eBay Sniping as Spectator Sport

I just watched the end of an eBay auction and thought it was worthy of a blog post. The listing read: UP FOR AUCTION IS THIS REMARKABLE NEW ENGLAND QUILT PURCHASED AT A CONNETICUT ESTATE SALE. IT MEASURES73" SQUARE. THE OVERALL CONDITION IS VERY GOOD WITH A COUPLE OF MINOR ISSUES. THERE IS A SMALL 1' wear spot on the backing , photo 11, then there is a small separation  of the fabric on the white on the front about 3/4" but it is not ripped, photo 12. The material is extremely strong and you can pull on it and it will not pull apart so something must have applied some kind of direct pressure to separate the fabric at all. There is some bleeding of the red on to the brown in the center lines near one end. The back has a few stains. This is absolutly beautiful on the bed. The quilting is is interesting the way it follows the patterns of the leaves. A real great find. Being sold without reserve. Thank you for looking.

Start price: $250 - no reserve. I was interested in this quilt because of the connection to the Leaves and Tulips quilt I've discussed in past blogs, but had decided not to bid. Fifteen minutes before the auction ended I heard the alert on my iPhone but decided to ignore it. Shortly afterwards, I logged in to eBay to discover there were 56 seconds left in the auction, so I clicked it and saw there were still no bids. I wondered if the auction would end without a bidder. Maybe I could make an offer to the seller.

Curiously, I watched the seconds tick down and suddenly the bid jumped dramatically to $567.77 - then the auction ended. It was stunning to watch. "Snipers," I thought before looking at the bids. Sure enough, two snipers had gone up against each other. The first bidder put in a bid of $557.77 with 7 seconds remaining in the auction. The second bidder put in a higher bid with six seconds to go and won the auction with a bid of 567.77.

For those who aren't familiar with the term "sniper" it is a bidder who places an outrageously high bid in the last seconds of an online auction in an effort to outbid all others. I'm a sniper, so I recognized it right away, but this auction was the first time I'd ever watched it without being one of the bidders. It was exhilarating to watch, and I'm sure the quilt will go to a good home. Who knows - maybe I'll even find out who won it. Did you or anyone you know bid on the quilt? If so, please comment.

"Beauty Secrets" Talk: NWQ Show, Expo, Friday @ Noon

Rocky Mountain Road / Rocky Mount of Scotland, c. 1870, Kentucky

I will be giving a talk on Friday, March 11th at noon during the Northwest Quilters Show at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center. The talk is called "Beauty Secrets" - the same name as the exhibit that will take place in the summer at the Benton County Historical Museum - and at the NW Quilters Show, I will show selections from the upcoming exhibit.

Chinese Fans / New York Beauty - a variation, c. 1940

The talk will include examples from more than 150 years of history as seen in one quilt pattern, as well as variations on the pattern. We will view richly detailed civil war era quilts, streamlined and reinvented versions of the Victorian era and colonial revival, quilts with soft colors indigenous to the depression era, and the wildly explosive, bursting-with-color, recently made quilts.

The Northwest Quilters Show will take place on March 10th, 11th and 12th at the Portland Expo Center, Hall A at 2060 North Marine Drive, Portland. Paid parking is available, and Expo is accessible by the MAX train. The Oregon Quilt Project will be documenting quilts on Saturday, and there may still be a few appointments available to have your quilts documented. For additional details about the Northwest Quilters Show click here.

"Small Wonders" Reverse Views

Bridget (reverse view) features swirling hand quilting.

The "Small Wonders" exhibit at Latimer Quilt and Textile Center has concluded, and it was a huge success. Latimer showed 86 of these remarkable little quilts during the month of February. At the open house event, I shared the story of meeting Andrea Balosky and showed 30 additional doll quilts plus two larger quilts by Balosky. While showing the quilts, I presented both front and back. The backs were intriguing, so I decided to photograph the reverse views of all the quilts. Here are a few favorites.

Greg (reverse view) shows a definite Hawaiian influence.

One of the things you notice right away is each back has its own personality. The fabric selections range from dignified, small-scale prints to gaudy, over-the-top florals. One quilt even has a glow-in-the-dark banana back fabric. 

Lottie (reverse view) features glow-in-the-dark banana fabric.

Nelson (reverse view) shows finely hand quilted echoing squares

Audrey (reverse view) is pieced with over-the-top floral fabric.

Delia (reverse view) is Bohemian-chic, as Delia should be.

Rowela (reverse view) - another gaudy, over-the-top floral

Billy Collins (reverse view) - another exuberant floral back.

The whole "Small Wonders" experience, my first in the role of curator, has been the most rewarding I've had as a volunteer. A group of these doll quilts are currently en route to an exhibit at the Lopez Island Library on Lopez Island, Washington. The exhibit, curated by Mary Bywater Cross, is called "The Airing of the Quilts: Why I Make..." and will be on display March 14th through April 22nd. This exhibit will also include woolen quilts by Cross and art quilts by Barbara Nepom. For more information about the Library including location and hours, click here.

If you couldn't make it to Latimer and can't get to Lopez, a full-color, 120-page catalog is available online through Blurb. To order the catalog, click here.

Lady Liberty Goes to Oregon

"Lady Liberty Goes to Hawaii" has arrived, and she's a beauty! Marita Wallace of Rather-Bee Quilting in San Diego made the quilt using a Karen Stone pattern. The quilt was listed for sale on Etsy, a web site devoted to selling handmade and vintage items and art supplies. I blogged about this quilt a few days ago, so today I'm just going to share some pictures.

This quilt is one of the quilts I'm considering displaying in "Beauty Secrets: 150 Years of History in One Quilt Pattern" which opens August 5th at the Benton County Historical Museum in Philomath, Oregon. A full-color printed catalog will accompany the exhibit. 

NW Expo Display in September

Mariner's Compass, c. 1840, Tilton Family, New Jersey

While I continue to work on "Beauty Secrets: 150 Years of History in One Quilt Pattern" opening August 5th at the Benton County Historical Museum in Philomath, I've been presented with another opportunity to show quilts this year. The 11th annual Northwest Quilting Expo will take place at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center from September  22-24, and I will be there with quilts.

Tree of Life, c. 1880, unknown maker, Pennsylvania

Last year, I participated in the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center bed turnings at the Expo, and Latimer Board President Carol Weber introduced me to a nice lady named Shellie, one of the show's ringleaders, who was interested in having me speak at the 2011 show. I agreed to speak, and Shellie recently offered me a bonus opportunity to display quilts and do book signings. Since I've never done anything like it, I thought it would be a good experience, and I agreed to do it.

Honeycomb Hexagons, 1842, unknown maker "M.C." Pennsylvania

Shellie and I have settled on having 20 quilts on display, and now I'm beginning to make my selections. I will hold certain quilts for the lectures on Friday and Saturday, and will also hold quilts that have been displayed in the Portland area in the last year and quilts too fragile to display. "Beauty Secrets" will be hanging at the time, so the Rocky Mountain Road / New York Beauty quilts will be at the Benton County Museum.

Princess Feather, c. 1840, unknown maker, Maine

In looking at what would be available and what might appeal to attendees, I'm putting together a group of older quilts, primarily pre-1900 quilts from the eastern United States. These are the quilts we don't see often in Oregon, a state that joined the Union in 1859, well after the eastern territory was settled. Several of my quilts were made before 1859.

Sunburst Diamonds, c. 1830, unknown maker, New England

Until recently, I hadn't realized these older quilts were more rare in Oregon than in other places. Having come from the east coast, maybe I took these quilts for granted. During the time I've been sharing them with groups around Oregon, I've been surprised by the reaction. Many west coasters haven't seen a lot of quilts older than the Colonial Revival or Depression Era. Those later quilts are actually a greater rarity in my collection, but I don't think I got it backwards. People just love the old quilts.

Sprigs of Laurel Medallion, c. 1840, unknown maker, Baltimore, Maryland

So, old quilts it will be - some of the oldest quilts here in Oregon - and I'm delighted to be bringing them to the Expo. The quilts in this blog are just some of the pieces I'm considering, both for display and lectures. The Northwest Quilting Expo will take place September 22-24, 2011 at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center at 2060 North Marine Drive, Portland. For more details, click here.

Inspired by Karen Stone

I'm on cloud nine. I just bought a quilt made using a well-known Karen Stone pattern called "Lady Liberty Goes to Hawaii" from the 2004 Electric Quilt Company book Karen K. Stone Quilts (ISBN 1-893824-27-6). Marita Wallace, long-arm quilter and owner of Rather-Bee Quilting Service in San Diego, California, made the quilt and had it for sale on Etsy. Wallace taught herself to quilt reading books by Eleanor Burns. She has pieced tops for 25 years and worked as a long-arm quilter for the last ten years.

Marita Wallace's version of Karen Stone's "Lady Liberty Goes to Hawaii"

Using Stone's book as a guide, Wallace put her own spin on things. Her version is slightly larger and less symmetrical than the 1996 quilt pictured in Stone's influential book. Wallace's quilt has eight blocks in one direction and seven in the other. Stone's quilt is six blocks in either direction. The border and corners are done the same way, but the overall organization of the blocks is somewhat shuffled in Wallace's quilt. The other immediately evident difference is the color scheme, which in Wallace's quilt seems more like the wonderfully exuberant palette in Stone's 2004 Cinco de Mayo quilt.

Wallace's quilt is the second modern-day New York Beauty quilt in my collection. I also have a quilt made by Nancy Tanguay, purchased through Etsy.

New York Beauty, 2010, by Nancy Tanguay, Warren, Connecticut

The quilts made by Tanguay and Wallace, plus other ephemera including a small unfinished batik kit quilt top will represent the modern evolution of this pattern in my upcoming exhibit, Beauty Secrets: 150 Years of History in One Quilt Pattern. With more than 30 quilts in the group and space to show maybe 20 quilts at the Benton County Historical Museum, I'm still deciding what will go in the show. Having a quilt made with one of Karen Stone's patterns will definitely boost the show's history narrative.

Stone is a key figure in the recent wave of the New York Beauty quilts, and her contributions are multifaceted. Her quilts involve foundation piecing, vibrant colors, new ways of setting the blocks, and a dazzling mix of variations on the basic spiked wedge. The blocks, traditionally set as spiked quarter circles wedged in the corner of a parallelogram, are now turned inward and pushed together to form stacked and swirling circles.

Border detail of quilt made by Marita Wallace using Karen Stone's pattern.

The sawtooth sashing seen in the mid to late 19th century and early 20th century is no longer present between blocks, but often present as evolved elements in the borders. In "Lady Liberty Goes to Hawaii" the border plays with two alternating versions of one spike block by shifting the position of the narrow strip from the base of the points to the tips. Stone's quilts are revelations, and influential to Oregon artists  Valori and Jean Wells of the Stitchin' Post in Sisters, Oregon. Both artists used the spiked, circular shapes as pictorial elements in their quilts, and Valori wrote a book called Radiant New York Beauties. She acknowledged Stone as a source in the credits of the book.

Detail of quilt made by Marita Wallace using Karen Stone's pattern.

When asked about her experience making a quilt using a Karen Stone pattern, Marita Wallace had very good things to say. "I really loved Karen's book, and her patterns, as well, "said Wallace. "Yes, they are quite challenging, but she explains everything so clearly and her templates are just amazingly accurate and well constructed.  I used the freezer paper method to cut the arc pieces. I can't say enough about how impressed I am overall with her ability to explain things in such a way that just inspired me to do my best and take the plunge, knowing I can trust her methods."

As a preview for my show at the Benton County Historical Museum which opens on August 5th, I will be doing a talk at the Northwest Quilters Show on Friday, March 11th at noon. The show runs from March 10th through the 12th at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center at 2060 North Marine Drive, Portland. The Oregon Quilt Project will also be at the show documenting quilts on Saturday, March 12th. For information on volunteering or making appointments to get your quilts documented, check out the Oregon Quilt Project Calendar.

Signs of Age

The quilt has a tiny cross-stitched inscription (click to enlarge)

How do you know when a quilt is old - really old? There are always signs of age. Sometimes these signs are apparent in the condition - fading, bleeding, foxing, fraying, discoloration, deterioration, stains, and the overall patina of the quilt. Other times, age is evident in the details of the construction.

Wool Economy Patch, c. 1810, New England

I've wanted more information about this old wool Economy Patch quilt ever since I first acquired it. The dealer was rather secretive about where it had come from, with the exception of a few details. It was supposed to be from New England, made in the early 19th century, and possibly included late 18th century fabrics. The quilt had some signs of age related to condition - frayed binding, a couple small holes, and minor bleeding.

The quilt is bound with loosely woven, hand-loomed wool twill tape

When offered the option of restoring the quilt, particularly the binding, I said no without even hesitating. One of the things I really loved about the quilt was its original, untouched condition. Even though the binding is frayed and unraveling in spots, there is no way any other binding would've looked right to me. I'd never seen this type of tape binding. It looked old - really old.

Twill binding from an 1810 coverlet recently viewed on eBay

Over the years, there have been one or two doubters who didn't believe my quilt was from 1810. One person suggested it could be from 1840, but that idea just didn't make sense to me. The quilt resembled nothing I'd ever seen from the mid 19th century. As I've continued to look for clues, something popped up on eBay this week. A listing for a Pennsylvania double weave coverlet, c. 1810, had a detail photo with the same type of hand-loomed twill binding.

I've always believed the twill binding on my quilt was a sign of age, and it's caused me to look closely at other details. The back of the quilt is woven coverlet fabric. I've heard it called a "colonial overshot" coverlet, but haven't consulted with enough weaving experts to verify it.

One other detail that's recently piqued my curiosity is a tiny cross-stitch inscription (pictured at top). I'd had the quilt for a year or two before I realized there was an inscription. It's difficult to read, and I'm not sure if I'm looking at it right side up or upside down, but I believe it says JPA with a 6 underneath. The style of lettering is very much like what I've seen in mid to late 18th century and early 19th century samplers.

Letting from a cross-stitch sampler, c. 1760

Of course, now I'm wondering if the style of lettering in the inscription is another sign of the quilt's age. I have a feeling it may be.