Textiles and the Triplett Sisters

Seasons are changing which always makes me think of new projects and adventures. As I plan my September to December calendar, I wonder what project or projects will I be creating in the coming months? Sometimes the projects are a surprise. I had no idea that the Guardians of the Nest Star Quilt I was creating would become a pattern until multiple people requested it. Thank you for your enthusiasm and requests! Those comments brightened my days and the results will be available September 5th. For some time, I’ve admired Di Ford Hall fabrics and wanted to make a tribute quilt. I explored her patterns which are lovely, but I’ve always had a difficult time creating someone else’s vision. Those quilts are to be admired, but they tend to focus on one fabric line and just...

As I write this, it was 100 years ago today August 18, 1920 that women got the right to vote in the US. The 19th Amendment was ratified by enough states, the three-fourths required. However, the push for women’s right to vote started about 100 years before the right to vote was passed. It wasn’t until the 1848 Women’s Right Convention in Seneca Falls that a coalition was formed. The Seneca Falls Convention also known as the first women’s rights convention advertised the event “to discuss social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman.” After worship on Sunday July 9th, 1848 Lucretia Coffin Mott (a well-known orator), Mary Ann M’Clintock, Martha Coffin Wright (Mott’s sister), Jane Hunt, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton met for tea and began discussions about the convention. The convention would be held...

Williamsburg, Virginia was founded in 1632 and in 1698 was designated as the capital of the English Colony. It received a royal charter in 1722 and was the center of political activity before and during the revolution with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry debating many of the important topics of the day such as taxes and inalienable rights to name a few. Colonial Williamsburg as we know it now was the idea of Reverend William Archer Rutherfoord Goodwin a rector of the historic Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg. He began raising funds for the restoration of the church in 1907, and later in 1924 approached John D. Rockefeller Jr. with the idea of restoring other parts of the town. Rockefeller agreed and thus began a series of coded telegrams with Goodwin acting as Rockefeller’s...

There have been many inquiries about how I do historical research. I use multiple methods in my research, so I have always been hesitant to explain. Primarily because it would take too long, or it would be difficult to explain that many times you end up in a rabbit hole. I frequently enjoy the rabbit hole, as it leads to the most unusual and interesting discoveries…not necessarily useful, but fun. A colleague of mine, Barb Eikmeier designed a fabric line called Waddington Road, which immediately sparked recognition. The fabric is named for the road where her Grandmother’s house was located, and she wanted the fabric line to give you a warm feeling like you were “going to Grandma’s house.” Because of other research, I immediately recognized the name as related to a town in England. Barb’s...

Beach blanket, Mezzaro or a Palampore? Mezzaro (mezzari/mezzara from the Arabic word “to cover”) are sometimes confused with palampores because of the similarities. In the 16th century the spice trade brought palampores and other textiles from India to the Genoa port and no surprise the block printed textiles were an instant success. The palampores were used for curtains, wall hangings, and yes…beach towels and blankets. The Genoans in the Polcevera valley began printing their own versions of the palampores about the 1690s. The Polcevera River was vital in the production of the mezzaro and the textiles could be seen in various stages of production drying on the riverbanks. Some of the intricate designs used as many as 80 different wood blocks to create the pictorial scene in the center. The mezzaro (still available for purchase today...