Drawn to the Park: November 2010

High Rise: Cantrell & Davis: Precedent

Balcony

Bedroom

Lodge

Ski Lodge

High Rise: Joelle: Binky

Joelle's cat Binky

It is believed though it is not exactly known that this breed of cats is descendant of the sacred temple cats in Siam now called Thailand. They were called “Moon diamond” in Siam. Legend has it that they keep away evil spirits and bring good luck to their owners and was often seen around in temples and Royal households. They made their appearance in the United States in 1878 when a gift of “Siam” from the American Consul in Bangkok was made to the American President. In 1884 a breeding pair of Siamese cats was brought to the UK by the British Consul-General in Bangkok as a gift for his sister. The breed of cat then soon spread to other parts of Europe and Asia.

High Rise: Joelle: Quilt History

Many of the quilts of yesterday took a lifetime to make. Perhaps the mystical part of quilts—the aspect that makes them almost human—is the countless hours of work and devotion it took to create a masterpiece of the heart.

Beyond their beauty and usefulness, quilts possess a magic that will never die, for all of life's hopes and fears, loves and hates have been sewn into them. Long ago, a woman whose quilt took her nearly 25 years to finish, remarked, "I tremble sometimes when I remember what that quilt knows about me."

Log cabin quilt

Little is known of the women who stitched the quilts of old; most remain anonymous. The exact origin of quilts is also somewhat sketchy. The name derives from Latin meaning "stuffed sack," which was translated into Middle English asquilte, meaning "wrap around the body," providing both padding and blanket. A partial unraveling of quilt history reveals that the oldest example of patchwork, a canopy for an Egyptian queen, dates back to 960 B.C.

Generally speaking, a quilt consists of three layers: the top, the filling, and the back. Wool, silk, or cotton were common fabrics for the top layer and muslin for the backing.

In the earliest quilts, grass and leaves or feathers were used for the filling. After the top had been meticulously pieced together, the three layers were assembled and laid over a quilting frame supported by legs, sawhorses, or chair backs. In the South, the quilting frame was often suspended from the ceiling. The layers were then joined together by quilting, the running of stitches through the three layers of material.

The technique of quilting was used throughout the ancient Near East. When the Crusaders ventured to Eastern lands, they brought back the arts of needlework to Western Europe. The West began importing rich silks, satins, brocades, and lace from the East, and women in all walks of life, from queens to peasants, joined the excitement of quiltmaking that lasted through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Quilts were coveted and cherished, and often were recorded in ledger books.

By Marlene Parkin

High Rise: Client Profile

2 Bedroom Client:

Joelle

34 year old, non-profit director, dingle, owns a siamese cat, enjoys knitting and cross stitching, listens to pop and jazz vocals, is a member of the triad stage and st piuse church, lives down town and walks to work, enjoys eating at Taste of Thai, has 5 heirloom quilts (hung as art).

3 Bedroom Client:

Cantrell

44 year old, non-profit work, married, 3 children, 1 grandchild, likes kaiaking, listens to pop music, member of friends of the park and All Saints Episcopal Church, transplant form Charlotte, has 12o pieces of 19th century china.

Davis

43 year old, government worker, married, 3 children, 1 grand child, likes to play racquetball, listens to satellite radio, member of friends of the park and All Saints Episcopal Church, moved form Charlotte.