Annette Gero's Show in Australia

 

Detail of an English wool quilt, mid 18th century

Dr. Annette Gero, who's been collecting quilts stitched from British soldiers' uniforms for many years, has curated an exhibit at Queensland's Cairns Gallery in Australia. War Quilts: The Annette Gero Collection is on exhibit until June 15, 2025.

https://www.cairnsartgallery.com.au/whats-on/exhibitions/war-quilts

Some photos from the gallery and my far-flung correspondent Marie.

"This is an extraordinary exhibition of quilts made by military men from their army or naval uniforms. They were made by soldiers, sailors and regimental tailors using richly dyed, felted wools – the military fabrics of the past three-hundred years. They reveal service in the Prussian, Napoleonic, and Crimean wars, and in British India. But of special relevance in this exhibition are the Australian quilts from World Wars I and II, including those made by prisoners of war."

2025 Raffle Quilts

 

Northwest Suburban Guild

Barb Jolley Quilter

Inspired by Lisa Leatham Mason

Looking for a quilt show on your phone? Do a search for Raffle Quilt Guild 2025.

Forsyth Quilters Guild

I like to view what guilds around the country are stitching to see if I can spot trends, etc.

Maine State Quilt Guild

Happily Ever After Pattern by Mary-Jeanine Ibarguen

Hands Across the Valley Quilt Guild

   Pattern-Bonnie Hunter

Do a search for the guild name and you might find a place to buy tickets.

Many of the drawings are in May.

Kaw Valley Quilt Guild

Getting Our Tula On, Tula Pink pattern City Sampler

Lighthouse Quilters Guild

Lincoln Quilt Guild

Patrice Steiner & Sandy Montooth, Edyta Sitar Pattern

Quilt Guild of Greater Kansas City

No consensus on taste. 

Tradition/color/spectacular piecing/lavish machine quilting/clever repeat....

Wyoming State Guild

Karen K Stone Pattern

Bloomington Quilters  Guild

Sandra Warren & Jane Pitt

UPDATE: Louise sent a picture of her guild's quilt Elmira NY Quilt Guild, 

made by the Piecemakers with the designer holding it up.

Morris Manor: Best of Morris from Moda, Denniele & Me

 

County Roads by Denniele Bohannon

She used prints from my latest line of William Morris reproductions...

...which should be in your shop soon.

Denniele, who loves a complex pieced design, has

stitched patterns for her Louanna Mary Quilt Design

shop.

https://louannamaryquiltdesign.bigcartel.com/products?fbclid=IwY2xjawJWS6JleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRnfKKvrIt6eXvcmKrc32LDt3SpIS9ey70ZFARE0uUEsWaJhDFPH-97R7w_aem_jO9stSJbt9vl_ySty9TUfg

 Here's one she finished but decided not to pattern. So you get a free pattern here.

Here are the 12" finished blocks with 2 different fussy-cut centers.

She found the design in BlockBase+, which tells us it was a Laura Wheeler pattern from the Old Chelsea Station Needlecraft Company. At the bottom of the clipping they tell you it's "easy for beginners." They often said that but they were often wrong. 

(Note to Laura: "Beginner patterns have straight seams and no set-in pieces.")

Long arm quilting by Becky Collis

But if you can piece curves and Y-seams....It's a wonderful design. Here's the original pattern with an octagon in the center rather than a circle.

Print these two sheets 8-1/2 x 11".

You might want a border for your 48" quilt.

Denniele also sketched it with blocks on point.

And Becky Collis pieced and quilted Denniele's pattern with the circle.

Collaboration!

Lena Himmelstein Bryant---Fashion Innovator

  

Illustration of clothing designer Lena Bryant by Jauna Martinez-Neal for the 

children's book A Perfect Fit by Mara Rockcliff

Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin (1877 – 1951),

perhaps a wedding picture for her second marriage in

1909 to Albert Malsin.

When she was in her 70s in 1948 she wrote a short autobiography.

"I was born in a small village in Lithuania and my mother died when I was ten days old. My older sister and I were brought up by our grandparents. My sister migrated to the United States early, and when I was sixteen years old, some distant relatives offered to take me in 1897.

New York's European Jewish area in 1898

"My sister was a seamstress in a shop, and there I was hired for $1 a week. Soon I [was] a first class machine operator at $4 a week more.

 

"I met, and within a year married David Bryant (1870-1900), a jeweler older than I and in my eyes a sophisticated man of the world. Ten months later our son Raphael was born, and within a year my husband had died.

"The wedding gift from my jeweler husband of a pair of diamond earrings was often pawned to pay for a sewing machine---or rent. I started a business of of fine bridal lingerie. 

Her first shop was on the corner here across from a park distinguished by a large black rock.

"In 1907 I opened a real shop on Fifth Avenue and 120th St near Mt. Morris Park [in Harlem.]  I borrowed $300 from my brother-in-law to open a bank account. The whole procedure so rattled me that I signed my name L-A-N-E. From that day on I was Lane Bryant.

At the time pregnancy was a deplorable condition (obvious result of S-E-X!) and not to be discussed or alluded to in polite society. Women who were "showing" stayed home.

Member of not-so-polite society 

Lena was persuaded by a customer to design something she could wear while entertaining at home that would not call attention to her condition and be somehow fashionable.

A great moment in women's history. 

Soon all the rich young matrons wanted what Lena called a Maternity Dress, 

even though the newspapers were too scandalized to advertise the garment at first.

Lena married Russian-born Albert Malsin in April, 1909. By 1911 they were bringing in $50,000 annually with their specialty fashion. Within a few years 5 million.

  "Albert was born on the Baltic shores, had studied engineering in Germany and had traveled widely."

 The 1910 census shows Albert and Lena living with Raphael now ten and baby Theodore. They have two live-in maids, Lizzie from Ireland and Kate Meyer from ?

Within a year of their marriage Albert is listed as the Clothes Manufacturer and Lena has no job at all. NONE.

Patent for Albert Malsin in 1914 for a "Ladies' 

Garment" designed to expand.

Who actually designed his patents is open to question. Lena and Albert shared an unusual understanding of space, the female torso and cloth and its drape. But Albert was more the business manager; Lena the designer.

Albert's 1918 draft registration. He lived at 1261 Madison Avenue

and was a Retail Merchant for Lane Bryant on West 38th St.

They left this luxury apartment for the suburbs of Mt. Vernon

after three children.

She and Albert realized there was a need for clothing that did not fit the petite figure. They (He?!?) measured 4,500 women, came up with flattering designs and began selling plus-sized clothing.

1935 ad for clothing to fit "Stout Women & Misses"

Lena lost her second husband in 1923 when Albert died in his early forties. He was ill for two weeks with what was diagnosed as influenza.

This complimentary obituary of Albert

as a valued immigrant was copied by

several papers.

She and her children carried on with the innovative clothing that became classic, inclusive style.

"I Love Lucy"

Lucille Ball continued to work while pregnant

and wearing a lot of polka dots.

Lena about 1950

 Jauna Martinez-Neal for A Perfect Fit by Mara Rockcliff

Read a review of the children's book: A Per­fect Fit: How Lena ​"Lane” Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/a-perfect-fit-how-lena-lane-bryant-changed-the-shape-of-fashion

Lena's 1950 autobiography "They Call Me Success Story" was published in the magazine Guideposts:

Read it here:

https://archive.org/stream/guidepostsperson011822mbp/guidepostsperson011822mbp_djvu.txt