Day 26 - A Magical Month of Antique Quilts - Super Christmasy Quilt

 This is one of my most Christmasy quilts!  Staghorn applique pattern, antique quilt, circa 1860. Starley Quilt Collection. Of course, red and green proclaim the holidays, and the holly berry style wreathy appliques do too. Click on the picture to enlarge and see the details - such as all the embroidery that makes this quilt delightful.

Here's the full antique quilt. It is always interesting to see how the earlier quilters arranged their applique designs. This unknown maker aligned the 4 ferns to face to the center, focal point applique.  

I also like to see how makers figured out their borders and got their designs around the corners. This quilter made each border separately, starting in from the border width and continuing to the corner, repeating 3 more times. A great method that avoids having to make the borders meet in the corners. Note - if the border designs are not continuous, you don't have to worry about them matching :) 

A bit of the folky border. Actually, the whole quilt is a bit folky and I really like that. Folky and informal is more fun than precise and formal design.

31 Days of Antique Quilts - December Quilt Blogathon - Day 1

For the SEVENTH YEAR in a row Cheryl Sleboda of Muppin.com is leading her December 31 Day Blogger Challenge and for the SEVENTH YEAR, I am joining in. I'll need to post twice today to catch up. I hope you'll consider joining in too (click blue to learn more). It is a great way to get back in the blogging groove, if you've lost your mojo. Or just a good way to keep going and get motivation and new viewers. Hope you'll check back in to see all the treasures I'll be sharing.

To start off the antique quilt show, here's one of my red and green treasures: an antique circa 1850s peony quilt with hand piecing and hand applique and beautiful hand quilting. Part of the Starley Quilt Collection. Enjoy! 

Ps. I love sharing these treasures in person and virtually and would be happy to join your guild live or via Zoom for a trunk show and/or class. I teach quilting classes too.

Antique Quilts - A Monthlong Celebration of Antique Red and Green Quilts - Day 26

 Today's antique treasure from the Starley Antique Quilt Collection is a striking red and green antique Princes Feather or Princess Feather quilt. It is an amazing 4-block quilt with awesome details. I think it is the perfect antique Christmas Quilt and it makes me smile as the feathers look like the German Christmas pickles.  Circa 1850, likely from Ohio. Part of my virtual trunk show, Birds and Blooms. Yes, I am now doing virtual antique quilt lectures - giving you lots of up close and personal looks at the treasures in my collection. I don't just show you my regular trunk show, I revamp them with LOTS of additional photos!

Look out all those teeny sikes/notches on the feathers and those teeny sawteeth in the sashing. And that the double star in the feather centers! Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge and see the details.

And here is a close-up of one of the border corners with a delightful spriggy star flower. But the coolest thing about the border treatment is the maker used circles in the 4 corners to artfully turn the corners. This is one of two antique quilts I own that use this ingenious technique. No matter where your border vine ends up in the border area, you can connect it to the corner circle and voila, you've rounded the corner!!!!

Another way of explaining this:
 ***Here's a huge trick for making a vine applique border work right -- put a circle in each corner and then each side of the vine can go join to the circle where ever it needs to and go from there.

Post 17 - A MONTH of ANTIQUE QUILTS - Antique Red and Green Quilts

 Another antique Red and Green quilt treasure for your enjoyment!  Tonight's quilt is a faded or "ghost" quilt - the green dye used on the alternating feathers and other elements was not stable. 

See how there is a variation on all the green sections- a hint of the likely grass green color the fabric was when appliqued onto the quilt. Click on the photo to see more detail. This type of unstable dye or fabric is called "fugitive". The faded green is such a strong contrast to the very stable Turkey Red.

Despite the faded green, the quilt is still an impressive display of applique work.  The pattern is Prince's Feather or Princess Feather. Clearly the maker was not afraid of curves and sharp inside points (with very little seam allowance) on those intricate feathers.And then the way she put the blocks together is pure genius with the feathers going in alternating directions to create a secondary design and then the wonderful border baskets and central motif. I can just imagine how stunning it was back in the day.

Post 14: Antique Quilt Extravaganza: A Month of Antique Quilts Red and Green Quilt Festival

 Post 14 Red and Green Antique Quilt Festival. Okay, today's quilt is Pink and Green (close enough to Red, isn't it) and are quilt blocks (again, close enough, I hope). One of the happiest set of blocks, I've ever found. They come from SouthEastern Pennsylvania.

Aren't these blocks utterly delightful!! Somebody really liked to do applique!

And this is a mock-up of a quilt from the blocks (thanks Karen Alexander for this sample).

And finally, here is what I believe is the quilt made by the same maker (and my blocks are leftover blocks). Found by Donna Vitale in Maxatawny, Berks Co., PA (SE PA) and dated 1890. These blocks were all placed in the same direction, unlike the mock-up above.

Day 11 - Antique Quilt Festival - A Month of Antique Quilts Red and Green

 Tonight's quilt is a delightful Whig Rose/Rose of Sharon/Whig's Defeat c. 1850 with wonderful triple rod quilting. Adore the border baskets. Starley Antique Quilt Collection

    A close-up one of the folksy flowers. Click on the photo to enlarge and see the intense triple rodded (3 close lines) hand quilting. Sooooo much hand quilting!

This maker did not believe in negative space! Every inch is filled with wonderful applique. If you squint, you'll see that it is a 9 block Whig Rose quilt (blocks straight set 3 x 3). 

Here it is hanging with some of its antique red and green quilt friends.

Day 10 Antique Quilt Festival - Month of Antique Quilts

 Today's antique quilt is a Red and Green Antique Oak Leaf or Reel quilt with hand applique and lots of straight-line hand quilting. 

This Reel has nice sashing and great diamond in square corner posts and FIVE borders to really frame the blocks.

The full quilt, a quite formal red and green quilt.

More of the quilt. And the single block/quiltlet is my repro version made for a potholder project for Pam Weeks. Potholder quilts are constructed of blocks that are individually quilted and bound

Here's a close-up of my little quilt. Click on photo to enlarge. Hand applique and hand quilted.

Here's my repro block in Pam Week's potholder quilt (middle, right side). I'm hoping her book on antique potholder quilts will be out soon/

Day 3 - Monthlong Antique Quilts - Red and Green Birds and Baskets

 Day 3 of our Antique Quilt Festival. All of these quilts are part of my own antique quilt collection. By the way, I love to share these antique quilt treasures through in person and now online presentations. Feel free to contact me about presenting for your guild, quilt history group, group of friends.

One of my favorites (part of my Birds and Blooms lecture) is this on point basket, likely from New York State, circa 1850/60. You can't go wrong with Birds and Baskets and Hearts!

Isn't this a funky and cute little guy! Gotta love his odd tree branch feet. 

Here is the full quilt. Such an elegant quilt. The baskets are arranged to drape down over both sides of the bed.

Pot of Flowers, More Red & Green, Day 11

My antique 4 block "Pot Of Flowers" Quilt. In 2012, I had the wonderful experience of seeing an exhibit of about 30 antique examples of this pattern at the annual Seminar of the American Quilt Study Group. The exhibit was coordinated by Connie Nordstrom who has authored a paper on the pattern in the 2002 Uncoverings. The pattern has been popular since the 1850s.

The pattern is most often used in a 4 block setting like this one.  All have the same arrangement of vase with large flower at top center, 5 smaller flowers, and 2 hanging flowers with a similar one on the pot. And all have lots of appliqued dots!

To see more of the AQSG exhibit, visit Barbara Brackman's blog post on the subject

Cheddar Birds -Antique Appliqué Quilt

Such an odd duck? of a quilt! Birds and fish and roosters surrounding Whig Rose or Rose of Sharon. Part of my Birds and Blooms trunk show.

Antique Inspiration -New Baskets From Antique Quilts

Here are a few antique repro basket quilts from antique quilts in the Starley Collection. I teach these patterns in hands-on applique classes available for your store, guild, or retreat.

J is for Joy, Quilted Joy

J is for my joyous Rose of Sharon antique quilt that I've christened "Quilted Joy." Part of my Birds and Blooms trunk show. Circa 1850 from Ohio. Starley Quilt Collection

Look at that sweet little bird

And this red bird eating berries or grapes

And one of the best applique borders EVER

My miniature version: "Quilted Joy Too"

Antique English Applique Quilt - Cheeky Little Birds

An unusual part of my collection is this English Medallion Quilt from Durham County. The wholecloth side with the quilted medallion is the real front of the quilt but I sure like the applique side with the cheeky pair of birds.

Part of my Birds and Blooms trunk show. It also features flowers and octagons and hourglass piecing.

 Enjoy. Don't forget to click on photos to see the details.

More from Birds and Blooms Trunk show - Antique Princess Feather

I haven't shared this Princes or Princess Feather quilt and it is a beauty. Mid century applique, likely Ohio and probably made as a best quilt for a special occasion. Starley Collection.

Love how the look like fat pickles :)  Look at the detailed serrations on the feathers and the detailed sawtooth sashings

And the folky border and those little touches of cheddar! Oh my

Quilt show in Kansas!! Antique Signature Quilts and More

Please mark your calendars now to join me in Kansas City, Kansas JUNE 7-9. 2018 for the MOKA Quilt Study Group (MOKA means Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas) but everyone is welcome to sign up and attend. Here's just one of the signature quilts with amazing stories that I'll be sharing and you won't believe how beautiful it looks after its makeover ....

Dated 1848 Signature quilt from Barnegat, New Jersey. It was later finished with heavy wool batting, backed with plain feedsacks and tied closely with ties in the 1940s era.

 I rescued it from the hideous ties and heavy batting. It is now a beautiful top with fabrics that look like they were just printed.