Every fall, lovers of quilt history (old and new) meet to share research, treasures, and friendship at the Annual Meeting/Fall Seminar of the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG). Last month, I shared some of the wonderful experiences I had visiting this year’s meeting in New York’s beautiful Hudson River Valley, with tours of New York City and surrounding states.

As always, it was an amazing event full of old and new friends and a lot of antique quilts. In the previous article, I focused on the off-site tours, but there are many terrific events at the host hotel included with seminar registration — from Early Fabric Printing, 1840s Signature Quilts, 1890s Cut and Sew Dolls, to Quilts in Museums and Rotary Cutters in the 20th and 21st Century.

One of the highlights of every year’s seminar are the scholarly paper presentations, which are peer-reviewed research papers showcasing “the most recent advances in quilt-related research.” The papers are presented at seminar and published in Uncoverings, the annual academic journal of AQSG.

These papers represent years of intense research by the authors, who must condense and collate that information into the written word and then further distill the information to a brief Powerpoint talk at seminar. We were treated to a stellar group of talks on a variety of quilt history, both past and present, as indicated above. It was a delight to learn details about such a range of topics and time periods, from early 1800s lapis printing to contemporary Instagram posts about close encounters with rotary cutters.

I loved seeing images of the “Playthings by the Yard,” adorable cut-and-sew dolls and toys of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Of course, my personal favorite was Cathy Erickson’s presentation on 1840s signature quilts in Southeast Pennsylvania, a topic near and dear to my heart. And we each came home with a copy of Uncoverings to dive further into the research papers.

Great food and entertainment

Seminar also features wonderful food paired with informative luncheon and dinner speakers. This year we enjoyed a keynote speech by African-American quilt artist Dr. Myrah Brown Green, speaking on “The Presence of African Symbols in North American Quilts.” The first luncheon speaker was the Quilt Journalist Meg Cox giving one of her State of the Quilt Union updates aka the Quilt Journalist Tells All -Seminar Edition, an interesting and timely update of the status of the quilting industry. Dr. Janneken Smucker took us back in time a century, speaking on “A New Deal for Quilts: How Quilting Helped Rebuild America in the New Deal Era” (check out her amazing book of the same title).

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What could be better than touring New York in the Fall with a lot of friends and antique quilts? Not much! Once again I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Seminar of the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG), (americanquiltstudygroup.org) just after Labor Day in early September. This year’s seminar took place in Tarrytown, NY, home of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman (more about him next month). A beautiful, wooded area along the scenic Hudson River. It is a lovely rural location but very close to New York City and many other wonders and neighboring states.

Fall Seminar is the annual meeting of AQSG, and it rotates locations around the United States. Changing venues each year allows for small group tours of the unique collections of local museums and historical societies. These tours permit visiting quilt scholars to view seldom-seen quilts and share their knowledge honed by years of studying fabrics and patterns in quilts with the museums – a true win-win experience for all. I was able to visit the Historical Society of Rockland County, New York’s Museum on the other side of the Hudson River Valley, which now has an amazing exhibition: ”When This You See, Remember Me: Inscribed Quilts of Rockland County”; the exhibit displays 1850s Signature Quilts (my favorite). The museum also had a bed-turning of quilts from its collection, which included wonderful treasures. Additionally, there was an onsite home from 1832 to visit. On another tour we visited nearby Connecticut, with stops at the Museum of Darien (founded in 1640), paired with a wonderful saltbox house built in 1736. The second stop on that tour was the Fairfield Museum and History Center in historic Fairfield. It was like walking back in time. At both museums we were treated to showings of historic regional quilts led by Connecticut scholar Sue Reich, and we all exchanged information with the museums.

And if that was not enough, I also had the pleasure of visiting New York City on a special tour. This tour fea-tured a visit to the world-famous Metropolitan Museum of Art – yes, THE MET! We were treated to a close viewing of eight masterpiece antique quilts from their collection, cream-of-the-crop quilts. And then we had time to run around the museum. I was thrilled to visit the Temple of Dendur, a real Egyptian temple that was dismantled in Egypt and rebuilt in the museum. The other half of the tour was an afternoon with collectors and dealers Jane Lury and David Hupert sharing treasures from their collection in their Manhattan home overlooking Central Park. It was a truly magical day.

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Several years ago, I acquired a funky leaf appliqué quilt from an online auction. I put in a single small bid, then forgot about the item. I was surprised to find that I was the new owner, but I was excited to see if my hunch about the quilt was correct from just a few little pictures. It appeared to be a mid-1800s quilt with signature stamps – my favorite type of quilt and my collecting specialty. The auction listing gave no information about the quilt, its origin, date, etc – not an uncommon occurrence given the dearth of information that is attached to most antique quilts. However, in this case, the quilt had a great story to tell if the auction house had given it even a cursory glance. This applique quilt is a signature album quilt complete with lots of names, some dates, and every block identified with the town where the quilt was made!

When I received the quilt, I started examining the blocks and saw the names, dates (1848), and the town of origin: Barnegat. A quick online search of a few names confirmed my guess of Barnegat, NJ, A.K.A. the Jersey Shore. So, I had what appeared to be an antique signature quilt from New Jersey that was 170 years old, but something was amiss. Some of the signature stamps looked like they had been outlined with modern ballpoint pens. The quilt was not quilted but instead tied with yarn all over the blocks in a garish treatment for such a great quilt. Not something that would have been done by the original makers and not a period quilt finishing practice. Speaking of finishing, the edge was done with a lovely knife edge, a difficult method not usually seen in the 1840s.

Then I examined the quilt backing: plain bleached muslin. Plain muslin backings were not unheard of but not usual for the era of the blocks. On closer inspection, I found the unmistakable sign of feed/food sacking (cloth product bags), which is the stitching line along the fabric edges. Cloth commodity bags had a chainstitch along the top edge, which left visible lines; a similar stitch is used now on large dogfood bags. This moved that fabric into the 1900s.

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There is no better way to learn history and have fun than through examining, studying, and researching antique quilts. In preparation for my American Quilt Study Group Quiltside Chat with Carolyn Ducey, curator of the International Quilt Museum, in June, I was researching several 1840s signature album quilts from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Trenton, New Jersey, region. I focused on several quilts that are quilted genealogical records and textile documents. These quiltmakers paired the formula of the recording family history in the front of the family Bible and documenting the sentiments of friends in autograph albums to create the phenomenon of signature album quilts. They also provided more signs to their lives that you will find if you look more closely. There are indicators of occupations, favorite flowers, birds, books, and Bible verses. There are also political preferences or examples of quilters voting with their needles if you understand the clues and the signs of the time in which the quilts were made.

One of the museum quilts I researched, while made a bit later and farther west of the main selections, the Hepzibah Shinn Cox quilt (IQM 2012.028.0001, Ohio, 1857, Quaker), features an interesting political message. A furry ram applique nestled among floral appliques in the center of the quilt could be viewed as just a cute sheep block. But luckily for us, the block maker added “Hurrah for Old Buck,” the nickname for President James Buchanan, who was in office when the quilt was made. The block is a subtle but strong indicator of the political commitment of the quiltmaker. Similarly, the Sarah Wistar Album Quilt (IQM #2005.059.0001, Pennsylvania, 1842, Quaker) is not only an amazing genealogical record with a literal family tree drawn in the center but shares the maker’s political allegiance. The center section also displays a tribute to Whig Party President William Henry Harrison. It includes all the states in the Union during his brief 1841 presidency along with a log cabin. Sadly, Harrison was only in office for 30 days as he died after giving a very long inaugural speech in bad weather. The Whig Party adopted the symbols of the folksy log cabin and hard cider to appeal to the common man.

The log cabin seemed familiar, and in reviewing photos I found the same inked log cabins on a couple of other early signature quilts made by Quaker families in the Philadelphia area. A cousin quilt to the Wistar Album — the Pennock Album quilt (1842, Chester County Pennsylvania Historical Society Collection) not only has a similar genealogical record as the Wistar Album but also the same symbol of political preference – a log cabin. Specifically, the block for “S. Pennock aged 72” displays a cabin with a barrel labeled “hard cider,” a clear indication of the Whig Party. Additionally, the Mary Worrall Parry quilt (Quaker, Delaware County, Pennsylvania 1844, private collection), also features a log cabin. That cabin features a flag supporting Henry Clay, the 1844 Whig presidential candidate. Without the name on the flag or the hard cider label, it would be easy to miss the party preference and view the cabin as just a little house. It is fascinating to see these Quaker quilters were voting with their needles and recording political affiliations along with family genealogy. It makes me want to continue to explore and discover messages hidden in the cloth. Keep your eyes open and you may learn about history the fun way – through antique quilts!

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Imagine being let loose in the most amazing quilt museum in the world and getting to pick out any quilt to take home. Well … This was my most recent quilty assignment with my beloved American Quilt Study Group. I was to decide what quilt I would take out of the International Quilt Museum – if it were NOT a crime. Darn! I knew it sounded too good to be true. But I did get to do a lot of dreaming and thinking and studying.

OK, a bit of background on the assignment and the history of Quiltside Chats, which is a partnership between the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, NE, and the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG), also headquartered in Lincoln. The project sponsor is Quiltfolk Magazine. An AQSG member is asked which quilt they would sneak out of the building and then discuss the quilt and what makes it intriguing with the Museum Curator of Collections, Carolyn Ducey, in an hourlong lively conversation: a Quiltside Chat. The series has been ongoing for more than three years and is up to the 17th episode with yours truly. The chats air every few months on Facebook Live; then they can be found on the American Quilt Study Group YouTube channel. If you haven’t discovered them yet, you are in for a real treat as the past episodes cover a range of incredible quilts showcased by knowledgeable quilt scholars. The quilts discussed run the gamut from early embroidered quilts (1700s England) to fancy Chintz Applique of the 1840s, to several 1930s and 1940s quilts, and on to the work of Jean Ray Laury in the 1970s.

The International Quilt Museum is a world-class facility; it has an amazing collection of quilts mainly due to the foresight of collectors Ardis and Robert James. Their collection and financial support were and are the bedrock of the museum, continuing through their foundation. You could spend days viewing all the online collections and resources at internationalquiltmuseum.org. I highly recommend visiting both online and in person.

How to choose just one quilt? Even if it is a dream or maybe because it is a magical exercise, how could I limit myself to a single quilt? I watched all the previous episodes and realized I could follow the lead of my fellow AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser and Collector, Mary W. Kerr, and choose several quilts. I could tie them into my own collections and wide-ranging interests and general love of antique quilts. Of course, I had to focus on 1840s antique signature quilts from the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area especially with Quaker ties – my passion. Some fancy and some fairly simple quilts; but I also wanted to highlight a couple of more humble quilts and even a total wildcard: a funky four block Eagle Quilt.

My episode is airing on June 30, and so you should be able to watch it on YouTube right after you finish reading this article. I hope you will enjoy learning about the quilts, I would love to swipe from the museum and why. The museum has thousands of quilts from across the world and I hope you will visit them. Don’t forget to watch the prior episodes of the Quiltside Chats to learn more about some of the interesting people behind the quilt seams. You will be inspired to pick out a few quilts to try to sneak out. Cue the Mission Impossible theme song and I’ll meet you in Lincoln.

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