Pussy Willow Taffeta

 I was preparing a different post for today but got sidetracked by an article I found from 1915:

I knew that taffeta was used in quilts in the 1920s and early 1930s but those tended to be wholecloth quilts like this one from the 1930s:

Most of us have seen crazy quilts with some kind of taffeta used but an overall quilt in that must have been interesting.  I actually wondered if the technique they were describing would give the piece an impressionistic quality.

So what was Pussy Willow Taffeta I wondered?

Taffeta was popular in the early 20th century and used often for dresses.  This dress featured "pussy willow taffeta":

"Pussy willow taffeta" was apparently a trade name used by two different manufacturers.  It became quite popular and didn't have anything to do with a pussy willow motif:

Dry Good Economist, 1915, pussy willow tafetta is mentioned frequently on this collage.

The fabric was even used for undergarments:

1914 ad from silk manufacturing catalog

So maybe this fabric was branded "pussy willow" because of the soft nature of the fabric? 

One thing I'm pretty certain of is that any quilt made of fabric used for undergarments or reused dresses probably would not have withstood the test of time.  

Have you seen any type of quilt like what was described?

Tomorrow is Flower Friday and I've already received lovely images to brighten this dark winter.  If you have an image to share, email me at allentownquilter@gmail.com

Have a safe and happy day!

Thanks Lorraine!

 

I'm always interested in quilt news!

How about you?  Yesterday I received an email from Lorraine with an article that we might enjoy!

The first article is what the Gee's Bend quilters are doing.  You can read it here.

I had never read this website before but found some other quilt articles you may enjoy hit here for a list!  One of my favorite articles was "The Subversive Power of Quilts" because I am a fan of that kind of quilt and I love Terese Agnew's quilts (hit here).

Have a safe and happy day!

Men Who Quilt #10

 Charles Pratt is one of the quilting men that most historians cite when talking about men who quilt.  Through the 1920s and 30s, his quilts were featured frequently in syndicated articles throughout the United States.  

Part of his fame derived from the many quilt competitions he won throughout the country.  Additionally he was well known throughout the quilt community.

1940 article

Pratt was a British immigrant who settled in Philadelphia.  One article cited that throughout his life "he was interested in the printing and designing end of textile work" and worked in the textile printing industry.  His first quilt was exhibited in Montgomery County, PA in 1911.

His pieces were pictorial and often featured biblical or historical themes.  

I think that today's quilters might say his work reminded them of today's pixelated quilts; he used small squares to depict his designs.  His most famous piece was the Ninety  and Nine:

In an interesting aside, most historians suggest that his pieces were tops and not quilted.  You can read more about him and his relationship with quilter and collector Emma Andres here.

A lovely photo of his quilt Ruth and Naomi is here and part of the International Quilt Musuem collection.  

Have a safe and happy day!

Tile Quilts

 Isn't it funny how you can go a long time--even years--without thinking of a particular thing or quilt pattern and then suddenly the universe throws a bunch of them at you.  This is what has been happening to me with tile quilts.

Every time I think of abstract tile work, I can't help remember the movie How to Make An American Quilt and Gladys' ceramic room.  In a fit of emotion, she broke a lot of ceramics and then adhered them to the wall.  At the end of the movie, she forgives her sister and husband and breaks down the wall.

A while ago, some of the quilt historians discussed tile quilts on social media.  It struck me as odd because at the time, I was following a blog where the quilter was making a tile quilt.  

 I'm not sure when they became popular but surely on and off for the last century.  The style might have been a variation of crazy quilts.

The idea of the tile quilt is straightforward.  Applique scraps of fabric onto a background and leave enough space to give the appearance of grouting around the pieces.

Here's one that was once listed on ebay from the 1940s:

Bobbi Finley posted this photo from ebay years ago on her blog.  Notice the date is 1893. 

Finley wrote a book with Carol Gilham Jones that featured these kinds of quilts.  Tile Quilt Revival might be out of print but I found that etsy had a copy of her book for sale and the ad features many photos you can look at here.

Over the weekend, I was just looking through online sites to see old quilts and found this one for sale at etsy.  It's a tile doll quilt:

Before Christmas, I admired the "Sea Glass Quilts" made by Allie at Exhausted Octopus.  She also gives a class on them.  The quilts use the same technique as tile quilts.  You can look at them here.

Lastly, there's a pdf quilt pattern here for Raw Edged Tile quilts.

💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

Totally unrelated:  Free pattern alert!  One of the groups I followed posted this website with free patterns Here.  

Have a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: February 5, 2021

 

Happy Flower Friday!

There are only 43 days until spring!

Here in the Northeast part of the country, we can't wait.  We got inundated with snow.  Sue shared her azalea bush--laden with icicles and photographed while she was shoveling:

Beth shared her orchid that is blooming.  She credits her husband Bob with having the real green thumb in her family.  I love this warm color on such cold days!

I'm just looking forward to spring!

Have a safe and happy day!

Frances Perkins

 Why is there no movie about Frances Perkins?

Frances Perkins (1880-1965)

One of the many things Beth and I talk about during our Suffrage Centennial program is the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

We've always mentioned that Frances Perkins witnessed the scene.

In case you don't know who Frances Perkins was, she was the first woman cabinet member.  FDR appointed her to be the Secretary of Labor and she was really one of the main architects of the New Deal.  Her achievements that still help all of us include Social Security, unemployment compensation, and an 8 hour work day.  Actually there are just too many achievements she accomplished to relay in a blog post.  Maybe too many accomplishments to even relay in a movie--a good miniseries or a Ken Burns documentary might be appropriate.

I had always known about her work in the New Deal but while I was researching our suffrage program, I purchased a biography on her life called The Woman Behind The New Deal:  The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins by Kirsten Downey.  This month I cracked it open and loved everey minute I spent reading it.

I loved this book so much I sent a copy to both Beth and Linda.  I admire not only her determination to make the plight of working people better and safer but the ways she circumvented the truly misogynistic era she lived in.  I kept reading this book and declaring, "she did what!?!" at the choices she made.  She wasn't outrageous but she knew what she would have to do to get things done in a man's world.

By the way, if you are looking for a fascinating read, I highly recommend this book.  It's only about $10 for a soft cover book right now.  If you aren't inclined to read--there is a video available on Amazon prime and PBS (if you have their passport thing) called Summoned:  Frances Perkins and the General Welfare.  However the documentary doesn't go into a lot of detail regarding her personal life.

Totally unrelated:  Barbara Brackman has some stunning silk and embroidered quilts featured on one of her blogs today.  Go here to get lost in some loveliness!

Tomorrow is Flower Friday and if you have any floral images to share, please email me at allentownquilter@gmail.com

Have a safe and hapy day!

Psychiatry and Quiltmaking

 

Sorry about the delay in posting.  I had to rest yesterday and continue the clean out.  We got over 27 inches of snow in Allentown.  I shovel the back area for my dog and happily pay my kind neighbors to do the front for me.  But it was a lot.  After shoveling 7 times on Monday, I was toast yesterday.  As my one neighbor can attest, we ran out of places to put the snow!

On to happier thoughts.  On Monday I published a few articles about disabled men who took up quilting.  We know that in the 19th century, there were disabled veterans of the Crimean War and the Civil War that quilted.  But in the 20th century, a psychiatrist named Dr. William Rush Dunton, Jr. began advocating hobbies and in particular quilting as therapy for patients in mental hospitals.

Dr.  Dunton is genrally referred to as "the father of Occupational Therapy."  He became intrigued with quilting and even collected quilts and patterns. One of the many books he wrote was on the subject and was self-published.  Old Quilts is a book I've never purchased because it's so rare and copies if available, are over $300. 

1948

The doctor worked in Baltimore and became very enamored with Baltimore Album quilts.  He was one of the first people inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame.  I suggest you read for yourself about the good doctor.  The Quilters Hall of Fame has a wonderful article about him here.  

Have a safe and happy day!