Sharing Antique Birds and Blooms Quilts

Several little birdies wanted to stop by and wish you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and let you know about one of my antique quilt trunk shows: Birds and Blooms -Antique Quilt Treasures from the 1800s. Booking now for 2018 and 2019. See the lectures tab under my banner photo for more information.

And to see more wonderful antique quilts be sure to stop by my antique quilt blog where I've been sharing a different quilt each day this December for 31 days of antique quilt treasures

Spring Road Trip - Las Vegas Quilt Appraisals

Time for a spring break road trip!! Come see at the Desert Quilters of Nevada's Quilt Las Vegas show, March 18-20 in Henderson, Nevada. I will be appraising all types, ages, styles, etc, of quilts. I will also be doing appraisal demonstrations and discussing the process behind quilt appraising. Come join and bring a quilt.

There will be lots of quilts in the show along with wonderful quilt vendors and modern quilt bed turnings, a fashion show, and  other quilt demonstrations and much more!

What's in a Name

There are many ways for names (aka signatures) to get on a quilt. On some quilts all the names are done in the same method- i.e., all signed by hand by individuals or by a skilled signer, or stamped or stenciled, or inked and on other quilts there is a wide variety of methods. And on some quilts, all the methods are used. 

Here is an 1840s signature album quilt from Delaware/PA in the "Grandmother's Pride" block with a wide variety of signing methods.

Delicious hand inked drawing

This one is stamped with letters arranged in the stamp center to spell out the names.

Another stamp but the name is hand drawn.

And yet another stamp.

Quilted Moab

There is a great new retreat in Moab called Quilted Moab 2016, which will be held next week. This will only be the 2nd year but there is already a loyal following and awesome teachers and classes.
Come on down, over, up, etc.!

On Feb. 19th, I'll be teaching a unique class that is part paper piecing class and part antique trunk show. You get to work on creating a fun Flying Geese doll quilt while looking at lots of antique doll, crib, and children's quilts from the last 200 years. Guaranteed to be a LOT of fun!

Day 28 (59) Antique Whig Rose Fun

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 25 Bethlehem Christmas Star

Perfect Christmas quilt - Bethlehem Star!

Day 24 Christmas Love Birds

Detail of c. 1850 crib quilt clearly made for a much loved little one. Love the tiny tail feathers on that red bird!

Whig Rose Center

36" x 36" Antique Crib Quilt

day 22 Red and Green Applique Beauty

Part of the Sandra Starley antique quilt traveling collection - I'd love to share it with you in the cloth!
c. 1850 applique sampler

From the auction listing:
Pieced and appliqued cotton quilt with urn of flowers design. American.
Hand stitched quilt composed of four urn of flowers motifs interspersed with oak leaves and acorns, a wreath of flowers, a leafy pinwheel and floral sprays with undulating flowering vine borders in shades of green, red, orange, pink, navy, and brown solid and printed fabrics on a white ground with white backing and diamond stitched quilting throughout.
.

80" X 90"

21 More Christmasy Quilts -Caesars Crowns

This Caesar's Crown top seems quite Christmasy with the seconday design of a cross or 4 bells.
C. 1860 from SE Pennsylvania.

Caesars Crown is not a very common pattern due to the difficult curved piecing involved in the design. YES, you read that correctly, the block was generally curved pieced not appliqued. In finding a few more to add to my collection, I was surprised to find that it was used as a signature quilt pattern in the 1840s and 1850s and even a century later in the 1940s and 50s.

Detail of a signature Caesar's Crown quilt from Berks and Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania, Dated 1851 and the names and inscriptions were written by a paid professional scrivener and he signed one of the blocks- Edwin G. Fritz. German community. I'd love to find some other signature quilts or frakturs, birth announcements etc. signed and written by him. Starley antique collection.

And here is one more. It is also a signature quilt (top) dated 1850 and likely also from Pennsylvania.The writer on this one was a likely from a German community.

Day 20ish More Christmasy Quilts

Signature quilt from New Jersey circa 1860

Oak leaf and reproduction

day 19 more christmasy quilts -DOTS

Love this Christmasy quilt from my collection. c. 1850. It is a unique version of the Cockscomb and Currant pattern. Usually the stem with dots spin out from the center as 4 separate pieces.

An extra special detail: the 4 flower baskets in the border

Another supper dotty antique quilt- the pattern is Cherry or Foundation Rose and Pine Tree. Starley Collection.

18 More Christmas-y Quilts

Reel Quilts

An elegant reel block quilt  in red and green. 1850- likely from Maryland. Love the secondary design created by the  block placement and of course that swag and tassel border!

Close up of the swag border- look at the quilting under the green swag piece - yes those are 2 spoons. Now look above the swag- a pair of quilted scissors. Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge so you can see the quilting.

And here is another Reel block but this one is a left over from a dated 1846 Reel quilt top and it was recycled into a  English paper pieced Star quilt dated 1850, shown below.

Enoch and Mary Hoopes Worrall's signature quilt from Chester Co., Pennsylvania.. The corner reel blocks are from a reel quilt made for Enoch and Mary's daughter, Mary Worrall. The Worrall's were Quakers and the quilt is family record/genealogy quilts with other wonderful details.

17 ish More Christmasy quilty love

Details of this amazing antique signature album quilt made for Sister Esther McAlister of New York City. Dated 1858. Quilt is full of heart motifs and loving tribute inscriptions.

Day 16 Some Christmasy Red and Green

Can't believe it is almost Christmas! Time to share some antique beauties with you. And if you'd like to see these in the cloth. I'm available to come to your guild, shop, or show. I love sharing these and making people smile. I have a variety of trunk show/talks, 1/2 day and all day quilt history classes and also classes that combine sewing with antique viewing.

2 blocks of turkey red prints with lovely delicate blue details. c. 1850.

The quilt has beautiful quilting. Below is a maple leaf - stem is bottom right and leaf is pointing left (it helps to hold your head sideways). Click on the photo to enlarge.

A cool quilted sunflower

Like many early quilts - it is very large. 96" x 100"

Large size is often a good clue to an early quilt.

Preview of tomorrow's quilt - come back for more Christmasy quilts