We are all victims of our own preconceived notions about most anything. When it comes to quilt history, we must approach it with an open mind, and bring to any study, knowledge that we know to ring true.

Due to the fact that quilts were not often marked with labels, in the past, it is often a guessing game as to which ancestor might have made a quilt. However, quilt historians can look at available fabrics, styles in vogue during the quiltmaker’s lifetime, published patterns, and other clues that help a lot to determine when a quilt could have been made.

The more family information that is available, the better.

That said, even the people who are expected to be “experts” are just willing volunteers who are new to quilt documentation, and while they do their best, their best is often not accurate.

I am thankful to see the growth of quilt history and women’s studies in the past thirty years. Those of us who are interested are digging for the “right” information to add to the mix. In many instances, even the most respected historians or quilt historians have turned out to be wrong in their hunches or guesses. With any luck, we all learn from each other. Quilt history is a worthy study and elevates common, everyday, household objects to a new level, and has engendered the remarkable transition into the realm of art quilting, a fairly new phenomena in the scheme of things.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

A few years ago, the city asked folks to divide the refuse they set out to the curb for pickup. All paper goods were to be bagged as recyclables, and empty jars and certain other items were to be held in a heavy plastic box, provided by the city. Anything else, in the way of household refuse could be bagged in plastic, and large items had to be hand carried to the Recycling Center. Apparently, there was less compliance than expected.

Now, the city has a new plan. PAYT – Pay-As-You-Throw. Thirty gallon bags will be sold at $2 per bag, and fifteen gallon bags at $1 each. The theory is that if people have to pay to throw away their trash, they will actually take the time to recycle what they can, a situation that benefits all.

Flash back to another century. My old house has stood since 1821. At that time, the owners of this house used the back banking for getting rid of their garbage. Jim had done some “digs” out back, and mainly, uncovered old bottles of various shapes and sizes. It is fascinating to imagine what kind of potion they contained. The old magazines are full of “remedies” for all of the ailments that continue to beset mankind.

Garbage is one major problem. I have a recollection of a barge floating up and down a river in New York, and having no place to leave the trash on board. The television from time to time features photos of what is really happening under the surface of the ocean, where indiscriminate people have dumped tons of medical waste, some of which has been known to wash up on beaches.

There is great talk about each of us reducing our “carbon footprint.” I believe that means reducing the amount of energy we use whose source is fossil fuels. It is politically-correct to talk about alternate forms of generating energy: recycling food oils from restaurants to run our cars, installing solar panels to heat out homes, and using wind turbines to create electricity (some bird lovers get extremely upset at the thought of the latter, as birds get caught in the blades of the windmills.

The fact of the matter is that there are too many people sharing Mother Earth, or so it seems. How many is too many? When there is not enough food or jobs or resources to sustain life, then it seems that we have reached saturation point.

As far as the environment, we can all do something, every day. On this Mother’s Day, I am thinking of my mother and her efforts to recycle. She would save egg cartons to give to nearby friends who had chickens. She saved old newspapers for the Boy Scouts newspaper collection drive (they sold the papers, for money). If she cooked a big meal, she would share some of it with her neighbors, or friends who dropped by, and the same with baked goods. She saved old bills and used the blank spaces to write grocery lists, notes to herself, telephone messages, or to scrawl numbers to balance her checking account. Clothing, in good condition, always got packed up and given to the Salvation Army.

No matter how small an effort one makes to conserve, it is, as they say, “all good.” We need to pay attention, sooner than later.

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day. Having celebrated yesterday to a wonderful lunch and gifts and most of all, the gift of my son’s time, I am all set today. You will find me quilting!

Patricia Cummings