Virginia Quilt Museum (2/21/2024)

Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Today we are in Harrisonburg, VA.

LOVEworks Harrisonburg (2013, by Nicole Martorana,
Jeffrey Guinn, and Mike Herr) is part of the
Virginia is for Lovers marketing campaign for tourists

The letter 'L' represents ethnic and cultural diversity, 'O' for agricultural heritage, 'V' for outdoor recreation, and 'E' for the arts.

The Virginia Quilt Museum (founded 1995) is located
in the Warren-Sipe House (1856, additions in 1894)

Despite many incarnations, the house has retained
the fine parquet flooring

Close-up of the parquet floor

Two of the 1894 mahogany fireplace mantels, one
of which is attributed Christopher Columbus Grandle
(probably the one in the earlier photo due to the cherubs) 

When the house was used as the
courthouse, a jail was built

Special Exhibit: Abstractions in Color (quilts by Cindy Grisdela):

3 Friends (2022)

Blue Confetti (2020)

Blue Confetti detail shows that the quilting
was done with black thread

Supernova (2023)

Unfurling (2021) has quilting that
provides interesting texture

Clark's ONT Spool Cabinet (c 1880-1900);
Our New Thread was developed by the Clark
loom company using cotton in 1806 when
Napoléon barricaded Great Britain,
creating a shortage of silk thread

Special Exhibit: The Creative Hand (by Wen Redmond):

Intertwined (2019); the artist digitally manipulates
photographs, then prints them on mixed media substrates

Intertwined detail

Booklet

A recently donated Wilcox & Gibbs
sewing machine (c 1920s)

Permanent collection:

Buhl-Bushong Quilt (c 1855, by Elizabeth Ann Bushong)
is a variation of the New York Beauty pattern

Close-up of the Crabill Tulip Quilt
(1847, by Elizabeth Jane Wymer Crabill)

Crossed Harlequin Tulips Quilt (c 1850-1880, unknown maker)

Tea Rose Variation Quilt (c 1920, unknown maker)

Classic Baltimore Album Quilt
(2007-2012, by Polly G Scott,
a native of Harrisonburg, VA)

Special Exhibit: Tales of the Loom (by the Rivanna Weavers):

Red Crosses and Diamonds (2019,
by Ann Vonnegut)

Royal Compass Scarf (2022, by
Laurie Duxbury) with the Mary Ann Ostrander
pattern but using a different weaving technique
called jin that emphasizes warp over weft

Vessel-Forest (2023, by Jan Russell) includes
handwoven tapestry and rya knotting (usually
seen at the bottom of a weaving as a fringe)

Fences (2023, by Laurie Duxbury) uses
strips of hemp stalk

Sewing Machines Collection:

Some of the sewing machines, including miniature
and toy machines, and cases

Boye Commodity Cabinet (patented in 1906)
allowed merchants to quickly locate the proper needles
and bobbins for each specific sewing machine brand