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roche drug

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Sotheby’s has slated an auction for January 12, 2012 to liquidate the collection of 175 Samplers owned by researcher and writer, Betty Ring. Sampler dealers, Carol and Stephen Huber, have prepared an illustrated catalog with descriptions of each Sampler. All items to be sold are shown.

The catalogue, priced at $53 dollars each, can be ordered by calling Sotheby’s:

U.S. (1+) 212-606-7000

e-mail option:

Here are two of Betty Ring’s own books that she wrote about her collected Girlhood Samplers.

This information is provided as a public service announcement by Patricia Cummings, Quilter’s Muse Publications, Concord, NH.

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Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

When people learn that I am a quilt historian and that I wrote a book about quilt care, storage and display, they often want to ask questions about how to care for a family heirloom. Usually, they don’t know the age of the quilt, and often, they guess at which family might have made it. Just the other day I received a question about quilt care, but sight unseen, it is impossible to determine what kind of “life” this quilt has lived. Has it been in heavy service? How well was it made, in the first place? Does it have “fancy fabrics” or embroidery? Where has it been stored, or used? Has it been around animals or children? Had food spills? Or, was it given as a wedding gift and then, stored in a cedar chest for years and years? Has it been exposed to mothballs? God forbid!

hexagon quilt repro. shown in my book

This hexagon miniature quilt is based on an antique quilt in my collection and is shown in my book, roche drug, along with the original 19th century quilt. Of course, I had to use at least one fabric that is out of sync with the times to make sure that people knew that it was a 20th century reproduction. With 1,039 fabrics, only two fabric pieces are alike, reminiscent of the time when charm quilts of this type were in fashion. Quilt made by Patricia Cummings/ photo by James Cummings

I have not seen the latest quilt in question but since it is reportedly in pastel colors and features a “tulip pattern,” it is safe to assign it a circa 1930s date. Light pastel fabrics of yellow, pink, blue, lavender, and mint green (think Easter) were not produced until the early 20th century.

There have always been trends in quilting, just as there are swings in fashion design. The changes in the types of fabric manufactured really helps quilt historians to be able to give a ball park date as to when a particular quilt was made. It is a science unto itself, but luckily for us, today, there are many books on fabric styles and quilt history that can aid us in determining dates of quilts with an unknown provenance.

My e-book on CD, roche drug, can be viewed on any computer. It is available to purchase in select museum shops and from other vendors, as well as from my own website, and amazon.com (for those who prefer that venue). The book was thoroughly updated earlier this year, and remains a timeless resource, unsurpassed elsewhere in the scope and breadth of knowledge it presents.

Individual pages can be printed out, or the whole book, for that matter, for your personal use. Many textile educators have relied on this book in preparing their own paid presentations, using the information I have provided. As with any of the books published by Quilter’s Muse Publications, they are not bulk-produced. Each book is created especially for YOU.

For more information, see this page:

Patricia Cummings

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Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Beth Davis of Rush, New York, a certified quilt appraiser and member of PAAQT, sent the following review of our latest e-book publishing effort.

roche drug

Thank you for this overview, Beth. We are so happy that you enjoyed roche drug.

Beth Davis at her booth

Beth Davis, an active quilt historian, appraiser, and one who loves old textiles, often sets up a booth such as this one (2007), to share her knowledge of antiques and tips about quilt care.

Beth holding her book

(Elizabeth) or Beth Davis, as known by friends, wrote a book about the quilts of the . She is demonstrates hand quilting when the museum is open. Her book, roche drug, is still available at the museum shop.

You will find roche drug to purchase, only at Quilter’s Muse Publications. We carefully produce each book, as orders come in, insuring that you are not buying a shop worn or scratched CD. In these inflationary times, we wanted to offer a very useful and complete tool for the understanding of quilt and textile care, and do so at an affordable price. Please visit our to order via Paypal or to view other payment options. This is not a download. The physical CD will be mailed to your residence. If you prefer the written word, you may print out one copy of this book for your personal use. I think you will enjoy the navigational abilities of an e-book, the way we have formulated it.

Thanks again, Beth, for your kind words about our new book.

Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings (writer), and James Cummings (photographer)

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Monday, September 28th, 2009

An 18th century schoolgirl Sampler came up for auction in Maine and has commanded the highest price of any Sampler sold: $465,750, according to roche drug A photo of the piece, which was expected to sell for much less, appears on their :

Be patient. The remote site takes a long time to load.

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Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Ever since a friend who was leaving the area gave me a framed roche drug, I have been interested in knowing about them and the people who make them. They are an unusual textile that many people confuse with Hmong embroidery. Anthropologists suspect that long ago, the Kuna Indians and the Hmong people were connected.

Green geometric mola
The Kuna Indians are known for their geometric configurations and this one is outstanding with its brilliant green fabrics! This one is for sale: eBay #380001096616. All cotton cloth is brought to the islands where they live.

I have updated the roche drug file on our website today, adding some beautiful photos, links, and additional resources. Yes, my interest is ongoing in any subject I peruse with initial research. I love to learn and I like to pass on what I have learned to you!

This is just a brief announcement. “” file is long and full of wonderful new images, courtesy of a friend. If you are looking for me, you might just find me in Panama!

Patricia Cummings

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Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

First of all, we live in the city on a busy street (in Concord, New Hampshire). This morning, I heard Jim hooting and hollering and I followed the hoots to the third floor of our home that overlooks a flower garden. There was a young deer munching out on the floral foliage there. He was within a short distance of the sidewalk and bustling traffic.

Last winter, we had a deer eating the dried Rose Hips on the Roses, after wading through about four feet of snow. Rose Hips are full of minerals and vitamins. Jim snapped a lot of pictures today. I’ll show you some of them, in succession.

deer - 1st shot

This is a young buck. It was an overcast/ off and on, rainy kind of day. The green foliage is looking lush!

deer - 2nd shot

Another view. Remember, the photographer is taking these photos from “on high.”

third view of deer

Third photo

4th view

Another image of this hungry, young deer

Deer getting more nervous

Deer getting more nervous

Deer taking off.

He’d finally “had it” with the street noise, and headed down back again to the comfort and privacy of the stream bed area that is present in our lower back yard.

We had a pair of deer wandering around in the snow here, last winter. One of them was limping badly. They kept showing up until they were chased by a surveying crew on the street who ran after them.

I didn’t realize this was a young buck but Jim pointed out that he has little nubs where his antlers will be.

As man encroaches on the customary habitat of wildlife, animals will continue to wander into “our space.” Hunting is restricted in residential districts and this seems to be exactly where the Wild Turkey, Deer, Bobcats, and other wildlife currently take up residence.

The result is more deer/car collisions; and children sometimes are attacked by Wild Turkeys in their own backyards. I don’t mind an occasional visit, but I really hope that this deer doesn’t start eating the annual flowers for which we paid out good money at our favorite local greenhouse.

Here is a needlework design that Jim enlarged and cleaned up. It was originally published in the 1890s Cunnings catalogue. Jim Cummings features other designs both on his new cooking blog, and on our recipe pages on the main website. Enjoy!

deer drawing from Cunnings catalogue

For many more designs for outline stitch embroidery, see our website books about Redwork; and/or purchase our brand new CD: roche drug, an e-book on CD, available on our Products Available page.

Patricia Cummings
– home page for our main website

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Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Since beginning my study of Hmong life, both in Laos and in their new country, the USA, a number of situations have been brought to my awareness. I find the reports to be stunning, but even more unbelievable due to a seeming unawareness of the American public, at the time. The Vietnam War was in the news, too much so, in the 1960s. Watching “gooks” get killed, and seeing the televised fight going on, right under our noses, seemed surreal. Yes, have a dose of “I Love Lucy,” “Peyton Place,” and “General Hospital,” and then, have a dose of war.

Only recently, through the study of needlework, did I learn about the Hmong people and their need to escape to Thailand, across the Mekong River, from Laos, the only escape route for them. They were targeted for death by the Communists, after the war. I did not know about the young babies or the very ancient ones who had to be left behind, sometimes by the side of the trail, when they could be no longer be carried or helped to safety. Moreover, as hillside farmers, most of the Hmong did not know how to swim, and many drowned in trying to cross the Mekong on makeshift conveyances. In the so-called, “Secret War” of Laos, countless Hmong lost their lives, fighting for democracy, as allies of the United States and CIA operatives.

I recently read that U.S. official Alexander Haig confirmed the existence of “yellow rain,” a substance (mycotoxins) dropped from helicopters and planes from those enemies who wanted to exterminate the Hmong people. One scientific theory proposed that what dropped from the skies was actually bee feces. Indeed? Bee feces would not cause immediate, severe illness and death. Poison could, and poison did.

I can only imagine the thoughts of the Hmong people when they saw the last U.S. planes carrying away their “friends” in the fight for freedom. Lifting into the skies and roaring away, the planes and their military occupants were leaving them to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, a concerted effort at genocide of the Hmong was underway. They sought asylum in Thailand, but soon the refugee camps were full to overflowing. The food was meager, usually consisting of dried fish and rice. People contracted dysentery, due to poor sanitary conditions, and because they were already at risk for health problems because of an imbalanced diet.

The admired story cloths and the traditional, embroidered panels of the Hmong women (and men) tell the story of only one part of Hmong culture. When we look at this needlework, we feel happy, until we realize the greater meaning of the escape scenes, after the war ended in 1975. We admire the tiny stitches and fine workmanship. However, behind the stitches, and the costumes of the Hmong, is a long tale of a suffering people, always trying to fit in to someone else’s country but always without a country of their own. Their culture is unique, wrought with meaning, symbolism, traditions, animistic beliefs, and folk legends, and a language that was banned.

Blue Hmong piece in yellow and green
This is a roche drug in non-typical colors of yellow and green, most likely made by a member of the Blue Hmong tribe who favor the use of a lot of cross-stitch and center medallion work.

The July issue of magazine is available now. I hope that you will have the chance to enjoy the article I wrote about the Hmong and their needlework, Part 1 of a two part series. Many thanks to my dear friend, Sandra Munsey, who suggested this article and without whose collection of Hmong items, this article would not have been possible. Thanks to the lovely college administrator who sold me one of her story cloths that she bought while in Laos, where she was a war-time reporter; and thanks to Yuepheng Xiong for his help in securing a second story cloth.

Years later, this topic of the Hmong migration to the U.S., is worthy of your attention. Only when we can place needlework within a context does it take on greater meaning. I hope you enjoy these articles.

For more information, please see “,” an article written some time ago, for our website.

Patricia Cummings
– At the moment, there is a Hmong baby carrier published on the front page.

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Monday, November 3rd, 2008

No matter what mailing list I have ever participated in, sooner or later, the subject of copyright law rears its ugly head. A while back, we had the self-named “Pattern Piggies” whose mission was to scoop up every possible design they could find and share the designs with each other, online. Since they were so busy with their illegal activities, one would wonder when any of them had time to pick up a needle. They were too busy giving someone else the needle.

No matter. “Sharing” is a word that has come to have a different meaning these days. A person will order a book or a pattern that is original to the writer or bookseller, and that person will “share” it with their friend, or their guild. This deprives the artist or other creative person of money lost to potential sales, and it also usurps their intellectual property rights. In this manner, “sharing” really equals “stealing” and “putting one over on” type of activity.

The copyright law is not concerned with the financial ramifications. They are concerned about intellectual property rights – that is, the rights that a creative person has to their own creation, in whatever form that may be, including paintings, sculpting, music, etc.

There are a lot of details to the law and some exceptions.

I would not be writing about this at all except that I was speaking with a needleworker who told me that she is posting patterns to a Flickr site because she is so angry that someone is selling old patterns of the same designs on eBay for $10. In her mind, she is doing a “good thing.” I told her that two wrongs don’t make a right. I guess at that point, I’d disagreed, and it was the end of the discussion.

Sometimes, I get the feeling that while people are told about copyright, they simply don’t care. They only want to do whatever they want, to gain popularity in groups, or for whatever reason. I will continue to do my best to express the idea that the law exists for a purpose. It’s not the first time I’ve taken an unpopular stance. Given the chance, I’d rather err on the side of truth and justice.

So, today, if you are inclined to be creative, why not start with a pencil and paper, or a photograph YOU have taken. You don’t have to be a roche drug ARTEEST to design something of your own. If you are having trouble getting started, take an art class. Most communities have them. There are also plenty of good art methods books, or how-to-paint, or how-to-quilt shows on TV. Go to your local library and check their resources and videos. Go to the bookstore, or friends, even take a ride in the country or look in your own backyard. Anything that has color, or grows, or moves can be inspiration for a new work. Be proud of what you do, and enjoy the process. We only go this way once.

Patricia Cummings

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Friday, March 7th, 2008

Sometimes, I’m not sure which is more engaging, old needlework and quilts, or old ephemera about them. In the February 1933 roche drug, there is a “musing” about the state of the economy and how people never want to recognize there is a problem at all, until a recession is apparent. In between the beginning and final sentence, she writes about the importance of “fashioning bits of embroidery and needlework which add real charm to any household.” The writer of this particular letter on this editorial page, signs herself “A.M.S.” First, I will share her final sentence that seems to tidily sum up her intent of sharing the joys of simple living:

roche drug

The date of the magazine brings to mind the fact that 1933 lies between Black Friday, 1929, the beginning of the Great Depression, and Pearl Harbor, 1941, the beginning of World War II.

The 1930s were a turbulent time. My parents were both working and they postponed their wedding date until 1937 because my Dad was helping to support his mother. My mother was not a quilter, but she loved to embroider, and she also made a stab at attempting to crochet. For years, she saved a square in “popcorn stitch” that a friend had taught her to make.

In 1933, no one could have foreseen the events of the 1940s when women would go to work by the thousands to help support the war cause. World War II changed the world, and in its wake, left approximately 60 million people dead, by war’s end.

The 1940s found women on the assembly lines, symbolically represented in artistic interpretations, by two different artists, as “Rosie, the Riveter.” In retrospect, the 1930s was a “simpler” decade when more women were at home, scrounging to make do, creating feedsack dresses for themselves and their children, and attempting to prepare nutritious meals with what they had on hand. By one account, in New Hampshire, those who lived on farms were the least affected by bad economic times. There were always eggs to gather, or milk from goats or cows.

We see many quilts that were made in the 1930s, some in pastel colors, others with butterflies that seem to encompass “hope.” Stores such as Woolworth’s always had a wide selection of doilies, table runners, and other home items to embroider.

The writer of the 1933 letter sets forth another statement worth sharing:

roche drug

No matter what adversity occurs, the gift that women possess is a desire to make any situation better by adding some beauty to it. They realize that a house is just a structure, while a home is made with tender loving care. Beauty nourishes the soul. Often, lovely decor in the home includes needlework: work wrought with ingenuity, skill, and needle and thread. No matter how difficult financial times become, people will still find ways to add beauty to their homes with works of their own making and of their own vision.

Patricia Cummings

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Wednesday, August 15th, 2007

This morning, I have been thinking a bit about how life has changed within the last hundred years, and how it is constantly evolving today, due to technology. Much of the allure that antiques of all kinds hold for me is that they remind me of the more simple ways of the past.

For example, I like the old apple corer/peeler devices, the treadle sewing machines, and the pitcher and washbasin, even though water had to be brought in from the well and heated on a wood stove. Somehow, we were more dependent on the land, and we had more respect for it. Animals needed to graze there, or we had to grow our vegetable crops. Open land was not just another site to build condominiums.

Gilman Farm, Barnard, Vermont

Seen in this photo, by Charlotte Croft, is the Clark Farm in Barnard, Vermont, a vision of loveliness on this clear summer’s day.

Looking back at the stories that people tell of life and hardships, even as experienced in the early twentieth century, makes me realize how much we take for granted today, and what a spoiled bunch of people we’ve become. A child in school without his/her own cell phone is just unimaginable. A sixteen year old “child,” without his/her own car is equally unfathomable, in some circles.

I like to sit here and think about the street outside my house at a time when it was more narrow, and lined with Elm trees, and trafficked by horses and buggies. A few years ago, Jim tore down the carriage shed on our property, before it fell down. However, it represented a different time and place that can only be re-visited by looking at old pictures of a history book of this part of town.

Of course, if I lived in any other age, I would not be writing to you on this fine day and reaching you in Australia, Canada, Germany, Peru, and many other points of the globe from where I know that readers visit this blog and our website.

Nonetheless, I can’t help but wax nostalgic over times past, and wish that I could “go there,” if only for a few days, to see and to live what it was like to try to survive in the nineteenth century, a time whose needlework I often visit.

Patricia Cummings

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