Antique Delights - Grande Finale

 It has been lots of fun sharing the quilts of my friend Mrs. B. Her mother certainly had good taste, and should be commended for collecting and caring for so many gorgeous quilts. Each one has untold secrets, and if we could only know more about the quilt makers, the times in which they lived, the trials in their lives and the joys, as well.

This entire series was the result of a series of pictures Mrs. B. sent to me over a year ago. It seems fitting that what began the series, now will conclude it. Quilts on a clothesline. Is there anything more lovely?

It bears reiterating that I welcome input from quilters and historians more qualified than I to add details to my sketchy narratives in this series. It certainly will be welcome. Documenting them properly would be a service not only to the late Miss Rebecca, but also to my friend, her daughter, Mrs. B, and all the extended family.

I hope you have enjoyed the show of antique quilts. They were delightful in these clothesline pictures, but were even more stunning in person, as you can imagine. For the entire series, click these links: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Antique Delights - Part 5

I have been off-schedule in getting my thoughts together for part 5 of my series. With just a few quilts remaining to share, these seem to be the ones that defy a logical "category" - these have a special uniqueness to them.

This redwork quilt is quite a study. The block above dates it to 1894. The blocks are a variety of sweet designs, and I sure wish I'd taken more individual pictures of them. There is not any quilting on this; instead it is tied at each intersection with red yarn. Someone with some background in old patterns might recognize some of those represented in this quilt, thus the possibility of learning more. Thankfully, a date is available, but little else to go on from my limited knowledge.

It's a brave quilter who will tackle a Star of Bethlehem quilt.  (Or in my case, a naive one. Part of the story of mine can be found here.) The many bias edges make for the increased danger of losing the straight of grain, thus resulting in a quilt that won't lay flat or that has puckers which are difficult to "quilt out."

The name Star of Bethlehem is not the only one for quilts like. I found a very similar one referred to as Lone Star; and some slight variations such as Texas Star and my version which is Broken Star.

This is a very pretty example with a warm color-scheme. I like how smaller stars are used in the open spaces around the edges. The stars are quilted with a quarter-inch outline in each diamond. The white spaces are cross-hatched. Closer inspection does reveal some staining, but the overall impact of the quilt is in no way diminished.  It is a stunning quilt.

I will conclude today's offering with two quilts that do not qualify as antiques. First, while the actual age is unknown, this interesting quilt is made of fabrics that look too modern and the stitching is less dense to be considered antique. My guess is that it might be less than 30 years old. I have searched a bit for the name of the pattern. One pattern that very closely resembles this is called Sage Bud. The major difference is that the center square of each block is very large; on Miss Rebecca's quilt, the center square is much smaller. Another close match calls it  a Lily.

The border on this is a broken zigzag. It would have been difficult to figure out how to turn that corner with the design and keep going. I wonder how much concern the quilter had for making that work out? Sometimes, we just want to be done with it.

The first picture of this quilt has the bottom turned up so that the backing shows. It adds to my theory that this is a newer quilt. It just looks newer. The entire quilt is in good shape with no fading; plenty of each color without "making do" with close matches. It seems likely that the quilter had a pattern, shopped for the fabric she needed, and proceeded to make the quilt without concern for running out.

This last quilt is quite new, as it was gifted to my friend Mrs. B. when she retired from teaching just a few years ago. As an elementary teacher, the maker knew that primary colors would be perfect, and look at that pieced back. What a wonderful way to use the leftovers. The top is made in the "Stack and Whack" method; the border is what I refer to as 'piano key" - again, in great primary colors.

I have a special treat in store for the final installment. Please stop back by here, oh say, later this week, for a wee surprise. If you are interested in seeing the beauties that came before these, here are the links: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Antique Delights - Part 4

Today's excursion through the antique beauties of Miss Rebecca will feature pieced and patriotic quilts. Miss Rebecca apparently had a soft spot for red, white and blue quilts, and the collection reflects that. Let us begin.

I would call this a rail fence design. We spent a lot of time examining this quilt, but this is the only picture I took - a few close-ups would have been nice. Many of the fabrics appear to be cut from clothes - work shirts, dresses, skirts, blouses, and maybe even underclothes. Studying the fabrics was fascinating. Controlled scrappiness. Very nice. And from a distance, do you notice the "weave" look?

Do you think Union Jack when you see this quilt? I do, for some reason. The only name I can find for a quilt in this pattern is Railroad Crossing, and I found it in two different sources, so that is what we'll go with.

I am trying to figure out the method for making this quilt. Does the block consist of the 4 red triangles separated by white with a navy center square? And then the white around it is the sashing? And the navy squares from the center of the block are repeated as cornerstones? That is the best I can come up with. What a conglomeration of seams at those intersections. I suspect the quilter was saying things under her breath as she tried to work her needle through all those seams.

The next quilt is an interesting study, too, but for a totally different reason. How can some fabrics fade so extensively, while others do not? I think I have an answer.

That red polka-dot fabric has withstood the test of time, and those faded Ohio Stars in each square have not. I am of the opinion that the stars were pieced from previously worn clothes. They may even have sat stacked in a box for a good while, waiting on enough blocks to be made for a quilt. When enough stars had been accumulated, the quilt maker then purchased new fabric - the red dot - for setting the blocks together in quite a unique and graphic setting. It seems very plausible, wouldn't you agree? It is somewhat surprising to think that someone would go to the trouble of creating such a unique setting for stars made of old shirts. However, the longer I consider things, I know that no matter what, some quilters want their work to be eye-catching. If they are going to the trouble of salvaging old fabric and turning it into a usable quilt, then that quilt deserves to be attractive. I can imagine lots of our ancestors working hard to have a few pretty things. In homes that were sometimes less than lavish, their quilts might have been some of the only things of beauty they owned.

I will conclude today with this Log Cabin quilt set in the barn-raising style. Center squares are red; the light fabrics are work shirts while the dark fabrics look like scraps from a sewing basket, or possibly discarded dresses and skirts. I can't say that I've ever seen the center handled the way this one is - with the red outline around the 4 center blocks. I wonder if the quilter just did that, or is this typical of the barn-raising setting of Log Cabins.

I seem to be long on questions and short on answers with the posts in this series. I welcome feedback from anyone who happens to have a theory or a more extensive background.

This is Part 4 in my series called Antique Delights. You can click for previous installments. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

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!