The Western Washington Quilt Study Group salutes the American Quilt Study Group

If you like to learn about antique quilts or the women who made them, this is the group for you!


Come join us for the Western Washington Quilt Study Group meeting Saturday, May 30th, 10:00 a.m. at the LaConner Quilt Museum in LaConner, Washington. WWQSG has a close association with AQSG. (More about AQSG below.) The museum address is 703 S 2nd Street, La Conner, WA 98257


The quilts of the late Sidney Knopf are on exhibit on main floor. Sidney kept a Quilt Journal of the creation of each of her quilts. Most were made in the 80s/90s and due to her illness, several remain just tops. Her husband, Ken, will join us to talk about Siddy and her quilts at our May meeting.

Please feel free to bring a quilt to share.

(Photo of Siddy Knopf Courtesy of LaConner Quilt Museum.)

Afterwards the meeting we will tour the museum and see Shiela Groman's "Vision in Fibers" and Karen Frazin's "Birdscapes."


2001 AQSG Williamsburg Seminar workshop.

Interested in learning more about antique fabrics and quilt history? Check out the AMERICAN QUILT STUDY GROUP by clicking here.

AQSG holds the premiere quilt history seminar in the USA. They also publish a collection of research papers related to some aspect of quilt history every year titled Uncoverings. Click here to search a subject you are interested in. They also publish a meaty newsletter Blanket Statements four times a year.

AQSG's first seminar was held in Mill Valley, CA, in 1980. Some 29 years later it is still going strong! Their annual seminar is now held in a different city each year: 2000 - Rockford IL; 2001 - Williamsburg VA; 2003 - Dallas TX; 2004 - Vancouver WA; 2005 - Denver CO; 2006; Hartford CT; 2007 - Lowell MA; 2008 - Columbus OH. 2009 will be held on the West Coast again in San Jose, California. Come join us! I had the good fortunate to learn about this group just as I got started in quilting so I joined in 1981. My only regret is every seminar I missed for I was able to attend only 1985, 1989 and 1995 due to other committments. But I was able to attend 2000-2007 and look forward to seeing everyone again in 2009.

Not only do you get to hear at least 6 quilt-related research papers presented and see wonderful quilts, you also get to tour the museum quilt collections and some private collections in the cities in which we meet. And the networking among fellow lovers of quilt history has no equal!

See you May 30th!

Karen Alexander
Member of AQSG since 1981

Quilt Study Group Features Doll Quilts

Can you guess who is behind each quilt?

Fourteen enthusiastic quilters and quilt history aficionados gathered at the La Conner Regional Library on Sunday morning March 29. It was exciting to see so many new faces!  After presenting a history of doll quilts spanning some 100 years using quilts from my personal  collection, we had an exciting Show & Tell.





Left - 1900 scrappy claret and blue (11x14) from collection of Margot Mead.

It is always such fun to hear people's stories about what drew them to quilting. Equally fun is to hear the stories they have to share about the quilts the have brought. I'll post those shortly as I gather them.


















(Above gold and blue Nine Patch from collection of Margot Mead - 11"x14")











Back of Chinese Coins below right.




Be sure to visit the International Quilt Study Center to see more quilts as well is the QUILT INDEXto see more quilts.



(left-9x14 Chinese Coins from collection of Margot Mead.)




To view a podcast about doll quilts click here.

This will take you to the video of Mary Ghomley as talks about her doll quilt collection. You will have to scroll down to about the 14th lecture to find the one on doll quilts – "Childhood Treasures: Quilts Made for and by Children". IQSC featured an exhibit of Ghormley's doll quilts from Oct 2006-March 2007.



Left (16x24): from the collection of Kim Kellem. Made by her mother (Connie Lou Kellog Anderson) and Connie’s grandmother (Lou Rankin Olsen) in the late 30s.











Above right: cotton scrappy crazy (10x14) from collection of Margot Mead.











I’ll be posting a list of books about doll and crib quilts soon. Once you read my list, I hope you will email me the names of other books about doll or crib quilts or contain a chapters on this subject to add to the list.


Another favorite past-time is collecting old photographs of children with quilts or children with dolls. I'll share some from time to time.












After our meeting we trooped over to the LaConner Quilt Museum. It was the last day of Patricia Ormsby Stoddard's exhibit of Ralli Quilts, the traditional textiles from Pakistan and India. They were magnificent! It was such a treat to finally see these quilts in person after only being able to view them in the pages of Stoddard's book for the past 5 years. Also on exhibit for the last day was "All Things Not Quilted", a mesmerizing assemblage of everything except quilts--knitting, weaving, lace making, basket weaving, sewing, embroidery etc.


Meanwhile, keep those needles flying! Otherwise future quilt historians might run out of quilts to study!

Karen Alexander


PS: The folks behind the quilts!




PPS: The artist reception for their new exhibits at LCQM – "Visions in Fiber", featuring the work of Shiela Groman, and "Birdscapes, featuring the work of Karin Franzen – took place April 3rd and 4th. Unfortunately I could not make it but I'll hop the ferry and get over there soon.

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.