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Monday, January 21, 2013

Happy Birthday Week!

This book also showed up in the mail for my birthday and I am completely gaga over it!

This is not a book about making quilts, or quilt patterns….but is chock full of photos of every day people in every day situations with quilts displayed prominently in the background and/or foreground.

The book description says:

“The history of quilts, their makers, and usage is an important part of our country's heritage presented here in full detail through 330 vintage photographs.

Books on quilt history have, to date, included only a few photos of quilts. This in-depth collection, most of which has never been seen before, date from 1855 to 1955.
Each vivid image provides commentary on quilting specifics, photography, costume, and American cultural history, especially toward the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Photographic formats and a glossary of quilting terms are included to aid the reader in dating their own vintage photographs.
This book is a wonderful resource for all quilters, historians, and photographers.”

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Opening the book and thumbing through pages I found photo after photo describing the quilt, or the subject of the photograph and any stories associated – little tidbits, terrific words from history.

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I just love how this lady is standing in front of such a wonderful string quilt!  Quilts were often used as backdrops in photographs ----and to have all of these photos in one volume is just such a wonderful idea for a book.

It’s Monday.  Time to get a move on and get all those Monday things out of the way so I can do some stitching this afternoon.

Wishing you a wonderful week, whatever you get up to!

31 comments:

  1. WOW--looks like a great read--enjoy!!

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  2. Happy Birthday, Bonnie!
    Whenever I took my children to those Sears and other portrait studios I would bring along a quilt to use to cover the carpet. The photographer would always argue with me that I was messing with the system, but now I have my quilts in those pictures along with my kids!

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    1. What a great idea. My kids are too old now, but if ever grandkids come along I will try to remember this!

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  3. Anonymous9:14 AM EST

    What a great gift to receive! This title is coming to my bookshelf SOON lol.

    Recently the bookcase couldn't hold too much more. So I culled my books, giving those no longer wanted to the public library. They either will get them ready to put out in the library - or add to the book sale books. Our library has sales several times a year. Magazines, books etc . Only do items found at a library. Last sale made $18,000.00!!!! All of the proceeds go directly to book buying!

    Thought I would mention this to others. Maybe other libraries do the same.

    Now let me write that title down ;).
    Smiles
    JulieinTN

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  4. Happy birtday! it's a wonderfull book.

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  5. Happy Birthday Bonnie! May you spend several hours of it stitching, and several more curled up with that wonderful book!

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  6. Wishing you a very Happy Birthday!
    Sherri

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  7. Happy Birthday, Bonnie. Your new book is the perfect gift for you - quilts, photographs and history! Enjoy!

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  8. I ordered this book a few days ago - can't wait for it to get here!

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  9. Oh what a lovely surprise! Have a wonderful Birthday week!

    Lori

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  10. Happy Birthday week! I always try to stretch my birthday out a week, too. We really deserve much more than one day, don't we? Enjoy yours, every single minute of it!

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  11. Just ordered it on Amazon--OHHHH- 1-click ordering is dangerous!!

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  12. I NEED this book. It is on my wishlist!
    Happy Birthday week!

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  13. I immediately went and ordered this, within 5 minutes. Can't wait to get it. I have a HUGE book collection. I wonder what will become of it when I die? I have often tried to donate to my library here.... they say it has to go up to the main distribution center for it to be determined if there is a need, yada yada yada... HA!~ There IS a need, as there are very few quilting books on the shelves here. Thus, my wanting to donate to them. Frustrates me to no end. I digress...
    Thank you for showing us this book and please keep them coming!~

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  14. Put this title in my wish list on Amazon. I hope you have a happy birthday. Didn't realize you and my father shared the day... though many years apart. Enjoy your day!

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  15. Happy Birthday Bonnie! I was recently introduced to your blog by my sister "Jeri Bonser of Durable Goods". We are very involved with the Easy Street Mystery Quilt and are both putting the blocks together as is another sister, Judy. Jeri from Portland,Oregon also did the "linky" so we could check on other people's progress! Amazing! Thanks for the quilt cams and you wonderful humor and fun! Have a wonderfulBirthday Week! Jan

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  16. Hi Everyone:

    I recently received this book. I think it is terrible. I hated seeing the dead children draped in quilts. I just couldn't stand it after Sandy Hook. So, I donated it to the Goodwill.

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  17. That looks like an awesome book! Happy birthday week!

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  18. What an interesting book. So many treasures in those photos!
    Happy birthday for this week, hope you are pampered, spoilt rotten and have a great time!

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  19. Fabulous book. Happy Birthday!

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  20. Happy Birthday - what a wonderful gift you received in that book - I've always loved old photos and did restoration on negatives long ago.
    Enjoy - hope to see you bring some of those quilts to life for us!

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  21. Piffle Here. Happy Happy Special Day to you and do extend this celebration for at least a week.

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  22. Happy Birthday, Bonnie!!!! One of my friends from high school recently died and I went to her funeral. I was surprised to learn that she was a quilter too, and her family had used a lovely Grandmother's Flower Garden , that she had made, to cover her remains. It was beautiful and we would have had a lot more to chat about had I known she was a quilter. I did take a photo of the beautiful quilt.

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  23. OMG that video its funny! thanks for sharing your BD present w us!

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  24. My book just arrived and it is INCREDIBLE!~ Please thank whomever sent it to you, because of it, I was able to find out about it... An instant favorite!~

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  25. Hope you had a great birthday!
    Thanks for sharing your present.

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  27. The lady standing in front of the wonderful string quilt is my great-grandmother Dora Petty-Wood. I wish I knew where the quilt was, probably went to some other branch of the family or perhaps burnt up in one bad fire the family had later. Most of all, I wish I could talk to her & know what her life was like. Everyone said she was a wonderful & kind Christian lady, though very hard-working & very quiet (as my grandfather was also). I hope to meet her in heaven one day. I'm glad to see it posted here. I don't even have the book yet, as Janet forgot to tell me about it until a few days ago, but I am going to order two today for myself & my father (her grandson). Did the photo of the Epworth League benefit for the Chandler tornado showing the quilts & children make it in there? I found that one online for her. I wish the fabulous picture of my other great-grandparents with a quilt had made it in the book, but she only used ones if the originals were possessed (due to rights) & mine was just a very old copy. Regards, Chris Wood from Scottsville, KY [Had to use my wife's Holly's google account, as I don't have one.]

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  28. That beautiful lady standing in front of that quilt is my husband's great grandmother.

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