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February 22nd, 2010

In this month of February, waning fast, we are in the midst of celebrating Black History Month. Joan Baez performed for the president and his wife and honored guests at the White House. She dedicated her song, “We Shall Overcome,” to the late Dr. Martin Luther King.

This year is the first year ever that I have not been hounded by students who wanted me to “summarize” my thoughts about the role of quilts on the Underground Railroad (i.e. write their papers). Perhaps the word has been passed. They’d be barking up the wrong tree.

Today, I received a note from a concerned father. His son was given an assignment, and for extra credit, he can earn a better grade by finding “additional” examples of quilts used as signal devices on the Underground Railroad. Apparently, his teacher not only believes in the fallacious secret quilt code, but also thinks that somehow, somewhere, there are more quilts to be mentioned.

The word “more” gets me, since there has not been one quilt found or documented … no, I shall not rant, I shall not rant, I shall not rant.

I will tell you, however, as I told him, I know of two recent books that mention a direct involvement with escaping slaves and quilts. Read the amazon reviews and see if you think you’d like to read these books. I mean, it’s up to you as to how you’d like to spend your money, and rather than have me dictate what you should read, I think you might be more satisfied reading these books for yourself and coming to your own conclusions!

For your convenience, here are the links where you can learn more about these books:

The book that started the controversy:

I heard from this one conscientious parent who was trying to assist his son with his homework. Don’t we wonder what else is being taught, and where, that is simply not true?

The story of Harriet Powers, or Harriet Tubman, or Frederick Douglas, or any number of other African-Americans would make such a lovely substitute for this new buy cheap generic viagra (quilt) history!

Patricia Cummings
– our main website where you will find many articles

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February 21st, 2010

For awhile, I thought I wanted to make two twin-size Signature Quilts for the guest bedroom. I began piecing some 6″ blocks, and sometimes remembered to ask visitors to sign them. In the meantime, I changed my mind on the size of the quilt and decided to make just one, a miniature, with the blocks I had on hand. I chose African-theme fabrics, as that is the basic decor of the room with lions stenciled on the walls, as well as a huge stuffed lion in the room. Many other fun accessories carry out the theme. Here is a glimpse of the finished mini-quilt:

mini quilt with African theme

African-themed miniature quilt by Pat Cummings

As you see, some of the late Laurel Burch’s cat fabric is included. I enjoyed putting this little piece together and the messages contained on the quilt remind me of the close associations I have had with the people who signed blocks. The blocks were signed in 2004. Big smile. :-)

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications where can be viewed.

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February 19th, 2010

While this post is not about gospel music, at the moment I am thinking of “Mac” McHale’s gospel tune whose words include, “Get on Board, Don’t Be Late, Get on Board, Don’t Hesitate, God’s Ship is Sailing in the Mornin’.” Have you heard the saying, “He who hesitates, loses?” Why all this talk about hesitation? Ok, here it is. Books on CD for quilters and embroiderers are the hottest trend coming down the pike. I have counted at least ten other published ones, besides the five that I offer! Ones I’ve seen advertised cover hand quilting instructions, how to do appliqué, and other topics. If you have a shop. your better informed customers will be looking for quilt and needlework books on CD. If you hesitate to stock an inventory, the sales will go to someone else.

In the past two weeks, since announcing that five of my e-books are now available in CD form, I have had a very good response, as I stated in my last post. A couple of negative responses linger on my brain, from people whom I believe did not consider the matter with an open mind. Their lack of understanding of the advantages of e-books is preventing shop managers from wanting to offer these innovative, educational, and unique products. In essence, they are cheating their clientele out of an opportunity.

In New England, quilt shops are going out of business, left and right. Some of the rudest people I have ever met “man” these shops that would presume to take money from the public, in return for “attitude.” When I am treated poorly, in a shop, my policy is to never return, and to tell all my friends about the experience. All of the aloof, disinterested, jealous, hateful shopkeepers deserve to fail at business and I am so happy when they do! Of course, the idea of owning a shop is not appealing to me. I’d rather drive a car off a cliff. It is hard work to maintain a shop, make samples, plan classes, stock inventory, go to quilt market, try to keep books on the shelf from becoming dog-eared, mangled, sneezed on, etc. by the public, and keep both hired help and customers happy, I assume.

Statistics show that the majority of quilters have a high household income and are over the age of 55. People that age have been around the block a few times, but if they have money, they are no doubt educated, or married to someone who is educated. Quilting is a luxury hobby to most who engage in it. If someone wants a warm bed cover, a blanket would do, or a cheap, department store quilt. Making quilts today is a way to celebrate the past, a subject that my books all re-visit! Quilting is about beauty, continuity of tradition, and the satisfaction of creating something wonderful -by yourself!

Quilters have discretionary money for fabrics, threads, machines, classes, trips overseas, retreats, magazines, and … books! I’ll speak for myself. I love books and I want to see, if not read, cover to cover, every quilt book “with content” that comes down the pike. Someone mentions a new quilt history title, and I’m right there, ordering it. Then again, I am an educated woman and intend to keep learning until the last gray cell is non-functional.

This weekend, I hope to do some quilting! Seems like a good time to think about designing a small project with some great, intrinsic meaning! I love combining the cerebral with the artistic (left and right sides of the brain!). I hope that you all enjoy your weekend. “Get on board, don’t be late … don’t hesitate. God’s ship is sailing in the Mornin’!”

Patricia Cummings

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February 19th, 2010

We went on a lunch date today to Bertucci’s, an Italian restaurant in Nashua, that has an excellent array of food. A large bowl of salad is brought to the table. It has Black olives (my favorite), small plum tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and cucumbers, a wonderful dressing, and lots of parmesan cheese intermixed. That, and hard rolls, hot from the oven, are a nice start to the meal.

For an entreé, I selected brick-oven baked, “Lasagna Rustica.” It was delicious, if not a little too well done around the outer edges. That was ok. I only had room for about 1/2 of it, anyhow. Jim had a pasta and chicken dish that I could pronounce, in seeing it, but do not recall now. We both chose Raspberry Ice Tea as a beverage. Everything was exceptional. this was an unusual splurge for us. Every now and then, we do something special for absolutely no reason at all, except, in this case, we were on an errand in the city.

The restaurant was full of people, as were other places we visited. That has been the rule of thumb. People are in lines to fill up at gasoline stations, and customers are shopping and spending. In my own business, I’ve seen a sudden upsurge of orders from stores who want to carry my products (books on CD) and are ordering them by the dozens. Everyone keeps talking about the recession that supposedly, we are undergoing, but I have yet to see the results of that, at least not in New Hampshire.

The hardest hit part of the nation seems to be Detroit. Perhaps it is the diversity of the products made in New Hampshire that is making the difference. First of all, we are a tourist state, in any season! Right now, the skiers are here, but soon, there will be the beach goers, the mountain hikers, the people who make shopping a second career, and those who love to visit museums.

The state of New Hampshire has no sales tax (shhhhh), we are tolerant of gays (apparently, since the first gay Bishop in the Episcopal faith is from NH), and we sell unique products such as Maple Syrup. We have priceless indoor and outdoor museums, the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord, NH, The Currier Art Museum in Manchester, and the SEE Museum (for Children and kids-at-heart) in Manchester. We have places to go bike touring, fishing, and we even have places where you can “hug a tree,” if you’re so inclined, as well as lots of opportunities for bird watching and outdoor photography.

If I didn’t already live here, I’d come for a visit! However, buy cheap generic viagra, I hardly ever want to leave. Occasionally, I’ll force myself into foreign territory (Massachusetts), or enjoy myself by heading north to Vermont and Maine! Yes, I prefer life in the slow lane. Yes, I like turtles.

Now, that I’ve advertised my state in an unabashed manner, and stated my preferences, in the same way, I will leave you to ponder when your trip to New Hampshire will be. No, we are not in a recession in NH, and we’d like to keep it that way! New Hampshire history appears in some way or another in all of my e-books. What are you waiting for – a written invitation? Well, now you have it. :-)

My picks for best New Hampshire quilt shops are “Quilted Threads” in Henniker (“the only Henniker on earth” – west of Concord, NH), and “Keepsake Quilting” in Centre Harbor (north of Concord, NH).

Best,

Patricia Cummings

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February 18th, 2010

Tonight, my thoughts turn to the subject of news and how and when it is received. Every night, we faithfully turn on the Evening News – it is usually a pointless exercise. The media stretches to find a bit of “sunshine” to add to the other dire and dismal news. Pills that are prescribed to be helpful are found to harm or actually kill people. There are tsunamis, earthquakes, despot leaders flaunting their new found power in having nuclear weaponry. We see desperate, battered people, broken by poverty, by disease, by war, and even by their own families.

In early days, when messages were delivered via ships, or in a bottle, life must have seemed to be more sane and more calm, and perhaps, even a tad more worth living. In today’s world, of angry people smashing their planes into buildings, of corporate monsters who can’t get enough until they perceive themselves to have it “all,” and of the high level of competition in every facet of work … and play, it is hard to find the good that is presumed to be present in every human soul.

I long for a time, long past, of LESS communication. The very people I want to hear from, don’t send a peep. I do receive personal intrusions into my life via illegitimate phone calls that try my patience and eat up my time. There are a lot of buy cheap generic viagra out there pretending to be the local fire department or police (like who wouldn’t trust them?) or some charitable cause. Why, I even had someone posing as a Catholic priest. His brogue was a little too phoney and what he said did not add up. The thing about being a good liar is one has to have a terrific memory to go along with the habit.

Any news worth knowing hits the Internet more quickly than anywhere else. I reiterate my thought: I relish the old days when I knew less of what was happening in the world. The idea of being a World Citizen is becoming less and less appealing. If I can manage to make it from one end of the day to the other without too much pain in between, I call it a “good day.” As Marie Antoinette said, “Let them eat cake.” I know what she meant. If you don’t, then look up this fascinating tidbit of history. It might be a superior task than ingesting the latest tragedy buy cheap generic viagra.

P.S. Jim tells me that I misspelled the word “scheisters.” He is right, of course. Somehow, the German root of the word and the corresponding verb do have more of a ring and meaning than the tamer spelling, “shyster.” Am I showing my Austrian heritage?

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

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February 18th, 2010

We had an amazing bird sighting here yesterday. A whole flock of Robins landed on the snow in our yard and were flitting back and forth to the Hawthorne bushes and their edible berries. Today, the berries are completely gone and so are the Robins! For years, Robins were the harbinger of Spring, but here in New England, many of them no longer migrate out to somewhere else. Instead, they hide in the deep woods.

In New Hampshire, there have been many more Eagle sightings than usual. Eagles are finding the habitat along the expanse of the Merrimack River to be to their liking, and many are raising eaglets there. Fish is still plentiful in the river, particularly since the campaign to clean up the river, a few years ago.

We have not seen any deer in our yard this year. I thought for sure that they would remember the nutrient-rich, Rose hips and would return in the dead of winter, as they did last year.

The woodpeckers have been our most frequent visitors at the suet feeder, and the nuthatches, so charming when standing upside down.

Soon the summer birds will be back, along with the Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds. It’s hard to think of walking barefoot in green grass, at the moment, and we still have “Mud Season” to get through, but only 10 days remain to the month of February, and that is ok with me. I should drag out my twin size quilt that needs more quilting and work on it right now, before the heat of warmer weather makes that an uncomfortable task.

Wishing you Robins!

Patricia Cummings
– our main website

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February 16th, 2010

buy cheap generic viagra, a new novel by Sarah Blake, appears to be an intriguing story, set in World War II, before America’s involvement in that war. Please view the video statement made by the author as to the backstage in which she conceived the characters of the book. At the time, she was living on Cape Cod, in a small town. Anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows the knowledge and power possessed by any postmistress there, based on the mail she handles (or mis-handles?). The plot thickens. This looks like a really good, historically-based “read,” and that is why I bring it to your attention.

Happy Reading!

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February 15th, 2010

In honor of President’s Day, Ted Zalewski, an actor who is a presenter for the Vermont Humanities Council, presented a one-man performance, impersonating our 26th U.S. President, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. The animated actor marched into the auditorium to the tune, “Hail to the Chief.” As an self-respecting politician would do, he worked the crowd, shaking hands all around the room. Supposedly, he would have kissed babies had they been present. The event was sponsored by Billings Farm & Museum, a delightful place about which we have written much on previous occasions. Attendance was by reservation only, and those who showed up unannounced were accommodated only insofar as room would allow. The auditorium was completely full!

The presenter began exactly on time, and came well prepared. Teddy Bears were placed on the stage, and one lucky girl was given one to take home. (The “teddy bear” was named after him and told the story about how this came to be). One would think that 50 minutes would be too short a time to cover the lifetime of President Roosevelt, and they would be correct, of course. Yet, Mr. Zalewski was able to impart the essence of the man: his good-natured joviality, winning smile, and fearlessness (of which he referred). His life was not without tragedy, particularly the loss of his first wife, Alice.

1903 postcard of Roosevelt family

In the postcard above, copyrighted 1903, the Roosevelt family is seen together, Theodore and Edith (his second wife), his daughter (Alice’s girl), and his five children with Edith. Postcard from the ephemera collection of Patricia Cummings.

I was particularly happy to have seen this program. Family folklore has it that my grandmother was a pastry chef in the Teddy Roosevelt household, before she married. My grandfather, I was once told, (on the other side of the family) rode with Teddy’s Rough Riders up San Juan Hill.

A quilt that I made in honor of Teddy Roosevelt and President William McKinley, whom he succeeded in office, is featured in one of my books.

Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919) is considered to have been one of the great presidents of the United States.

Today was a very enriching experience, and the program, “Teddy Roosevelt: Mind, Body and Spirit,” was a wonderful way to begin President’s Week! Many thanks to Ted Zalewski, Billings Farm & Museum, the Vermont Humanities Council, and all of the fine folks who showed up to support this kind of educational programming. We enjoyed the humor associated with the program. At one juncture, “Teddy” quoted his son as saying that he always enjoyed being at the center of attention, you know … “the bride at every wedding; the corpse at every funeral.” This is a wonderful presentation!

Patricia Cummings

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February 15th, 2010

Grandpa’s Pocketknife
By Jane-Ann Heitmueller

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Thank you, Jane-Ann. We always enjoy your thoughts through poetry.
Patricia Cummings

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February 15th, 2010

Ah, ha! I do pay attention and remember details, and I do remember Gerald Roy telling me once that any textile retains the value of its purchase price for one year after the sale, assuming that it remains in the same condition as when purchased. Roy founded the program in Paducah that trains certified appraisers. The seller in question below, bought a quilt at an estate sale, and what he really wanted me to do, as I found out, was to place a monetary value on his item, something that I leave to trained (and paid) appraisers.

Within the last several days, I was contacted by a man who said that his mother had a quilt for sale on eBay that he wanted me to view. When he did not provide an auction number, I told him that I was not going to go on a hunting expedition but if he would provide the number, I’d take a look. He wanted more information and sent additional pictures.

This is what I told him:

The cheddar color present in some of the appliqué work buy cheap generic viagra indicate a PA provenance. (Now, I see that he is from PA. What a coincidence!).

The edges have no separate binding, The way they are turned under makes me believe that the quilt was “cut down” from a larger piece.

The colors and designs are congruent with a mid-19th century piece, but not the overall size. There is no formal layout to the piece and does not appear to be that would be visually attractive, if displayed vertically.

The quilting lines were drawn in pencil, which are still visible, which may prove that the piece has never been washed (it doesn’t appear to have been).

The only unusual factor is the clock, set to 12:32. He wanted to know the significance of that. I told him that it could be a symbol related to the Biblical verse 2:32 that states that all who believe in Jesus will be saved. A total guess, it was as close as I could come to an explanation, unless the time has some other historical significance or personal meaning.

Then, he wanted to know the value. There was one bid on the table for $59.+ and the auction was almost due to end (had about 1 day left). The seller, mother or not, pulled the auction prematurely, and reinstituted it. The item has 10 bids, but look again, very closely. The bids are mostly one person bidding against himself/herself, driving up the price which now stands at $510, “reserve not yet met.” I mean, what idiot would keep bidding against himself, six times in a row, to drive the price up from $201. to $500.? This all smells like a dead fish to me. eBay auction # 160404680497.

Post note: Tonight, the price is up to $699. Wow! There is no accounting for taste, is there? The original auction had one bid. Now, it is reading “0″. This, in spite of a published note to the seller from an interested party who asked him to keep the auction in place and not to sell it, off-eBay, before the auction ended. Sometimes, I’d think I were senile or seeing things, except that 1) I am neither, and 2) I look for honesty in dealing with my fellow humans, and that, my friend, is a street that goes both ways.

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February 15th, 2010

For the past six months, I’ve been seeing and hearing a rather large bug that is kind of friendly. They sound kind of like a hornet with their loud buzzing of alarm, while in flight, but in landing on me, they never attempted to take a bite of any of my parts. I have been perplexed about them and had meant to look them up in an encyclopedia of insects.

The other day, I was vaccuming Jim’s office, much to his chagrin, as he was in it at the time. He doesn’t like his sensibilities jarred when he is trying to concentrate. However, I could see a lot of dead ladybug parts and a number of these large dead bugs. After scooping them up, I announced that I should have saved one out to mail to the Entomology Department at UNH.

He said, “Why? It’s a common leaf hopper, order Hemiptera.” He added, “I took Entomology you know, and I’m not stupid.” Ever impressed, I said, “I studied Entomology, too, the non-Science major version of it, but close to 40 years later, who would remember something like that?” Jim would.

So, now I know. What is it that these big, ungainly shield bugs are eating? Certainly not aphids on my plants? Maybe just the ladybugs that overwinter in the deep cracks of the old floorboards?

If you “Google” the word, “Hemiptera,” you will come up with lots of entries and photos, if you’re interested. The large, brown, “True Bug” is the one that is visiting us.

Every day is an opportunity to learn something new!

Patricia Cummings

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February 15th, 2010

When people are babies, the world comes to them. Babies cry and they get fed. Babies scream and they get their diapers changed. The whole world of baby revolves around baby getting all of baby’s basic needs met by acting out and demanding, and making everyone around miserable, until baby gets his or her way.

You would think that babies would grow out of that behavior. Think again. How many selfish, self-seeking adults do you know? We are all guilty of this behavior to some extent, as it is related to ego: me, myself and I.

As far as e-mails go, I have decided to stop feeling the compelling necessity to answer every question. People push and push and push, and what they are pushing is their agenda which usually involves some money-making scheme. When the word, “No,” is heard, for whatever reason, the person becomes insulting, belligerent and hateful. And, that, my friend, is the kind of thanks I’ve been getting lately for trying to play nice.

The situation goes far beyond the e-mails, however. Another professional once told me that the more you give to people for free, the more they wonder why you don’t give it ALL to them for free. I shouldn’t let a few bad actors color my thinking. I do try to treat people as I would like to be treated. For some time now, the demands of the public on my time (as if I don’t do enough) has been weighing me down. I am not an unlimited, personal, unpaid encyclopedia of knowledge.

Sometimes, it seems that I live in a world of users. I know that is a jaded way to think of things, yet, experience tells me that this statement is true. The “what’s in it for me crowd” has always been there, and always will be. I can do nothing more than to pray for the would-be users of the world, and then try my best to ignore them.

As Edith Bunker told Archie, “What was, was. What is, is. What’s gonna be is gonna be.” I have decided what is going to be from now on, and that is taking matters into my own hands. That, my friend, sums up my thoughts at 3:20 a.m. on this President’s Day. Have a good one!

Patricia Cummings
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February 14th, 2010

The e-mails start out so simply. Someone has a quilt that their grandmaw made. It has a few stains, but oh well, grandmaw didn’t weather so well either. After all, she is dead, and we don’t really know if she made the quilt, or if it was her Aunt Tizzie Lou. The notes go back and forth, me trying to be as helpful as I can, with quilt care advice, perhaps, or in identifying a style, or engaging in a rule out operation such as, “No, pastel colors were not present until the 20th century.”

Then, the real reason for the contact, heretofore thinly-disguised, is that the person wants me to put a monetary value on the item. IF same person had read my thoughts about appraisals on my main website, they would know that I don’t give a hoot for monetary assessments. Appraisal values are subjective and can be irrational, arbitrary, and are usually inexact. At the very least, they are, shall we say, fleeting? The value of anything is the actual selling price.

Appraisals must be based on comparatives in specific geographical areas, taking into account condition and workmanship, and so much more. Appraisers study intently to try to come up with a value based on reason and variables. They “study” to gain their knowledge, and they “earn” every penny they are paid. I am not an appraiser and I refuse to throw out my opinion as to values, primarily because if that sort of thing interested me, I would BECOME an appraiser (and charge for my services!).

What if I tell someone that her quilt top is worth $250. and I assume that it is in clean condition, yet, in reality, it has mold? Then, it is worth $0. and a candidate for the dump. Photos do not provide enough information, period. I’ll say it again, never try to appraise a quilt based on a photo.

The bottom line between seller and buyer is that the price is agreeable to both of the parties. If the price is not within your budget, or seems outlandish, just walk away. There are plenty of sellers with high-end prices and stars in their eyes, and their quilts linger in inventory forever.

In my early years of collecting, I bought some items that I wish I had not, carried away at the moment. In one case, I did not even look at the whole piece, a ruffled Redwork quilt. The Turkey Red color ruffle is completely torn away from the seam for a great distance,and I have no idea how to fix it. The old fabric is faded and brittle and has been washed, again and again. Any value the item had went bye-bye, when the damage was incurred.

After receiving and answering an onslaught of questions from some guy who promised to buy a book of mine, his next to the last e-mail was, “What is the value?” I said I don’t do appraisals. In the next e-mail, her referred to me as “ma’am,” (you just gotta luv it), and said he’d buy a book elsewhere. I should have seen that coming, but didn’t!

In the future, my mantra will be: “Want to know about quilt care?” = “Buy my book.” “Want to know more about textiles?” = “Buy my books.” Read my articles in magazines and on the web!

I’ve been used one more time. Now my brains are picked clean. There is nothing left. Whatever thoughts I have had remain in written form. buy cheap generic viagra.

Patricia Cummings, quilt historian who is not an appraiser

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February 13th, 2010

For information about our latest e-book offer, , please visit our website by clicking on the title in this sentence.

This is the 5th CD we have prepared. Three cover instructions for Redwork, Redwork history in both Europe and America, and many designs and applications. One book contains everything the homeowner needs to know about the care of quilts and other textiles, and the last ebook is a comprehensive look at the life and times (and works) of Ellen Webster, a New Hampshire quilt historian in the early 20th century.

Patricia Cummings in NH,

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February 13th, 2010

For those of you who did not receive the news already on my personal or fan facebook pages, I have started a group called, “.” This group will cover a broad area of interest. Any material item that you own and would like to discuss would be good fodder!

For the longest time, there was an object in my home, in the cellar. It was metal, and opened and closed. I had no idea what it was until my husband explained that in “the old days,” ladies would save their precious scraps of soap. After all, they had laboriously made the soap! The chards would be collected and put into this ball-shaped, wire receptacle to swish through the water when washing delicate pieces of laundry. That made a lot of sense and was something I never would have guessed on my own!

Think about joining us!

Patricia Cummings

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