Border to Border: Quilts and Quiltmakers of Montana [Hardcover]

Annie Hanshew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2009

For over two decades, volunteers from across Montana registered local quilts as a part of the Montana Historic Quilt Project. The quilts chronicle Montana's history over the last 150 years, telling the stories of statehood, the struggle for women’s suffrage, two world wars, the Great Depression, as well as the recent past. This highly illustrated book showcases the Montana’s best, most unique, and most interesting quilts and describes the life and times of the extraordinary people who made them. Border to Border: Quilts and Quiltmakers of Montana is an invaluable addition to quilting literature and to Montana history.

 

• Over 150 rich, full-color photography of quilts

• Over 50 historical photographs

• Authentic, well-researched histories of individual quilts and quiltmakers

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A native of Helena, Montana, Annie Hanshew is a doctoral student at the University of Utah and the assistant director of the American West Center.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

This lovely Goose in the Pond quilt was possibly the oldest one found by the Montana Historic Quilt Project, and it offered a bit of a mystery to the documenters. The owners knew the quilt had traveled to Montana with Maxine Otis’s parents, who came to homestead near Hobson in 1916; other details about the quilt were sparse. Initially this quilt was thought to be made between 1830 and 1850, but these dates conflicted with family tradition that the quilt had been made in 1812. Upon closer inspection, the documenters discovered that the fabric was older than they originally thought, some of it dating to the late 1700s. A second look at the quilt also revealed a date and name buried in the quilting: 1811, Robert McInnis. Soon, additional hints about the quilt popped out of the fabric. An ink inscription appeared stamped in a corner block with the name Sarah H. Jones and the town Erie, Pennsylvania. Robert McInnis’s name was also inked into the quilt elsewhere, although by now the “c” and “I” in his name had started to fade. Whatever the bond Robert McInnis and Sarah Jones shared, the quilt was clearly a treasured possession. As reliable permanent ink was not available until the 1830s, the ink inscription was probably added after the quilt was made to leave a lasting record of those connected to it.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Montana Historical Society Press; 1st edition (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0917298640
• ISBN-13: 978-0917298646
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #666,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book of quilt history, December 22, 2009

By 

S. Radler (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Border to Border: Quilts and Quiltmakers of Montana (Hardcover)

Beautiful photography, interesting and well-written stories, and an accurate yet refreshingly brief history of Montana are all presented here in a wonderful book any quilt lover would love to receive or buy. Native Americans are given their due as well as the expected pioneers and homesteaders. There is a very good range of quilt styles and block patterns although I'll admit I got a little tired of seeing Crazy Quilts. Still, this is what a quilt history book should be.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what a quilt survey publication should be, December 9, 2009

By 

Christy (Helena, MT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Border to Border: Quilts and Quiltmakers of Montana (Hardcover)

Barbara Brackman's blurb on the back cover claims that this book is "exactly what a quilt survey publication should be." She is right! The photography is beautiful, and the publishers wisely chose to use a large 12" x 9" format to make the most of it. And I loved reading the quilters' stories. I've seen quite a few quilt histories, and this one is my favorite.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Border to Border: Quilts & Quiltmakers of Montana, March 20, 2010

By 

Joyce J. Ley (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Border to Border: Quilts and Quiltmakers of Montana (Hardcover)

The author accomplished an accurate, interesting, and enjoyable read about quilts and quiltmaking of Montana pioneer and contemporary women. Being a native of Montana and a quilter, the stories provided left me wanting there to be even more. The colorfull history of Montana has been captured in many quilts over the years, and having a snapshot of these gems along with remarkable story makes this book a treasure.