Chelmsford Garrison House Quilt Show - 2008 Aug or Sept

Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Garrison House Quilt Show

Aug or Sept of 2008

I am only going to show the quilts that Sally Palmer Fields brought to the Quilt Show.  She was very much involved with supporting the Garrison House and always had many interesting quilts to show.  Sally was a hard core quilter.  I remember her telling me a story about being thirsty while quilting a thistle pattern on a quilt, but she refused to stop until the thistle she was working on was complete.  Dedicated.

This is a log cabin quilt with Abraham Lincoln in as the center square/medallion.  It is hand embroidered.  Sally loved history and build themed quilts around the center square.  The log cabin quilt blocks reflect that Abe Lincoln was born in a log cabin.  You will notice themes in the next three quilts.

The middle block is a political campaign handkerchief.  All the surrounding blocks are significant.  Each block's name has to do with Eisenhower's life.  If there is such a block as a Kansas block, Presidential block, etc (anybody got a quilt dictionary/encyclopedia?) it's in this quilt.

The Rough Rider, Teddy Roosevelt is the theme of this quilt.  The handkerchief in the center is antique; one of the many wonderful finds Sally discovered.  If she were at an auction, she'd find a stash of fabric in a bureau drawer or in the bottom of a box of china pieces.  They would go home with her.  The fabric became part of her stash and she'd make a quilting pattern from the designs on the china.  She would sell photocopies of hand-drawn quilting patterns when she stood next to a quilt of hers, answering questions or passing out white gloves.  I admired her.

At the time this quilt was made our governor, Bill Weld was married to a descendant of Theodore Roosevelt.  Somehow Sally was able to show this quilt to her.  This story was retold to me with pride in her voice.  Good job!

I *THINK* this is Ulysses S Grant.  I you look at the hand quilting on the white panels you can see the Civil War themes.  Again, the center of the quilt is an antique handkerchief. 

Here's a bunch of flowers, I'll leave in the blogspot in memory of Sally Palmer Fields.

Her biography
http://judybuswick.com/sally-palmer-field-book/

Another example of her work
 http://www.massfolkarts.org/object_theme.asp?curpage=3&currTheme=5