Quilt Care
Straight Talk About Quilt Care Book
Chapter 7
Quilts Tell Their Own Story
Resources
Authors' Information
by Patricia Cummings
photos by James Cummings, et.al.
Preserve the “Pieces of the Past!”
Many ideas have been shared with you. With any luck, you will have learned something more about how best to care for textiles. In an ideal world, we would never grow old, never develop warts, moles, or wrinkles. As quilts age, they can develop their own quirks and they acquire their own aged character.
Each of us has to decide what course of action to take, with the care and maintenance of the textile in our midst. If you own old quilts, be gentle. Since they have been around this long, perhaps they deserve to be here a little longer. For your own health and that of the quilt, do not sleep under an antique quilt. If you love an old quilt, consider drafting or tracing its geometric or appliqué pattern and make a new version that you will feel more free to actually use or hang!
Enjoy seeing all of the unusual pieced designs, antique prints, and differing styles of quilting. Have fun trying to guess when the old quilt was made, if you do not already know! Old quilts are tremendously interesting, as are old textiles, in general! As objects of material culture, textiles reveal who we “were.” There is so much history to be discovered by looking at ancient textiles, and so many points of departure for further research.
Like you and I, who have had many life experiences,
these pieces of cloth and thread tell their own story. How we wish
some of them could talk! At the same time, we are often happy that
they cannot, for if they had that capability, they would share with
the world the story of our grief, our hard times, and more. Think of
all the secrets old quilts must hold in their fibers, having been
present at conception, birth, during life, and at death. In the
nineteenth century, it was common to bury a quilt with the deceased!
Yes, quilts truly can be a birth to death experience...and beyond.
Over the years, I have had many “older” friends. One woman who was in her eighties often recalled how her mother had kept the children quiet on rainy days. When they stayed home sick from school, she would bring out a Charm Quilt with thousands of patches and would allow them to “hunt” for the two patches that were exactly the same. Of course, since the quilt had no two patches alike, this was a safe way to keep the children occupied for awhile. However, after many tries and no success, the children finally caught on to their mother's wiles, and the game was no longer of interest.
Be
a “Custodian of the Future”
In the pile of information that I have been saving about the care of quilts, there is a two page instructional sheet about the care of quilts, prepared by Karey Bresenhan, owner of “Great Expectations,” a shop in Houston, TX, from 1974-2003. She is a fifth generation quilter and the organizer of the International Quilt Festival, the largest quiltshow in the country.
She wrote the book, Great Expectations (Bothell, WA: That Patchwork Place, 1995) with Alice Kish and Gay Elliott McFarland. The book features directions for making twelve quilts that have been reproduced, based on quilts in Bresenhan's private collection, and from the corporate collection of her business, Quilts, Inc.
In the introductory paragraph to her quilt care list,
Bresenhan states:
Properly cared for, an antique quilt can outlast many generations.
Her final sentence is:
Remember, very few
antique quilts are entirely perfect...they are handmade works of art from an earlier time, deserving of respect and care.
We certainly concur with those fine thoughts and we thank Karey for having been a pioneer in the encouragement of proper quilt care.
Thank you for your own interest in helping to preserve quilts or needlework that you have made, or that are the work of another's hands. If we are to extend the longevity of the antique textiles within our care, we must be ever watchful because they are among the most fragile objects in collections. As “custodians of the future,” we must take that charge seriously.
We hope that you have learned a lot here about preserving and maintaining quilts, antique linens, embroideries, and clothing. Perhaps we have helped you to make plans to better care for your personal collection of textiles. If you work in a museum, maybe we have imparted some important information to you.
Every quilt does tell us something about the past, moth holes, mice holes, and mildew notwithstanding. With some of the tips provided here, may the work of our hands last a little longer and in finer condition than some of the poor antique quilts we have seen. Perhaps it is all a matter of educating the public-at-large.
What Shall I Do with Grandmother's Quilt?
You are lucky, indeed, if you own a quilt made by an ancestor. You may have no one in the family who is interested in owning it, and you may be anxious to find another home for the quilt before you pass on.
For years, museums have been the recipients of such orphan quilts. There was a time when just any quilt that was dropped off would be gladly accepted. In today's world, museums are less likely to want to accept just any quilt. The reason is simple.
As you have gathered from reading this book, caring for textiles properly is a labor intensive task. Many museums are short-staffed, on low budgets, and do not have broad public financial support. If you give a quilt to a museum, also contribute a monetary sum to be used toward the quilt's care. Whenever possible, support your local museum by becoming a member or by making a financial donation.
"Pieces of the Past” for Future Generations
Quilts and beautifully stitched items are the result of hard work, creativity, resourcefulness, and caring. We owe it to ourselves, and to others who have made textile items, to pass them along to future generations. We pray that future generations might feel a connection to us, through the work of our hands, in these future “pieces of the past.” Many quilters and needleworkers of the past have expressed this same sentiment in cloth and thread: “Please remember me.”
Quilting is ultimately about
love and friendship. The quilt above, based on Jenifer Buechel's
book, Miniature Baltimore Album Quilts, measures only 25 1/4”
square. Over a period of six months, friends met weekly to work on
all of the silk ribbon embroidery motifs.
Quilters included Shirley
Erickson, Lucille Beliveau, Jeanne Reitze, Sylvia Johnson, Eleanor
Stark, and Patricia Cummings. Made as a memorial quilt to our friend,
Alice Jesse, the little quilt was presented to Concord Hospital,
Concord, New Hampshire and was used as a fund raiser for the cardiac
unit's patients.
Though the quilt was constructed with fusibles, only
time time will tell how long the fabrics will adhere to the surface.
In the meantime, the quilt was a joy to make, and we hope, a pleasure
to behold. Photo: Robin Shotola
"Where your Treasure is, there your Heart will be.”
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Holy Bible, Matthew (6:19-21) ~
Life and quilts, even in their impermanence, are grand!
Resources
Books on Textile Care
From Fiber to Fabric: The Essential Guide to Quiltmaking Textiles, Harriet Hargrave (C&T Publishing, 1997). This book is a must-have for every quilter who would like to make a quilt that will “stand up to its intended duty.” If you have only one book on textiles in your library, this should be it.
Quilt Restoration: A Practical Guide, Camille Dalphond Cognac (McLean, VA: EPM, 1994). Currently this book is out of print but may be available through your guild library, or Interlibrary loan at your public library.
Booklets
"Consideration For the Care of Textiles and Costumes: A Handbook for the Non-Specialist,” Harold F. Maitland (Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1980).
"First Aid for Family Quilts,” Nancy O'Bryant Puentes (Wheatridge, CO: Moon Over the Mountain Publishing Company, 1986).
"Protecting Your Quilts: An Owner's Guide to Insurance, Care and Restoration, and Appraisal,” Jeannie M. Spears, editor (Paducah, KY: American Quilter's Society, 1990).
DVDs
"Quilt Restoration Workshop,” and “Restoring Crazy Quilts: The Advanced Restoration Workshop,” are two 4 disc DVD sets that are available from: http://www.kirkcollection.com (800) 398-2542. Nancy Kirk has been teaching how to restore old quilts for years and she also appraises quilts.
Hand-outs from Quilt Shops and Workshops
"Guidelines for the Exhibition of Textiles,” by Study Committee of AIC, Textile Specialty Group.
"Instructions for Washing 100% Cottons Safely,” Harriet Hargrave, two-sided instruction sheet with “C&T” marked on the back.
"Stitches Used in Textile Conservation,” CCI/ICC Notes, Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
"Storage Containers for Textile Collections,” Bulletin No. 17, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York State Conservation Consultancy.
"Tips on the Care and Storage of Antique Quilts,” Karey Bresenhan, Great Expectation Quilts, Inc., Houston, TX (undated).
"Velcro Support System for Textiles” CCI/ICC Notes, Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
Workshops
American Quilt Study Group Seminar: Workshop on Quilt Conservation, presented by Margaret Ordoñez, Portland, Maine, 1993.
New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord, NH: “The Exhibition and Care of Textiles and Costumes,” September 28, 1995, an all-day workshop featuring June Burns Bové, adjunct professor, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.
State of New Hampshire, Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health Promotion's lecture: “Health and Safety for Artists,” circa 1990.
Journal Articles
"The Collector's Guide for the Care of Quilts in the Home,” Patsy Orlofsky, Quilt Digest 2 (San Francisco, CA, Kiracofe and Kile, 1984). In this article, the co-author of quilts in America gives tips about how to care for textiles in a home environment.
"18th Century Quilted Silk Petticoats worn
in America,” Tandy Hersh, 83-98. (Mill Valley, California:
Uncoverings 1984, Volume 5 of the research papers of
the American Quilt Study Group, edited by Sally Garoutte.)
ISBN:
0-606590-4-8.
Magazine Articles
"Caring for Your Collections: Quilt Care 101,” Marie Proeller, Country Living Magazine, June 1998, 78, 80.
"Conservation Framing at Home: Fit for Heirlooms,” Needlepoint Plus: Counted Thread Designs, Issue 103, May/June 1991, 8, 9, and 30. Framing needlework, and “lacing.”
"Retrospective: Caring for your Heirlooms,” Quilt Craft magazine, March-April 1992.
Online Source
Soapwort: “Hellie T.,” English Garden Editor, Bella Online
Other Related Information
To locate a professional conservator in your U.S. Geographic area, please contact:
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and
Artistic Works (AIC)
1717 K St., NW, Ste. 200
Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: (202) 452-9545
e-mail: info@aic-faic.org
Free referral service to a conservator, over the
Internet:
http://www.aic-faic.org/guide/form.html
Canada
The Canadian Association of Professional Conservators
c/o Canadian Museums Association
Suite 400, 280 Metcalfe St.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K20 1R7
Canadian Conservation Institute
1030 Innes Rd.,
Ottawa, Ontario K1A OMS
Canada
(613) 998-3721; Fax: (613) 998-4721
England
The International Institute for Conservation of Historic
and Artistic Works
(IIC) 6 Buckingham Street
London, England WC2N 6BA
Telephone: 01-1441-839-5975
Conservation Specialists
Private Conservator in California, initial source for information about nitrile gloves
Margaret (Meg) Geiss-Mooney, Textile/Costume Conservator, Professional Associate,
American Institute for the Conservation of Artistic & Historic Works (AIC). (707) 763-8694, mgmooney@moonware.net
Student Conservation Work, under Supervision
Textile Conservation Lab
Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and
Designated
Attn: Professor Margaret Ordoñez
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI 02881
(401) 874-4574
New England Appraiser's Association
Stephanie Hatch
324 Ipswich Rd.
Boxford, MA 01921
(978) 887-5091
Valuable Books for Dating Fabrics and Quilts
Dating Fabrics: A Color Guide 1800-1960, Eileen Jahnke Trestain (Paducah, KY: American Quilter's Society, 1998).
Encyclopedia of Appliqué, Barbara Brackman (McLean, VA: EPM, 1993).
Encyclopedia of Pieced Patterns, Barbara Brackman (Paducah, KY: American Quilter's Society, 1993).
Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns Organized by Motif, Style, Color, Layout, and Period, with 1,823 Color Illustrations, Susan Meller and Joost Elffers (NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002). This thick book is an absolute must have for anyone who loves the colors and designs of textiles. Printed fabric swatch illustrations are dated.
Despite the cute, little, chubby cheeks, the photo above is NOT Pat Cummings. The image is of Susie Frances Perkins, a resident of Salem, Massachusetts, and as you can see, she is leaning on a Victorian Crazy Quilt and does not look exceedingly happy about having her photo taken. Offered here for your amusement.
About Pat and Jim Cummings
Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings and her husband, James Cummings, work together as writer/quilter and photographer/computer guru. They produce magazine and website articles that are intended to be educational and cover a broad range of topics, many of which are related to quilt history. Since 1999, Pat has written a column, “Pieces of the Past,” for Traditional Quilter, a magazine later renamed The Quilter magazine, produced by All-American Crafts Publishing, Inc.
In 1973, Pat graduated (cum laude) from the University of New Hampshire with a major in Spanish and a minor in Education. Her work included time spent at the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, where she studied Spanish for Foreign Students, the History of Spanish Art, the History of Spanish Architecture, and German. She took graduate courses in Education at Chapman College and Notre Dame College. She has taught Spanish at the college level and has substitute taught in grades K-12.
Pat earned the title of “master craftsman in quilting,” in 2000, after nine years of work to complete the requirements of a program sponsored by the Embroiderers' Guild of America. She was the eighth person to attain the honor. In 2002, Pat enrolled in a distance learning class titled, “History of Quilts,” offered by the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Other books in which Jim and Pat have combined their talents include: Redwork Renaissance, Just for Fun Redwork Pattern Book, Emma's Quilt, Redwork Embroidery and Needlework Traditions in Europe and America, and Profile of the Life and Times of John E. Grace (Pat's father.) Together, Pat and Jim have collaborated on more than fifty print articles for The Quilter magazine alone. Their work has appeared in a number of publications, and in reprinted form, from Australia to Canada.
Jim Cummings is a talented helpmate with a wide variety of skills and interests. Jim provides professional quality photos for publications. He patiently read manuscripts and attempts to catch all of my typographical errors. His hobbies include reading, gardening, and creative cooking.
James Gorham, Pat's son from her first marriage, is married to Rebecca Gorham. They have one son, Patrick James Gorham, a German Shepherd dog, named "Emma," and two cats, "Pixie," and "Sam," who share their home in Rhode Island. James is working toward the completion of a Ph.D. degree from the University of Rhode Island. His specialty is nineteenth century American literature as it relates to material culture, and the culture of materialism. Rebecca is a financial accountant. These fine young people make their families proud.