Antique Delights - Part 3

Shall we stroll through the antique quilts again, dear readers? I have been thinking it is time to share Miss Rebecca's applique quilts, so settle back to enjoy some eye candy. This might be a post for refills on your tea or coffee. *smile*

Let me start by saying that I have already shared an appliqued quilt; the second basket quilt in Part 1 was a combination of pieced and appliqued construction. The quilts in this installment of our series will be entirely applique.

I have consulted a number of sources, and these rose appliques have many, many variations and names. The two that seem most fitting for this is Rose Wreath or Rose of Sharon. Isn't this a beautiful example, whatever it's called? I included a couple of photos of just the quilting (sorry for my camera shadow) because it is simply spectacular. Imagine the lady - or ladies, possibly - who made this quilt. What year? What pattern?

I appreciated the comment on Part 2 of my Antique Delights series from A Colorful World who suggested I look into some quilt documentation databases

They can be professionally documented in the Quilt Documentation Project, and they will give you approximate age based on the materials used, design and pattern. The quilts go on a database, where they can be seen, and you are given a tag to sew to the back of the quilt with it's number. Well worth it! Check it out online to find when they might do this in your area.

I will definitely check into this, and will suggest it to my friend as well.

I found quilts similar to this one called Whig Rose and Rose of Sharon. The various close-ups of this quilt show the fantastic quilting stitches - see that one that makes a basket? Look at how nicely the colors have stayed true. In random reading that I've done, I  understand that some greens are given to fading, and so are some reds. This had maintained its color very nicely. The swag border with little flower buds is really striking, and looks to be handled with skill.

This baby quilt featuring the nursery rhyme of Little Bo Peep is somewhat a contradiction to me. Bo Peep is done well, but that staff does something curious near the hem of her dress. Has it disappeared at the bottom of the apron? The sheep seem to be very loosely formed, and are the same size as the flowers. Scale did not seem to be a concern. I am also confused by the rather crudely shaped stems and leaves on the flowers. I can imagine this being made by someone who was 1) young, inexperienced and impatient, or 2) impatient because other chores needed doing and this could be finished if one didn't spend excessive time with precision, or 3) a non-quilter who for whatever reason found herself obligated to make this quilt. Even the quilting is haphazard - in some places it's tightly quilted, and in others, very open.

Believe it or not, I actually found a quilt in an old book very similar to this one that is called Ohio Rose. A Garden of Quilts (Oxmoor House, 1984) by Mary Elizabeth Johnson shows one on page 49. Interesting to note about this quilt is that the greens all seem to be the same, yet there is a good bit of variation in the pinks. The two colors of pink in the center blocks makes sense (even though some of these differ, it appears), but in the borders, I believe the quiltmaker was simply using what she had, therefore variations are found.

This pansy quilt, I believe, is from the 1930s or 40s, from the sources I've consulted. The greens of the vines and leaves have faded on this one, unfortunately. Maybe the pattern was 1930s and it was made in the 1950s? I say this because the quilting is not as close as was customary on the older quilts with batting that required tight stitching. Perhaps it just has a flannel sheet inside? It is very lightweight and would have been used as a summer bed covering.  I wish I'd taken a better shot of the entire quilt on the bed, darn it. But we were so interested in studying it that instead I have a picture of an attempt at a scalloped edge - very subtly handled, like the quilter was certain she'd never get that binding to lay just right if it were any deeper. It is a very quaint, whimsical quilt.

Quite a lot to look at and study, right? You can imagine how overload my brain was! Ha! It has taken me weeks to get to the point to know how best to group them all and share them here. 

See Part 1 and Part 2 of the series to fill in any gaps. Also, if this blog and/or this series happens to fall into the hands of a person with some genuine expertise and would like to extend details, I certainly would not be insulted to have corrections to my conjectures in any of these posts.

Hope you enjoyed the quilt show!
Happy Quilting, Friends!