International Quilt Study Center & Museum Introduction How to Host a Quilt ID & Documentation Day One of the most popular events sponsored several times each year by the International Quilt Study Center is the Quilt ID & Documentation Day. The community enjoys learning about and documenting their quilts, and staff and volunteers look forward to the event because they get to see wonderful quilts and learn about quilt history. We are committed to the importance of documenting quilts for future generations and want to help other organizations that share this commitment. This information kit can put your organization well on its way to hosting a successful Quilt Documentation Day. You will find here suggestions on items think through, lists of resources, copies of helpful forms, and some advice on how to smoothly handle difficulties that might arise. We have provided the information in a way that is adaptable to the size and resources of any organization. We hope you enjoy hosting your own documentation day as much as we do. The Importance of Quilt Documentation The need for quilt documentation came to many quilters attention through the state quilt documentation projects of the last few decades. Many of the quilts had no documentation of maker, place, date, or history. In other cases, what was known had been handed down orally and was not recorded anywhere. Quilts are, in most cases, handed down within families. They are part of a family s history. By documenting a quilt a person is documenting their own history for the future generations of their family or for future quilt historians and researchers. Since quiltmaking has historically been primarily a female endeavor, documenting quilts is an act of recording women s history. Documentation records the provenance of a quilt. Provenance is a quilt s written biography: when it was made, by whom, where it was made, why it was made, how it was used, who has owned it, and how it got to the current owner, just to name a few aspects. A quilt s written provenance adds meaning and richness to a quilt for future generations.
International Quilt Study Center & Museum Purpose of a Quilt ID & Documentation Day The day may serve several purposes and it is important that you first determine your own, based on the resources available to you. The most basic purpose is to document what is already known usually a quilt s provenance and physical description (size, techniques, fabrics, quilting type) and to physically attach that information to the quilt so it may never be lost. A quilt documentation event with this purpose involves recording on paper the physical details of the quilt and provenance and then basting a muslin label (see sample label below) containing the key information onto the back of the quilt (if the owner desires). This is extremely important for the quilt s future. You may also desire to archive the information gathered, a topic we ll cover in more detail below. Beyond the basic purpose, if your organization has the resources, you can provide additional information about the quilts. Pattern names can be found in quilt reference books. A knowledgeable quilt historian can provide an approximate date, and in some cases, identify the stylistic tradition the quilt may belong to. If you intend to provide additional information about the quilts, then you will need quilt reference books. (See the book list at the end. In addition to the purposes above, there are other general purposes of a quilt documentation day. Your organization might choose to host the event in order to build awareness of your organization, provide a public service, help educate the community on the importance of quilt documentation, and provide information about the proper care of quilts. We encourage you to hand out or have available the International Quilt Study Center & Museum handouts on quilt cleaning, care, and storage. They may be downloaded at www.quiltstudy.org. This information will help quilt owners make sure their heirloom quilts endure to future generations. Some quilt owners may be interested in having their quilt appraised. The IQSCM does not offer this service at our quilt documentation days. Your organization may wish to bring in a certified appraiser for your event, but we encourage that appraising be handled separately from the quilt documentation, in a separate area so not to interfere with the flow of quilt documentation. One very important suggestion: be sure that you clearly communicate your purpose so you do not create the expectation that you will do more than you have resources to do. 2
Resources Needed for a Documentation Day The most important resource is volunteers or staff. Three volunteers per quilt table is optimum. The volunteers unfold and refold, examine the quilt, record information, and affix a label to the quilt. Extensive quilt knowledge is not necessary. Beyond this, the following basic resources are a must. Large table surfaces, 7 or 8 square. Counter height tables are most comfortable. Clean bed sheets to cover tables. Clean white cotton gloves for all volunteers. Pencils (no pens, to avoid accidental marks on the quilts). Prepared muslin labels and archival pen (Pigma brand pens are one option). Sheet of fine grit sandpaper for each table. Needle, cotton sewing thread, and scissors for each table. Documentation forms. Clipboards. High quality camera, and sturdy step-ladder, if you will be taking photographs for archival purposes. Preparing for the Event Find a suitable place to hold the documentation day. Most quilts are large so you will need tables that are approximately 7 or 8 feet square. We push together several smaller tables to make a top the right size. If you plan to archive the information gathered and any accompanying photographs please contact the institution in which this information will be archived to learn what permissions you must obtain from the quilt owner and to get a copy of the form that the institution wishes you to use. Anyone using information about the owner s quilt without their proper permission violates their intellectual property rights. Get the word out in your community including date, time, place, and any special instructions about parking or building access. Request individuals to schedule an appointment. Be sure to limit the number of quilts each person may bring. We schedule appointments every twenty minutes and allow two quilts per person. For your first event we encourage you to schedule appointments a little further apart. 3
3. Volunteers must wear clean white cotton gloves. The gloves should only touch the quilts; take the gloves off when touching things other than the quilt. Two volunteers unfold the quilt on the table and take physical measurements of length, width, and quilt 4 International Quilt Study Center & Museum Prepare the muslin labels ahead. Six by six inches is sufficient. Pink the edges and write along the top or bottom the name of your event and the date it will be held. Leave the large center area blank. On the day of the event, arrive early to cover all the tables with clean white sheets, set up a check-in table, and arrange all the supplies and materials. Put on your smiles and welcome your guests when they start arriving. The Excitement Begins! At the International Quilt Study Center & Museum we have learned that once quests quilts have been documented they usually stay to see others quilts. That is part of the fun of the day, but it can cause congestion in the room and throw things off schedule. We have learned a few things over the years that will help minimize these problems, and others, without taking away the fun. They are incorporated in the step-by-step sequence below. 1. Greet each person at the sign-in table. It is best if the table is in the hall or separated from the space where the quilts will be examined. Hand them a clipboard with a documentation form for each quilt they bring. Have them fill in their name, address, and telephone number. If you will archive the documentation and an accompanying photo, ask the guest to sign the release form. This gives the organization that archives the information permission to make the information available to others. Allow the quilt owner time to read the form and answer any questions they may have. For convenience, we include the release form on the back of the documentation form. If you will archive the documentation then make duplicate copies of the form separated by carbon paper or be prepared to photocopy the form afterwards. Whatever method you use, it is important that your guest is given a copy of their quilt s documentation form to take home with them that day. 2. Before taking the quilt owner into the room, instruct her/him that when documentation of their quilt is finished it will help you stay on schedule if they will bring the clipboard and forms back to the sign-in table. Then, if they are interested, they may go back in the room and observe other quilts. Walk the quilt owner into the room and get them started with a group of volunteers at the table.
stitches per inch (if hand quilted), and enter it on the form. While this is being accomplished, the third volunteer, the recorder, questions the quilt owner about the maker, date made, place made, and any other provenance information that may be known. The recorder writes this on the form. Continue until all appropriate areas on the form are complete. 4. If you have reference books or a quilt historian available the block or appliqué pattern can be referenced and the estimated date or date range and other historical information can be recorded. 5. While Step 3 is in process, one volunteer can begin writing information directly on the muslin label, including, if known: maker, place made, date made, approximate date, pattern name, and any other important historical information. ( Came with the maker from Ohio to Nebraska in a covered wagon in 1855, for example.) It is helpful to lay the muslin label on a piece of fine grit sandpaper as it is being completed. See the Tips section just below for tips on writing labels. 6. Baste the label with large stitches (1/2 ) to the back at one corner. Loosely knot the thread ends. 7. When both quilt documentations have been completed, direct the guest back to the signin table to drop off their clipboard. 8. When the person drops off their clipboard give them their copy of the form. Also offer them the handouts on care, cleaning, and storage of their quilts. Thank them for coming and helping to make your event a success. If they wish to observe other guest s quilts they may return to the room. Tips to Make the Event Go Smoothly Here are some helpful tips that we offer from our experience in hosting several quilt documentation days. It s helpful, but not essential, to have a host who floats around to fill in as needed. This could be the person in charge of the event and who watches the clock to keep everything on schedule. If the room gets too full of people or things get behind schedule, a diplomatic host can say, These quilts are so interesting, but I m sorry to say that we are falling behind and don t want to shortchange anyone still arriving. Would it be possible pick up the pace / make a little extra room around the tables so we can move a little faster? Sometimes the owner s knowledge of the quilt s history doesn t match the quilt itself. This often happens because information gets handed down in pieces and over several generations. For example, the quilt have been made with 1930s fabrics, but the family 5
International Quilt Study Center & Museum history says great-great-grandmother Genevieve made it in 1890. We ve found that as we make observations about the quilt not contradictions of their story that it often reminds the family member of other things they have forgotten, like, Oh, yes, Grandmother Genevieve was born in 1890 so she probably made this later. Occasionally a guest may insist on facts that are not supported in the quilt. One way to handle this is to document the quilt by writing on the label, According to family history.... This identifies the source of the information, but doesn t validate it as factual. Probably and possibly are very helpful words when trying to record documentation accurately. When the exact facts are not available but there is strong evidence in one direction then probably is a good choice: Probably made by Louise Blankenship in Lancaster County, NE. If the owner offers speculation without strong support then possibly is a good choice: Possibly made for the 1933 Century of Progress quilt contest. Be sure to record on the documentation form the information that supports the probable or suggests the possible. Be sure to schedule a lunch break if you plan to go all day. You will need to rest your feet! 6
Resources: To view more information about quilt and textile care and to download pdf files that may be reprinted visit www.quiltstudy.org and click on the Quilt Care link on our home page. For identifying block patterns: Brackman, Barbara. An Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns / Compiled by Barbara Brackman. Lawrence, Kansas. (500 Louisiana St., Lawrence, Kansas. 66044): Prairie Flower Pub., 1984-1987. Brackman, Barbara. Encyclopedia of Appliqué: An Illustrated, Numerical Index to Traditional and Modern Patterns. McLean, Va.: EPM Publications, 1993. For dating quilts by fabric and style: Meller, Susan and Joost Elffers. Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns for Printed Fabrics Organized by motif, Style, Color, Layout, and Period. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1991. Trestain, Eileen Jahnke. Dating Fabrics: A Color Guide, 1800-1960. Paducah, KY: America Quilter s Society, 1998. Trestain, Eileen Jahnke. Dating Fabrics 2: A Color Guide 1950-2000. Paducah, Ky.: American Quilter s Society, 2005. State quilt documentation project publications are also excellent resources. Information compiled by Jonathan Gregory, 2006 International Quilt Study Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln www.quiltstudy.org 7