Latest Changes around the quilt lab

Here is the office area.  I love to mix old and new.

Antique ironing board and a nice view out the window.

Shipping area, oops, somebody needs to clean up that mess.

Latest display of my little quilts in the yardstick gallery.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

A visit to Newark

My husband and I drove up to Newark, NJ today to see the quilt exhibit at the Newark Museum.  And yes, he looked at the quilts with me.  No photos allowed and no exhibit catalog or book of the museum's quilt collection to share.

Above is the flyer describing the exhibit with a small portion of an antique red and white delectable mountain quilt shown along the bottom.  There were about 15 antique quilts on display, plus some contemporary quilts, and they were all gorgeous.  The museum boasts a large quilt collection, but they do not have a recent book of their collection.  They must get a lot of questions about a book, because they had a statement posted saying they just don't have the funds to produce a book.  

We also wandered through other parts of the museum and were quite impressed with their collections.  They have a restored Victorian house attached to the museum--the Ballantine House--they were not poor Victorians so it was gorgeous.  

The quilt exhibit ends tomorrow.

I had never heard of the Newark Museum before the quilt exhibit. It was worth the trip.

www.newarkmuseum.org

Pennsylvania Fraktur Quilt

It is that time of year again.  Time to open up blanket chests and quilt cupboards and rediscover some of my treasures.  I came across this one yesterday.  It is signature quilt with writing done in the German fraktur style script.  (fraktur=fractured)

This quilt has 13 name blocks.  The center block is Mary J. Auer,  The script is slightly fancier on this block, and the fact that it is in the center, leads me to believe this was made for Mary.  It is not dated, but based on other examples I have seen, as well as the fabrics used, I would date it to ca. 1850-1870.

Some of the other names include Amanda Schafer, William Deibert, William Auer, Priscille Steward, and Ruben Steward.

 The back.

 The X is sewn down by machine.

One of my many future projects will be to research the names on the quilt to find out where and when it might have been made,

Here a couple other treasure I found that I have listed for sale on Etsy, which, by the way, has been successful for me.  I thank everyone who has browsed and/or bought items and those who may have passed the link onto a friend.  I appreciate it!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my blogging buddies.

Chester County, PA Historical Society Needlework Exhibit-A Must See!

Yesterday I visited the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, PA.  I have been here before for quilt exhibits.  Currently on display is a large collection of samplers and other needlework.  Many were done at the West Town School, a Quaker school.

The most fascinating items to me were the needlework globes.  They were used as a way to teach needlework, geography, and astronomy.  Most are the earth but one on display was a celestial globe. These are extremely rare items.  There is a combination of stitching and inking to draw and label the continents.  Lots of details, these works are really amazing.

There were other related items on display.  Sewing roll-ups, sewing bags, pillowcases and linens.

Hopefully these photos will give you incentive to take a trip to West Chester, PA.  There are probably 150 samplers on display.  If you are local, you gotta go!
I picked up this book in the gift shop.  Very nice book about quilt documentation in Chester County.  Lots of photos.

Interesting new doll quilt

I recently received this antique doll quilt that I won in an on-line auction. It is not a perfect piece, with some fabric loss, but is an interesting piece.

Here is the front, which is what I could see in the auction photo.  The half square triangles are about 1/2 inch in size.  You can see a little Prussian blue, some green and a touch of cheddar.  Some of these fabrics date to ca. 1850, but others appear to be late 19th century.  I would date the piece to around 1890.

The front is all I could see in the on-line auction, so when I received the quilt and looked at the back, I had a nice surprise.  A date in cross-stitch, 1892.

The back is a crazy quilt piece with much of the silk fabric lost.  From what I can read, it says

 aged 68?? (the 8 is clear to me but what do you think the other number is?) 1892. 

 Hard to see in the fuzzy photo, but there is white cross-stitch that says To Ebbie.  Also on the blue piece on the left it looks like Vt. (vermont?)

 On this black and white fabric I can make out the word Mother.  There is another word that might say "from" but I can't really be sure.  So did Mother make this for Ebbie in 1892?  Was mother 68 at the time--doubtful.  Unless mother was grandmother.  Or maybe Ebbie was 8 in 1892 and the figure bfore the 8 is not a number

First vacation chore complete

I just finished listing a bunch of quilts, quilt tops and blocks in my Etsy Store, including those shown above and below.

VACATION! almost

Monday is my last day of work for the year!  It would of been this past Friday, but I forgot to account for my son's wisdom teeth surgery, for which I had to take the day off.  He had a 5th tooth that had to be removed in addition to the 4 wisdom teeth.  What an over-achiever!  He did well; I nearly passed out as I watched the post-op nurse remove the iv.  Why did I look?  Things like this never used to bother me, but the older I get the more squeamish I get.

Anyway, with vacation days looming, I am planning special things to do, along with quilting, of course, and mundane, though satisfying chores, like cleaning and home repairs.  My quilt buddy and I will be going to West Chester Historical Society to see a needlework exhibit.  My husband and I will take a road trip up to Newark NJ to see the quilt exhibit before it closes at the end of the year.  He is my driver (I hate the NJ turnpike) and will be rewarded with a nice lunch.  I wonder if he will look at the quilts with me?

I am also hoping to read all the references I tracked down on PA pillowcases. 

Another Christmas-time Quilt

Another of my favorite quilts to hang at Christmas time.  I love the crossed tulips in the corners.  Dates to ca. 1850. 

Another little display in a corner of the same room.

My Etsy Store is finally filled!

UPDATE:  finished adding items for today and already sold some!!!  Thanks!!!!

My Etsy store is now populated with some vintage and antique textiles.  There is more to come, but here are a few photos of what I have listed so far.  Visit www.etsy.com/people/annhermes1

Having a great time...decorating

This past weekend I pulled out the Christmas decorations and had a great time arranging and rearranging.

 Living room.  Rug by Joanne, www.snippetsandscrapsandpieces.blogspot.com.

 My new doll bed, which I love, decked out in antique linens with redwork accents.   (for info on the bed, see Kathy's blog, A Sentimental Quilter)

 Another doll bed, with doll pillow, apron and bonnet.

 Front hallway, rug by Annie Hayes, www.anniehayesrugs.com.  Pinkeep by Lori www.homespunprims.blogspot.com.

 Living room.

 Quilt lab.  Angel by Barbara Stein.

 Carolina Lily quilt in the living room.  Check out the fantastic quilting.  Dates to ca. 1850.

Quilt top fragment, makes a nice wall hanging in this spot.

 Crib quilt, ca. 1850, hanging in the quilt lab.

 Ooh, look at those turkey reds.