Burlington Carousel Quilters guild met on August 9, 2022 at Northside Fellowship Church.
Michelle Owens was our guest speaker for the evening. She lives in Greensboro and is a member of the Piedmont Quilt Guild. She shared her vintage quilts with us, starting with the Alamance Rose, which started her down the path of doing a research project on Alamance yellow. She has been assisted in her work by Neva Hart, who appraises vintage quilts.
The Alamance Rose quilt was made mainly in Alamance, and in the Gibsonville area of Guilford County by local ladies using Alamance Yellow as the background fabric. Nancy S. Spoon Shoffner was one of these ladies. In 1921 on the N C Weekend show featured an Alamance Rose quilt on a bed in Manteo, NC
Michelle told a very entertaining story about how she found an Alamance Rose quilt on www.EstateSales.net and was able to purchase this quilt in May of 2022 for $25.00! Georgia Russell McBane is possibly the one that made this quilt between 1910-1920. Possibly a summer quilt because it has little to no batting in it. It also has very little quilting and looks like it was quilted by several different quilters. Before Michelle found it in the online auction, it had been owned by Ann McBane Vaden, who was an antique store owner.
Michelle asked the guild to help her with more information on her research project in searching for Alamance Yellow. She passed around a clipboard for members to write down the information that they knew or sources that might be helpful.
Michelle had more vintage quilts to share! Next she showed us an 1890 Star of Bethlehem quilt which was a raffle quilt for the Piedmont Quilters’ guild.
Her Granny Gant (Lizzy Lee Grant, born in 1905) purchased this Churn Dash quilt for $15 in a church fundraiser! Michelle remembers that when she and her cousins were sick, they were allowed to sleep under this quilt. (So it’s probably full of germs!) Fond memories!
Next was Granny Gant’s orange quilt. Her mom said that when a baby was born, she would wrap it up in this quilt. It was made sometime in the 1950’s. Orange and pink flowers!
After she had shared all her vintage quilts, Michelle opened the meeting to questions from members.
Ann and Mary started a short business meeting
New members Barbara S. and Teri G. both brought fabulous quilts to show (made by Judy Neimeyer’s paper piecing techniques). Teri made her “Cosmic” using Tula Pink fabrics. (We hope to see these again at the quilt show next spring!)
Barbara S. also showed us a paper pieced tree skirt. It was so much work to make it that she decided not to split it (for a tree skirt) and instead uses it as a table cover for the holidays!
Vernette made a scrap fabric quilt from scraps from the Mill. She also finished her Mary Pixley quilt that was all hand quilted.
Mary W. and Lisa Jones made a sewing caddy together. Each one of a different fabric. Lisa Jones made an ABC quilt.
Amy made quilt from fabric her sister sent her from Hawaii.
Helen made a quilt for Crossroads. Tumbler block pattern using fabric from the Mill.
Many more great projects were shared (that did not get photographed). I hope you got to see them all in person!