The Iowa Illinois Quilt Study Group

The Iowa Illinois Quilt Study Group is a regional quilt and textile history study group which meets at the Kalona Quilt and Textile Museum in Kalona , Iowa and is open to everyone interested in studying quilts, quilt history, and textiles.

Meetings are the first Saturday in April and August of each year, the August meeting includes a silent auction. Items from the auction benefit IIQSG and a "speaker's fund" is being established with the proceeds from the auction.

"Attendees" come from Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota., Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Colorado with an occasional guest from Kansas – the meeting is open to everyone though - quilters, historians, and budding historians. IIQSG calls this an "attendee" group as each one pays $25.00 for the day and that includes a luncheon, display of 2 museum gallery shows (Amish and "English"), sharing of quilts of all attending, and a study with a group leader. (For those of you not involved a lot with Amish quilts, you probably need to know anyone not Amish are called "English" by the Amish). The Kalona Quilt and Textile Museum is pleased to have two galleries to recognize our large Amish community in Kalona. The other 14 buildings – on site – at the Kalona Historical Village are open for attendees also.

Pre-registration is highly recommended to IIQSG Secretary Juanita Seward of Wellman, Iowa. More information may be obtained from Juanita at masewsquilts@netins.net

Future Meeting Topics:

August 2010 Crazy Quilts

April 2011 Stars

If you are interested in more information about IIQSG, attending one of the their meetings, or would like to volunteer at meetings. Contact: Secretary, Juanita Seward of Wellman, Iowa. More information may be obtained from Juanita at masewsquilts@netins.net

Important News -- IIQSG has a publication

Pieces of Time – Quilt and Textile History Magazine

Attention Quilt and Textile History Researchers and Writers


The Iowa Illinois Quilt Study Group (IIQSG) publishes a quilt and textile history magazine entitled Pieces of Time. This magazine was begun to encourage beginning historians interested in writing of their research, as well as published historians and writers. Articles must be well researched and a bibliography attached. Writers interested in submitting articles for the publication should contact the editor Marilyn Woodin via e-mail at woodin@kctc.net for article length and other rules for submission.

Pieces of Time has been published for 5 years and is now subscribed to from coast to coast and sold only at meetings, or by subscription. Subscription rate is $30.00 per year and subscriptions go to Susan Mardock – email Susan for postal address information mardock@mchsi.com

LeeWard Mills and LeeWards Elgin, Illinois

Do you remember LeeWards and those wonderful art needlework catalogs that used to arrive at your doorstep about four to six times a year?

Then go to my web site http://www.illinoisquilthistory.com and click on the Illinois Community by Community section, scroll down to Elgin, and then scroll down to LeeWard Mills and LeeWards, click on the underline quilt history stories and you will be taken right to my most recently finished Illinois quilt and textile history research project.

Enjoy learning the rest of the story about LeeWard Mills and LeeWards.....

Joan Kiplinger and Indian Head Fabric

Joan Kiplinger was the "go to" lady for Indian Head fabric. She had done a large and extensive research project about that particular fabric. We got to know each other via e-mail (she lived in Ohio and I in Illinois) through her research with Indian Head fabric and my research with Collingbourne Mills, Inc. and LeeWards. In the 1930s Collingbourne Mills, Inc. offered their stamped quilts squares in four different fabrics - one was Indian Head.

I'm not sure who contacted who first, but I do remember we shipped a 1930s Sears catalog back and forth so many times that catalog spent more time on the road than a 1930s traveling salesman. I also sent her scans from some of my vintage quilt catalogs and fabrics. She shared her knowledge of scanners and photographs. Later we talked of more personal things, but fabric brought us together.

I asked her about her Indian Head fabrics and three days later I got two sheets with fabric samples and explanations attached to them. That was the kind of person she was - a good and gracious soul with the heart of a teacher. She was a brilliant lady and when Joan Kiplinger passed, it was like a library had burned to the ground.

A dear quilt friend e-mailed me about Joan a day or two ago -- like me, she thought a lot of Joan too and it reminded me that I had these two pages with information about Indian Head fabrics so I thought I would not keep the information "hidden away" and Joan, since she knew I belonged to a regional study group, gave me permission to share it with anyone who was interested in Indian Head fabric. She also encourage me to keep a fabric study notebook and to collect antique and vintage fabric sample books/catalogs/cards.

Here is what Joan sent me:

One

Indian Head Pre-1920s

Grey Good, original Indian Head before permanent finish added in 1922

(Joan Kiplinger)

Two

Indian Head 1950-70

All purpose cotton during Textron

Indian Head Mills and Indian Head Inc. Ownership

(Joan Kiplinger)

Three

Indian Head 1953-1966

(Joan Kiplinger)

Special Note: Two and Three shows the difference with permanent finish.

This gives you an idea of print and solid. Dates determined by selvage.

(Joan Kiplinger)

Four

Indian Head 1985

Also called Satinette at the time.

(Joan Kiplinger)

******************************

Jeans

Not the heavy jean of sailor pants and waist coats

Five

Medium Weight 2006

This jean took many rinses to overcome bleeding.

(Joan Kiplinger)

Six

Lighter Jean or Soft Drill 1970s

(Joan Kiplinger)

*****

If you want to learn more about Joan's work with all kinds of fabrics Google Joan Kiplinger - she wrote extensively on the subject in many venues.

Era of the Early Eagle Kit Quilts 1940 – 1970s

Sea Wings to Glory (Mountain Mist) 1940-1945

Parks-Wildemuth Collection

and

Wings Over All (Mountain Mist) 1940-1945 (No Picture)

Sea Wings to Glory and Wings Over All are not really quilt kits though they are often mistake for them. They are actually quilt patterns offered by Mountain Mist in the 1940s.

Here are the Eagle Quilt Kits:

American Eagle (Paragon) 1956-1975 (Woman’s Day Kit Quilt)

Parks-Wildemuth Collection

***

American Glory (Paragon) 1960-1975 (Good Housekeeping Kit Quilt)

Parks-Wildemuth Collection

***

Golden Eagle (LeeWards) 1960s

Parks-Wildemuth Collection

***

Americana (Herrschners) American Eagle (Bucilla)

Eagle (LeeWards) Liberty (Bucilla) Cross-stitch Eagle (Kit Quilt) 1960-1975

Parks-Wildemuth Collection

***

Americana (Paragon) Cross-stitch Eagle (Kit Quilt) 1960-1975

Parks-Wildemuth Collection

Blue Eagle Coverlet Pattern – NRA Eagle - Nancy Cabot

This Nancy Cabot pattern appeared in the Chicago Tribune on October 8, 1933. To quote the Cabot article, “Inspired by the NRA Emblem seen all over the country and known all over the world, The Tribune today offers an original quilt pattern called the “Blue Eagle.” The color choices were to use a strong blue against a white.

This eagle motif looks a little more like a frog to me than an eagle, but if you have a quilt that looks like this -- you have an NRA Blue eagle quilt.

Treasure Hunting: Needlecraft Supply Company Chicago, Illinois 1930s Find

When I am not quilting, researching, or writing about quilts, I can be found roaming around auctions, antique malls, flea markets, and swap meets looking for quilt and textile treasures which pertains to eagle quilts and Illinois quilt and textile history. I don't just collect fabric items, I am also on the lookout for paper items to support my areas of quilt and textile interests.

My latest Illinois Quilt History find:

Lone Star Quilt Kit

Needlecraft Supply Company

Chicago, Illinois

Circa 1930s

See my web site: http://www.illinoisquilthistory.com and find out more information about Needlecraft Supply Company of Chicago, Illinois.

If anyone has any additional information about or a photograph of Ruth Ward or Bertha Secor, please feel free to e-mail me at quiltingbee73@yahoo.com.

Quilt Stories Exhibit at Western Illinois Museum Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois Museum
201 South Lafayette (at the corner of Washington Street)
Macomb, Illinois 61455
309-837-2750

The museum is open 10 - 4, Tuesday through Saturday.
Admission is free and donations are welcome.

Quilt Stories Quilt Exhibit
December 22, 2009 - April 24, 2010

"Quilt Stories is a historical look at quilts from the region. A quilt can be simply defined as two pieces of fabric with a filler layer joined together by quilting stitches or ties. Over time it has become a canvas for quilters to express what they think important and hold dear. Each of the quilts in the exhibit tells a unique story of families, influences, inventions, beliefs and political interests. The exhibit includes over twenty quilts that represent the rich history of over 100 years of quilt making in the region sewn by women from Carthage, Good Hope, Macomb, and Bushnell with examples from as early as 1848." Excerpt from the Western Illinois Museum's web site.