Shelburne Museum, Part II

The second part of the visit to the Shelburne with the American Quilt Study Group was when women shared "old" quilts that they'd somehow come into possession of.  They were wonderful!


The center was pieced and the large flowers were done by broderie perse.  Some thought that some of the pieces in the star had been repaired.



This was a fabulous log cabin!!  Here's a close up:



As I recall, this was a summer quilt--no batting and no quilting.  We were wondering why the quilter decided to piece each segment of the circle rather than cutting one piece for each quarter.  Any ideas??


Definitely not OLD as the others, but fun to look at nonetheless.


A fantastic hexie quilt!  And the quilting was great as well!  Here's a close up:







Wendy Reed brought along a beautiful antique quilt she decided to replicate.  The original is underneath.  Wendy is pointing out something with her pinky on the left.  The fabric in the original was striped and you can see its use in the vine and flowers (or are they blue leaves?).



This is a better shot of the original.


This is Wendy's version of the original.  She explained about how she tried to get the right color blue and had to dye the fabric several times to get just the right shade.  Note her fabulous appliqué and quilting!  This girl doesn't win ribbons for no reason.  Her work is amazing!! Wendy asked me to present this at the meeting (since each person was only allowed to show one quilt).  I thought I should've been able to take it home then, but she didn't exactly agree!  VBG.  Beautiful job, Wendy!






The quilter put her initials in a back corner, by cross stitch.  I happened to notice it when someone turned the quilt corner over.




Next installment of this show will be the quilts there were on display in the Hat and Fragrance building of the Shelburne.  I also took pictures of some of the other exhibits, including hat boxes, coverlets and cross-stich samplers.  I just need to email them from my phone to my computer and download them.  This process is way more time consuming than it used to be!  When I saw Lori last week, she was showing me that SHE still has the blogger app on HER phone but we couldn't figure out how she could beam it over to me!! VBG

Happy Halloween.  We are going to take the two little darlings out tonight to the neighbors.  I will be sure to show you pictures of them all dressed up in their costumes!

Shelburne Museum - part I

We sure do feel lucky that we were in Maine LAST week instead of this week.  We had 70* days, went sailing, took another boat ride and walked around in capris and t-shirts (well, I did; my dh was in jeans! VBG).  This week?  It's snowing!! EEEEK.

I promised you pictures from the visit to the Shelburne.  I'm going to first show you pictures from the grounds.  Then I'll show you pictures of the 4 quilts that the women who work there shared from the Museum's collection.


You can probably tell that this was taken from inside since it was raining at that point and we were in our study group.


The Shelburne has much more than just quilts.  This was a lighthouse on the grounds.  I didn't get inside but my dh said it was awesome.


This tree was just outside a building that contained the replica of the New York apartment of Electra Havemeyer Webb, who was the founder of the Shelburne Museum.  I was astonished to see the most amazing collection of beautiful Impressionist paintings-- Monet, Degas, Manet.


I just couldn't get enough pictures of the fall colors.


Can you believe that they had a real steamboat open for viewing?  I didn't get a chance to get inside but my dh said it was remarkable!

Okay, now for the quilts!!!  They shared 4 quilts.  We got to look at them up close, on a table.  It was a very special opportunity!


Do you notice the cut outs for the bed posts on the left??

Here is a close up of an edge:


The backing fabric was just amazing.  It looked like a kind of toile.


This is a picture of the women who showed us the quilts.  This "roll" is how they transport and store the quilts that aren't on display.  They rolled the quilt around a cardboard tube and then tied it closed with muslin.  The quilts never touched the tube as they used a protective mylar in between.  They handled the quilts with great respect and love!



This is the second quilt they showed us.  The border was appliqued down.  And the quilting was just amazing.  It had words sewn in.  I think it was the Star Spangled Banner, if I'm remembering correctly.  I think there was also personal information sewn in, although that was difficult to read.

Here are some close ups:

The original fabric is deteriorating in places but the overall quilt is still intact.  Note the quilting!




Here you can see the appliqued border.  Note that one side had a fringe sewn on the end!


I am a sucker for a feathered star and this was an excellent example of a variation.

This was the third quilt they showed us:

The most interesting aspect of this quilt (aside from the gorgeous piecing!) was that it is an example of the pot holder method of quilting.  What was unusual was the it was done in a circle.  Wendy Reed, who has done many quilts this way, explained to us how this was actually constructed.


If you look closely you will see the little seam on the outside edge where the blue binding ends.  This was where she put the pieces together.


If you look very closely, you can see the seam in the blue binding.  We also had a discussion about what colors were originally in the quilt.  The pink was thought to have been maybe red;  the cream was thought to have been brown.  Maybe...

Here is another close up which may enable you to see the individual units that were connected via the pot holder method:

Do you see the center section with the white binding?  That was one separate unit, joined to the other starbursts.  Personally I don't even like piecing curved units.  I couldn't imagine doing this!


I think this was my favorite of the ones they brought to show us.  Do you see the tube with the mylar?

Here is a close up of one unit.  I just loved the variety of fabrics that were used in some.  Some were done with just a couple.  Others with a whole variety.



Do you see where one of the purple pieces was pieced together?  Make-do!

Next installment will be the quilts that were brought by the women who attended the study group.  And then third will be the quilts on display at the Shelburne, although they were all behind glass.

We head back to California tomorrow and I get to babysit the two youngest (until the new baby arrives in the next couple of weeks) all week.  WOOHOO!!  We are taking them trick or treating on Monday night.  I'm sure I'll have to show you pictures of them dressed up.

One more pin cushion and Maine quilts

Penny in England sent a most adorable pin cushion to Barbara Black.



When I was in Maine last week, Wendy and I stopped in at Cyndi's Busy Thimble.  I must say that I was in awe!  She has every wall covered in samples, most of which are minis.  She did have a few larger samplers.  She gave me permission to share some of them with you.

This one is made using Wendy's favorite pot holder method, which is similar to the quilt as you go concept.  Each separate little block is hand quilted, bound and ultimately all the little blocks are sewn to each other by whipstitch.


Cyndi was replicating an antique quilt when she made this.


There are VERY small pieces in this log cabin quilt.  Just gorgeous! Note on top of the bolts are some bundles of fabrics.  Cyndi has a great way to sell fat quarters:  she puts a group together and arranges them in such a way that you can see more than just the corners (as is usually done with fat quarters).  You can fan through the bundle and see the length of the fabric--atleast about 9" worth! I will admit that I bought at least a couple of them!


This is another log cabin and great little 9-patch.  These were hanging just above the cutting area and Cyndi's desk.  I think the 9-patches are 1-1/2".  


This was another sampler she had hanging.  


This was a sample she made using a new fabric line's charm squares.  I particularly loved the way she used the sashing fabric.  So much so that in fact, I had to buy some.

I just love this one sample.  I'm a sucker for toiles, no doubt about it.

Such a great use of a variety of fabrics and different shapes!


These little quilts would keep me busy for weeks!

I know I've posted many scenic pictures but I just couldn't get enough of them!

This is the road right in front of Cyndi's shop, which is on my right.  I was standing in the driveway.  I think her house is the next driveway up on the right.

Then we went to lunch at a great new place on a lake.  Oh, just another lake.  OMG.  It was gorgeous!




Sadly it was raining and you couldn't see much.  But can you believe those colors?? I have not edited the picture at all.  I am thinking of making a calendar out of my fall pictures!

Next I'll show you pictures from the Shelburne, both of the museum quilts and those that were shared by the participants in the study group.  I'm off to meet Lori for coffee since we went straight up to the cabin in Oregon after getting back from Maine.  

Maine trip - part I

My dh and I have wanted to visit Maine for years and we were finally able to put the trip together this fall.  And we were so lucky with the timing.  Fall is in full swing (at least until this weekend!) and we enjoyed some beautiful weather and spectacular fall colors!

I had arranged to meet Wendy Caton Reed at her house in Bath and she was a most amazing hostess.  First thing we did upon arriving at their fabulous house was a tour of the sewing areas!



This is Wendy with some of her stash, which is expertly organized.

Then she showed me some of her quilts, which she has laying on a "bed"...she said it wasn't a real bed, though! VBG


The top quilt was the one that Lori recently hosted, the Gwennie medallion.  It is truly beautiful!  I didn't get pictures of her other quilts but do you notice all the ribbons hanging on the wall?  Wendy is extremely modest but she does absolutely amazing work.

here is one little block she has been working on from the Shenandoah Valley year long block of the month, I think.  I hope she doesn't mind that I'm showing it.


Here are her threads (DMC), beautifully organized and arranged!


I think I can honestly say that Wendy is an expert in the "potholder" method of quilting.  It's akin to quilt as you go, only much better!  She works on each block, quilts that particular block (using half weight wool batting), then puts on the binding.  When all the blocks are done, she whipstitches them together.  I'll show you a quilt we saw at the Shelburne Museum in the next day or two.

Yesterday we started our journey to Vermont with a stop at Cyndi Black's amazing shop called Busy Thimble, located on her farm in a beautiful area.


Can you see the gorgeous fall colors??


This is the shop!!

Here is a neighbor, watching the neighborhood:

Cyndi's husband actually works with livestock and I'm guessing this is one of their cows.

Here are Cyndi and Wendy in the shop:

I should have taken more pictures of her fabrics but I was too busy snapping pictures of her samples and pulling bolts off the walls for her to cut me pieces that I neglected to do that.  I'm sorry, Cyndi.

If you EVER have a chance to get to Litchfield in Maine, run, don't walk, to Cyndi's Busy Thimble. She also has a Facebook page and does phone/mail order so don't feel constrained by an inability to physically get there!

I'll post pictures of some of her beautiful samples in the next few days.  

She needed to stop at the post office on our way to Shelburne, which was perfect for me to ship home the pieces of fabric I got.  This tree was in the parking lot and I just couldn't not take a picture.




We fly home tomorrow and next post will show the samples that Cyndi has in her shop.  VERY inspiring!  Then I'll share what we saw at the Shelbourne Museum, in Vermont.  Also, so very amazing!!