Thursday, May 29, 2008

You're Invited!

All right friends-in three short weeks, the Great North Carolina Quilt Flap is on. Right here, in eastern coastal North Carolina, Morehead City NC to be exact. This is the event this blog was named for and hopefully, this Flap is the first of many. What's a Quilt Flap? It's a show-n-tell, an informal airing of the quilts, it's a "Let's talk all about that quilt and crazy Great-Aunt Minny who made it" day. In the tradition of Southern hospitality, coffee and light refreshments will be served in the morning and a good time will be had by all.

Your Invitation to the Great North Carolina Quilt Flap

When: Saturday, June 21, 2008. Registration and morning tea and coffee starts at 8:30 am. The Quilt Flap commences at 10 sharp. Lunch noon-1 pm. Afternoon session: 1-5 pm or until they kick us out.

Where: Auditorium of The History Place, 1008 Arendell Street, Morehead City, North Carolina 28557.

Directions: come into downtown Morehead on Route 70 and just as the speed limit drops to 20 mph (no kidding) the History Place is on your left. Turn left on 10th Street before the building, go past the Tea Clipper door, and come around into the parking lot behind the building from Bridges Street.

What do I bring? Yourself, your camera, an open mind, and show-n-tell…old quilts of course!

Who is going to be there? Folks just like you who are crazy about old quilts. Some museum people, quilt collectors, quiltmakers, historians, and the just plain curious.

What’s going to happen at the Flap? It’s sure to be a glorious display of old quilts. We plan three short informative presentations:

Lynn Gorges (Historic Textiles Studio in New Bern,NC

http://www.textilepreservation.com will speak on Alamance plaids and museum work with old textiles.

Pepper Cory, The Quilt Studio in Morehead City www.peppercory.com will show her strange cheddar quilts.

Janice Pope (aka The Quilt Doctor from Cary, NC) will talk about the challenges of repairing old quilts.

We hope there will be round tables on various topics and would love to hear from some volunteers who might lead discussions at these tables. Plenty of time for show-n-tell but we might have to limit that to four (4) quilts per person or we’ll be there all night.

What the Quilt Flap is not: This event is not an appraisal fair or a selling and buying show. We’re gathering to celebrate the art of the quilt but please leave the money thing for another day.

What about lunch? You’re on your own from noon till 1 pm. There are lots of restaurants in downtown Morehead. You can even bring a sack lunch if you’ll pick up after yourself.

And if I get lost? You can’t because there’s only one road in and out of downtown Morehead City. You can call the History Place (252) 247-7533 but the best thing to do is Google The History Place, Morehead City, NC and up pops their website www.thehistoryplace.org and a handy map.

Does the Quilt Flap cost anything? Depends on how many quilt shops you stop at along the way! This event is free. However, we do ask that

1)you call or register beforehand so we can plan the seating and the morning coffee time and, if you are able,

2) we’ll pass the basket for a donation toward the cost of the janitor’s pay, the printing of information, and the morning refreshments.

Any other questions? Email Pepper Cory (pepcory@gmail.com) to register. Lynn Gorges (palampore@aol.com) is also available for questions. We’ll try our best. Please understand that we both occasionally are on safari working but will get back to you as soon as we can.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

"There is no blue-" Color Influences

I admit it-one of my all-time favorite colors is that intense golden-orange that quilt collectors now call 'cheddar.' Perhaps, if you're quilt-savvy, those colors say "Southern, late 19th-century, early 20th-century quilt-" but I'd like the association expanded. Sure, I love the teal blue-cheddar of many of my region's older quilts. But then again, inspiration can come from many sources.

One of my artistic idols, Vincent Van Gogh, was so sure of the rightness of his favorite color triumvirate that he once wrote to his brother Theo, " There is no blue without yellow and without orange." I concur. This color scheme always turns my head. It's in my head-can't help it. My generation revels in it. Vince would have loved the chopped-down VW wagon and approved of the sentiment.

I have an old Rob Peter to Pay Paul quilt and it inspired me to make a zippy wall hanging in wild fabrics. The curved block, being quite large, is easy to sew. Wow, this pattern has so many design possibilities! After inspecting the old quilt, I was delighted to see that the quilter had personalized it. She quilted around her hand and had even signed it 'Leola.'

How many of you have actually signed your name into your quilt? Or traced around your hand?

This gives a personal and unique identity to this quilt when described as a "handmade quilt."