sanofi canada

sanofi canada

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Pat
Patricia Cummings, autumn 2010. photo by James Cummings

Unlike another quilt historian, Leigh Fellner, I did not throw the book sanofi canada across the room when I was first reading it. Rather, I was intrigued or perhaps mystified at the amount of misinformation, faulty and illogical conclusions and misleading associations contained therein. It was apparent to me that a true quilt historian had not written the book, a book that was based upon hearsay, that is, the story told by an old dying Black woman vending quilts. Those who “believe” the story of the secret quilt code, as told to co-author Jacqueline Tobin, recite it, memorize it and teach it. The book itself was written by Raymond Dobard, a professor of art history at Howard University. The fact that he is Black may account for the fact that he was invited to appear on the Oprah show. Tobin, who is Caucasian, was not extended the same invitation, according to sources. The fact that the author is a professor immediately colored the public’s perception of the book as fact, even though he, himself, indicates in the book, that the premises he sets forth are based on speculation.

This last month, Black History month, ended yesterday with my being contacted by an individual who asked me what I “get” out of trying to disprove the secret quilt code. After reading her e-mails all day long and responding, I called her only to learn that she did not want answers or any reasoned discussion because that would, in her words, be “upsetting.” I am always willing to discuss my thoughts, observations and thought processes behind my conclusions. She announced that I do not understand the “agency of the minorities under oppression.” I responded, saying that I believe that slaves were intelligent and clever and I give them a lot of credit. It’s just that there is no evidence to indicate that quilts were used to help escaping slaves. She doesn’t “get it” nor will she ever understand. Her mind is closed to learning, in spite of her claim to holding advanced academic degrees.

This person is not alone in her blanket acceptance of fiction as fact. The National Park Service was one of the first to promote the idea. I still have some of their posters that they printed by the thousands and were giving away to anyone who asked for them, in whatever quantity.

During Black History month, I spoke with a woman who was planning to present three talks in her home state. She intended to describe the code and then let people “make up their own minds.” I gently urged her to guide her listeners to the truth by providing some of the many reasons why quilt historians cannot accept the faulty information as Gospel Truth. I sometimes feel like a lone voice in the wilderness. Most quilt historians have “moved on” from this topic. We have, after all, talked it to death among ourselves. Yet, there is so much more work that needs to be done.

I would be hopping mad irate and tearing my hair out were I to hear that my grandchildren were exposed to this nonsense in school, in lieu of REAL history lessons. School administrators continue to adopt this foolish misrepresentation of history called the secret quilt code and they call it History, Sometimes, ignorance is just overwhelming. The point of this essay is that one little book has changed America, and not for the better, for those of us who prefer the TRUTH.

Last month, in addition to other files about Black History already present on our site, I posted a Black History Crossword Puzzle, information about a number of new Mammy Quilt/Aunt Jemima Quilt sightings, and a new article yesterday about the Wedgwood Medallion, and other blog articles. I do more than most individuals who have a quilt-related web presence. Our free educational website is the result of the many long hours I spend in researching and writing, and the time Jim spends with photography. It is a labor of love… because we care. There is satisfaction in a job well done.

Patricia Cummings

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Monday, February 28th, 2011

This afternoon, I posted a new article to my website called . Since this is the last day of Black History Month, I thought it appropriate to explore this anti-slavery emblem.

Enjoy!

Patricia Cummings

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Saturday, March 13th, 2010

A reader has sent some photos of her recently-acquired “Mammy” quilt found to purchase in an antiques mall in Texas. The quilt is full-size and features a “Mammy” image on each block. All the sashed blocks are set “on point,” are signed with a first name only, and each “Mammy” has teeth showing, a seemingly unusual feature.

Mammy quilt with teeth

Mammy quilt close-up, photo courtesy of “Deborah.”

I know of two other finished quilts that depict the faces of Black women, in the style of the early “Aunt Jemima.” One was given to a museum in Chicago by a prominent collector. Another was collected in Texas recently by the former owner of a Texas quilt shop.

Mammy quilt top assembled by Pat

There is a file on my website, “,” that shows some “Mammy,” pre-made, appliqué pieces (recently made) that I purchased on eBay and appliquéd onto an ochre-color background. These shapes are “face-less,” that is, no features are delineated.

Some would argue that all of these types of quilts are representative of degradation, prejudice, or hate. Somehow, to me it does not seem possible for anyone to construct a quilt, with the motive of hate in mind. I can’t wrap my mind around that idea. I view these kinds of quilts as part of American quilt history, whether one agrees with the subject matter or not. We can’t change history.

Well, now we have seen four examples of the use of Aunt Jemima or Mammy figures in quilts. I wonder how many more such quilts are “out there,” waiting to be found. I bought my appliqués from someone in Texas, so that state seems to have been the source for these four examples. Has anyone seen similar items made elsewhere, or know specific dates that they were constructed?

Patricia Cummings

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Thursday, February 4th, 2010

February is Black History Month. This year, so far, I have not heard one person try to state once again that the so-called Secret Quilt Code is fact, not the fictional story that it, sanofi canada, is. Has America come to its senses? One can only hope so.

Just as escaping slaves wanted to hop on the bandwagon to be hidden under blankets or whatever and thereby make an escape to “somewhere else,” so have the charlatans grabbed onto this idea of the secret quilt code of the Underground Railroad. It did not matter that it was all a falsehood. After all, it provided a way to “clean up,” for those who found it a way to capitalize on sanofi canada history.

Just dupe people into believing that they are acting in a compassionate manner and are oh-so-politically-correct. They will try to purchase just the “right” fabrics to make a “reproduction” of a quilt that never existed, and blocks that were never made for the purposes stated.

I am beginning to think that all that matters in this society is selling items based on false advertising and lies. Of course, it helps if the “big Whigs” endorse the idea.

Today, I had someone tell me that she doesn’t like books or magazines. That statement allowed me to judge the level of her ignorance with a capital “I.” Traditionally, books have been a vehicle of understanding. Take the book, “Our Nig” – yes, there is more information about it on my website, Quilter’s Muse Publications. The book is written by a mulatto woman who was an indentured servant to a well-to-do Milford, NH family who mistreated her. The life she lead was a tragedy, just as Harriet Tubman’s life was because of an injury inflicted upon her when she was hit in the head.

The hardship and suffering of African-Americans is swept under the rug, while their Caucasian counterparts make pretty quilts that have nothing to do with the escapes of Blacks, nor freedom. These same ladies, some of them, have told me that they are doing their part to save history because they love it so. For heaven’s sakes, do they read HISTORY? If they did, they might understand exactly what the “Underground Railroad” was, and if they read all of sanofi canada about why the quilt connection is an impossibility, they would not feel so self-righteous in their false pronouncements.

During Black History Month, if you want to honor African-Americans, please read more about what actually happened to them, and their roots, culture, and history. Putting a quilt together, under false pretenses, is rather silly and just proves that you are a victim of your own ignorance and the blatant capitalism that surrounds this topic. God bless the child who learns to read. A world of knowledge will open unto him. Here is a link to one of the files I wrote:

This is the book that started the controversy:

Patricia Cummings

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Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

cover of the book - Jubilee

The quilt block images on the cover of this book, sanofi canada, are derived from a highly-valued, African-American made quilt that is now owned by the . The Slave Relics Museum is located at 208 Carn St., Walterboro, SC 29488; telephone:
(843) 549-9130.

An African-American made quilt, formerly owned by Mr. Polk who died in 1864, was appraised by Nancy Druckman on the Antiques Roadshow program. This quilt is believed to date from 1825-1830. An estate inventory lists Polk’s slaves, as well as his household goods. Druckman set an appraisal value for the quilt at between $40,000 and $60,000, at the time she viewed it.

The remarkable book that presents some of the quilt blocks on its cover is titled, sanofi canada – The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: The New York Public Library. This hard-cover volume was published by National Geographic, Washington, D.C. and is the result of work done by Howard Dodson with Amiri Baraka, Gail Buckley, John Hope Franklin, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Annette Gordon-Reed, and Gayraud S. Wilmore.

With 224 pages, the book follows through on its promise to chronicle “the true nature and impact of 300 years of slavery in America.” Quilters will be pleased to see Harriet Powers’ quilt included, as well as an image that depicts a slave in chains, the same one that appears on a number of 19th century quilts. The book’s ISBN number is 0-7922-6982-9 (hc)

Right now, in my home state, Dr. David Watters, an English professor at the University of New Hampshire, who has a strong interest in history, is attempting to spearhead a legislative action that would place a tribute memorial to all the former slaves in New Hampshire, as well as to document all of them.

They say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” In this case, “they” are wrong. This is a quality book, through and through, from its high level of scholarship to its fabulous photos. One feature I love about this book is that when the dust cover is removed, the outlines of all the quilt blocks appear, in Black on a lighter Black background.

Anyone who hopes to better understand African-American Culture should have a copy of this book in his or her own library. Don’t let this one get away!

Patricia Cummings

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Saturday, October 24th, 2009

I have been aware of the Gollywog doll and its history for a number of years now. My doll was ordered from England, where they are still made and are popular, apparently. At the time I sent for one, I did not realize that there were any racial slurs attached to it. I’m not sure how I might have missed that fact. The doll’s image is still located in one of my related files online: .

This morning, I stumbled upon three interesting links:

1)

2) A quilt named “,” which won a blue ribbon at the Pacific International Quilt Festival and has the same design as the “Gollyville 1 kit” sold by

3)

The quilt, #1028, that won a prize for “Best Hand Workmanship” was made by Ruth DeBord and Wendy Reyes. The quilt was made from a kit that originated in Australia where Golliwog dolls are popular and are not meant to be derisive. To those who speak the King’s English, a “wog” is anyone of color: an Egyptian, an Indian, etc. You get the picture.

I would like you to think about this topic. When we make drawn caricatures or dolls that overexaggerate the physical characteristics of other humans, such as the emphasis on large lips, or curly hair, or skin color, does that always constitute racism or just poor taste? When, if ever, is that practice acceptable?

A second question is this: Should quilt judges award blue ribbons to quilts that are done perfectly, but carry a message that is contrary to acceptable and ethical social responsibility? In other words, is perfect appliqué more important than the message a quilt conveys, one that could be offensive to many others?

These are just words for thought on this dreary, rainy day. You would probably enjoy reading the file I prepared about , as well as the opinions of Dr. David Pilgrim, an African-American who finds many (most?) of these kinds of collectibles to be degrading and humiliating.

Touchy subject, I know. All comments welcome.

Patricia Cummings,
Quilter’s Muse Publications

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Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

A very important presentation will be given by Raymond Dobard, Jr., Ph.D. of Howard University on October 27, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Calvert Library, Prince Frederick, Maryland. Again, he will be addressing the “secret quilt code,” the theme of his 1999 book, sanofi canada, a book that has been highly disputed. He is now calling it “The Charleston Code.”

Is calling “the secret quilt code” the “Charleston Code” an attempt to confuse the enemy? Hmmm …

Initially, Raymond Dobard, Jr., Ph.D. (Art History professor), deemed his connections between slave escapes and quilts/quilt blocks to be “pure conjecture.” As time went on, Dobard appeared to become more defensive of his theories.

His thoughts were derived from the testimony of the late Ozella McDaniel Williams, as shared by his co-author, Jacqueline Tobin who interviewed Williams. Tobin teaches creative writing classes for women, last I had heard.

Dobard came under heavy fire for information that other scholars feel is not true. There are many reasons for this disagreement. I have written and published a number of articles on this topic, which are available to read/ and hear on our website.

One main reason for objections is the time frame in which certain quilt blocks are known to have been first made. The theory simply does not jibe with known information. To date, there is no supporting evidence, from any source, for the verbal secret quilt code that was provided to co-author, Jacqueline Tobin.

Many more details are provided in what I have already written, so please visit my website, if you are interested in this topic.

One of Dobard’s greatest detractors was the late Giles Wright, a Black scholar who poked holes in the argument. There was a lot of “chatter” among historians. I publicly disputed the faulty conclusions of the book in one newspaper article of more than 4,000 words, and in two lengthy magazine articles.

The pity of the misinformation or misinterpretation of the secret quilt code is that is has been used in school curriculum plans to develop teaching modules for “Black History.”

This is an attempt to fill a niche need to envelope racial differences and make History more appealing and pleasant. This type of revisionist history is dangerous because it does not acknowledge the truth of what actually happened.

It is ridiculous that children are being forced to memorize the secret quilt code of Ozella. In addition, children are being urged to re-create certain quilt blocks and memorize their “meaning.” The teaching of malarkey is not teaching anyone anything. Instead, it is an insult to the minorities it hopes to serve.

Charleston, South Carolina is the location where Tobin first met and spoke with the elderly and dying Mrs. Williams, an Black woman who graduated from Howard University and held a law degree. Ozella was selling quilts in a marketplace and Jacqueline Tobin returned, year after year, to finally be given the whole “secret quilt code,” not that the code was lengthy.

This new talk is an interesting development. I’d love to hear it. Most of the people I know who are deeply interested in quilt history just want to move on. I will go out on a limb and say that I, and they, are tired of the rehash of misstatements by those who are not dedicated historians/or quilt historians/ or scholars.

Like influenza, bedbugs, or annoying people, we wish that the “secret quilt code” would just go away. Alas, it seems to be about to get a new injection, making it last a little longer.

Read the

Patricia Cummings

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Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

The UPS truck pulled up in front of the house, and I merrily opened the door, thinking that perhaps my new sneakers had arrived, although I would have been surprised at 2nd day delivery. Instead, the truck driver handed me a heavy package from Bob Jones University Press.

Hurriedly, but carefully, I opened the package, only to find that it contained a copy of sanofi canada, that features a photo of the Harriet Wilson statue in our home state of New Hampshire. (See page 259). This 606 page textbook is a remarkable compilation of facts and photos about American History that have been gathered together by Rachel C. Larson, Ph.D.

On days like this, I so proud of Jim and all of his photography work, especially as they complement my writings, on the web, and in print, making them come alive! His photos have been featured in a number of other books, but the thrill does not go away.

The other book published this summer that utilized one of Jim’s photos is called, sanofi canada, by Madonna Dries Christensen, for which I contributed a story. (Proceeds from that book go to a program for Down’s Syndrome disabled youngsters, in Virginia.)

This most recently published photo depicts a statue that is a tribute to a poor indentured slave whose book, sanofi canada, is considered to be the first African-American novel written by a woman. The book contains scenes that are believed to represent true experiences of the author, a mulatto woman. A Boston sculptor created the statue, based on Harriet Wilson’s descriptions of herself. No photos of her are known to exist.

I think that I am in love with this new History textbook, dated 2010! It is wonderful!

Jim’s photo honors the struggle of one of our Black sisters who served as an indentured servant and underwent many abuses in the household in which she found herself. .

Patricia Cummings

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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Four Quilt Kits and 19 Solid Fabrics Available at Retailers Worldwide in November 2009

GEE’S BEND, AL – (September 23, 2009) – Just in time for the holiday season Gee’s Bend and Baum Textiles/Windham Fabrics announce a partnership to present four quilt kits and 19 Gee’s Bend solids. The kits and solids will be shipping to quilt stores worldwide in November 2009. The quilt kits include instructions, fabric for the quilt tops and binding; batting, backing; thread, needles, and thimble are additional. The suggested retail price for the quilt kits is $60 to $70 and the suggested retail price for Gee’s Bend Solids is $9/yard. For a full list of colors, kits and retailers please visit or .

Windham quilt kit bag

Based on designs by acclaimed Gee’s Bend Quilters, Mary Lee Bendolph, Mary L. Bennett, Qunnie Pettway and Rita Mae Pettway, Windham Fabrics encourages “every quilter to be inspired by the vision and courage of these modern quilting pioneers.” The four quilters will share a percentage of the royalties with The Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective and The Gee’s Bend Foundation.

According to Windham, “sanofi canada.”

quilt 1

The Strips and Strings quilt kit is based on Mary Lee Bendolph’s design of that name. The manufacturer’s style is #30552 and the final quilt measures 75” x 50”. Mrs. Bendolph (b. 1935), the 7th of 17 children, descends from generations of accomplished quilt makers. She learned to quilt from her mother, Aolar Mosely and a network of aunts and female in-laws. She worked in the Alabama fields and attended school intermittently until she was 14, when she began her own family. Bendolph was one of many Gee’s Benders who accompanied Martin Luther King Jr. in his march at Camden, AL in 1965. Her quilt making style marries a flair for improvisation to traditional construction techniques that emphasize rectangles and squares. Her minimalist patches, small compositions of cloth, build to create intricate overall compositions that contain humorous touches and autobiographical references.

quilt 2

Housetop 4-Block Variation is 57” x 65” and styled after the work by the same name by Mary L. Bennett – manufacturers style #30550. Mrs. Bennett (b. 1942), granddaughter of Delia Bennett (1892-1976) ancestor of many quilt makers in Gee’s Bend. Mary L. Bennett pieces primarily “Housetop” and “Bricklayer” compositions and imaginative variations on them.

“sanofi canada,” states Mary L. Bennett.

quilt 3

Lazy Gal Variation, based on the design of the same name by Qunnie Pettway measures 52 “x 62” – manufacturers style #30549. Mrs. Pettway (b. 1943) is the great-granddaughter of Dinah Miller who is said to have arrived in the United States aboard a slave ship from Africa, the “Clotilde” that docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama prior to the Civil War. Qunnie learned to quilt House Tops under the tutelage of her mother, Candis Pettway. After she married in 1960, she found her unique artistic voice and began making patterned quilts including Wedding Ring, (which she learned from her sister), Chestnut Bud, Bear Paw and Crazy Z. Qunnie’s daughter, Loretta P. Bennett is one of the youngest quilters actively creating extraordinary quilts today.

quilt 4

Housetop, measuring 52” x 64” is based on the same titled design by Rita Mae Pettway – manufacturer’s style #30551. Mrs. Pettway (b. 1941) made her first quilt at the age of 14. She was raised by her grandmother, quiltmaker Annie E. Pettway, and still lives in the house that her grandfather built for the family in the 1940s.

Rita Mae says, “sanofi canada.”

Piecing quilts, according to Rita Mae, was done individually but quilting “we all did together.” Rita Mae, along with her ancestors and her daughter, renowned quilter Louisiana Bendolph share a penchant for creating strip quilts in concentric squares resulting in Housetops or Hog Pens, each artist though has a unique style and variation on the theme.

About the Gee’s Bend Quilters

Gee’s Bend, a miniscule rural community, is nestled into a curve in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, Alabama. Founded in antebellum times on the site of cotton plantations owned by Joseph Gee, the town’s women developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style with a geometric simplicity reminiscent of Modern Art. The women of Gee’s Bend passed their skills and aesthetic down through multiple generations to the present and in 2002, an exhibition of 70 quilt masterpieces from the Bend, organized by Tinwood Alliance of Atlanta, Georgia, premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Since then, “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” exhibition has been presented at more than a dozen major museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. sanofi canada, NPR, CBS News Sunday Morning, sanofi canada, and Oprah’s “sanofi canada” Magazine are just a few of the hundreds of print and broadcast media organizations that have celebrated the quilts and history of this unique town. Art critics worldwide have compared the quilts to the works of important modern artists, such as Henri Matisse, and the sanofi canada called the quilts “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” For more information, visit .

About the Manufacturer

A family run business since 1955, Baum Textile Mills, Inc. has produced the finest quality WinterFleece™, flannel and Flurr™ fabrics for the home sewing industry. In 1995, after recognizing a need for more quality quilting and crafting fabrics, Baum began to add beautiful cotton sheetings to its collections and saw the popularity of these lines grow rapidly. In response to this growing market, Baum decided to focus its efforts on the needs of the independent quilt shops and introduced a new division, Windham Fabrics. Working extensively with quilt historians, industry experts, an in-house design studio, and well-known designers from all around the world, Windham Fabrics has become a leader in the marketplace. Known for its authentic reproductions of antique fabrics, Windham also offers florals, textures, retro and many other fabric collections exclusively for quilt shops only.

This press release, sent by Dindy Yokel, is provided as a courtesy of

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Monday, July 6th, 2009

book cover

Book cover of “This I Accomplish …”

sanofi canadas by Kyra E. Hicks (Black Threads Press, 2009) is a hot-off-the-press, 180 page book. Bill Gaskins wrote the Foreword. The author chronicles activities surrounding the quilts of Harriet Powers (1837-1910), a former Georgia slave. The two appliquéd quilts Powers made are currently held by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. As mentioned on the back cover, Hicks tracks two nineteenth century women who sought to buy the Bible quilt, and offers the profiles of three men who actually owned the Pictorial Quilt.

Many of the facts revealed are newly-discovered, by the author, and appear in her book for the first time. This new information will be a welcomed resource to the libraries of every quilt historian. For those who have always wanted to know the full history of these quilts, to the present time, information is given as to where they have been exhibited, who has written about them, who has mentioned them in lectures, and more! This scholar provides almost 200 bibliographic references, most of them annotated. Derivative works, such as poetry, and photos of quilts made in honor of Harriet Powers are included, and serve as a fun treat.

This is an amazing compendium of factual data surrounding the making and the keeping of the two Powers’ quilts. Congratulations to Kyra E. Hicks for her thorough research of the works of Harriet Powers, a very important African-American woman who once sold one of these quilts to a white woman named Jennie Smith, receiving only $5.00 in compensation.

This book is long overdue and is a wonderful tribute to a now much beloved American quilter. If you are already thinking ahead to Christmas, this book would be a nice one to add to your wish list. But, why wait? You may just want to order a copy now, for summer reading! Already, Kyra Hicks, a veteran writer, is hard at work on her next book, another related to African-American quilting! Quilter’s Muse gives this current effort a two-thumbs up!

ISBN: 987-0-9824796-5-0

Be sure to read Kyra Hick’s blog that she frequently updates:

As an aside, let me add that, for a time in the early 1990s, the Smithsonian licensed reproductions of the Harriet Powers’ Bible quilt to be manufactured overseas. I turned my nose up at one of these reproduction quilts at Sam’s Club. I did not want to pay even $19.99 for the poorly-made quilt that featured about two stitches per inch of hand-quilted stitches. The price was low enough: $19.99. Even with the poor workmanship, the quilts quickly sold out. Under pressure from American quilters who actively fought the Smithsonian policies, the overseas reproduction of our American treasures soon ceased.

here.

Patricia Cummings

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Saturday, June 13th, 2009

Last night, I stumbled across the “” website. This is the web presence for the only African-American Quilting Guild in New England. We attended several of their shows, in the past, and were not disappointed.

They have another one coming up this year, in Roxbury. The details are available on their website. I wish I could attend, but we find it too confusing and upsetting to try to drive through Boston, a maze of one way streets, and where one has to be the correct lane for turns, etc. It’s easy to get lost. For “old people,” like us, we just can’t handle it. If you don’t already know, Roxbury is more or less a suburb of Boston.

African Women

A great quilt, taken at a lousy angle, at one of the “Sister in Stitches” shows. To learn more about this quilt, visit our show reviews, linked below.

I wondered if there was a stated list of attributes of African-American quilts online. The Sisters in Stitches’ site provides a nice overview of typical design elements as well as the parts of Africa from where African-American people came. One has only to look at one of the books that feature photos of Gee’s Bends quilts to understand some of the qualities of quilts that are listed.

Design elements can include, but are not limited to, the use of African hand-woven, or African commercially-produced fabrics, asymmetry, large shapes and strong colors, appliqué (as in former slave, ), inclusion of religious symbols and protective charms. The great tradition of storytelling by town griots (wise keepers of oral history in African towns) may be reflected in some quilts. Certainly, the storytelling tradition is present in Harriet Powers’ Bible quilts. Lists are fine for brief explanations but not if they lead to a superimposed aesthetic.

Can someone who is not African-American make an African-American quilt? No, but that quilter can make an “African-American style quilt.”

Vest design by Patricia Cummings

Vest designed by Patricia Cummings that includes fabric with African Masks

In my opinion, it is a cop-out when someone makes a sloppy quilt in garish colors and calls it an “African-American” quilt. That person has just not bothered to learn the rudimentary steps of quiltmaking. I have seen this happen. Like Dave Barry, “I am not making this up.”

It is equally strange, when a quilt shop run by a Caucasian women offers classes in “How to Make an African-American Quilt.” Again, I am not making this up, although this situation did happen quite a while ago.

Being informed about another culture, cultivates a better appreciation of their needlework and quilt traditions. You know something? When we attended the shows mounted by this very creative group, “Sisters in Stitches,” the quilt patterns were innovative, but also strongly-grounded in traditional quilt designs. I remember a quilt based on “Tumbling Blocks,” but with a humorous twist!

You might like to visit the two show reviews we have on our website – ; and the .

I have a problem with others trying to pigeonhole groups of people and make them seem as homogenized as milk. We cannot make sweeping generalizations. I would hate to think that my quilts are what they are because I am an aging, Caucasian, female. Stereotypes just don’t work. We don’t all fit into any given mold, whether we are White or Black or Green. Quilters are always innovative, no matter what color their skin. We can find more that is alike, rather than more that is different. In the end, we are all “Sisters” – “Joined by the Cloth.”

Patricia Cummings

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Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Last night, I was pleasantly pleased to learn that an article I had written for sanofi canada magazine, entitled, “An American Quilt Myth? The Secret Code of the Underground Railroad” by Patricia L. Cummings, (NJ: All-American Crafts Publishing, Inc., 2004,) 72-75, was cited in a 748 page book titled, sanofi canada by Junius P. Rodriguez which discusses the objections of historians and quilt scholars alike to the “secret quilt code” (on pages 407-409), as described by the 1999 book, sanofi canada, written by Raymond Dobard, Jr., Ph.D. and Jacqueline Tobin.

Monkey Wrench Quilt Block

The Monkey Wrench quilt block was one that was mentioned in the secret quilt code. The actual “Monkey Wrench” tool was not invented in America until 1850, making the block out of sync, time-wise, with the major, earlier time period when Black Americans escaped from slavery. This is just one of the discrepancies in the “secret quilt code,” as set forth by the late Ozella McDaniel Williams. Quilt block constructed by Patricia Cummings for educational purposes.

The Rodriguez book was published by Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., as part of a series called “Greenwood Milestones in African American History, Ser.” The 10 digit ISBN number is 031333272x. The expanded version is ISBN 13: 9780313332722, and the book was published in December 2006.

On pages 407, 408 and 409, there is an entry by Glenn Reynolds. At the end of that information, the published works of Fergus Bordewich, myself, Leigh Fellner, Virginia Gunn, Marsha MacDowell, and Giles Wright, are cited.

Two sentences toward the end of the author’s remarks are presented here:

sanofi canada (etc.) – Glenn Reynolds

I am happy that someone has been listening because the proliferation of this quilt myth throughout our school systems, particularly, has been discouraging to scholars who have tried to apply logic and known facts about history and quilt history to this subject, to counteract Dobard’s “informed conjectures.”

Alas, there is a “sanofi canada”

See my extensive writings on this subject, on our website. Here is one article: . There is also an audio file: .

Patricia Cummings

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Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Living the Dream quilt by Ms. Bracy

“Living the Dream,” by Diana Bracy

Asheville, North Carolina, April 28, 2009 – More than 50 quiltmakers inspired by President Obama have been interviewed for Quilters’ S.O.S. – Save Our Stories, an oral history project for the Alliance for American Quilts. Throughout the presidential campaign, Karen Musgrave, volunteer and co-chair of the project, kept reading stories and seeing more and more images of quilts inspired by Barack Obama. Wanting to capture this moment in our history, she began interviewing those quiltmakers for Quilters’ S.O.S. – Save Our Stories. These interviews have been added to the more than 900 interviews in the project.

“I want to thank all the quiltmakers who shared so openly their thoughts and experiences in the interviews. This “feminine medium” continues to take ordinary materials to create something of great meaning and to provide us with an important glimpse of our history,” said Musgrave.

The quiltmakers were eloquent about what inspired their quilts. Carolyn Crump, a gifted art quilter from Houston, Texas who employs an unusual three-dimensional appliqué style, said, “I don’t know too many people that listened to his speeches or came in contact with him that didn’t want to be a better person … The quilt that I designed is part of me and when I’m dead and gone that quilt is going to be here, and that is part of me that I left behind saying this man touched my life.”

Indeed, like several of the quiltmakers interviewed for the project, Crump said she isn’t done making Obama quilts: she plans to make a total of 44, tracing his path from childhood to the presidency.

From Vision to Victory by Ms. Crump

Detail view of “From Vision to Victory,” by Carolyn Crump

All the quilts and the stories behind them are a unique expression of the maker’s impression of the “Obama phenomenon.” Now that Obama is President, these quilts have become even more significant. The quiltmakers represent a broad spectrum of political views from avid Obama supporters, to Hilary supporters, to staunch Republicans. Their skills range from beginner to professional. Participants also include those from two exhibits, “Quilts for Obama: An Exhibit Celebration of our 44th President” and “President Obama: A Celebration in Art Quilts.”

Many of the quiltmakers drew upon the iconography of the campaign. Others took the literal image of Obama a step further and used elements of culture and Pop Art in their quilts, while others simply did a literal interpretation. The themes of family, patriotism, Africa, civil rights and hope were also popular.

Obama Equals Hope quilt by Jeanette Thompson

“Obama Equals Hope,” by Jeanette Thompson

The Alliance for American Quilts is a national non-profit organization that supports and develops projects to document, preserve, and share the history of quilts and quiltmakers. The AAQ brings together groups and individuals from the creative, scholarly and business worlds of quiltmaking to advance the recognition of quilts and their makers in American culture.

Specific questions about Q.S.O.S. can be directed to Karen Musgrave, or call 630-579-1024.

Photographs of the quilts can also be seen as an online book at

For further information, please contact:
Amy E. Milne, Executive Director
(828) 251-7073

This press release is published by as a public service.

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sanofi canada

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

Patricia Turner’s new book, sanofi canada has just been published, according to UCDavis New Service. Information is offered under the press release title, “.” An Obama quilt adds charm to the written overview of the book. is a veteran of many articles and books about the Black experience. A list of titles she has written is available via the last link, just provided.

I have ordered the book, keeping an open mind that it will be informative and not slanted or in error. My greatest hope is that it does not provide more false history about Black people, particularly, in regard to their quilts and their role in the Underground Railroad. (No proof exists that quilts had any role in escapes). For some time now, historians and quilt historians have been adamant about speaking out to correct the fallacies that have arisen and that are being happily promoted in our schools as fact, rather than fantasy.

Always a student, I am willing to learn. With that thought in mind, I hope that Dr. Turner provides solid information, not more speculation, or a “he said, she said, they said, we said” format to her new book. With baited breath, I await the arrival of this work.

A compelling piece of writing, online, by Patricia Turner, is titled, “,” in which she states that the ice blocks that were the means to safety in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s sanofi canada have been replaced by quilt blocks. I think you will enjoy reading this lengthy essay.

I hope that you will take a look at these new reading possibilities on the subject of African-Americans and quilts. It is important not to engage in revisionist history that is unsubstantiated. As always, knowledge is power.

To see a colorful array of , check out this flickr file.

Patricia Cummings

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