Seen While Thrifting

On Tuesday we joined some friends for a day of antiquing and thrifting in a small town a couple of hours east of here. We had such a great day - good friends, adventures, and diversions. I don't buy antique quilts, but being a quilter, I do love to see them, and I often check the pricing. It saddens me to see beautiful works of art being sold for a pittance, but at the same time, I sure hope these lovingly stitched quilts are rescued by someone who intends to cherish and protect them for future generations.

The cream of the crop finds were these two green quilts. So lovely. If I were a collector, I would undoubtedly have snatched these up. The prices were right around $120, and the tags said they were from a local area home. Aren't they inspiring?

These two rested on a rack together, but space was so tight that I did not attempt to open them up for better pictures. The purple one looked to be in much better condition; the blue one would have been suitable for a "cutter" quilt - one that would be used to make teddy bears or pillows from. Here are the tags from them.

While the pictures so far have featured 2-color quilts, these next two pictures include good examples of more colorful and scrappy quilts. The makers used everything!!

First, let's examine the applique quilt on the right. The red, green, and white motifs were massive. There was minimal actual stitching on it.

The scrappy quilts included this Dresden plate - exceedingly colorful and bright. I did not unfold to inspect size or condition. The quilt pictured below was scrappy, too, but much more controlled and calm.

By the time I found the quilts featured in the previous two pictures, we were nearing the end of our shopping day, so I didn't take the time to check the prices. I was trying to see everything else before "go time."

I not only pay attention to quilts, but other textiles as well. I am a sucker for vintage table linens. This poinsettia one caught my eye, but at $35, I was not interested. Looked to be in good shape, though! Maybe I missed a good one.

Are you a thrifter? Do you pick up great old textiles whenever you are out and about? Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my thrifting adventure.  

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Antique Beauties

Earlier this week, DH and I along with another couple took a day to go antiquing. We are looking for a particular type of mirror to serve in a small remodel of our half-bath. We also just enjoy looking for things of interest to us - and that varies week to week, whim to whim.

Of note for you readers of a quilt blog, I thought this trip on this day afforded quite a nice assortment of antique quilts - most in very good condition.  I just knew you all would like to see them.

I am very likely going to be making a red and white double Irish chain this year, so when I saw this beauty, I was quick to inspect it. Just look at that gorgeous quilting. And note, in just this small section, you see how the quilters used an "almost match" for one of the squares. I just love the make-do methods of our forebears.

The tag tells the size, and the briefest, most general description. At $180, a collector of antique quilts should be thrilled this beauty. Just look at those sweet little prints - so charming!

In the same stack with the red and white Irish chain, I found this Double Wedding Ring quilt. So neatly done, and the green trim was unexpected; I think that I normally would see red or blue trim/binding. Again, I suspect that our quilt maker was using what she had. Pairing it with orange is certainly unique, don't you think?

This quilt is bigger (84" x 100") and appears to have very little wear. Click on the photo to see a closer view of all the details on the tag.

 

One last quilt in this booth was this lily quilt. I am guessing when I say that I think the vase or urn was not really beige when it was made. I believe the fabric has faded over the years leaving one to wonder what the original color likely was. My guess is green, as the stems are also faded, and typically this block would require green stems for the pink lilies.

Obviously, the dealer at this booth does not know his/her quilt blocks! The tag calls it a tulip quilt, but clearly this is a Carolina Lily. No size is listed, and I couldn't fully unfold any of these quilt due to crowded space; I have to think that it is rather large, or one pays a little more for applique quilts - or maybe a little bit of both.

In a couple of other booths, I found more gorgeous quilts. Again, unfolding them fully was impossible due to such limited space. I tried to get pictures that suggest an idea of what the entire quilt would look like.

My grandmother made a gazillion Lemoyne Star quilts and the only difference of any significance here is that it has a center circle appliqued to it. Grandma never did that. Another more minor difference is that Grandma used just two fabrics per star - a print and a matching solid. If you click on the photo, I believe you should be able to zoom in on the tag details and price.

The last quilt in my little show and tell is this Bursting Star quilt. Just imagine how gorgeous this would be fully laid out on a bed. It has such presence! I have always love the Bursting Star, and I have such admiration for those long-ago quilters who hand-pieced and hand-quilted them. What a time-consuming effort! 

That's all, folks. I did see other quilts, but for whatever reason, these were the only ones I thought to photograph. I hope someone who loves quilts and who know how to care for fragile antique textiles will purchase these. I have to believe they were special creations once upon a time. 

We did not find our mirror, but the fun is in the hunt! We shall continue our search.

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!

Antique Delights - Part 2

Today's installment of Miss Rebecca's wonderful quilts will feature two 2-color quilts in the Drunkard's Path pattern. My friend told me that her mother liked red, white and blue, and these two quilts illustrate that preference wonderfully.

The quilts look like carbon copies of the exact same pattern, yet the quilting on each one is done differently. Here are a couple of closer looks.

This red and white one is remarkable in that I did not see any sign of the red "bleeding" into the white. This indicates that it has been carefully laundered.

The blue and white one has an interesting quilting pattern, with those concentric circles in the design. That's one I've not seen before.  Here is a look at the corner/border.

This cable design caught my eye as it is similar to so many of the quilts my grandmother made. Perhaps this was trendy at some point? This picture also shows quilting stitches quite well on the back of the quilt. Very nice.

Can anyone hazard a guess as to the age of these quilts? Based on the quilts I've seen over the years, and no particular expertise whatsoever, I am guessing middle part of the last century - say 1940s or 50s.

Both quilts are in very good condition, with no notable stains or wear and tear.

I have one addendum to the information in Part 1 of this series. In that first part, I said that nothing was known of the quilt makers, and I now know that one of those quilts was made by my friend's grandmother. Mrs. B. tells me that the second quilt featured, the one in better condition, was made by her grandmother. How nice for it to be so well-preserved.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Antique Delights - Part 1

This is the beginning of a series of posts I plan to share about the amazing collection of antique quilts belonging to a friend of mine, Mrs. B.  For nearly a year now, we have talked about getting together to take pictures of her quilts. Finally, that happened last Thursday. Oh. My. Goodness. What beautiful quilts!

These quilts originally belonged to her mother, Miss Rebecca. Since her mother's passing, Mrs. B. has been putting great effort into dispensing with all the household items, these quilts among them. Can you blame her for adopting them?

Without going into a bunch of detail, which will undoubted unfold as this series unfolds, let's just get to the first of the quilts. It  has been rather a conundrum as to how best to sort and organize all of them. By age? By color? By technique? By theme? I had quite a lot to consider as I edited and cropped the 70-plus pictures I took that day.

This first post will feature the two basket quilts in the collection.

This quilt definitely has some blocks that are deteriorating quite extensively. Did you notice how varied the handles are on each block. I wonder about the quilt maker- was it a young girl just learning how to applique? Miss Rebecca acquired these quilts and most of the ones I will be featuring in this series at estate auctions, so knowledge of the quilt maker is unknown.

This second basket quilt is in much better condition, and the colors have not faded much at all. Those different little appliqued flowers in each basket sure are sweet, almost whimsical. It is worth taking a moment to study the quilting and the designs in the white spaces, which on the older quilts is rather dense. Finally, check out the sawtooth border - that's definitely a labor-intense endeavor, isn't it?

So there's the first installment. I don't quite know how often I will post these, but when I do (possibly every few days), I will be sure to link all previous ones so that when we get to the end, all the links will be easily available.

I'm linking up with Connie over at her Tuesday party.

Happy Quilting, Friends!