If your antique quilt is in poor condition, there may be help for it.

Check this website, Heirloom Quilt Restoration at www.restorequilts.com for more information. The restoration process is tailored individually to each quilt, addressing specific needs. There are many kinds of deterioration that can occur with different kinds of textiles, and of course, a quilt's prior storage and care play a big part in its present condition.

There is a small fee for an evaluation. However you are always welcome to email images of your quilt to me at no cost. I can't offer any estimate or specific information without seeing a quilt in person, but pictures are a good way to get some preliminary information without the expense of shipping a quilt.

Check the pages on the website for lots of pictures of various types of quilt restoration work and quilt repairs. There are examples of different types of repairs to silk crazy quilts, both in the shattered fabrics and in shredded embroideries. One page has photos of different cotton fabric comparisons, and it explains how close to the original fabric color and print a restoration piece should be to the original fabric. And another page gives sequential views of restoration made to a mouse hole, a very common type of damage to cotton quilts. The mouse hole pictured had been chewed completely through all layers of the quilt, and you can see from the pictures how the repair is made and is nearly invisible when completed.

There are some tips for wrapping your quilt with acid free tissue and protecting individual embellishments. If you have antique quilts in disrepair, the pages here will let you know that there IS help available!

This website, sauceredandblowed, has a variety of articles and information that is fun to thumb through, kind of like a magazine. The article in the link is about the history of Las Vegas, and it gives a brief synopsis of how the city was built and the development of the gambling industry. The links to organized crime, and the mob ownership and influence on the gaming industry couldn’t even be controlled when congress failed to pass laws in the 1950s that would have established federal regulation of the “industry”.  (In my book, it isn’t an industry unless there is a tangible product produced.)

The Las Vegas strip is marketed as a fun destination, even for families, and it’s too bad there isn’t any mention of the early history of the area, prior to crime syndicates moving in. Nevada has a rich history. The Las Vegas area had artesian wells that were important watering places for the indigenous peoples  even in pre-historic times. The name “Las Vegas” was first used by a Mexican scout in 1829. It means “The Meadows”, and the area was an oasis in the desert. It was along a trading route which led to the Los Angeles area of California. Travel through the desert would have been nearly impossible without the water source. The wells were a source for water that ran through a wash that ran into the Colorado River.

For Wild West enthusiasts, Las Vegas and the surrounding area has many interesting sites to visit. There is Native American cultural history and lore as well as old ranches and ghost towns. . . much more than the glitz that is marketed as Las Vegas today.

The 2009 Mancuso Quilt Shows and competitions are well underway, and if you have ever considered attending one of these fabulous exhibitions, this may be the year for you.

The Denver National Quilt Festival IV is over, and you can view the stunning Best of Show quilt by clicking this link. It was made by Cookie Warner, entitled “Crossing Over”, and is a beautifully serene landscape quilt. The Best of Show at the Pacific International Quilt Festival XVII was “Awesome Blossoms” made by Claudia Clark Meyers and Marilyn Badger. This fabulous quilt is a new take on a dahlia pattern quilt, with wonderful bright colors and an astounding border.  The Best of Show quilt at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XX was “Saffron Spring”, by Barbara E. Lies.

The upcoming New England World Quilt Show will be held in Manchester, New Hampshire on August 13 – 16, 2009. This venue is the home of the premier of the World Quilt Competition XIII and promises to be a fantastic exhibit.

Philadelphia will host the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza September 17 – 20, 2009.

October 15 – 18, 2009 is the date for the Pacific International Quilt Festival XVIII at Santa Clara, California.

The final Mancuso quilt show of the year will be the World Quilt Show – Florida, on November 13 – 15, 2009 in West Palm Beach, Florida. This Florida show has the special exhibit of the 2009 World Quilt Competition XIII.

You can get the Mancuso quilt show schedule for the rest of 2009 at this link. Registration for classes and lectures is available online at the site, as well as quilt entry information and forms. Be sure to watch the deadlines for quilt entries and class registrations. They differ for each show.

Homemakernews.com has some interesting articles, and the article about a homemaker’s duties speaks volumes about what today’s homemakers face. The ideas presented are short and sweet, and I’m sure that every homemaker would be able to elaborate and expand on them.

I’m from the generation where there actually WAS formal education for homemakers. It was called Home Economics. I know many high schools don’t even offer this basic class anymore, and universities offer this type of class as specialties with marketable employment skills, such as interior decorating, fashion design, or culinary arts/restaurant management. I’m happy that my three children had required classes in Junior High School for this kind of learning. Every student, boys and girls, must take a semester of sewing, one of cooking, one of metal shop, and one of wood shop. Kids love it! They know they are learning something useful, and they have fun learning. I’m a firm believer that every young person needs to have skills in all of these areas. This is especially true now, when so many kids don’t get experience with these things at home.

There are also some pretty good recipes on this site, many of which seem to be my favorite dessert, PIES. There is also some information about holistic healing, alternative and herbal medicine, and vitamins and staying healthy. I couldn’t help noticing the picture in the header and thinking, “Gee, I wish there were two of me to get all my housework done!” Great site, and enjoyable reading.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a place unlike any other.  The institution is devoted to the research, preservation, and display of  over 2300 quilts, and works diligently to study the cultural, social, and political history which is hidden within the stitches of every beautifully pieced quilt.  Besides the research center and museum, the center also hosts a wonderful website where the collections of quilts can be viewed digitally, giving those who do not have the opportunity to make the trip a chance to learn about quilting history.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum got its start when the generous Ardis and Robert James donated their collection of 950 stunning quilts to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1997.  This donation was backed by substantial monetary support, and the center has grown to become the leader in quilt studies.  The center has published several books, with the most recent one published in 2003.

While the International Quilt Study Center and Museum most emphatically welcomes visitors, it is also a part of the Department of Textiles, Clothing, and Design in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Here, it is possible for a student to obtain a Master of Arts degree in textile history, with an emphasis on quilt studies.

For the visitor to the museum, there are a variety of tour options.  Guided tours are offered Wednesdays and Saturdays year round.  Group tours are also available by reservation.  Six to eight exhibits are displayed each year, with fifteen to twenty quilts in each exhibit, all researched with diligent care.  For any quilt enthusiast, a visit to the International Quilt Study Center and Museum will be an enriching and valuable experience.