Friday, August 31, 2012

Up close and personal with the Chester County Criswell Quilt.

You know, you so look forward to a day, then before you know it,
 its come and gone. That's how it is tonight. Elated, and deflated.
Is it possible to be both at the same time?
 
Several months ago, Bev and l made plans to meet with Sharon
(seen here in the middle)
to get up close and personal with her Quilt,
The Chester County Criswell Quilt.
 
 


We invited a bunch of other ladies,
made arrangements for sustenance,
and sat back and watched the fun begin.
Of course, you can''t get this many ladies together without there being lots of noise!!
( sorry! No sound vision, just pictures)





We introduced Sharon the waiting crowd. She gave us a
wonderful talk about the quilt, and shared some of its history.


You can see them all listening intently to what she had to say!
( click on pictures to enlarge))
 

And then we were  allowed to look closely and take photos.
 
 
It seems pointing was the order of the day,



 and not just with a camera!!
A great many discussions on how this block was made.
 

 
Every angle of the quilt was photographed.
 


Stories shared,

 
and pointing in all directions!!

 
Others brought quilts to share.
This one belongs to Sandra.

 
This one is Janet's.


Irene had 2 nine  patch quilt tops that she had bought on her recent USA trip.
 


 
Not sure who''s quilt this is??
Its sweet and charming.
( Its Jan's)
 

 
Sharon brought along her Schoolhouse block she made after l
 sent her the correct cutting directions!!
( so pleased THEY worked)

 
 
Here's Margaret and Jen searching my drawers for Smithsonian fabric!!
Happy to say  they found some.
 

 
Margaret had some antique silk fabric from when her father was a tie maker.


 Cheryl brought along her current lace-making project.
 


And some finished pieces,
 


 Also some sewing kits from her collection.
 

 
After lunch, we set up the stand, so we could photograph the Quilt from front on.
Oh my!! Is it impressive when you stand back and look at this amazing quilt.
 
This beautiful quilt has lived a life. If only she could talk!!
Sharon is reproducing this quilt, and is making the patterns available to everyone.
The first block is free. And she is also
 sharing history on the signatures to be found on the quilt.

 
And its not till you see Sharon standing beside it, that you realize just how big it is.

 
Yes, she is standing, not kneeling!!
 
 
And whats this you ask?
Its the girls making sure they put the date for our next get
together in their phones, so they don't miss out!!

 
A HUGE thank you to Sharon for bringing her quilt to share with us.
Its been an honor!!
 
If only the makers knew how 160 years after they made this quilt,
there would be this much interest in it!!
 
 l hope you have enjoyed sharing this day with us.
Now off to bed, to dream about all things quilty!!
 
Thanks for visiting.
Linda.
 
 
 
 

14 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for a fantastic day Linda and Bev. We really enjoyed ourselves. Great company and great quilts!! Ps the not sure quilt belongs to Jan.
    Lisa & Lou

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  2. This was great - almost like being there. And I really like your Schoolhouse block with the green border too.

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  3. Had a fabulous time - loved all the quilts and the company - thank you Linda! ChrisC

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  4. Oh Linda, this was a fabulous share! You do a great job of laying these things out....I know where you could get an editor job if so wish. I am going to be doing this quilt or at least a few blocks.... want those stores that she finds.... have even thought of doing a family quilt with the my relations assigned different places.... now who goes in the middle????? The other quilts shared were special as well.... no wonder you are having quilt let down.

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  5. Thanks for sharing all the lovely quilts! Looks like fun!

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  6. What a fabulous day you had. I'm envious ,
    Thanks for putting on a great show

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  7. Thanks so much for the lovely photos of the quilt Linda. It looks like it was a lovely day and a wonderful chance to get an upclose look at Sharon's treasure.
    Hugs, Jan Mac

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  8. What a wonderful day, with so many wonderful quilts! And bobbin lace, too! Loved seeing that! Thanks for sharing all the fun!

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  9. So sorry to have missed out, but thank you SO much for posting about it. Have drooled over all the photos (need to clean my screen now!), and also wondered at the beauty of this quilt. Glad you all had a wonderful day (knew you would!).

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  10. WOW what a fabulous day!! i'm also keen to have a go at making this amazing quilt..had no idea it was SOOO big!! i'm thoroughly enjoying reading all about the history of Sharon's priceless heirloom, on her blog.

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  11. Seeing so many familiar faces, I wished I could have been there!!

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  12. Hi Linda, Thank you so much for including me in such a wonderful day, and yes, it all went far too quickly. We had a fantastic time and my head is still buzzing at some of the masterpieces we got to see up close and personal.

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  13. What a WONDERFUL day it was! We set the date way back in June and it was like waiting for Christmas. I wasn't too sure exactly what the day would entail, so Helen and Cheryl came along for moral support; who knows how many axe murderers would be at Linda's home?!
    Arriving was fine, meeting Linda and Bev was so easy, so many quilts to admire. Then the hordes started to arrive and I began to feel a little anxious. What if I spread out the quilt and people thought, is that all?
    I needn't have worried. Everyone was so interested, the questions flew around the room, the cameras didn't stop. And then the other quilts came out, each one more impressive than the last. The show and tell was a delight.
    The only problem was taking down my quilt and packing it away - it didn't want to go back in the bag. It wanted to stay with all the other quilts. It is now sulking in the cupboard but I have promised to take it out to visit again sometime.
    Thanks to Linda for her generous hospitality, both in her lovely home and her great blog; and thank you to all of you that took a day off to come along. I really appreciate your enthusiastic response to the quilt, it confirms for me that the quilt represents both an interesting pattern and a social history worth preserving.
    Sharon

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  14. Must have been an awesome day! Soooo jealous. But I am very glad you took pictures of the quilt front on. And of the rest too ofcourse.

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