Going to Guild - Ann Hazelwood

Last night at guild our speaker was Ann Hazelwood, a woman of many talents.  In addition to being a quilt appraiser, author, speaker, and something of an expert on red and white quilts, Ann will have her first novel out this summer. 

Ann came to teach a redwork class and then share her amazing collection of red and white antique quilts with us.  She explained why red and white quilts came into fashion after the previously popular red and green quilts revealed their fleeting beauty.

The Turkey red stays vibrant while the green fades away.

This originally featured green pine trees.  Now it features batting poking through the fabric.

These are just a few of the gorgeous quilts, mostly c1900, in Ann's collection.  She says she was attracted to them because of their simplicity and graphic impact. 

The quilts were mementos of people, animals, and everyday life.  This stunning flower quilt was given to the pastor of a church to commemorate his 20th anniversary. 

Each petal has a signature inside.  Absolutely priceless!

At the end of the lecture, Ann also shared with us something I had never heard of.  They're called "splashers" - pieces of embroidered linen that were hung behind a basin to protect the wall. 

The workmanship in these is amazing, especially considering their purpose!  Most are not in English, and translations are iffy.  We had fun making up our own text.

Have you ever heard of splashers?



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