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             (Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University)

Susan Robb Civil War Quilt, made by Susan Robb for her stepson William Henry Robb who served in the Confederate Military, Circa 1860.
Thought to be one of the few surviving quilts demonstrating the maker’s conviction that the South would win the civil War.
Gift of the Estate of T. J. Robb, TTU-H1983-104

When walking through a gallery of vintage quilts, does your heart sing with joy? Are you immediately compelled to move in for a closer view of every stitch the maker used? Do you marvel at the handwork displayed for your viewing pleasure? And, as you stand gazing, do you have thoughts about the maker and her life? Do you wonder what occasion she made the quilt for?

Life often brings small seemingly unimportant serendipitous moments that lead to big ideas. A chance encounter at an October DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) meeting, where Dr. Marian Ann Montgomery (Curator of Clothing and Textiles at the Museum of Texas Tech University) was invited to speak on quilts, led to a short chat post-meeting, followed by a more in-depth conversation over coffee during the Houston Quilt Festival last fall.

The Museum at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX is a jewel often overlooked by those not in the know as they travel across the state. But, TQS and Marian Ann have collaborated to share why you should put the museum on your list of must places when it comes to quilts and textiles. Dr. Montgomery will be sharing images of vintage quilts from their textile collection, the fascinating stories of the women and their family's occupation and level of society.

We will seek to answer these burning questions in every third Wednesday's newsletter, starting next week. Along the way, we will also have a number of other special events and stories to share with you. So grab your favorite cup of something delicious, and join us for a journey in discovering the talents and creative ideas of the women in Texas, whose stitchwork legacy lives on.


Dr. Marian Ann Montgomery arrived at the Museum of Texas Tech University as the Curator of Clothing and Textiles in January 2014. She brought with her a Ph.D. in Museum Administration, with a concentration in Fashion and Textile History from New York University where her studies were in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dr. Montgomery has previously served as the Curator of Fashion and Textiles for the State Museum of Tennessee, Director of Interpretation for The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Archivist for the State Fair of Texas and Founding Curator and Director of Exhibits for The Woman's Museum.

Marian Ann has organized the successful collaborative quilt exhibits Quilt Mania I and II, as well as a quilt exhibit at The Grace Museum in Abilene, TX.

Dr. Montgomery cares for over 33,000 clothing and textile objects, which is the largest collection of this material at an American university. Along with raising funds for collection acquisition and endowment of a Curator's position, she established the Come and See program for which she pulls 20-30 objects from the collection and discusses them in context. Currently she is working on a book and exhibition on the more than 6,100 piece feed sack collection. 

 

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I am headed out on a quilt cruise with Sue Spargo! And included on our cruise is Joe Cunningham, John Flynn and Gloria Loughman! Talk about an amazing group of artists! About 3 years ago I cruised with Stacy West of Buttermilk Basin and Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gathering...my first quilt cruise and I was hooked! So, I put away a little each month in my cruise bank. Even if you are not a cruise aficionado, the benefit to cruising with a quilt teacher is...they are a captured audience, LOL!

My carry on luggage included my medications and my stitching...the most important cargo I have...oh and my swimsuit! I could live on the ship with only these 3 items!

I decided instead of starting a new project, I would concentrate on learning new stitches on my UFOs...very excited to get these projects moving in this new year!

We will have video of the experience later this month on the Quilt Roadies! Keep on stitching and start a Cruise Piggy Bank!

NOTE: Anna will be travelling out of the country for next few weeks and we will do our best to post her blogs as they arrive.

Click here for Anna's YouTube Channel.

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Linda Anderson took a trip to China and was captivated by a Tang Dynasty performance of music and dance. The warrior in the performance had such a powerful presence of command and leadership she wanted to tell his story in her quilt, Braveheart.
 
Linda's quilt won Best Sewing Machine Workmanship Innovative at the Pacific International Quilt Festival 2017.
 
 

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Julie at The Crafty Quilter created some cute and practical storage bins to organize all her scraps of fabric. She also shares some "before" photos of her studio.

 
 

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Part 2 of the Mandala Unplugged hand stitching project is now available. This week you'll be working with beads, starch-turned appliqué, and more background stitching.

Please join the Mandala Unplugged Facebook group for support and camaraderie. 

 
 

 

 

 

 

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Jen at Shabby Fabrics has another entry in her Table Glitz series, where each month she shows you a simple and festive way to decorate your table. This month, she is teaching you how to create snowflake placemats and coasters!
 

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Thanks so much to Marisela Rumberg for sharing this incredible group quilt featuring Mexico's "magic towns"--cities across Mexico with exceptional historical, cultural, and natural features. This video barely captures the quilt's huge size and detailed landscapes, but we're so excited to share this bilingual Go Tell It! video from the Quilt Alliance with you. Enjoy the "Magic Towns of Mexico."

Marisela's blocks

 

 

 

(photos: gladiquilts - Gladi Porsche)

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The Queen of Appliqué, Elly Sienkiewicz, passed the torch of the Academy of Appliqué to Kathy Dunigan five years ago. Learn how Kathy wants to honor the tradition, but also move the technique into the future. Ricky and Kathy also discuss the Baltimore Album quilt Kathy brought to the show and how you can attend Elly Sienkiewicz' last teaching event.

Feb 2018 will be the last teaching event for Elly Sienkiewicz. It will take place at the Richardson, TX, Academy of Appliqué. See below video.

 

A full 5 day gathering with classes
by wonderful, leading Appliqué teachers with fun gatherings and events.

February 6 - 10, 2018

Renaissance Marriot Hotel, Richardson, Texas

www.kathyduniganappliqueacademy.com

General Registration happening now!

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Edyta's quilt takes a step back to a simpler time with a vintage truck loaded with pumpkins for the Country Fair.

A pattern for this quilt is available on Edyta's website.

Star Members can watch Edyta in Show 2201: It's All About Scraps & the TQS BOM 2018 Patchwork Barn Quilt.

Original Photo: Edyta Sitar

 

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Bonnie Hale Leman was the founder of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, and one of the nation's first female magazine publishers. Bonnie passed away in 2010, and now her family needs your help. On December 21, 2017, Bonnie's grandson and his wife passed away, leaving two children. These children need your help. Please help by donating to The Holland Children's Support Fund or sharing this information.