Antique Hand Quilting Blogathon Day 16 - Antique Log Cabin Quilt

More antique hand quilting on this circa 1890 Log Cabin quilt from Pennsylvania. Simple quilting in dark thread. I really like the X (marks the spot) in the block centers.

The quilting is basic in the ditch/along the seam BUT on both sides of the seam!! And look at the delightful novelty print of a critter in a rakish hat. Is it a fox, ferret, badger??

The full quilt - Log Cabin Barn Raising setting. Backing is pieced of alternating stripes of solid red and green, a strippy or bars backing.

Antique Hand Quilting Blogathon - Hexagon Medallion Day 14

You may have noticed I like antique hexagon quilts. This hexagon medallion from the Starley Antique Quilt Collection is full of wonderful novelty prints. The hand quilting is the traditional outline around every single hexagon.

Look at all the wonderful novelty prints!! The bird above and flower below are from a crazy quilt cheater print.

That pink/red hexagon with the bell is an 1876 Centennial print (made to celebrate the Centennial of the United States, 1776-1876). Remember the 1976 Bi-centennial hoopla? Well, the Centennial was a huge event as well.

The full quilt! Love the rounds of color. So well done.

31 Days of Hand Quilting - Day 6 Antique Hexagon Quilt

 It seems that the quilting world today has a bad case of hexagon fever, hexi madness, hexagonitis, etc. But a passion for hexagons is nothing new as hexagon quilts have been around for about 300 years - one of the very first piecing patterns.

Today I'm sharing a hexagon quilt from my collection that is circa 1890. Love how it looks like the quilt is looking back at you.

Today's hand quilting example is a bit more textural or rough than the prior examples. I'm impressed with all the quilting especially over all the small hexagon seams.

There is just the smallest bit of a horse conversation/novelty print in the block below.

 Be sure to click on the photos to really see the details. This is the most intensely quilted hexagon, I've seen. Hand pieced and hand quilted. 

The pattern is Brackman #160m, The Diamond Field (Kansas City Star 1932), Rainbow Tile (Hall 1935) and Martha Washington's Flower Garden (Spool Cotton 1940)

Cheddar Zigzag Quilt - Antique Quilt

I'm such a fan of cheddar quilts, zigzag settings, stars, and novelty prints that I had to get this quilt top. Hope you enjoy seeing it.

Fabric Couples - Antique Novelty Print Quilt

More from yesterday's 1880s Hexagon Medallion with all the wonderful novelty fabric.
Charming couple in separate hexagons. Would love to see a piece of the original fabric.

Here's the female companion. Next to a sad bird that didn't do well in the fussy cutting.

And here's another couple.

1876 Centennial FAbrics -Antique Quilt

Details from my 1880s Hexagon Medallion quilt that includes to 1876 US Centennial fabrics. 1st  is the 13 colony stripe dated 1776-1876 with Liberty Bell. If it looks familiar - you probably have seen the reproduction from a few years ago.

The other Centennial print is this flag pattern. It was also reproduced.

Fussy Cutting -Antique Quilt

Fussy cutting is all the rage now but it is definitely nothing new and has been done for hundreds of years. Here's a wonderful example from the 1880s. Ships Wheel Block. 

Enjoy. Be sure to click on photos to see the details.

1890 Novelty Medallion - Antique Quilt

Here are some details of the wonderful novelty fabrics in yesterday's medallion quilt. Who can resist cupid bearing flowers, dogs, Red Riding Hood cheater, peacock feathers, squirrel, and more little dogs. **Be sure to click on photo to enlarge & see details.

 And more from that section

The couple of above as they looked before being fussy cut and sewn into the quilt top.

1890 Medallion Quilt - Novelty Prints

Just looking through ebay auction pictures of my 1890 Novelty quilt top with fabulous fabrics like cupids and courting couples and hunting scenes with quail and rabbits. Red Riding Hood cheater prints and so much more.

I hadn't noticed until reviewing these old auction pictures that the maker had carefully arranged the pieces into a medallion setting!

Field of Diamonds, Mosaic - Antique Quilt

Unusual Grandmother's Flower Garden variation - Field of Diamonds. c. 1890. Starley Quilt Collection.

Great scrappy block :)

Look at the fun shooting star novelty print!

P is for Pennsylvania Patchwork Pillowcase

P is for Pieced Pillowcases from Pennsylvania

This case is circa 1876 and has both faux/simulated patchwork and regular pieceing.

 Center star section is faux patchwork aka cheater cloth and the border squares are pieced.

More piecing on the back. These patchwork and applique pillowcases are a uniquely Pennsylvania phenomenon.

Detail of a much earlier (1830s) Pennsylvania pillowcase also in my collection

H is for Half Square Triangles - Antique Quilt

Today's stop on the alphabet journey is H - Half-square triangles. Hosts of half squares in this 1880s quilt.
A horse novelty print.

Lots of other wonderful prints including a dated 1876 Centennial print.

See! Lots of half squares. Enjoy

Antique Crazy Quilt Cheater Print

Yesterday I shared a Tumbling Block Star quilt that featured a crazy quilt cheater print fabric. Here's more from that great fabric. --the butterfly below is fussy cut from the stimulated/preprinted crazy quilt fabric.

Here's the cheater fabric -- see the butterfly! Don't forget to click on pictures to enlarge and see details.

And the bird and here he is on the hexagon quilt

And a close-up of him along with a blue cheater print below him.

And that blue polka dot and the paisley below it are both fussy cut from the crazy quilt print.

Antique Kaleidoscope Quilt -Antique Novelty Conversation Fabric

One of my very favorite quilts - kaleidoscope star. The pattern is Ships Wheel.
The quilt is circa 1890**, these steel engraving novelty prints are mostly from the 1880s.
**The top is c. 1890 but was minimally quilted a few years ago with a polyester batting. I've since unquilted it and removed the poofy poly but left the backing to protect the seams.

The fussy cutting, selective cutting is very impressive as is the careful piecing and placement. Look at the little fox, ferret, badger? in a hat. Even more impressive is the fact that the maker was using small pieces and many had to be pieced before they could be cut into diamonds.

This quilt is a tour de force of fussy cutting! And has more novelty or conversational prints than I've seen on any other quilt. Please be sure to click on the individual photos to see the details and all the amazing novelty or conversation prints.

Antique Sampler Quilt Dated 1908 Quilt Along?

Always wanted a true pattern sampler which were most often seen around the turn of the 20th century aka 1900. This one is dated 1908 and is a top which is great -so much better for hauling around to trunk shows. Maybe we should do a quilt-along?

Love the giant uneven churn dash/ monkey wrench block

Look at the wonderful wash day blue/cadet blue and neon print flotal drunkards path variation

And speaking of trunk shows ... here's the quilt at its debut show last summer in Michigan. Thanks Lynn Herrema Anderson for the pictures.