Day 31 (62) Crazy Quilt

A truly strange and unusual and wonderful crazy quilt.

Oh, I would love to meet the maker of this quilt. She (or he) loved cheater (preprinted) fabrics, piecing and applique, just like me. The mariners compass next to the horse is  pre-printed as well as the crazy quilt print in the 3rd photo.

Day 30 (61) Glorious glazed chintz

An elegant chintz crib quilt or quilt piece with an amazing glazed chintz floral and a nice turkey red print too. 1850.

Day 29 (60) Crib Quilt

A new to me crib quilt. c. 1850

Day 28 (59) Antique Whig Rose Fun

Day 27 (58) Researching Signature Quilts

Learn so much history researching signature quilts in my collection. This quilt was made in 1846 for Solon Chapin by his mother in law and other family and friends in Easton, Pennsylvania. Unusual combination of album block and lily/tulip blocks.

Day 26 *57 More Stars

Love antique star quilts

Day 25 (56) Mom's Log Cabin

A few years ago my Mom made this striking Log Cabin medallion quilt in red, white, and blue. It won flawless workmanship and Viewers Choice at the Springville Utah Art Museum show. It also was awarded Honorable Mention at the National Quilting Association's annual show.

Day 24 (55) Centennial Log Cabin

day 23 (54) Double 9 Patch

Love getting inspiration from antique quilts in my collections. Aren't those cheddar polka dots great? and the dotty red print and the pink grounds has subtle little dots too.

The Prussian Blue floral is lovely as well.

But the best is the backing:  A monochrome pillar print

Day 22 (53) wild geese

This antique quilt top is screaming to be added to the "must be remade" list. Starley collection.

Top is from Michigan. 

 Multigenerational project, earlier blocks framed later in striking zigzag setting

Day 21 (52) Make Time for Art

Detail of one of my word play quilts reminding you to make time to create ART

Day 20 (51) Recreating the Past

One of the funnest parts of reproducing antique quilts is finding the perfect reproduction fabrics.
Here is an action shot of the process for my Cheddar Stars quilt.

The miniature repro:

The full sized antique:

Day 19 (50) Amazing Quilt Retreat

If you love antique quilts and quilt history - then  you need to know about THE don't miss event this May in Southern California ... Leah Zieber's Quilt History Retreat featuring yours truly, Sandra Starley. May 9-12, 2016 in Temecula, CA.
 I will be sharing my extensive antique signature quilt collections and other quilts and lots of fabrics from the 1800s in 2 in-depth presentations and Leah will be doing a presentation on Turkey Red fabrics.  There will also be a historical quilting project, show and tell, sewing time and much more. And after the presentations, the antique quilts are not put away -- instead they are left out so that you can look at them closely and study the details of the signature quilts and the beautiful antique fabrics.

See below for just a small sampling:

Day 18 (49) Hexagon Bullseye

Day 17 (48) Squirrel quilt

Yes, you are looking at a quilt made from actual squirrel pelts!
Part of the Jean and Boyd Christensen Quilt Collection and housed at the This is the Place Park in Salt Lake City.
It is probably one of the most unusual quilts ever made.

I will never forget being in the Quilt History/Appraising class taught by Bobbie Aug and having her turn the previous quilt to reveal a SQUIRREL quilt -- it was a first for her in over 20 years of quilt study.
History - came with this information: made by a young girl of about age 11 in Upstate New York in the late 1800s.
Sorry, I don't have more photos of it.

Day 16 (47) New York Beauty

circa 1875 New York Beauty quilt with chintz/cretonne border. Starley Collection.

Fugitive (unstable) blue dye, possibly a synthetic dye. 

Day 15 (46) Beloved Crib Quilt