Lecture recap

1890s Victorian silk diamonds, eastern US - a crowd favorite!

Last night I spoke at the Clark County Quilters meeting in Vancouver, Washington. It was the last lecture I will do for a while, and we had fun. I brought some of my favorite quilts, maybe 25 or 30 of them-- four bins full plus a couple bags. It was a nice, large group and when we'd reached the end of the time and I still had quilts left, the audience wanted to see them all!

1890s Embroidered Snake Trail Fans, Pennsylvania

I was happy to oblige. One of the points I emphasized at the beginning was my criteria for what made a great quilt, and how it evolved. Since buying my first antique quilt in 1989, one thing has remained constant. It has to be unique to turn my head. I brought a nice group of 19th century applique quilts including the "start the car" quilt, plucked from an antiques shop in the Sellwood District of Portland.

1870s "stick figure" appliqué from Pennsylvania

1850s Album quilt by Mary Couchman Small, West Virginia

1860s applique quilt - the "start the car" quilt

1860s applique quilt, Mrs. M.E. Poyner, Paducah, Kentucky

applique bedcover, 1868, Hannah J. Swin, New Jersey

I also brought a couple New York Beauties and my book, "New York Beauty, Quilts from the Volckening Collection" published last year by Quiltmania in France.

1870s pieced quilt from Virginia

1870s pieced quilt from Kentucky

Of course, I had to share some 1970s quilts. The unfolding of the massive Tile Blocks quilt got a big reaction out of the audience. They seemed to enjoy the lighthearted, optimistic 1970s quilts.

it's an "eye spy" kind of quilt

polyester hexagons, Oregon

Tile Blocks, Louisiana

Double Wedding Ring made of calicoes

There were also rare quilts, such as a Revolutionary War period blue resist wholecloth, an Amish crib quilt, c. 1900, from Wayne County, Ohio, a very old pieced wool quilt from New England, c. 1810, and a pictorial from the 1930s.

Revolutionary War period blue resist wholecloth

Amish crib quilt, c. 1900, Wayne County, Ohio

pieced quilt, c. 1810, New England

1930s pictorial, Ohio

Friends in the audience, longtime and new, made it a lot of fun; and like my other lectures, it was interactive. I took questions the whole time, and there were great questions. Many thanks to the Clark County Quilters for the invitation. It was a pleasure! Special thanks to the quilt holders, whose arms are probably a little sore today.