This is a new offering by BBQG to share the traveling experiences of our members. Many who travel visit quilt shops which are very interesting. This is a way for all of us to share those experiences and learn vicariously. We welcome contributions by members.
On July 22, Anne Perry visited the Kalona Historical Village's Kalona Quilt & Textile Museum in Kalona, Iowa. Marilyn Woodin, Curator, offers her welcome in a 4:50 minute video (Windows Media Video file, 15.5 MB)...click here to download it.
At the Kalona Quilt & Textile Museum, there are two rooms featuring quilts. One is Amish and the other is English. For the Amish, all people who are not Amish are "English." The quilts in the Amish room are changed every six months, and those in the English room are changed every three months. Below are some photos of quilts from these exhibits along with the written commentaries. There is also an outstanding display of spool cabinets at this museum...the largest public display in the United States.
The Iowa Illinois Quilt Study Group meets at this museum twice a year.
Ms. Woodin also shared the storage techniques they use with their 250+ quilts and showed a couple of antique quilts with broderie perse, one dating from 1820; click here to download that 2:10 minute video (Windows Media Video file, 6.64 MB).
Directly below is a photo of the Kalona Historical Village's Visitor Center which houses the Kalona Quilt & Textile Museum. Below, right is Curator Marilyn Woodin. Ms. Woodin owned the Woodin Wheel Quilt Shop for 30 years before she "retired," sold the shop to Katie Karnes, and became Curator. It was a rare treat to listen to her comments about the quilts and the museum.
Above, left - "Crib Quilt - Crazy quilt made of cotton and so very geometric one could say, if it were a painting, it was in the style of Picasso. However, Amish women would not have heard of him. Made in 1930 in Arthur, Illinois." Above, right - "Broken Star - Indiana - Cotton - 1930s -1940s - a strong statement for a regular bed.
Below, left - "Crib Quilt - Carolina Lily in pots - Indiana." Below, right - "Puss in a Corner - Made in Kalona area where during the 1930-1940 period, Amish women were not permitted to use bright red in their clothing or quilts. Note the subtle red in this quilt."
Left, "Day Bed/Hired Man's - Double Nine Patch on point, made of wool in Ohio in 1930's."
Below are quilts displayed in the English room. Left, "Variation of Sunshine & Shadoes in silk and satin. Made in Iowa in about the 1880's." Right, "Courthouse Steps - very unusual to have a four border on a Log Cabin quilt as busy as the piecing - date attributed to 1890."
Above, left - "Pineapple Variation - velvet and silk from Iowa City, IA. Date 1880." Above, right - a ribbon block from "Log Cabin - made with ribbons from an agricultural fair in 1853 - from Omaha, NE." Below, left - "Streak of Lightning - 4" squares - 1860-1880 - made in PA - no history." Below, right - "Light and Dark - silk and satin - very fragile - 1880 - made in Marshalltown, IA." A close-up of four blocks is to the right of it.
Above, left - "Hudson Bay Log Cabin - Made by Juanita Steward in 2000 in Wellman, IA, of pieces of mother's clothing (New Pattern)." Above, middle - "Timberline Log Cabins - Made in 2008 - on loan courtesy of Woodin Wheel Antiques - Kalona." Above, right - "Colorado Log Cabin - Queen size made by Mennonite/Amish woman - on loan or for sale courtesy of Woodin Wheel Antiques - Kalona."
The largest public display of spool cabinets in the United States is on exhibit at the Kalona Quilt & Textile Museum. These cabinets belong to Steve Reif who previously owned Reif's Family Center in Kalona, a 125-year-old family store that burned five years ago. Most of these cabinets were in the fire and saved by the Volunteer Fire Department and a fire chain of local merchants and friends. Mr. Reif has an additional large, private collection not on display.
Below, Woodin Wheel Antiques (Katie Karnes, Owner - 319-656-2240) specializes in offering Amish quilts and a large collection of Jim Shore figures, as well as countless antiques. There are other quilt shops which carry notions and fabrics in Kalona, as well as the fantastic Amish-run bakery and cheese shop.
A delightful surprise on this trip to Iowa was the discovery of Barn Quilts. These painted quilts are very complicated and difficult to create, but are catching on quickly, and several counties in Iowa have them featured in travel loops. Washington County has the "Amish Loop" finished. The movement began in 2005 here, and they are hoping to belong to a "Nationwide Clothesline of Quilts." See <www.barnquiltsiowa.com>.
Above, the Shebek barn in Riverside, IA. Below, the Shebek corn crib in Riverside, IA; "crib quilts" decorate the corn cribs. Julie Mangold wrote, "Those with the white backgrounds are considered crib quilts because they are on corn cribs, and the Amish would have used lighter colors for their crib quilts." On 7/28, Julie also wrote, "Corn cribs usually had space between the boards to allow air to circulate around the corn and dry it. They were used to store ear corn ( corn that was not shelled). They are no longer needed for that purpose because most corn is picked and shelled immediately and stored as shelled corn. Some farmers do still use their corn cribs for that purpose but very few. Most corn cribs are now just used for machinery storage."
Left, the Gingerich barn in Kalona. Right, the Miller barn. Below, the Appliance Barn in Kalona.
Below, three photos of the crib quilts on the Fladung barn. The first one shown "was a replica of a quilt owned by the barn builder's family, and it was the only non-Amish quilt block" on the "Amish Loop." Below, right, the Coliver barn in Washington.
Below, a barn quilt perfectly landscaped, just east of Patterson, IA, on west 92 (on the road to visit Fons and Porter in Winterset).
7/24/08 - A visit to Fons & Porter's store, 54 Court (on the square), Winterset, Iowa, was fascinating. There were, of course, Fons & Porters supplies available, as well as a wealth of fine fabrics and patterns. Anne's interview was with Tiffiny Bond, Customer Service Manager. Click here to view the interview in a Windows Media Video, 9:30 minutes, 29.2 MB. I have apologized to Tiffiny for misspelling her name in the video; she was so gracious to do this interview, especially since three van-loads of folks from a Missouri quilt guild arrived at Fons & Porter about the same time! Much of the information Tiffiny shared is available by clicking here to download an Adobe .pdf file on the history of Fons & Porter. Below are some photos of the store. The Fons & Porter store's telephone # is (1-888-985-1020).
7/24/08 - Not far north of Winterset on I-35 is Des Moines, Iowa. In West Des Moines, Anne visited The Quilt Block, 325 5th Street (515) 255-1010. In addition to a large offering of fabrics with baby themes, this shop specializes in wearables and classes to create them. They also offered a Kids' Camp, and photos of some of the products are immediately below, right.
Julie Mangold, Co-Chairman of the Barn Quilts of Washington County, sent the the photos below on 7/28. The log cabin design on the left is on the Goldsberry barn. The mosaic on the right is 1/2 mile down the road on the Thomann barn.
