Lake County Museum Quilts

If you like historic quilts, get yourself over to the Lake County Historical Society in Baldwin tomorrow before 4 pm when they close. There is only one more day of the quilt display. Sorry to not post about it sooner, but I was gone most of the time it has been open.

(I also totally missed the Mason County Garden Club Flower Show.)

There are quilts dating from the 1870s to the 1970s. This is one of the oldest ones, 'Flying Geese,' a classic pattern. It's done in fabrics dyed with Turkey Red and a background of off white prints. I like that there are several patterns in each of the colors, but the contrast overcomes that to bring out the design. Turkey Red is a dye made from the roots of several madder (Rubia) plants. It was discovered in China, but was largely exported from Turkey. It was highly popular because it was colorfast and bright.

This is another classic- the crazy quilt made around 1900 with various samples of velvet and lots of embroidery.

Quilts that have names of people embroidered on them are quite valuable to local historians because they can be used as sort of a census verification. This one was made in 1963 as a fundraiser for the AME Tabernacle in Idlewild. It says they raised $660.

The quilt made by the youngest person is this 'Nine Patch' doll quilt, made by Leona Engleman when she was 5 years old in 1910. She went on to make over 300 quilts in her lifetime. She is related to Jill, who is the museum curator, and who looked at my Grandma Leary's quilt today (more on that another time).

I want to show you all the quilts, because of the variety, but you'll just have to get over there! Maybe they'll display them again some time in the future.

Here are two with military themes. This is another classic, called 'Burgoyne Surrounded,' a reference to the Revolutionary War victory. This design was often woven into coverlets as well. My family had a couple (in blue and white), and I'm pretty sure one of them was this pattern.

This is another made by the adult Leona. It is the 'Baby Blocks' design turned upside down so the colored blocks look like Chevrons. She called it 'General Eisenhower.' It was made in 1955.

There are other classics in the display: 'Grandmother's Flower Garden,' 'Drunkard's Path,' a variant of 'White House Steps,' more 'Nine Patch,' 'Fans,' appliquied and embroidered quilts for children, 'Wild Goose Chase,' 'Windmill,' and more.

I'll end this post with a rather modern design. This was made from a kit in the 1970s, and you can begin to see how quilting was changing from utilitarian purposes to an art form. This is one of the many variations on 'Tree of Life.'

There are also displays about how women got patterns and fabric to make their quilts.

It's an excellent show- all with local ties.

In other news: I took a 4 mile hike on the NCT since I had to go past, did errands, worked on some writing and weeded a little bit. I managed to fill the day. No problem there!

Miles hiked in 2025: 354.3
Miles hiked on NCT in 2025: 224.6

See Granny's Favorite Quilt?

Something Else from Frances

As part of my current cleaning/sorting project, there have been a few surprises. Mostly, I've been moving and sorting boxes of things that I knew the contents. However, this was a shock. In fact, I'd forgotten it existed until I saw it. Also, in the same odd location was the missing autumn tablecloth I wanted to use last fall. It's now waiting to be washed. Everything else from that pile is now clean. I think it was a collection of things that had to be washed by hand, although the tablecloth should not have been in that category.

The rediscovered item is a quilt made by my Grandma Leary, Frances Bullivant Leary. Here's the story.

For at least 70 years, the quilt has been covered with a sort of drab duvet cover. It completely enclosed the original quilt and was tied to it with crochet thread- a commonly used product to tie quilts.

But even before I put this away (who knows when?) to be washed, that thin cover was filthy and coming apart from dry rot.

So, this week, I have carefully washed and dried the fabric and removed the rotting duvet.

This is what was underneath.

A closer view reveals the classic log cabin pattern. The center square in each block is red, but the rest of the fabric strips seem to be totally random.

I have no idea when this was made. All the stitching in the original quilt is done by hand, although the seams in the duvet are machine sewed. It has to be over 80 years old. I'm 77. Grandma Leary died when I was 4, and she certainly wasn't in good enough health to be making anything like this when I was small. I only remember it as the "brown quilt" in the back bedroom.

The quilt itself consists of the pieced blocks which were each sewn to an individual backing, and then tied to a quilt back as a third layer. There is no batting or additional fill. The stitching is not of the highest quality. The stiches are very even, but they are somewhat coarse. Tiny stitches were a mark of quality in a handmade quilt. (My other grandmother and her mother made beautiful quilts.)

I seem to have a vague memory of being told that Grandma Leary was ashamed of the quilt, and she had covered it with the other cloth. Not sure if this is true.

The backing is two different fabrics. Most of it is a light brown plaid. But at some point, Frances decided to make the quilt larger. She added two rows of blocks to the long edge and one to the end. The backing for the added parts is a light brown print.

I sort of speculate that the quilt might have been made for Dad, and when he grew to be six feet tall it needed to be made bigger. But this is pure guesswork. It's interesting how the extra pieces were added on. The finished edges of each were whip-stiched together.

I took a look at a lot of the strips of fabric to see if there were any at all that I recognized. I thought that was going to be a hard "no." But then this strip caught my eye- the black and white design with sort of clusters of double flowers. I can't seem to pull up a memory of what it was- an apron? a pillow cover? But I'm sure there were still many things made of old fabrics in use when I was a child. We were living in what had been Grandma Leary's house, and nobody threw anything away until it was beyond repair. My parents lived through the Depression.

And as a result, here we are 96 years after the Crash of '29, and I'm still living that way. I feel it is something of a minor victory when something like a towel has gone from bathroom use, to junk towel use (like for spills or toilet repair), to rag box, and finally comes apart to the point where it goes in the fabric recycle bin.

You can see a picture of Frances Bullivant Leary as a young woman at the link below.

In other news: I am closing in on completion of this sorting and cleaning project. Of course, they are never-ending. In addition to all my stuff, I have two generations and more of things from both sides of my family stored in boxes, trunks, tubs, etc.

And this brings me to the closing thought. Almost all of those things come from my mother's side of the family. From Grandma Leary I have the Hoosier Cabinet, now this quilt, and the Double Daffodils. Probably a few other things I'm not recalling at the moment, but not many. A couple of items have been accidently destroyed, so they are gone forever. I cherish the few I have, not because they are better than all the things from Mom's family, but because they are so few.

See Dad's Adoptive Parents

Church and Chilling

  We went to Loretta's church this morning.

It was youth Sunday, and the young people led the music. They did a great job. Then the youth pastor gave the message.

There was also an interesting quilt in a case that was made for the 100th anniversary of the Women's Missionary Union. My guess is that might have been in 1998, although it's not toally clear from the blocks. Each block was made by a different member.

We ate out to celebrate Loretta learning that she will definitely get a low-rent apartment she applied for. Right now, she's house sitting, but that will end in a few months. These are newly remodeled, and she's really excited to know she will get the last one.

Mostly we chilled out. We talked about hiking some more, or maybe just me hiking. But it was nasty cold and windy. There is some kind of storm hitting tonight, but since the forecasts range from light snow to a quarter-inch of ice, I'll just have to see what it's like in the morning to decide if I'm leaving tomorrow or the next day.

See Caney Lakes

Granny's Favorite Quilt?

  As part of all that sorting I did last year, I managed to get one more quilt where it belongs. This is another one made by my grandmother, Emily Rowe. Have I mentioned how many quilts she made? I actually don't know the number. I still have six. She liked to make sampler blocks of the patterns. For a number of years, she stiched them together into a large curtain and used that as a room divider in one of the apartments she had.

They were so well done, and so varied, that Cornell University took them as a donation for their collections.

However, the quilt she had on her bed the longest (while I knew her) was this one. I actually don't know the name of this pattern. I'm sure one thing she loved about it was the red.

I tried to take sort of a sideways picture to show you the technique. This design is appliqued, and the design is padded. The leaves are padded slightly, and the circle stem, roses and buds are padded heavily so they really puff out. The center of each rose is embroidered.

I've been using it for a lap robe for a little over a month. (It's really too heavy for that, but I decided to do it anyway, for fun.) Today I got my act together and washed it (gently). Then it will be put away with the others. It's both nice and sad that the quilt is pretty badly stained, and the fabric of a couple of the roses has started to split. As much as she loved this quilt, she liked to use it. It wasn't just for display. Of course, the sad part is that it's showing the use.

In other news: I gave myself a talking-to last night after I went to bed. The list of things I need to get done is beyond impressive, and I'm not making very much progress on it. So, this morning, I got busy on a writing project that needed to happen, not related to the Dead Mule Swamp book. Well, I reached my goal, but it took all stinkin' day. I rewarded myself at various stages with a few pieces in my current jigsaw puzzle, which is sufficiently hard to keep me happy. Yes, it's hard!

We stayed in all day again today. It's nice to not have to have any real need to go out. I'll run the snowblower when the snow and wind stop.

See Lone Star Quilt

Shades of Blue

 
The best part of today was an unexpected perk of going to the bank. They had a quilt on display that is being auctioned off to benefit the local school. It is hand pieced by local people, but machine quilted.



Not only is the color palette one of my favorites, but I love that each block is different. The quilt as a whole is named "Starstruck." I tried to look up some of the designs, but my book is very old (it was my grandmother's), and designs have evolved. Several of them are variations on the Lemoyne Star, including the large central star.

Here's a closer look at one motif, and the machine quilting.



P.S. Go figure. I'm not sore at all from yesterday. A tiny bit stiff, but no big deal. The uneven surface was much better than, say, a paved or road surface. On those, you just keep banging the same spots on joints and feet step after step. Still, I'm pleased that the body held up so well.

In other news: I was such a good girl today. I worked on financial accounts, miscellaneous things I needed to do, a couple of longish phone calls, errands, and then bell choir practice. I'm about ready for a meltdown from so much discipline, but I'm going to keep it up for 1 1/2 more days. Then I'm off for a vendor event and visits on the weekend.

See Cars, Quilts and Books

Cars, Quilts, and Books

 
Today was an annual summer event in Scottville called the US 10 & 31 Celebration (the two highways that more or less intersect in Scottville. They used to define the central crossroads, but then 31 was routed onto a bypass).

There were actually a lot of things going on: activities for kids, other vendors, the rubber duck race (a local fundraiser that is quite popular- People buy a ticket for numbered rubber ducks that are dropped in the river from a crane and then the current carries them to a boom where they are trapped. Prizes are awarded to the owners of the winning ducks).

Another author (who grew up in Scottville) and I were downtown with the car show. We didn't get a ton of browsers, but we each sold a few books, so that was good.

Anyway, here are my favorite cars, none of which won any of the prizes. I don't care; they are still MY favorites.

Fire Chief car- I think a Cadillac, 1950-something



A 1950 Studebaker.



A Chevy. I'm thinking about 1940.



and this one, just for fun, a 1937 Dodge pickup.



There was also a quilt show at the Senior Center. I went to town a little early so I could take a look at that, and these are some of my favorites.

This is sort of a sampler, but I couldn't resist the hiking/camping motifs.



This was my favorite of the ones with embroidered blocks. I like how free-form it is. I suppose it would be called primitive, but it seems very personalized, and I like that.


This one is done from a commercial pattern in a book, but I like it. It's called "Winter Village."


Finally, this patriotic one is absolutely stunning.



Lest you think this is a printed fabric that has been quilted, look closer. Each of those images is hand appliqued. Impressive.



There is no other news. Although the event wasn't as long as many I do, there was loud music all day (which beats up my brain), and it got fairly hot. I was content to chill out after I got home.

	See Celebrate Scottville Event
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Sunbonnet Sue

 
I have mentioned from time to time that my grandmother, Emily M. Rowe, made a large number of quilts. Some day I'll tell you more of the story, but today I'm going to show you one that isn't really a quilt, it's a comforter.

This is the Sunbonnet Sue pattern, and this was the quilt that was on my bed until I went to college. Granny embroidered the blocks and checkerboarded it with the "Indian" print.



This week I came across two more of the quilts she made that I still have. That leaves one more that I know of that I haven't located yet. I'm trying to get them in one place, and then I'll decide what to do with them. I put this on my bed, contemplating using it for a while. But the fabric is too fragile. It's ripped in quite a few places. I'll wrap it up again. I'm not ready to get rid of this one yet.


Today was calm and productive. I wrote, I worked on sorting pictures from the hike I'm writing about. I did some other stuff around the house. I'm not sure I've spoken a word all day. Perfect.

	See Lone Star Quilt
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Late Fall Driveabout

 
I got to do one of my favorite things today... go out for a rural drive. It actually had a purpose. I decided to combine the Mason County Quilt Block Trail with quiet outdoor recreation and write my newspaper column about a way to see the blocks and get some exercise all in one day.

Here are some of my favorite pictures. Maybe more tomorrow.

This is the tunnel of trees on Conrad Road, pretty much around the corner from me. I've taken you there before (but I can't find the post, so no link).



Heading south, I thought I had discovered a great place to get a picture of The Three Sisters. But after comparing photos, I'm not sure that's what these are. I don't know what else they could be unless there are also three hills on the east side of Bass Lake. Maybe this angle is just different from the flat-on views.



There are 11 Quilt Barns in Mason County. I won't show you all of them (today anyway). This one is mounted lower than most, and you drive in to see it. It's at the Jam Farm, so it's a business, not a private driveway. The Jam Lady has developed quite a local reputation. This block is called Michigan Beauty. It's a variation of the Arrowhead Star.



I'm giving you the long view of this barn on the Quilt Trail. The house is very old, and I liked the looks of the whole place. It's also interesting that the quilt block is The Windmill, and they have a wind turbine! (It looks like it's right between the house and the barn, but they are very large- it's really well past the barn)



Then I swung to the other side of the county, crossing the Pere Marquette River at Walhalla Road.



Even though the general color never developed in the trees this year, there are occasional spots of brilliance. This is on Dewey Road.



It rained off and on all day, but I went out and did this anyway, because my column is due! At the very end of the day we got a reminder that it really is LATE fall, soon to become winter. Hail!



What do you think of Quilt Trails? Interesting or hokey?

Accountability Report:
I edited Chapter 53 of Dead Mule Swamp Druggist, started Chapter 54 and did some research so I don't mess up. Not much writing, though. Not good.
I really spent all day working on the newspaper column. Good thing I'm not counting on that for real income. I spent most of what I earn just on the gas.

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A Good Day at the Office

 
Who cares if it's Monday? It was a really good day at the office-- the North Country Trail Association office, that is.

Here's a quilt that hangs on the office wall. It's one that was made for the auction a few years ago to raise money for land protection. Notice the seven states in the squares around the edges.



I went down to meet with the Park Service staff in the morning. It was all good. We're still smiling afterwards. Superintendent Mark Weaver on the right and Trail Manager Chris Loudenslager on the left.



After lunch, I met with our new Executive Director, Andrea Ketchmark, on the left. She's only new in that role; she's been with the organization for several years, and just is a natural fit for the job. Other staff members Amelia, Allison and Tarin.



The pictures are pretty funny. It looks like the two offices are divided by gender. Actually David, the development guy, was on the phone so he didn't come out for the photo and Matt, the map guy, works from home. The NPS are currently all guys, but it's not a sexist group!

Finally, I've showed you these before, but I'm posting them again, because it's been 4 years. These murals were painted by local high school kids, and are mounted on the outside of the building. Top to bottom on the blog are left to right on the wall, so the hiker "moves" eastward along the trail.







It was an awesome day discussing what some of my future involvement with the trail will be.

In other amazing news, I heard from Tony Reznicek. He's "Mr. Michigan Plants," in charge of the University of Michigan Herbarium. I sent him the plant I thought was Picris hieracioides, Ox Tongue, only because it is alien and this is far from where it's been recorded before. That might be a somewhat big deal. Anyway... he emailed me. I DID key it out correctly, and he did remember me. My specimen is going in the Herbarium.

This has been a top-of-the-line quality day. I think I'm worn out!

	See North Country Trail Murals See Ox Tongue
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