated 1867, 97 x 84.5 inches. IQSCM 2001.011.0001.

That's right -- our beloved Reconciliation Quilt will be on display this summer.

In honor of the show's grand opening, we asked IQSCM Curator of Collections Carolyn Ducey five questions about this quilt to explain why the Reconciliation Quilt is so important.

What makes this quilt so special?
It's special on a number of different levels. First, its historic importance recognizing the nation's need to reconcile its differences after the Civil War. And as a personal history of the maker's life. It's also important because of the quality of the workmanship and artistic detail... It's an extremely important representation of American folk art.

What's something that might surprise people about this quilt?
You often have this impression of a quiltmaker quietly working at home on her masterpiece with children playing around her feet -- a romanticized view of her life. However, research revealed Lucinda Ward Honstain had an unhappy marriage that brought a lot of unwanted negative attention to the maker, her husband and her family. There were a lot of skeletons in the closet.

How did it get it's name?
From the block that shows Jefferson Davis reconciling with his daughter. Again, that was a misconception -- that they were separated, because of their political views. In actuality she was a young woman attending school in New York while her father was in prison. She was probably too young to have that strong of political views. They did meet up in New York after he was released from prison, but it wasn't technically a reconciliation. We learned that by reading his letters as they've been published. The letters proved he and his daughter were close and communicated while they were separated.

What is the most compelling block in the quilt?
The block with the African American figure standing in front of a man on horseback stating "Master I am Free." It's particularly interesting, because slaves were freed in New York in the 1830s, so she really was making a statement about slavery and the state of the nation as a whole.

What's something you uncovered while you were studying the quilt itself?
If you look at the vertical column on the right side of the quilt, there are fabrics that are not used in any other part of the quilt. Though the sashing is the same, it looks like that last column was added later, which throws off the balance of the center block. Maybe she needed a wider quilt for her bed. We don't know.

"Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War" will be on display April 4 - Aug. 24.

For more information, visit:
Google Art Project
New-York Historical Society Museum & Library
Quilt of the Month - January 2014
Quilts in Common: Around the Globe and Across the Centuries
World Quilts: The American Story