A Quilt Show at Bulloch Hall - attic

On Saturday March 16, 2013, we visited a quilt show at Bulloch Hall, an antebellum mansion in Roswell, Georgia.  I already described and showed the quilts on the ground floor and second floor of the mansion.  Today we are visiting the attic for the last post on the quilts.  On that Saturday, before we left the second floor, I took my husband back to the Sewing Room to see a quilt I liked a lot and that he had missed.  It was quilt #128 by Jane B. Broaddus of Dahlonega, Ga.  It is called "The Cat" of course.  She says that in a workshop in Pacific Grove, California, students were asked to bring a picture of a friend.  She brought a picture of her cat "P.T."  (Click on collage twice to enlarge.)

As we went back in the hall to reach the stairs to the attic we passed quilt #104 which was hanging there.  It is called "Hugs and Kisses" by Holly Anderson of Cumming, Ga.  She designed the blocks based on the red and green blocks of the 1850s.

We climbed the steep stairs to the attic and found ourselves in a large room where many quilts were displayed.

There were some old spinning wheels and an antique bed as shown below next to quilt #156 entitled "Curve Every Which Way But Loose" by Diane Berdis of Alpharetta, Ga.

I slowly walked along the quilts to get a better look.

I took some close-ups of red quilt #151 named "The Pilot's Wife" by Diane Knott of Cumming, Ga., (above on extreme right) and black and white quilt #150 named "Black and White and Red All Over" by Anne Crowe of  Mableton, Ga.  I did not see much red in it but Anne says "I made this quilt in celebration of my thirteenth birthday... I chose the name because of the black and white fabric and a nod to the red thread used for quilting."  I looked closely but could not see the red thread - the stitches must have been tiny.

The series of "Diva" quilts were fun.  I liked quilt #165 "Home is Where the Suitcases Are" by Patricia Caffrey of Roswell, Ga., - bottom right quilt below.  She says that she added the names of all the cities in which she lived.  I tried to read them on the photo, but they are not very distinct (around the sides of the quilt.)  I read "Raleigh, Madrid, Santiago" but could not read the other towns.  Here below are four of the Diva quilts.

 I would love to have such an attic in my house, so large and bright.  I would fill it with all our books and add some easy chairs ... The sun was shining through a couple of large windows.  It must get pretty warm here in summer.

We walked back downstairs.  We saw the quilt below in front of the cellar stairs - quilt #48 by Jan Antranikian of Alpharetta, Ga., called "El Taco Suave."  She says "My venture into 3-D quilts.  (Please put on 3-D glasses!)" It did look appetizing even without 3-D glasses.

We thought we might find more quilts in the cellar, but there were none.  The cellar looked so empty from the last time we saw it a Christmas.  Then it was decorated and bright.  Below you can see how it looks now and last Christmas.

There are some informative panels explaining the running of the "Open-Earth Kitchen" way back then.  "A fire was built in the oven and allowed to burn for about one and a half to two hours before the interior bricks held enough heat to bake."  And also "The cook has to be able to read the fire to know which coals are the hottest."  - "Meat was often served at the table with the feet and head attached."

On the table were more panels, one read - "The Open-Hearth Kitchen   Maum Rose was the Cook of the household "... and such corn muffins as she made - they linger in ones memory and like other beautiful things are a joy forever."  Another panel explained laundry chores "The Open-Hearth Kitchen set up for ironing  "I think Maum Charlotte must have done the washing" and possibly the ironing.  The Bulloch's clothes would have been washed (soaked, scrubbed, boiled and rinsed) in a big kettle outside the kitchen.  The clothes were then hung on fences, lines or placed outdoors on the grass to dry."

Outside, the sun was shining and it was now around 75 degrees F (24 C.)  It did not last though as in the following days it was cool again.

But that Saturday it was a joy to walk in Bulloch Hall garden and look at some of the spring flowers.

The forsythia shrubs were in full bloom, the flowering quince was showing some pretty red flowers but I was surprised to see a lavender bush already showing some flowers too.  Of course periwinkles were all over the grass.

We walked back to the front porch of the house and sat in two rocking chairs thinking about the artistry we had just seen adorning the walls of Bulloch Hall - a visual feast of vibrant colors and imagination.