Welcome!

Ninigret Quilters is an organization for quilters of all abilities in the Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut area. We meet on the second Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the Westerly Senior Center, 39 State Street, Westerly, Rhode Island (Google Maps) to share our common passion of quilting. Guests and new members are always welcome!




Tuesday, April 18, 2017

April 2017 Meeting

Our April speaker was Pam Weeks of the New England Quilt Museum in 
Lowell, Massachusetts.  Pam's lecture was titled 
"Complete Quilt History in Sixty Minutes or Less".


 Pam requested that the members of the Ninigret Quilt guild bring in their antique quilts for use in her lecture. We had a wonderful sampling of quilts from several decades. Pam adapted her lecture to feature our quilts, emphasizing that different types of quilts came into fashion in different eras.


This Sunshine and Shadows arrangement of the Log Cabin was dated to the 1870s. 
Pam recognized fabric that would have been used in 'morning robes'.


 Signature quilts were another quilt fashion. This 1849 quilt was assembled of prequilted blocks with inscribed centers, one featuring the year. It was dedicated to Eliza Haskins with the inscription "to my sister Eliza", another refers to "my friend who can no longer speaketh". The backing was dated to the 1870s so it may have been completed later than the top.


This pink signature quilt was bought in Ashaway, RI. The individual blocks are 
inscribed with the names of local granges. It was dated to the 1860's or 1870's. 



This red and white quilt is from Pam's personal collection. It was made in the 19th century 
and is an example of the popular trend toward red and white flowers in circls
with green stems. It is dated to the 1860's.


This quilt is a reproduction of a Civil War 'potholder' quilt, it was made by Pam and members of her study group.  You can tell from the back that it was made in individual blocks which were quilted and then assembled, an early version of the current technique of 'quilt as you go'.   


 Here is the front of that quilt. Most Potholder quilts (name was coined by Pam), were made by the Ladies Guilds Church Aid Societies for Civil War Soldiers.  These men went off to war with very few supplies. In 1861, the Sanitary Commission sent out a bulletin requesting donations of quilts to fit army cots, ie 4' by 8'.  More than 250,000 quilts were made in 4 years.  All the quilts that survived were inscribed, perhaps because they were personalized and thus more treasured.  Most of these soldiers quilts were composed of 6" blocks, several with red binding. This quilt is made of much larger blocks and is machine quilted. 


 This quilt is a more typical Potholder style quilt with individually 
quilted 6" blocks. It was bought in Pawcatuck at an auction. It is dated to 1837
from inscriptions on the quilt.


The next fad Pam chronicled was that of Crazy Quilts. This quilt was made by 
Barbara B's great grandmother in 1885. It contains several Victorian symbols and 
features a velvet border and a braided binding. 


This fan quilt was purchased at the Brimfield Antique Fair by Carolyn. 
It was pieced in silks and the dark fan centers are velvet. It was dated to the 1880's.  


This 1895 signature quilt owned by Barb C features the Broken Wheel design and was displayed by the Kansas Quilt Society. In an unusual feature, this quilt shows embroidered initials.  


Hexagon quilts became popular in the early 1810-1820s, again in
1860-1880's and again in the present.
A charm quilt is defined as one with no repeats.  This one does contain repeated fabric.


 Berta shared this quilt top from her great great grandmother. It features houses and 
various trees, both upright and upside down. It was made between 1880 to 1890.


This wool quilt was made in the 1940's to 1950's. 
It features four-patches assembled in rows.


This quilt was gifted to a member in 1962. It features reverse applique flowers 
and was made in the 1940s. It was backed with cheesecloth.  Our member is 
replicating the design in batiks.  


Our member said that this was the last quilt created by her grandparents in 
Downeast Maine from floursacks. The pattern is "Trip Around the World" and features cotton 
batting as can be observed through an opportunity hole in the back.















Our members brought in two wedding ring quilts. The white one was a Kansas City purchase and the yellow quilt was purchased in San Diego from a woman selling her great grandmother's quilt for rent money. Our member is working to find the woman's descendants to return it as a family heirloom.  Pam dated both of these wedding ring quilts to the 1940's. 


This "Dogwood" quilt was made from a kit popular in the 1910-1920's. 
Kits were popular business enterprises for women entrepreneurs and this one still shows the blue lines to guide the appliqued flowers of this lovely quilt. 



Lastly, Pam displayed this interesting polyester quilt made in the 1950s to 1970s in the US.
Most of these polyester quilts are tops only as the material is very difficult to quilt.

Pam, thank you for an interesting and enlightening evening!

Block Swap

April was the first month for our three month block swap. Members made a 
dozen 6 1/2" (unfinished) blocks of the Pennsylvania block pattern then 
swapped around a table.  About 20 members participated.


Pat H continued her Judges Table demonstration series. She evaluated this 
'anonymous' member's quilt and critiqued wearing her Judges hat.  

Show & Tell


 Betsey W completed a quilt she found in Betty T's stash. 
It features hand embroidery and was hand quilted by Betsey. 


Catherine D calls her version of the Bonnie Hunter quilt "Bermuda Blues".


Catherine also completed last year's block swap quilt featuring reassembled shoo-fly blocks.


Ellie C showcased four quilts. The first mini shows her chickens.


The second features one of her sheep. 


 Ellie's third top was begun at the March Great Escape Quilt Retreat.

 And lastly, Ellie completed blocks made with the 
circle ruler she purchased from Linda Warren.


Laurel had fun making table runners using a twist pattern she found at a quilt shop. 
She says it is simple once you get it figured out.

 Dependent on the material, you end up with very different looking results.


 Pretty cool, Laurel!


 Laurel purchased some fabric book material and rearranged it to make baby quilts.


Laurel used a Jenny Doan Missouri Star pattern to make this 
Winnie the Pooh themed baby quilt.


 Fran W made this for her very adventurous niece who brings back really cool fabric. 
This was a pattern Fran got from Margaret S.


Nancy L shared this lovely quilt.


Donna S made this one-block wonder based on a Chris Bagley design.
Chris will be conducting a Skill Builder Saturday for us in June.


Donna started this at the Great Escape Quilt Retreat.

 

And Donna put 2400 paper pieced hexies into this quilt over 4 years.


Cindy V made this circus themed quilt for her nephew's baby boy. 


Pat H made this Paint rag batik. 


Pat H also made this amazing Geese in the Cabin quilt. 


Lastly, Jen shared her treasured Grandma's shadow box. 
It contains samples of family handiwork including 
tatting, pins, keys and lots of memories.

Thank you and Keep on Quilting!

Monday, April 3, 2017

Raffle Baskets

Quilt Show Raffle Baskets:

The 2017 Quilt Show will be here before you know it!  One of our successful areas are baskets filled with goodies and raffled off.  Each basket has a different theme and we have members “sponsoring” baskets so that we spread the work out.

Forget to bring an item that you wanted to donate to the meeting?  Was there a basket you had a great idea for and then forgot?  No worries!


Here’s a recap of the baskets and sponsors featured to date.   Please feel free to bring items in to the next meeting and give to the basket “sponsor”.

April:  Mystery (Donna Chaves)

March:  Knitting (Noreen McGeary)

February: Coastal (Tora Sterregaard & Catherine Deichmann)

January: Kitchen (Ginny Gunzelmann)

December: Pasta Dinner (Sue Williams)

November: Fat Quarters (Rita Gladych, Jan Ballestrini, Mary Kay Granata, Diane Genova) and Give Thanks (Diane Hammond, Barbara Chojnacki, April Morgan)

October: Pets (Gail Obach, Kate Lamoureux, Charlie MacDonald)

September:  Christmas (Roberta Berker and Sharon Dziekan)