CAPE MAV COUNrr MAGAZINE 25 MAY '83

23

at least 50 years old. The particular decoy artist can usually be recognized through the carving and pattern. With these different factors coming to play, a decoy may be worth anywhere frdm $15 to $15,000, Bieber said. In the six years that Bieber has been involved in the craft, he has collected over 100 antique decoys, and has traveled to wildlife art shows in several states along the East Coast. Meeting the people at the shows is one of the many rewards of decoy carving, Bieber added. “It’s a very enjoyable hobby.” BESIDES the decoy ducks, Bieber also designs swans and cranes for decorative purposes. Since hunting of shore birds was outlawed in 1918, the shore birds Bieber makes now are primarily for collectors. According to Bieber, the shore birds were mounted on a stick, and left by the hunters at the water’s edge until they attracted their more lively look-alikes. Bieber has used his own decoys for hunting, usually in bunches of

four, although some hunters will carry as many as 12. Are local ducks really stupid enough to fall for a wooden counterpart? Bieber points to the various species lining his shop wall. "From a distance, you don’t realize that they’re not real birds. They bob in the water and with the breeze like’ real ducks.” He hesitated, then confessed. “I’ve snuck up on decoys before. * • • HOURS FOR the third annual Quilt and Decoy Show are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 28 and 11 v a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Proceeds from the $2 admission fee will go to the continuing restoration and preservation of the Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May. Highlighting the show will be the raffling off of an antique handmade quilt of pastel colors, rare shades for the usually darkcolored antique quilts, which is made in a geometric “all over” pattern. The quilt is displayed in the window of the Crazy Quilt Fabric Shoppe on Washington Street in Cape May.

r 13 Quilts = One Marriage

By BARBARA METZLER CAPE MAY — Quilting began as a social event, according to Helen Jo Owens, coordinator of the quilting demonstration at the Quilt and Decoy Show to be held Saturday and Sunday at Cape May’s Convention Hall. “The women would get together and quilt when the men were raising the barn,” she explained. In the “old days,” a young woman had to have 13 quilts before she could marry, as a sort of dowry, Owen said. “It demonstrated sewing ability and I think it also postponed the age of marriage.” When a bride became engaged, she would hold a quilting "bee” or party with all of her friends. They would prepare the bridal quilt, always a heart pattern reserved only for the marriage cover. Most of the earlier coverlets, noted Owens, were smaller than the modern quilts. "They just covered the mattress. They did not reach to thd floor or cover the pillows.” THE QUILT BLOCKS, or sections, are made in two basic ways: patching and applique. With an applique design, a decorative piece is sewn onto a square, of material which consitutes the quilt block. Patching, or piecing, may be a bit more time-consuming Several small pieces of material are sewn together to create a star, as in the Texas star design, a flower, or any number of patterns. The quilt blocks are sewn together to create the top of the quilt. The top and bottom, usually a plain fabric, are then sandwiched together with a polyester bat-

ting which provides the warmth and bulk of the quilt. Before the introduction of polyester, said Owens, cotton was used as a batting. Others used blankets and even newspapers. “Many of the qpilts have been dated by the newspaper found inside," she said. THE ACTUAL QUILTING or fine stitching used to bind the three layers, starts from the center of the quilt so that lumps can be smoothed out towards the edges. During this period of work, the quilt is stretched in a frame to keep the fabric as tight as possible. When the quilt is done, it should look as good on the back as it does on the front, Owens pointed out. "And you should always sign your quilt,” she added, "so that people know where and when it was done.” The quilt to be used in the quilting demonstration at Convention Hall is a sampler quilt containing squares of various designs that Owens has been working on over the past few years. The work can be tedious, she said. “It’s hard on the fingers. You use a short needle, and you’re always poking through to the back and you build up calluses.” Quilting has seen a revival in the Cape May area over the last few years, Owens noted. She suggested that those interested in learning to quilt-might contact the Crazy Quilt Fabric Shoppe in Cape May. The Shoppe sponsors quilting classes for the beginner as well as the intermediate and advanced quilter. According to an employe at the Shoppe at least four persons are needed to form a class.

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SOFT SPOT — Mrs. Catherine Bennett of Cape May displays an old-fashioned doll on several of the hand-made quilts to he displayed at the Quilt and Decoy Show this weekend.

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