Continued mending on Two's quilt, quick trip to Boston

I have finished patching the (mostly purple) nine-patches on my great-grandma's nine patch, for my sister-in-law Janette. 

The quilting stitches are so so tiny! 

I used 25 weight thread to patch things up... with my giant stitches... 

Sometimes in the ditch: 

Where ever I have pins in the quilt, I need to patch up the muslin.  That's next.   

David and I got up to Boston for a few days.  Sometimes we just need a dose of "back home." 

He fished, we both caught up with some dear friends, we ate great food, we enjoyed the Museum of Fine Arts.  

What do we have here.... Prince's Feather, Mary Price Hall, about 1860, Ohio  - 

David was amazed at these teeny tiny reverse appliqué circles: 

In Boston we also saw an absolutely stunning musical,  Gatsby.  We have always enjoyed productions by A.R.T. (often pre-Broadway) and I love their entire ethos.  

Then David went on to Tokyo, and I returned home to North Carolina.  It felt good to walk in the door.  I think because we have lived so many places, many places feel like "home" and we miss them all when we aren't there. I guess you can't live in three places at once?? 

I am always trying to pack lightly (freedom!).   When I'm with David, we carry-on.  When I'm on my own, I check my bag, even though it is carry-on sized.  I hate the stress of boarding, wondering if there will be room above for my suitcase.   

My quest for the perfect carryon 'personal item' is also never ending.  I have a couple of small backpacks, but I think I'm really more of a "zippered tote" person.  I love this old Cath Kidston oilcloth tote and I tend to turn back to it again and again.  

Tomorrow is July 4th.  It will be a quiet, solo, indoors (cool) day for me.  Hopeful thoughts for democracy. 

xo

Cynthia 

Quilts at the North Carolina Museum of Art

The other day David and I went to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh for the first time.  It is not too far from our townhouse.   There is a special exhibition going called Layered Legacies: Quilts from the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts at Old Salem - on until July 21.  

"Quilts materialize the bonds of home, family, and community as they are passed down from generation to generation. Yet they are also records of our shared history, interwoven with broader social, cultural, and economic legacies that make up the complex fabric of the United States."

Complex, for sure.  The quilts were made during Slavery and Reconstruction years, and the exhibition acknowledges and highlights how the quilts would likely have been produced by "unacknowledged hands" - and absolutely so, when we consider the cotton batting and fabric.  

We do not assume that Eleanor made this quilt herself. Note the "household of"  - 

An 1845 crib quilt from the household of Mary Videau Marion Yeadon, in Charleston, South Carolina: 

There was a white work quilt made by two sisters in antebellum (pre Civil War) Tennessee.  One sister married a slave holder, while the other sister married an abolitionist minister.  

From the museum website: 

Layered Legacies invites audiences to consider the multilayered stories stitched into quilts made in the American South between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. Featured are more than 30 bed coverings and related objects from the collection of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and Old Salem collections. Foregrounding the masterful artistry of women, these bed coverings are expressions of love, objects of exquisite craftsmanship, and material documents containing hidden stories of long-forgotten women, both white and Black, wealthy and enslaved, whose hands created and cared for these important textiles.

It is well worth seeing if you are in the area!  It has given me a lot to think about. 

xo

Cynthia 

North Carolina Quilts

One of the joys of visiting family in North Carolina is being able to see my niece Alyssa who at such a young age, is an avid quilter and quilt lover.

Today we ventured into Raleigh to the North Carolina Museum of History to see a wonderful exhibit, curated by Diana Bell-Kite,  called Quilt Speak:  Uncovering Women's Voices Through Quilts.  It is truly worth a trip if you are in the area!

Mamie's quilt knocked our socks off:

It was listed as a Postage Stamp but I want to say also... Trip Around the World??

Turn the corner, and wow!

And then this absolutely stunning Cotton Boll: 

This utility quilt caught our eyes for sure!  Oh I just love it.  Wabi sabi - the maker's hand, signs of everyday use.  

There was a sign asking people to post selfies on Instagram, in front of a favorite from the exhibit.  Check out #quiltspeak on IG.

Love the simplicity: 

More wabi sabi:

Here the quilt back was displayed below a facsimile of the quilt top.  The backing was made from feed sacks.

Look at this beauty: 

A gorgeous Log Cabin Courthouse steps: 

These are just a few of the amazing quilts in this exhibit.  One more selfie before we head out - 

At first glance the exhibit book looks excellent and I look forward to reading every word!

xo

Cynthia