Saturday, February 7, 2009

The Allure and Charm of Doll Quilts




Doll quilts are wonderful vehicle for studying quilting history.




Joy Neal, organizer of The Western Washington Quilt Study Group, has asked me to present the March 29th program and has selected the topic of Doll Quilts. I have been collecting these little gems for some 12 years now and love to use them as a vehicle through which to share my love of quilting. They are also a wonderful vehicle of women's history as well as cultural history.

You are welcome to bring your own doll or crib quilts to share. We will be meeting at LaConner Regional Library near the LaConner Quilt Museum in LaConner, WA, on Sunday, March 29 at 10:30. See address at bottom of this post.

March 29 will be the last day for the current exhibit at the museum so you'll want to take that in for sure if you haven't already seen it! LaConner Quilt Museum.


We hope you can join us! Please send Joy Neal an email if you are planning to come. The email link is at the bottom of the page. We need to have a minimum of 8 to make this a go. Remember, you don't have to be be a quilter or a quilt historian. You just have to love to look at old quilts so tell a couple of friends! Meanwhile, here are a couple of photos to wet your appetite. These were taken at the exhibit I put together for the Lopez Island Library Nov-Dec 2008.


The second photo shows a patchwork rabbit I found in an antique shop. It's made from an old Crazy Quilt. The patchwork cat is actually made of new fabric. I was thrilled to find a book by the same title. The little quilt lying on the shelf in this photo is circa 1880s. The little quilt standing upright on the far left was made by a quilter in Virginia in 2000 of reproduction fabrics from the 1820s-1850s.















In the third photo are two dolls I found on eBay made from old quilts or bedspreads. The little quilt they are picnicking on is circa 1930s-40s. The little Sun Bonnet Sue figure on the left in this photo is actually a clothespin bag made-to-size just for a doll. I do hope you will join us in LaConner on March 29th and bring your own doll quilts to share!







Contemporary lavender doll and doll quilt made by Marguerite Cox of Marion, Indiana, about 2006.



Western Washington Quilt Study Group (WWQSG)
TOPIC: Doll Quilts
Bring doll quilts or crib quilts to share if you like.
Saturday, March 29, 2009
10:30-12:30
LaConner Regional Library
614 Morris St.
La Conner, WA 98257
Phone: (360)466-3352
RSVP your plans by clicking here!

Eat out locally or bring a bag lunch.
Visit the museum in the afternoon.


To view a podcast about doll quilts click here to go to the International Quilt Study Center and hear Mary Ghormley talk about her doll quilt collection. You will have to scroll down to about the 14th lecture to find the one on doll quilts.