Tuesday, December 28, 2010

My Month in Pictures

What a month! First we went to the taping of Homecoming for Magic Johnson at Jenison Field House.
















Then a party at the Nightcap!

















Some walking of Boomer in the Woods, first Grand Woods Park





















Then, Rose Lake.





















We finally attended the Tom Izzo Christmas Show where he played his accordion and had the freshman, including Keith Appling, lead the crowd in Jingle Bells.





















On Christmas Eve, my brother and his kids, including Kevin pictured with Boomer, stayed for a few days. We went to a family party where my brother saw relatives he hadn't seen in 30 years.



















Finally, here I am in the Christmas sweater that my daughter Katy found for me in Chicago. I call it "everything but Santa," my daughter calls it "Christmas threw-up." And for you dog lovers, there is a puppy on the back.






















I've finally got a bit of time to sew, and of course, my daughter brought me some ripped jeans!

















I hope everyone had as great a Christmas as we did. Now looking forward to New Year's Day. Go State!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Living the Dream


Went to the Spartan game on Saturday. Not only did we win, but I caught a hot dog from the guy that tosses them in our section (20) during the first quarter. Another dream achieved!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Quilts and Football




detnews.com|Sports|Photogallery|Sports Photo Gallery - MSU 34, Michigan 17 - The Detroit News Online

What a day! I spent the day at the Cuesta Benberry Symposium a the MSU Museum and if you weren't there, you missed a special day. After the symposium I was able to listen to the last part of the MSU, U of M game. After the 34-17 Spartan victory I'm still doing my happy dance.

A big thanks to Pearl for bedazzling me with Sparty. She said if I run the Dino Dash next year, she'll get a picture of me really hanging with Sparty.

Till next time.....Happy Quilting!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Great Quilt Show


If you're looking for a great quilt show and are anywhere near Grand Rapids, Michigan, don't miss Quilts on the Grand. Everytime I've gone it's been well worth the drive. They usually have multiple raffle quilts (all fabulous), and the quilts on display are dazzling.

Till next time....Happy Quilting!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Cool antique quilts


Quilts from the collection of the Atlantic Heritage Center, are on exhibit there until October 10, 2010. The Center is located in Somers Point, New Jersey. If you can't make the exhibit (like me), you'll find a really cool page of their quilts at: http://gallery.me.com/merryquilts#100100.

Enjoy!

Till next time....Happy Quilting!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Fundraising Quilt


Each fall, Habitat for Humanity Lansing partners with the ACF Capital City Professional Chefs and Cooks Association to put on Harvest for Habitat, an evening of gourmet food, fabulous door prizes, and wonderful company. This year’s event will be at the East Lansing Marriott at University Place on Sunday, October 24th, 2010 beginning at 5:30pm.

I just finished this mini-Churn Dash quilt for the "fabulous door prize" portion of the evening. It is machine pieced and machine quilted and is 22" x 28". Each block is 4 1/2" square. I found the border fabric at the Michigan Quilt Network Show last weekend at the Ethelbird and Eliza Kids booth. All the rest of the fabric was from my stash. My color choice was inspired by Roxie's black/white/bright block exchange choice.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Too funny and too true

This one's dedicated to all my long arm friends.



Till next time....Happy Quilting!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Textile Conservation

Restoring the Palampore


Working at a museum with a large quilt collection, I frequently get questions about quilt care and I give good advice about basic home care. At the museum we store our quilts in archival tissue and breathable nylon. We do minor stabilization and cleaning (with a low suction vacuum where the quilt stays dry). However, when a quilt needs major work, we send our quilts out to someone qualified, as we don't have a conservation lab or a conservator at our museum. Watch this excellent video on a palampore from the Royal Ontario Museum that has been conserved by a team led by Shirley Ellis, Senior Textile Conservator at the ROM. From the video you can see how expensive it is to properly treat an old textile and why it costs so much money to conserve and clean a museum quilt.

Till next time....Happy Quilting!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A Quick History of Colonial Womens' Art

Preview of "Women Only: Folk Art by Female Hands"
- an exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum


Check out this cool video from the curator. It's about womens' art history.



Till next time....Happy Quilting!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Sad news


I just heard that Bonnie Leman has passed away. For those of you who don't recognize the name, she was the founder of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine. For those who do know her, a booklet is being compiled by Xenia Cord. To contribute a message to the family email it to teresad@quilts.com with Bonnie Leman in the message line.

For over 30 years, Quilter's Newsletter has been my bible and favorite quilt magazine.

To learn more about Bonnie you can find a biography of her at the Quilter's Hall of Fame and an interview with her at the Alliance for American Quilts.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Quilt Exhibit in NYC


The American Folk Art Museum in New York City has a wonderful collection of quilts. They'll be on exhibit in two parts. Part 1 starts in October. They'll be switching to part 2 in April. There is also a catalog of the exhibit that will be available in their gift shop. If I can't make it to the exhibit, I'm surely going to get the catalog. Click on the picture to get more information.

Till next time.....Happy Quilting!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Cuesta Benberry Symposium










Check out this great symposium this fall at the MSU Museum.
You can get the full brochure or sign up by clicking here.

(Click on the image to enlarge it.)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Great Lakes Folk Festival










This weekend is the Great Lakes Folk Festival. If you're anywhere near East Lansing, stop by. Music, food, stuff for the kids, arts and craft show, author book signings, etc., etc. Lots of fun stuff and all for free. My favorite is the dance tent. I love to watch everyone dance to all the different styles of music. Make sure and get a root beer float, too! This year's theme is Green. Everyone here at the MSU Museum has been busy putting together a great event. So come downtown and remember to give generously to the bucket brigade when they swing by.

Till next time.....Happy Quilting!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Major Grant for the Quilt Index


IMLS AWARDS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP PLANNING GRANTS TO 13 INSTITUTIONS,TOTALING MORE THAN $750,000

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal support for the nation's museums and libraries, announces that 13 institutions are receiving National Leadership Collaborative Planning Grants (NLG) totaling $763,715. Grantees will contribute $491,995 in matching funds. There were 62 applications to the program with requests totaling $3,752,309.

Michigan State University Museum is one of two organizations in Michigan to receive funding and the nearly $100,000 grant will be used to expand technology and access for its innovative online resource, the Quilt Index. (The other institution in Michigan to receive a grant is the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum for a partnership concerning literacy in rural communities.)

The NLG program includes two types of collaborative planning grants, which enable multi-institution project teams to work together to either plan a single project or to produce a white paper that will encourage multiple projects; and project grants, including both research and implementation grants, for which that preliminary work has already been done.

The MSU Museum project encompasses:
Award Amount: $98,173; Matching: $54,136
Grant Category: Library-Museum Collaboration--Level II Collaborative Planning Grant
Project Title: "The Quilt Index: Collaborative Planning for Internationalization"
The Quilt Index is a popular online scholarly and cultural resource that is growing increasingly global in its content and the communities it serves. Internationalization is encouraging, but it presents new challenges, such as supporting multilingual indexing, searching, and retrieval of information. The Michigan State University Museum, partnering with the MATRIX Center for Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online, the Alliance for American Quilts, and the International Quilt Study Center will identify key challenges for globally constructed and shared online resources, and develop a model plan that responds to those challenges.

"National Leadership Collaborative Planning Grants provide opportunities to conduct research and develop the framework to support future projects that have the potential to generate new tools, research, models, services, practices, or alliances that will positively impact museums, libraries, and the communities they serve," said IMLS Acting Director Marsha L. Semmel. "These projects encourage partnerships that address national issues of importance impacting education, scholarship, and public service and encourage the broad application of standards and models to improve professional practice."

IMLS National Leadership Collaborative Planning Grants position museums and libraries as partners with other community institutions -- from medical centers to gardens and nature centers -- in ways that explore assess community needs, solve problems and share data more widely. For a state-by-state list of grant recipients, see: http://www.imls.gov/news/2010/073010b_list.shtm#MI .

About the Quilt Index
The Quilt Index (http://www.quiltindex.org) launched seven years ago, and was developed at Michigan State University by the MSU Museum and MATRIX, the Center for Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online. The third primary partner is the Alliance for American Quilts, based in Asheville, N.C., a non-profit organization comprised of a broad range of key scholars, curators, librarians, and quilt artists in the U.S. dedicated to the study, preservation, and sharing of American quilt history. Over the years, the Quilt Index's growth and expansion has been supported by grants from IMLS and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Quilt Index merges tradition with technology and springs from the work of a uniquely-specialized team of researchers and experts who are committed to making significant quilt-related data accessible for research and teaching as well as developing replicable applications of technology in the humanities.

The online resource extends understanding and use of the museum's textile collections. The MSU Museum's Great Lakes Quilt Center has evolved from the sustained and significant quilt-related activities and resources at the Michigan State University Museum and the museum's long-standing interest in and commitment to preserving and presenting traditional arts history. More than 700 historic and contemporary textiles in the MSU Museum's collections are used for exhibition and research, and the Quilt Index, in part, helps make these collections - and others -- more connected to repositories and users worldwide.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, D.C., is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.
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Monday, August 2, 2010

Sad News


I'm posting this quilt to commemorate the life of a quilting friend, Irene Pavlik. I knew Irene in the early 1990s when we both belonged to the Wednesday group, a small group of friends who met every Wednesday afternoon to stitch and chat. The Wednesday group made the blocks for this house quilt for Block by Block, a book I wrote in 1995. Irene's block is in the lower left corner. The Wednesday group still meets, but has gotten smaller. Irene lived 50 miles away and came less frequently to spend more time with her daughter Miah. I got a full time job and no longer had afternoons free. Irene was a wonderful quilter and was always fun. Recently, Irene's husband became very ill. She was flying to the Mayo Clinic with him when their plane went down in Lake Michigan. This is truly sad, as Irene was a great lady, fun to be around and fun to quilt with.

For more about Irene go to:
http://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/saginaw/obituary.aspx?n=irene-pavlik&pid=144350502
and
http://www.9and10news.com/Category/Story/?id=243786&cID=1

Till next time.......

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild Show


Just a reminder to everyone in the area to check out the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild Show this weekend. It's always one of the best around.


Till next time....Happy Quilting!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Quilt Symposium at MSU Museum

JULY 19, 2010


PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Lora Helou (helou@msu.edu), Communications Manager, Michigan State University Museum, 517-432-3357

MSU MUSEUM SYMPOSIUM CONNECTS COLLECTIONS, RESEARCH AND QUILT HISTORY

MSU MUSEUM, EAST LANSING, MICH. -- Michigan State University Museum announces a major event this fall: "Unpacking Collections: The Legacy of Cuesta Benberry and a Symposium on Using Quilt History Collections," to explore the connections between using collections in making or studying quilts.

The symposium is set for Oct. 8-10, 2010 in East Lansing, Mich., and is planned in conjunction with an exhibition that showcases examples of materials from the Cuesta Benberry Quilt History Collections that were recently acquired by the MSU Museum.

Scholars and creative artists use private and public collections of objects and archival materials to inform their work. What do they collect? Where do they find collections and how exactly do they use them? What do they do with the collections when they are done? How have they been inspired by collections? What obstacles do they encounter when building or using collections? These questions and more will be explored in the MSU Museum symposium.

"We were wonderfully surprised and honored that Cuesta Benberry's collections have come to the Michigan State University Museum," says Marsha MacDowell, MSU Museum curator and MSU professor of art and art history. "Research-based collections like hers are critical to still under-studied but important aspects of quilt history and of African American art and cultural history. We know that this collection of primary materials will enable scholars here on campus and around the world to benefit from Cuesta's trail-blazing work and to carry it forward. Her collections and others held at the MSU Museum allow us also to examine the importance of building and using collections in creative, scholarly, and educational ways," she adds.

To download the symposium brochure and to register by mail or online, go to: http://museum.msu.edu/Events/cbsymposium/


Noted individuals who have used collections in their scholarly and creative work and will speak at the symposium include Lauren Cross, Kyra Hicks, Carolyn Mazloomi, Patricia Turner,and Merikay Waldvogel. In addition there will be a showing of Cross's film The Skin Quilt Project film, book sales, author book signings, and an information session on using The Quilt Index
; "Sit and Stitch" with quiltmakers and "Sit and Share Collections" with quilt history collectors; and a reunion of participants in the African American Quiltmaking in Michigan Project. Optional symposium package add-on activities include "Behind the Scenes" tours of the MSU Museum African American and African Quilt Collections and an opportunity to have your quilt documented for the Michigan Quilt Project/The Quilt Index.


Self-guided tours of the exhibition Unpacking Collections: The Legacy of Cuesta Benberry, An African American Quilt Scholar, and the concurrent Dear Mr. Mandela, Dear Mrs. Parks: Children's Letters, Global Lessons (an exhibition produced by the Nelson Mandela Museum and the Michigan State University Museum in collaboration with the Keeper of the Word Foundation) will also be available.

Members of the Great Lakes African American Quilt Network, the Lansing Sisters in Stitches, and Flint African American Quilt Guild will serve as volunteer hosts and will have information on their organizations.

The symposium is being organized by the Michigan State University Museum and has been supported by a major grant from the Salser Family Foundation with additional support from the MSU Museum Studies Program, MSU Department of Art and Art History, MSU Women's Resource Center, African and African American Studies Program, MSU Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, and the MSU Residential College of Art and Humanities.

For more information about the exhibition, visit http://museum.msu.edu/Exhibitions/Current/TheLegacyofCuestaBenberry


The Great Lakes Quilt Center at the Michigan State University Museum
Michigan State University Museum's Great Lakes Quilt Center continues the Michigan Quilt Project documentation project, initiated in 1985; has completed major documentation projects on Michigan African-American quiltmaking and North American Indian quiltmaking; is currently engaged in a documentation project on South African quiltmaking; has a collection of over 700 quilts, a strong collection of quiltmaking ephemera, and a library of over 2000 quilt-related publications; and regularly mounts and tours exhibitions of quilts. Michigan State University Museum partners with the Alliance for American Quilts and MATRIX: Center for Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online to lead the development of The Quilt Index and Quilt Treasures. For more information about the collections and programs of the center, go to http://www.museum.msu.edu/glqc/
.

The Michigan State University Museum
The MSU Museum is Michigan's natural science and culture museum and the state's first Smithsonian Institution affiliate. The MSU Museum -- accredited by the American Association of Museums -- collects, preserves, studies and interprets cultural artifacts and natural history specimens, with collections numbering more than 1 million in four buildings on the MSU campus. The MSU Museum is committed to education, exhibitions, research and the building and stewardship of collections that focus on Michigan and its relationship to the Great Lakes and the world beyond. Learn more at: http://museum.msu.edu
.

Arts and culture at MSU
Arts and culture at MSU play a critical role in nurturing the human spirit while contributing to a richer quality of life. Museums, galleries, and gardens along with libraries, historic sites, and performance spaces provide a catalyst for cultural exchange of diverse ideas and inspirations. At the same time, audiences on campus and around the world take advantage of academic and research outreach programs such as public broadcasting, online resources, and publications. Find out more at http://artsandculture.msu.edu
.

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Antique Quilt Exhibits

Here are links to two exhibits I'm hoping to visit this summer.

American Quilts: Selections from the Winterthur
Milwaukee Art Museum has the exhibit from May 22-September 6, 2010.




Quilting Traditions: The Art of the Amish
at the Dairy Barn in Athens, Ohio from May 28, September 6, 2010.



Till next time.....happy quilting.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Blogger's Quilt Festival










This is my first time at the Blogger's Quilt Festival. How cool!

I've chosen an antique top I bought on
eBay to share. It's in poor shape, but I loved the pattern. After much searching I found the pattern in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Patterns. The name of the pattern is Cut Glass Dish and the version in the top is set on point.

My next door neighbor is having her first baby. At her baby shower, I brought muslin squares and had the attendees sign them. Now I'm using those squares to make a baby quilt from the Cut Glass Dish pattern. When the baby quilt is done, I'll post a picture and a pattern.

Make sure and click on the button to see the whole list and links to other Blogger's participating in this festival.







I'm taking a moment to edit this post. The quilt block, Cut Glass Dish that I isolated
from the antique quilt top is not accurate. While making the baby quilt for my neighbor, I noticed it was not turning out how I had planned. I'm continuing the baby quilt using Cut Glass Dish because I don't want to start over. Meanwhile my quilting buddy Carol Sc also noticed the block was not going to work. Thanks for keeping my on my toes Carol. So I re-worked my EQ7y drawing and found the real block in the top is this.
The difference between the two is the first, incorrect version was a three-by-three unit, when the correct block is a four-by-four block.

I'll post the baby quilt when it's done, so you can see how the quilt looks when the three-by-three, Cut Glass Dish block is used.

I couldn't find the four-by-four block in any of my block sources.

Till next time...Happy Quilting.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Lansing Area Patchers Quilt Show

Make sure and make time this weekend (Saturday May 22, 9-4 and Sunday May 23, 9-2)to go to the Lansing Area Patchers "Love of Quilting" Show. Admission is $6.00 and it's being held at The Summit (9410 Davis Highway, Dimondale, MI). There will be 50 vendors, 400 quilts, door prizes, and a silent auction. It's everything you could want in a quilt show and more! I'll be there, I hope to see you too!

Till next time.....Happy Quilting.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Blind Man's Fancy


Blind Man's Fancy, 15" x 15"

Just a quick note especially for Carol Sc.

This blogger is making Blind Man's Fancy blocks too! Click to see her progress: http://humblequilts.blogspot.com/2010/05/sewing-too.html

And if you like the blocks, you can get a free pattern here.

Till next time....Happy Quilting!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Spring at MSU


















































It has been an absolutely gorgeous spring. I took a walk on my lunch hour a few days ago and snapped these pictures of the MSU Campus where I work. So before this beautiful April comes to a close I'll share.

Till next time.... Happy Quilting!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Block Exchange, catch up


Fans, ~40" x 40"


For the past 3 months I was busy working on a Power Point presentation on the Detroit News Quilt Club Corner Column of the 1930s to present at Macomb Community College. I had a great time. We had a big crowd, complete with a super show and tell. A lady in the audience (I'm embarrassed that I didn't get her name) offered this fan quilt top to me. She found it while cleaning out an estate and didn't want it. I jumped at it and am taking this opportunity to thank her again for this wonderful piece.

Now that the lecture is over, I've been able to spend time catching up on my block exchange blocks. So here's a little show and tell....

Dorothy's Rose


Daisy's Squares


Cindy's House

The last block is for Debra. I took two birds that were published in the summer of 1935 in the Detroit News Quilt Club Column Corner's Laurel Wreath quilt. The Detroit News probably purchased this from Florence LaGanke Harris who published it in her Nancy Page Club column in 1934. Since The Detroit Free Press carried the Nancy Page Club, but the Laurel Wreath was being published in the News, the pattern from the News does not carry the Nancy Page byline or include the Florence LaGanke credit.

Cedar Waxwing and Hermit Thrush, 9" x 12".


I've added a free pattern for my version of Cedar Waxwing and Hermit Thrush.


Till next time........happy quilting.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Rags and Tatters free quilt pattern


The Lorenzo Cultural Center at Macomb Community College is displaying 15 quilts from the Michigan State University Museum's Clarke Family Collection. I gave a lecture on the collection on Sunday afternoon. I want to thank everyone who gave me such a warm welcome and to those who brought such great quilts for show and tell. I've made a pattern for one of the quilts in the collection, Rags and Tatters.

In the 1930s, the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit Times, all offered quilt patterns to their readers. Rags and Tatters was in the Detroit News in 1933.




The top quilt was made by Detroiter Bozena Clarke from 1941-44. Click on the image to find the complete record in the Quilt Index.

The quilt below is an EQ5 version that I made to write the pattern.


The Clarke family made over 40 quilts covering all the classic 30s patterns. If you're in the Detroit area before May 8, make sure and see these quilts, they're worth the trip!

Till next time....Happy Quilting!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Sunbonnet Sue


This is an antique Sunbonnet Sue quilt from my collection. It is one of 10 that I'll bring to a lecture I'm giving for the exhibit,

And Still They Prospered: Living Through the Great Depression

February 27 - May 8, 2010

at the Lorenzo Cultural Center at Macomb Community College in Clinton Twp., MI. The title of my lecture is:

Quilting in Detroit in the 1930s
Sunday, April 11 - 2 p.m.

I'd like to invite everyone to attend. The power point will have lots of great stuff from the Clarke Family collection at the MSU Museum. In fact 15 quilts from the Clarke Family are on loan for this exhibit.
For more information, directions, etc. go to:
http://www.lorenzoculturalcenter.com/schedule/index.asp

And if you come, please bring a depression era quilt for show-n-tell after the lecture!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Final Four Baby!



My MSU Quilt in honor of our Final Four Spartans!

Till next time.....Happy Quilting!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Cool pillow case video



The first half of this video is half square triangles, nothing new. But the second half is a demo of a nifty pillowcase.

Until next time.....Happy Quilting.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Center Diamond Quilt


I made the top for this Center Diamond quilt last year for my boss, Lynne. She brought it to Kari Ruedisale who did an exquisite job on the quilting. Lynne chose the colors and most of the fabric (I filled in with stuff from my stash). She wanted to use fabric from her son's nursery. She likes the Center Diamond pattern and her favorite pattern is Flying Geese, so I combined them both.

This quilt is 96" x 96".

Till next time.....Happy Quilting.