Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Afternoon at the Beauty Parlor


Today Ronda Beyer visited me, and I was ready with quilts draped all around the house. The living room was decked out with a bunch of my New York Beauty / Rocky Mountain Road / or whatever-you-want-to-call-them quilts, and I said to Ronda, "I bet you didn't realize I was taking you to the beauty parlor today." By the way, Ronda didn't need to go to an actual beauty parlor - she looked like a model - what a beautiful lady! Still, the quilts were the center of attention.


Ronda arrived a minute or two before I got back from the market. I needed to get a carton of milk, just in case we had coffee. She brought be a beautiful Christmas tree shaped Rosemary plant (thank you, Ronda!), and I greeted her with quilts in the entry way. She definitely has a good eye for quilts, and made a beeline to the bannister separating the dining room from the living room, where five of my "best-of-kind" quilts were hanging. 


We admired the wonderful hand quilting, and I told stories about collecting and what I've learned along the way. We walked to the guest room and looked at the colorful Lucy Mingo quilt from Gee's Bend, which lit up a mostly monochromatic room. Eventually, we made our way upstairs where the star of the show - the 1850 Album with Lyre Medallion - was hanging on a quilt rack in the loft. Even though Ronda admitted she wasn't the biggest fan of machine echo quilting, she was most impressed with the echo hand quilting on the Album quilt. It is truly mind-boggling.


We found ourselves in the master bedroom - not what you think - again, it was all about the quilts! There, I had some of the oldest quilts in my collection - also among the oldest quilts here in Oregon - and some other very interesting examples. I think we looked at thirty or forty quilts throughout the house. One of her favorites was a surprise to me. It was a rescue quilt from the 1830's, made in Tennessee. Even though the quilt is in very rough condition, we were both struck by its charm. She said she'd like to recreate it some day, and that I'd love to see! I think she'd do an amazing job.


We ended up in the kitchen, and shared stories about our experiences and some of the people we've met in the world of quilts, and soon she was on her way. I had a great time, and it was really the first time I'd had quilts on display all around the house, over the furniture, on walls, and on beds. It reminded me of the first quilt showing I attended more than 20 years ago, when I met Shelly Zegart. That day, Shelly had quilts displayed all over the furniture. It was nice to take a page out of her book.

I think I'll keep the quilts out for a few more days. They make me happy, and it'll give me good reason to invite more friends over for a repeat performance.

14 comments:

  1. You certainly have an enviable collection. I'm glad you let us see some of them. The Album with Lyre Medallion is a heart stopper. Maybe you could show us one block at a time with each post. Is this your best example of an album quilt? It looks to be in excellent condition. Please, at least a post about this stunner!!

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  2. Ooooh! I like the idea of posting a block at a time. It's still hanging, so I'll start taking pictures tomorrow, when the light is just right. If you missed the story about this quilt, it is in my blog from October 13th:

    http://willywonkyquilts.blogspot.com/2010/10/separated-at-birth-my-virtual-aqsg.html

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  3. By the way, I like the post title.

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  4. OOHH!!! l would like to come sit in that lounge room for a while. Then l would want to sit in front of that 1850 album quilt. Liz, can you imagine the fun we would have!!! Do you think, Willy Wonka, we could have coffee? Thanks for sharing the photos and your day.

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  5. What a great collection! Thanks for the great photos.

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  6. What a fantastic beauty parlor-I wish these ones really did exist we would be there all the time.
    Beautiful quilts and thanks for sharing. How we are all envying Rhonda.

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  7. It sounds like a wonderful day!! I agree you should keep your quilts out and enjoy them hanging around, at least for a couple of days.

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  8. Your quilts look so happy being out and about in your house! That rescue quilt is wonderful...I think sometimes we expect to love the "best of kind" so when a rescue grabs our heart it is more of a surprise and so more intense of a reaction.

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  9. I love these quilts! And all these pics inspired me to (once again) go through your entire blog archive to see the up-close pics! I just can't get enough of them! You have such a wonderful collection!

    And Boo looks just like my 'Danger', who we lost many years ago....it was nice to see her again! Thanks!

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  10. Wonderful show! Will you have your quilts on public view sometime? I'll be in Oregon for the Sisters quilt show in July.

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  11. Bil, thank you, thank you, thank you... I was in quilt heaven, your pieces are fabulous and the history makes them even more beautiful... I enjoyed spending my afternoon with you, we need to do this more often.... I drove home feeling the flush of the beauty of quilt stimulation, such a wonderful feeling.... Your home is gorgeous and our conversations were so refreshing.... Thank you again for a fabulous day.... Ronda K Beyer

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  12. I love this parlor! Your beautiful quilts make the place so much cozy and welcoming. They are all stunning! I love the idea of one block at a time for the applique quilt. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. I love seeing all these comments. First - Ronda, it was my pleasure and I look forward to our next visit. Linda C. - sounds like a long commute just for coffee, but if you do find yourself in Portland, Oregon, there will be coffee and quilts and more. I'd love to show quilts in Australia some day. It's a place I've always wanted to visit. Lori, I will keep the quilts out. If you're headed this way, let me know. Yankee quilter - true! I sometimes worry about the reaction to rescue quilts, but if they shine, they shine. Regan - glad you've enjoyed the blog and little Boo. Nifty - I will be showing at the Benton County Museum next summer, but it's after Sisters. The good news is I will be speaking in an evening lecture at the Quilter's Affair, so if you're coming to Sisters for the week, you'll see many of these quilts. :)

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