Friday, December 16, 2011

Whig Rose with Birds and Fish

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, that is cheddar orange fishing bird catching a fish on my antique quilt!


The blocks are a pretty standard Whig Rose or Rose of Sharon but that border is not standard by a long shot.  You can see another Whig Rose quilt in my banner pic and type in rose in the blog search block to see more of the banner quilt and another in my collection. 
This would have originally been a red and green quilt but the red was fugitive; see the rose center, buds and flowers and the 'ghost birds' in the middle of the border.  Almost makes one want to find some turkey red (TR) and start appliqueing.  Too bad the original maker didn't use a real reliable TR--maybe she got some fake TR, an unreliable synthetic dye or dyed it at home.

But the funky appliques more than make up for the faded reds.  Here again, fish, bird and don't forget the cheddar rooster!  Hand appliqued and machine quilted.  Circa 1870.  Large, 74 X 104 inches.
HELP NEEDED! The seller saw a picture of this border on another antique quilt in some antique quilt book but can't remember which one.   I will give a reproduction fabric charm pack to the 1st person who finds another bird/fish antique quilt border.  Start hunting.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Cheddar Cotton Crazy - Great Novelty Prints


Detail of circa 1890 cotton crazy quilt top.  This block  and the whole quilt is chockful of great novelty and conversation prints.  Love the appliqued cat who hasn't lost her mitten. Also the novelty running horse and of course, the printed patchwork aka cheater cloth (a pretty famous print).
Note:  the printed patchwork star/hexagon was produced by Cocheco in about 1882.
  P.s. don't forget the wavy green 'eccentric' print in the bottom right corner.

Here's the full top.  You can see all the different blocks and large variety of piecing and appliques.  Quite a charming conglomeration.  Do an eye spy of all the motifs:  hearts, more mittens, boot, mirror, cross and more.


And here is one of the most known and sought after cheater or novelty fabrics:  the Mikado (Gilbert and Sullivan opera) this version done in a crazy quilt print.  A wonderful parrot? type bird and an indigo blue leaves w/shadows print.   

More terrific fabrics:  jockey cap/horse shoe conversation print; blue and black floral print from Hamilton Print Works printed 1881 (Lowell, Mass.) along with a moire or wood look print in pink; a border print; an ombre pink polka dot and a blue crinkle type print.  The Hamilton print is also found in red, tan and green.
Here's an old fashioned button shoe applique, a horseshoe novelty and a great sampling of 1890 pinks.  And below is another interesting block- reminds me of a kite or a pinwheel. Enjoy.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Stars - Bloggers Quilt Fest

Here is one of my favorite quilts, a Bethlehem Star, circa 1850 from Pennsylvania.  One can't help but smile when looking at this quilt!  Part of my antique quilt trunk show, Quilt Masterpieces.
From the eBay listing: "An amazing rising sun quilt with satellite stars and deep blue print background. I love the way this quilt was designed with the blue background. The center star floats against a blue background sky."

Wouldn't you just love to meet the person who made this quilt, one brave quiltmaker as this pattern is not for the faint of heart.  Here's a detail:

And another, love that yummy turkey red print and the saturated blue :

Note:  the quilt top is from around 1850 BUT it was finished much more recently probably in the 1940's or 50's.  That is when it acquired that wild yellow backing.
Click below to see my other entry in the BQF, a miniature antique reproduction quilt
http://starleyquilts.blogspot.com/
And to see other entries in the Bloggers Quilt Festival and/or to enter your own quilt
Amy'sCreativeSide

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Antique Crib Quilt and Alliance for American Quilts Contest

circa 1845 antique crib quilt, block detail
Hope you'll indulge me in sharing my circa 1845 Shenandoah Valley of Virginia antique crib quilt and my reproduction again, I have number of new followers since springtime and I think they'll enjoy seeing it and...... I also want to let people know there are a few days left in the Alliances Viewers Choice contest (voting closes 9 p.m. eastern time on Monday Oct. 24th.  Below is my miniature reproduction, Virginia is for Lovers, size 16 x 16.  It is hand appliqued (the little baskets are only 1.5" tall) and hand quilted.  Quilt number 117 in the contest.  Go to http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e3samo2ogn3k75iz/a01ztgu2x75ev/questions ** If that link does not work or shows survey already taken, then go to
http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/, click on link "View, vote, bid! Viewer's Choice Voting" and on next page click on "View, Vote, Bid" to get to the survey.  Again it is number 117.  This contest is separate from the springtime voting (I am thrilled to say that I won 3rd prize in that voting).  Thank you for the support.
Virginia is for Lovers, reproduction quilt, 2011, 16" x 16"

Antique quilt and reproduction

To learn more about both quilts, put crib quilt or Virginia in the search box.

circa 1845, antique crib quilt

Friday, September 9, 2011

Centennial 1876 -- 1000 Pyramids Quilt

Circa 1880 “1000 Pyramids” quilt. 74 x 85”. Hand quilted. Lots of interesting novelty or conversation prints.
Love, love, this novelty of a girl posting her letter and the mailman picking it up. One of the all time most charming novelties. And there is a sweet shamrock and a red berry? ditsy.  Remember:  click on the pictures to enlarge.



 Of special note is the centennial print with interlocking dates of 1776 and 1876 and CENTENNIAL; printed for the 1876 celebration.  Even with the tear and mend, it made this quilt a winner.

And of course, there is a horse, so often found in quilts of the era with novelty prints, also 2 different stars, a horseshoes.  And lovely little branches with heart shaped leaves are too sweet.  As I mentioned in my last post, plaids both printed and woven are oft found in early quilts. 



And here's another piece with a great bird, horseshoes again, stars, little trees?, asterisks *, etc. 



 Here is more of the quilt (about a quarter), enjoy. Don't the random cheddar orange pieces make the quilt sparkle.  Not a charm quilt but there are a lot of different fabrics.



Not very wordy this time but please let me know if you have any questions or want to see more photos and I'll will help you out.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Antique 1880 Hexagon Mosaic Medallion

Hexagon Mosaic Medallion
circa 1880, Ohio, 86 x 70"
 This graphic antique quilt gives the impression of being sewn in wedge segments but is done in staggered straight rows.  Each row is cut from one fabric but a few fabrics are used in two rows.  2" Hexagons.  Purchased from Cindy Rennels.  A great mix of madder reds and browns alternating with black and white shirtings; small scale prints, clearly a well planned quilt.

Detail of center -- don't forget to click on it to see the fabrics up close.  The floral in rows 3 and 5 is especially charming.

Again, you'll want to click on pic to zoom in and see the upper row shirting, it is a delightful cherry heart design.  It is interesting to note how many elegant 19th century quilts have one or a few stripes or plaids, like the blue and cream stripe on the last row and the printed plaid below.  They add interest and are a great element to add to make reproductions look more authentic.

This detail shot shows the interesting quilting- straight line grid through the blocks rather than the traditional outline.  If I ever make a hex quilt, I will use this method -- much less work than stitching around each individual hex.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Rocky Road to Kansas via Pennsylvania -- Revisited



Another great late 1800's Pennsylvania quilt purchased from Donna (gb-best on eBay). There really must be something in the water as those PA quilters and their unique and funky color sense continue to amaze me. I don't think anyone else does pink in a such an assertive way with no fear. Okay, yes that is a lot of generalizing but after a few years of studying, it is easy to pick the PA quilts out of the line up.  To see a full picture of this quilt, click here.

This Rocky Road to Kansas has a lot of movement due to the use of the double pink Greek key print ground that reads as a stripe. That fabric choice would probably have pushed the quilt over the top had the maker not been so careful in piecing the 'stars'. They are arranged in a very controlled manner/order: red/blue in centers, then chrome yellow, then the same fabrics used in the facing points. The centers are double blue/Lancaster blue and turkey red with chrome yellow details. There are a number of mourning prints and the back is a great neon stripe.



And here it is with a  very different example of a Rocky Road to Kansas, made by my great grandmother in the 1930's in central Utah.  Click here to see more of the 30's Road
P.s.  Thanks for the lovely comments.  Glad you like this funky quilt and the photo of the 2 quilts together.   I'm thinking of doing a new lecture with pairs of quilts, comparing and contrasting.  And it would be a fun dating game - to have people decide which is older/newer.


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

For Flag Day, Patriotic Dolly Madison's Star

c. 1920, believe about 84" square
In honor of flag day, I thought I'd post an unusual red, white and blue, patriotic quilt.  I believe I only have 2 in my antique or vintage collection.  I generally collect scrappy, funky quilts but this one caught my eye, probably because of the creative color placement to make several different looks.  Interesting to study it and wonder why all 5 of the blue center, red point blocks are the same BUT

need sunglasses for the red and burgundy
 there are 5 different arrangements in the 11 blue point blocks --- look closely.  Here are 3 of them.
I also like the fearless use of the burgundy border with the tomato red (very large scale polka dot) in the blocks.  See the middle photo to see how clash-y it is.  The block is Brackman #2241: Dolly Madison's Star (Finley 1929) or President's Block (Nancy Cabot, 1930's) or Santa Fe (Hearth and Home 1885 -1930's).  This block seems to be pretty uncommon, not sure if I've even seen any others.  Please contact me if you have one, I'd love to see other examples.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Bloggers Quilt Festival-- Quilted Joy

Antique 1850 Rose of Sharon Applique Quilt
This is probably the happiest quilt I own or have ever seen!  This has to be what JOY looks like when it is quilted. This unknown quilter really upped the ante and filled every inch with applique and quilting.  Can you tell I love this quilt?  If you look closely, you will see that it is a 9 block, Rose of Sharon quilt with filler bird and grape vine applique and fancy floral borders.  **Note, this is an antique quilt from 1850**



The border is over the top with all the different flowers -irises, tulips, etc. I really like how the 3 stemmed flower groups have been stitched to make them into a basket. And the two different birds are delightful and the red birds really seem to be enjoying the blue berries or grapes. They do look delicious. There are a lot of embroidered details (stitching on appliques, etc.)--so much to take in. Enjoy-I sure am.  Please click on the photos to see more details.


If you have seen a similar quilt, please let me know as I haven't found anything close and neither has the dealer.
Click here to see my other Blogger Quilt Festival entry--  my reproduction of an antique cheddar orange star quilt.
Now back to visiting all the other wonderful quilts in Amy's Bloggers Quilt Festival (click on words not button). Thanks AMY!


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Utah Quilt Appraisals

I will be doing appraisals on May  5, 6 and 7, 2011 at the Home Machine Quilting Show (HMQS) in Salt Lake City/Sandy, Utah. I am certified by American Quilters Society (AQS) to appraise all types of quilts-antique, vintage and newly made and traditional and art quilts. I will be in booth #514 so please stop by.  Appointments are still available, so please bring in your quilts.  And I can also appraise quilts that are hanging in the show or in special exhibits or booths.
    I will be doing a lecture Thursday at 2:00 p.m. on Challenge Quilts-how to find and enter national challenges. On Friday at 5:00 my lecture is on Learning from the Past-creating new quilts from inspiring antique quilts.  I will also have a special exhibit with 12 wonderful antique quilts from 1830-1900. 
  And in my booth #514, I will have several quilts including the red and green masterpiece Quaker  (Society of Friends) signature/inscribed quilt shown above.  Dated 1850 with more than 150 names, genealogy, Spencerian drawings, friendship sentiments and even a poem. To see some close-ups from this quilt, see my Valentine's Day posting.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Award Winner-- Alliance for American Quilts

Virginia is for Lovers, closeup of first block
  My 4 block applique antique reproduction quilt, Virginia is for Lovers, is the 3rd prize winner in the Alliances Quilt Contest with the Alliance for American Quilts.  What an incredible honor as there were more than a 100 quilts in the contest.  Thank you to everyone who voted for my quilt. Click here to see all the award winning quilts. 
  What did I win, you ask?  A gift basket including items from The Quilt Show.com, Quilters Club of America, Fons & Porter, Dharma Trading Company, Darlene Zimmerman, Riversilks, and C&T Publishing.  I'll post a pic when the basket arrives.
 

  And if you aren't tried of voting, the Alliance is now holding a viewer's choice voting. You can vote as a webviewer or in conjunction with a live exhibit like last week's show in Paducah. Quilt 117 is my entry.   Click here  for the link to vote. Or go directly to the ballot
Votes will be tallied and a Viewer's Choice award will be given for each exhibition venue and one additional award will be determined by web viewers.
The voting will close on Monday, October 24 at 9 pm Eastern.
    Thanks again for the votes and all the support and especially the wonderful comments.  And if you haven't seen the full quilt or the story of its making, scroll down to the 1/2 dozen or so prior posts about it or click on challenge in the label list.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

I'm in the Final Four - Alliance for American Quilts contest

   I'm floating on air and absolutely thrilled to announce that my quilt "Virginia is for Lovers" is in the final round of voting for the Alliance for American Quilts contest.   A huge thank you to everyone who voted for me in the first round.  The voting is now down to 4 quilts and ballots went out Friday a.m. to Alliance members and voting end Monday night.
  It would be such an honor to win and the grand prize of a Handi Quilter quilting machine would be absolutely amazing.   So I'm again asking Alliance members to please vote for my quilt.
  Thank you for your support.
And if you are new to my blog please scroll down and read all about the making of this quilt and its antique inspiration.
 Off to float some more - WOO HOO.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Alliance for American Quilts Voting Now Open


detail, Virginia is for Lovers

Virginia is for Lovers, 16" x 16", 2011
 The voting for the 2011 Alliance for American Quilts is now open -- through April 20th. My entry is quilt #117, Virginia is for Lovers. It is hand appliqued and hand quilted and based on a circa 1845 crib quilt in my collection (see below).
I would love to win the Handi Quilter quilting machine and hope that you will consider voting for me. You must be a member to vote but it is not too late to join the Alliance; an excellent organization that does so much to preserve the history of American Quilts. I especially enjoy the Quilt Index. If you join by April 19th, Amy will email you a ballot. You can join on the Alliance website and pay by credit card or paypal, it is only $25.00 (tax deductible) and again it goes to a great group.


I thought you might like to see my challenge quilt along with the antique inspiration, a circa 1845 crib quilt from the Shenandoah valley of Virginia. Thanks for visiting and for considering my quilt.


Thursday, March 24, 2011

Red and White Quilt Festival

Applique Peony or Lily Quilt, 96 x 100" Circa 1850
Due to the major Red and White Quilt exhibit: Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts that is about to open in New York City sponsored by the American Folk Art Museum, there is a heightened interest in all things Red and White. "The largest exhibition of quilts ever to be held in New York City, the installation will include 650 American red and white quilts from the private collection of Joanna S. Rose."  What an amazing collection, unrivaled in focused breadth, I daresay.
Volume, volume, volume and yet incredible unique quilts.

Taryn has organized an online exhibit and the 1st photo shows my contribution.  A graphic red & green peony quilt that is hand pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted, with early fabrics dating from 1830-1850.   This quilt is from the pre- civil war era.

 
The quilting is wonderful, with quilting around the piecework and in elaborate straight line, feathered, maple leaf, and sunflower designs in the background.   And it almost goes without saying the turkey reds are absolutely amazing.  I'm only showing the ones with blue right now but there are several with yellow motifs.


Don't forget to stop by Taryn's blog and see all the quilts (mainly antiques or inspired by antiques) on the online exhibit.

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