Day 16 - A Month of Antique Quilts - Starley Quilt Collection - More 9 Patch Fun

The 9 Patch is a very versatile block and one of the earliest patchwork blocks. Not a surprise that simple patchwork like 9 Patch, and 4 Patchwork, and single repeated blocks like hexagons were the first pieced blocks. It is common to see it set like this antique in pairs of nine 9 patches, aka Double 9 Patch blocks. These are little blocks.

Here's more from the early 9 Patch quilt. Look at the yummy green ivy sashing. The quilt dates to circa 1840. Starley Quilt Collection.

And the backing fabric is AMAZING! This beautiful floral pillar print in a China Blue/white colorway.

This column or pillar print was very popular in the 1820s. It was printed in about 20 different colorways or color combinations like this blue/white, red/white, tan (drab), a polychrome (multi-color), and much more.

 

Antique Double Nine Patch - Starley Quilt Collection

Love this cheddar polka dot paired with a red mini dot fabric  on my early double 9 patch circa 1840

And this Prussian blue floral is quite charming...

But the best part of the whole quilt is this amazing monochrome pillar print backing, yards of it on this full sized antique quilt! It would have been imported from England and quite pricey. This pillar print was produced in at least 15 different colorways.

Antique Bird Chintz and Pillar Prints - Month of Antique Quilt Treasures

This is my all-time favorite bird fabric; an early print c.1825 with an interesting history. This piece of English pillar print was once part of the Union Carbide collection (you young ones may need to google that name to learn of their infamy). **Pillar print refers to fabrics which depict vertical architectural columns or pillars; think Greek temples or Southern mansion porches.

All images shown are part of the Starley Antique Quilt Collection and featured in lectures and classes. See tabs under banner photo for more information

This beautiful monochrome pillar with baskets print was printed c. 1830 in a number of colorways, both monochrome (one color) and polychrome (several colors). In fact, there were at least 15 versions of this design printed at that time.

Here's another pillar print that was used for a bed curtain ensemble (think canopy bed curtains), about 1810. The edge is finished/bound with a woven twill tape. And the fabric still has a shiny glaze.

Grape leaf pillar print -whole cloth quilt c. 1820.

To see more examples of the monochrome basket print - stop by fellow quilt historian Barbara Brackman's blog. You can see more than a dozen examples in her post on the ridiculously popular pillar print.