Monday, July 2, 2007

Vermont Quilt Festival.... Partie 2

Today I thought I would show a bit of the antique exhibit. Many of the quilts were stunning. I don't know if I was allowed to photograph the quilts. I did not see any signs. However, I limited my photography to two quilts.

I could not but stand in aw when I looked at quilts made by various women more than a hundred years ago. Who would have known that their work would have lived to be part of her story. I will say that I am pleased that today we are striving to include more and more women in history. History is much too androcentric and it it time that we move away from the male perspective. What is unfortunate is that many of these beautiful quilts do not have the name of the individual who made it. Hence, the importance of labelling quilts and perhaps even keeping a journal about it.



When I saw this quilt numbered A6, I couldn't help but think of Libby from A Simple Girl and her love for small pieces.

This quilt is called Broken Dishes, circa 1840. It has more than 4,700 1 1/2 inch blocks. It came from the home of an individual in western Massachusetts. I was intrigued by the number of small pieces in the quilt.

It is quite a majestic quilt to view in person. The work that went into this quilt is phenomenal. Could you imagine collecting an enormous amount of small pieces of fabric and hand sewing them together to make the number of 1 1/2 inch blocks required to make such a large quilt? Here I am lamenting about my Corn and Bean block quilt, which has a mere 2, 112 pieces that are machine pieced . lol

It's hard to imagine that during that period, rarely was fabric purchased for the sole purpose of making a quilt. An individual would use pieces of fabric left over from dresses and what not. They didn't discard much during that time. It's hard to believe that the pieces I throw away would have been perfect for this quilt.

This is quilt A61 and is a Sampler Medallion, circa 1825. The center is crewel embroidery and does have the name "Jane Hodgson, Aged 11, 1825". Historians believe that is may have been the work of that particular individual, as it was common for young girls to be taught needle work. Of course there's always the possibility that this was commemorative piece.

It is unfortunate that nothing else is know about this quilt and many others. I'm sure the creator of this quilt did not imagine that her work would live to be part of history.

My historical reference is from the guide book issued by the VQF.

Thanks for stopping by!

14 comments:

Darlene said...

That quilt reminds me of Libby as well.

I love both quilts and again another example of how important it is to label our quilts. I don't label anything - shame on me! I have started a journal telling bits about each quilt I've made so hopefully that record will live long after I'm gone. :-)

Thanks for sharing these fine examples, Carole.

Paula, the quilter said...

I like the way the old quilts have the cutouts for the posts of the bed. Not only did it save fabric but it made making the bed easier. Thanks for the photos.

Unknown said...

History has been written by men about men for men for far too long time. These quilts are just lovely, I can´t imagine how much work it has been to sew all those tiny bits together.

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

I am originally from Mew England and went to college in VT., I wish I were there with you. I went once, back when it was at Norwich University and enjoyed every exhausting minute! Enjoy yourself, rest when you can, and thanks so much for being our eyes and ears on the ground at VQF '07! Great post.

Wendy said...

These quilts are impressive. It must have taken along time to collect all that fabric. And the Medallion done by an 11 year old, how amazing.

Kim said...

What a wonderful time you must have had and all the beautiful things you saw! I agree with what you've said about history--I've taken some women's history classes and it's made me look at things a little differently. One instructor had a whole section that focused on women working outside the home for the first time, often in the textile industry--very cool, even though I hadn't started quilting myself yet.

Pam said...

Wonderful photos! And to think that they were quilted by candlelight - or oil lamps after all the daily chores were completed. Here we are with all the modern techology quilting with Ott lights and computer printouts and for-going all those chores :))

Rose Johnston said...

Those quilts r stunning....love the medallion, amazing that it was done by an 11 yr old

Jeanne said...

Thank you for sharing your Vermont Quilt Festival experience with us. The antique quilts are so stunning.
I was there in 2000 and loved the area and the show.

Libby said...

Wow!!!! I think you did pick the quilt that I would have stared at for the longest time (a puddle of drool at my feet *s*) I love how the top is constructed to hang at the foot of the bed without wasting a lot of fabric. Can you imagine gathering all the pieces neccessary to put it together? If you have a site meter and notice someone lurking at your blog . . . it will just be me, starting and staring at this quilt. A beauty! Thanks for taking us to the show.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing these wonderful quilts with us !

Jenni said...

I love those old quilts with lots of blocks. Thanks for the photos.

atet said...

Love the quilts! Thanks for sharing. If you're interested in some good eye candy as well as an excellent essay on quilt history I've been reading Wild By Design. You'd need to get it from the library as it looks like it's out of print, but the introductory essay has a great discussion of early quiltmaking in America -- including sources of fabrics, and whether fabrics were purchased specifically for quilts or not.

Anonymous said...

I just love those antique quilts! I get much inspiration from them.

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