Online since 2002. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH
Table of Contents
by Patricia L. Cummings
On the heels of just having presented their research paper, “A Blue Hills Quilt,” in Vancouver, Washington, at the American Quilt Study Group Seminar 2004, Pamela Weeks Worthen and Lorie Chase, led an all day workshop about the steps needed to research Signature Quilts. This meeting, with seven participants, was hosted by the New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord, New Hampshire, on October 26, 2004.
Many research tips were shared during the morning session. In the afternoon, the group broke into two teams and each team assessed an assigned quilt to uncover “clues in the calico,” noting each quilt’s age, condition, and patterns, fabrics, and dated inscriptions. After as much information as possible was gathered, each group shared their findings, and a plan for further investigations to reveal yet more information.
Worthen and Chase have been honing their own skills as researchers, the fruit of which is their first paper for the prestigious American Quilt Study Group's journal. They promise more journal writings in the future. Their paper was published in the annual quilt research journal, Uncoverings, and deals with a Signature Quilt made for Charlotte Hawkins of Strafford, NH.
This quilt is the only quilt with a New Hampshire provenance that is owned by the International Quilt Study Center which is located at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The team had traveled to the University of Nebraska, to study the quilt, and to take notes about the personal messages upon its surface which were written in friendship to Charlotte, for a quilt she made in the second quarter of the nineteenth century.
Public Records Explored
The two researchers explored genealogy records, available written records held in public repositories, maps, and even visited graveyards to try to gather enough information about the Blue Hills community from which the Hawkins quilt arose. One fact upon which Worthen commented during the New Hampshire Historical Society workshop, is the evidence that some of the signers of Charlotte’s quilt were people who remained her lifelong associates. Legal documents dated some forty years after the quilt was made are signed by these same people.
The Workshop focused on providing an overview of the making of Signature Quilts, a fad begun in the 1830s. This type of quilt is related to the popular practice of the time of signing autograph albums and adding sentimental sayings, religious thoughts, and words about eternity.
Even for those workshop participants who already know a lot about quilts, quilting, and quilt history, this was a most enjoyable way to spend the day. The excitement mounted in the afternoon as we were able to view more Signature Quilts from the collections of the presenters, as well as the quilts brought in by other members of the group. Everyone seemed to feel that this class was very worthwhile, and that this day was an enriching experience.
Note: Pamela Weeks Worthen is now known as Pamela Weeks.
©Copyright 2004. Patricia Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, New Hampshire. Questions or comments about this article? Write to: pat@quiltersmuse.com