Revisiting The Vermont Quilt Festival- Part 4

Today's post will begin the journey through the quilts made by the students of Marjorie Haight Lydecker mounted for the special exhibit: Life's Work: The Quilts of Marjorie Haight Lydecker and Her Students. I am a big fan of Jo Morton and so as I entered the student's exhibit area I gasped as not one but three Emma's Courtyard quilts hung facing me. Courtyard has been on my to-do list for years. I had actually gathered fabrics to begin its making- and am sure that I have dipped into them time and again. Gives me an excuse to collect again, now, doesn't it! I did make Emma's Quilt- the small version Jo first designed, and it is one of my favorite wall hangings. Courtyard is the expanded quilt Jo designed for her guild. I'm not sure as to what year- I would have to look up my booklet!

*I am hoping that I have the correct maker with the right quilt! Remember that technical difficulty with the photo numbers!? If I have misrepresented in any way, it was not intentional and I ask that anyone who might notice a discrepancy in the following postings let me know so corrections can be made.

The photos aren't fabulous, I guess I was just a tad too excited, but let me present the three Emma's to you:



This first rendition of Emma was made by Estelle Trzcinski of Cotuit, MA. She noted that it was a joyful endeavor, hand appliqued, hand pieced and hand quilted.




This second version (that so deserves a better photo!) was made Emilie Barrett of Yarmouth Port, MA. It is hand appliqued, hand and machine pieced. The quilt was machine quilted by Mary Schilke of Catamount Quiting in Wells River, VT.





Lorraine Whitehouse of Duxbury, MA made this version using a palette of "about 65 fabrics, finishing it in three years". It was hand appliqued, hand pieced and embroidered. The only stitching done by machine was applying the first course of binding which was then hand stitched to the back.

I declare all three to be great beauties, and need to keep myself from pulling out my booklet from among my Jo Morton books. I will NOT start another project...well, at least not today!


In and Around the Baskets is another quilt by Emilie Barrett of Yarmouth Port. As if her Emma's Courtyard wasn't spectacular enough, look at this beauty inspired by Jenna Kimball's book Red and Green- An Applique Tradition. It is hand appliqued (2000-2001),and was hand quilted by Claudette Cavalier, Concord, 2001.



In 2000 Emilie also began Joys of Nature's Beauty. She adapted her version from Emily Senuta's Blooms and Baskets Patterns, finishing it in 2009. It is hand appliqued, embroidered and hand quilted. This quilt was stunning.





Another stunning quilt was Fruitorama by Frances Abell Brand of West Dennis, MA.



This center medallion, mixed medium quilt uses beautiful fall colors.
The center medallion is theorem painted on velvet and there are four additional small theorem paintings.




Quilt related quotations are handwritten in the four cartouches; this one reads: "Quilting is not a matter of life and death, it is more important than that". The quilt is hand quilted!



Admiring Marjorie's Tree of Life quilt, Claire Costello of Dennis, MA. made her version under Marjorie's tutorage. A Tree in All Its Splendor Be was hand appliqued and hand quilted. Begun in 1998, it took Claire 2 years to complete her quilt.




Another of Marjorie's students whose works I found exceptional was Alice Flynn of South Yarmouth, MA. Alice's Pot of Flowers was inspired by a photograph. She chose blacks, gold,red,green and purple, hand appliquing and hand quilting her quilt. The inner border was also hand pieced.



Alice made her Cutwork Blues around a traditional center design of a Princess Feather. The surrounding blocks are designs by Elly Sienkiewicz. The sashing and outside borders were of Alice's own design. Completed in 1995,it is hand appliqued and hand quilted.








Peonies and Ivy, A Baltimore Tradition by Sydney Glover of Chatham MA was made with "much encouragement from Marjorie Lydecker, and all of Elly Sienkiewicz's books to pore thru". It took three and a half years to finish. Sydney commented that she loved hand sewing every stitch!

To be continued......

Revisiting The Vermont Quilt Festival- Part 3

As previously mentioned, QB and I took advantage of the Gallery Talks that were given daily at VQF's special exhibits. It is here, at our second talk, that we got to meet and listen to Marjorie Haight Lydecker of Yarmouth Port, MA. We were joined during the talk by what we later learned were some of her students (as well as other fascinated quilters with an appreciation for applique).

Marjorie has been quilting for forty years, having joined her daughter at adult education classes. Within a couple of years, Marjorie began to teach classes herself, and was soon recognized by Ellie Sienkiewicz at her Applique Academy at which Marjorie was invited to teach. In the thirty years that Marjorie has been teaching, her students have numbered well over 500. Quite an accomplishment. It is her hope, writes Marjorie, that her students will find joy in discovering and persevering in the continuing expression of their individual artistry*.




(Photo of Marjorie - proudly grasping the flowers brought to her by one of her sons- as she talked about the quilts in her exhibit: Life's Work: The Quilts of Marjorie Haight Lydecker and Her Students)

The quilt behind Marjorie is Christopher's Quilt made by Eleanor Meaney (now deceased) of Hanover, MA. It has twenty-five log cabin squares and sixteen half squares, alternated with forty black and red squares. There are forty-two trapunto flowers and is an original design.







Note the prairie point border in the first photo (I wish I had taken a close up). Marjorie told us that originally the prairie points were all black, but Eleanor did not like them one bit when she got them finished. Look closely- you might see a tiny border of black around the tan fabric. Eleanor hand appliqued the tan over each of the prairie points! The quilt is hand embroidered and hand quilted.

The first of the eleven of Marjorie's quilts that I photographed is her Tree of Life.



"This quilt was inspired by an antique quilt. Original hummock design at base. Border mirrors images of two Pennsylvania designs and one 17th century design. The Jenny Beyer border print is hand appliqued. Quilt is hand appliqued, quilted and embroidered."

Next is A Fine Romance:



"Nine appliqued squares inspired by Elly Sienkiewicz' books. Alternating bordered toile squares and triangles. Jinny Beyer's toile fabric depicts a hunting scene with a romance. Hand appliqued, pieced and quilted."

Unfortunately these are the only two I had time to photograph, but they were also my favorites among Marjorie's showing. I was particularly interested in her student's works as I saw the joy they exhibited and the respect for Marjorie and her talents was more than evident. Having spend a small amount of time in her circle, I can see why! Tomorrow's posts will feature the student's work.


* from Curator's Essay VQF 2011 catalog.