Pioneer Quilts: Prairie Settlers' Life in Fabric, Over 300 Quilts from the Poos Collection

Following their best selling 2015 book Indigo Quilts, which featured thirty blue and white quilts from the Poos collection, sisters Lori Lee Triplett and Kay Triplett now share over 300 more Poos Collection quilts in their upcoming book Pioneer Quilts: Prairie Settlers' Life in Fabric.

The Poos Collection is named for Martha Poos, the Triplett's grandmother. It is one of the largest privately held quilt and textile collections in the world with an emphasis on quilts from before 1860, including white on white, chintz, red and green, and indigo quilts.

Many of the quilts are fragile and cannot hold up to display. So quilters and quilt historians are grateful for the series of books featuring this remarkable collection. Previous books include Red and Green Quilts from the Poos Collection and Chintz Quilts from the Poos Collection. All are currently available.

Pioneer Quilts evolved from a request for an exhibition on quilts that told the American pioneer story. The Introduction offers a brief history of the Westward expansion beginning with the 1803 Louisana Purchase. The authors turned to personal diaries to understand the experience of the arduous journey and life on the Plains. The authors have pioneer roots in Kansas and share their ancestral pioneer story. The quilts are presented through the story of a fictional pioneer woman, Esther Heinzmann.

This beautiful book full is full of color photographs that show the quilts in whole and in detail. There are gorgeous red, white, and green 19th c quilts including the appliqued Wagon Wheel and Oak Leaf (1860) and the pieced Delectable Mountains (1850). The Pomegranate with Star and Pot of Flowers Border, a circa 1860 quilt from Ohio, adds Cheddar to the red and green. The indigo and white circa 1850 Sunflower and Nine-Patch quilt is a stunner.

Pieced quilts include a circa 1880 Jacob's Ladder, Bear's Paw circa 1870, and Wild Goose Chase circa 1875. Tree of Life, Star of Bethlehem, various basket quilts, star quilts, and Log Cabin based quilts also appear.

Included in the book are five quilt projects in a variety of sizes and skill levels: Delectable Mountains (120" x 120"); Wild Goose Chase (72" x 83"); Cake Stand (57" x 70"); Red and White Nine Patch (85" x 85"); and Double Four-Patch Crib Quilt (34 1/2" x 42"). Each pattern includes everything you need to successfully complete your project, including step-by-step directions with illustrations.

An exciting  block of the month to recreated the gorgeous 1856 Friendship Quilt featured in Pioneer Quilts will be of great interest to quilters.

https://www.quiltandtextilecollections.com/blog/authors/lori-triplett

Pioneer Quilts, published by C&T Publications, will be available July 17, 2017.

From the publisher:

Storytelling quilts from the era of westward expansion

Join fictional character Esther Heinzmann as she narrates the journey through authentic, pioneer-era creations from the Poos Collection - each featured in full color on a 2-page spread. Ideal for traditional quilters and quilt history buffs, this robust offering of 30 antique quilts, plus 5 quilt projects that readers can recreate at home. Offering access to the authors' privately held family collection, this book gives an in-depth look at the importance of quilts to the pioneer life. As you view the quilts, you'll also read accounts of the Great Migration, including preparation for the long journey and a depiction of real life on the prairie. 
• Full quilt photos and detail shots allow you to appreciate the beauty of these handmade quilts up close• Remake history with included project instructions for 5 of the antique quilts• Learn about the authors' own pioneer ancestors

Learn more about the Poos collection, quilts, and even fabric at https://www.quiltandtextilecollections.com

I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

World War I Quilts by Sue Reich

World War I Quilts by quilt historian Sue Reich new book looks at quiltmakers response to the Great War, including Red Cross and fundraiser signature quilts and quilts made to honor veterans, set in perspective against pre-war early 20th c. quilts.

Chapters include "Quilting Through the 1910s"; "Loyal To The Cause: Quilts for Soldiers"; "Under the Red Cross Flag"; and "Afterward: Poppy Quilts: The Fields of Flanders".

The book's full color photographs of quilts, vintage illustrations and photographs, vintage textiles and ephemera make a visual feast. (The pages were slow to load on my e-reader because of the many photographs!) Along with chapter introductions and a foreword, Reich includes related newspaper articles about quiltmaking from across the country.

There is a wealth of information in this book. It is not a book you will causally flip through, looking at the quilts, and call it 'done.' You will want to take it in small pieces, enjoying the details, returning to it again and again. I laughed when I read advice to cut the worn feet off old socks and use the tops as quilt batting. Another article suggested sewing channels and inserting padding into the channels as an 'easy' quilt.

Early 19th c. quilts incorporated printed flannel pieces given away with tobacco. After crazy-quilting's ruling late Victorian culture, a patchwork 'revival' invigorated quiltmakers. There seemed to be a competition for quilts with the most pieces. Quilters had new products available. The availability of electricity meant electric sewing machines could be employed for quilting. Nationwide quilt competitions began in 1910. Signature quilts and embroidered quilts continued to be popular. Women's magazines abounded with quilt patterns. Quilt designers like Marie Webster and Ruby McKim arose to offer patterns for modern tastes.

Quilters rallied to support war efforts. Signature quilts raised money. We find Red Cross quilts, Ladies Aid Society quilts, and quilts featuring textiles with patriotic and political themes. The Biscuit or Puff Quilt was created without batting to "conserve wool for our soldiers in the battlefield.'

The 1918 flu epidemic was devastating. Preventative measures included the burning of bed linens, including quilts. Post war quilts included Poppy quilts to commemorate veterans.

Quilters have traditionally responded to current events and needs: Abolitionist quilts; the Sanitary Fairs during the Civil War; fund raising quilts for church building and missionary work; Temperance quilts; and for WWI war efforts and the Red Cross. Quiltmakers continue their response to this day. Michigan quilter Ami Simm's Art Quilt Initiative raised $1 Million dollars for Alzheimer Research; recently a member of my Clawson quilters group attended a ceremony where her son received a Quilt of Valor for his military service.

Quilt historian Sue Reich has published a series of books. Her forthcoming book of Presidential and Patriotic Quilts, also from Schiffer Publications, will include the Presidential Quilt Project created last year--including my John Quincy Adams quilt. Sue's books include WWII Quilts; Quiltings, Frolics, and Bees: 100 Years of Signature Quilts; Quilts and Quiltmakers Covering Connecticut; Quilting News of Yesteryear: 1,000 Pieces and Counting; and  Quilting News of Yesteryear: Crazy As A Bed-quilt. 

Some of the quilts in her new book can be seen at
http://www.coveringquilthistory.com/quilts-of-world-war-i.php

I received the free ebook through NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review.

WWI Quilts
by Sue Reich
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
Publication: Dec 28, 2014
ISBN:9780764347542
176 pages, all full color
$39.99 hardcover

+++++

I have several WWI era handkerchiefs in my collection. They were sent or brought home to sweethearts and family members, often made of silk and embroidered. The embroidery thread was not colorfast! These were for 'show' only.