Frame Work

The main galleries of Quilt House are receiving a fresh coat of paint this winter in preparation for the grand opening of our new addition (slated for June 2015). In the meantime, we are inviting guests to visit the museum to view other displays free of admission now until the galleries reopen on February 6, 2015.

There is plenty to see and do--including trying your hand at quilting on a frame in our Reception Hall. Using a frame donated by a friend of the museum and a quilt top from the personal collection of one of our curators, a few of our staff members and volunteers went to work assembling the new hands-on display last week.

Mary Ann and Mary assembled the frame in the eye of the needle (our Reception Hall). Then removed the old denim on the stand.

Which they replaced with fresh muslin.

Then they pinned the quilt top to the muslin.

And rolled the quilt--with the help of Carolyn and Stacey--to stretch the top. Stretching the material over the frame (which can be re-rolled to accommodate the whole top) gives greater ease for quilting.

With that the quilt is ready for visitors to quilt.

We'll be sure to share updates on the quilt's progress on our social media pages.

Have any of you quilted by hand on a frame? What advice would you offer up to anyone trying it for the first time?

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.

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.

See Lincoln: Picture to Win Contest

We're excited to be partnering up with the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau and other local museums for the "See Lincoln: Picture to Win Contest."

Here's how the contest works:

1. Snap a photo at the place specified by the attraction.  
2. Go to the attraction's Facebook page and "like them". 
3. Upload your photo on the attraction's Facebook page.

Every following Monday one winner will be announced.

We will be the featured museum next week, Jan. 28-Feb. 2. We're asking visitors to snap a photo in our new exhibition, "Expanding the Collection: Recent Acquisitions." Once you take the picture, post it on our Facebook page and you're entered to win. The grand prize winner will receive a year-long family membership to the museum. You can read details about our memberships here.

To give you a photo op ideas for your own visit to the gallery, we snapped photos of a few of our team members:

Jonathan Gregory, assistant curator of exhibitions,
with "Time for Supper" by Eiko Okano.
IQSCM 2012.038.0003

Carolyn Ducey, curator of collections, with
"Cellular Structure VIII (Oval Shift)" by Sue Benner.
IQSCM 2013.047.0001

Alice Kinsler, interim executive director,
with "Event Horizon" by Joy Saville.
IQSCM 2011.005.0001

Jonathan and Carolyn with a Child's Cap,
made in Kutch, Gujarat, India.
IQSCM: 2009.052.0001

See - it'll be easy and fun. We're excited to check out the photos you come up with.

View the other museums participating in "See Lincoln: Picture to Win Contest."