More antique fabric study & Elegant Garden Applique

The quilt photos today are also 16-Patch as the last ones were.  The differences are that these are smaller blocks and 30-40 years later, 1870-80.  Cannot remember how I came by this quilt!  It is in poor condition but is worth keeping for fabric study and maybe "someday" using good blocks to make a small quilt.  It smelled pretty bad so I washed it.....in the washer on the Handwash Cycle.....the agitator barely moves.  Water turned black.....spun after the rinse and laid it on a sheet in the backyard to dry.  Still smelled.....so back into the washer it went and let it soak overnight......felt like I had nothing to lose!  After a second wash and hanging over two lines on the clothesline in the nice fresh air, it was much improved and I was prompted to take photos of it to study the fabrics!

This paisley reminds me of one in Barbara Brackman's fabric line "Homefront".

I have a close reproduction of the brown floral!  Wish more of the fabrics could be reproduced!

This the backing....one large piece of fabric with others along the edge.....don't know why we worry so much about backings these days.....doesn't need to be just one fabric and does not even have to match something on the front!

This fabric stripe is also along the edge of the backing........a nice madder stripe from the 1870's.

This is the fabric in the alternate block to the 16-patches.

A closeup of the large backing fabric.

and the madder stripe.

Here's another of my Ongoing Projects.......Applique BOM blocks by Edyta Sitar (love her quilts/patterns/fabrics!) called "Elegant Garden".......There are 24 nine inch blocks and I am stuck on #8!  

 Another thirty-three 3.75" Log Cabin blocks to add to the box!  That brings my total to 63......only 337 left to go!  Love making these blocks because of the variety of fabrics!  Work on the 3" Railfence blocks used as Leaders and Enders are accumulating faster (but I need more of them!).  Will photo the last bunch of 59 for next time!!

Antique Fabrics, Quilting "Hope", New farm baby

As promised last time, here are a few more photos of an 1830-40 family quilt owned by Kathie L.  I enjoy studying old quilts/fabric, always looking for any I might have seen before, AND hoping to find prints that have been reproduced.  Sure wish more of them were reproduced.....in original colorways only!  Don't ask for much do I?

This is the sashing....how often I have seen bold colors/stripes used for sashing in antique quilts.  I need to try to do that sometime.......

Nice Prussian blues!

This is the narrow border in blue/buff......another combination popular in that time period!

This the backing fabric....wouldn't you love to have some yardage of that?!

Have started quilting my "Hope" quilt.....using a wool batting that takes some getting used to for me.......it is more "spongey" than the cotton I usually use (Quilter's Dream Request) and for a while, my needle would pop right out back at me when starting the first stitch.  I have three blocks done so far...... am very slow!  Thought I would start quilting the setting triangles but it looks to me like I need to stitch in the ditch along all the strippy rows first......feels more stabilized to me.  So I am in for a boring few evenings doing that before I can get back to the "good stuff"!  My friend Ann machine-basted it on her longarm for me in rows about 4" apart.

Nothing to do with quilting, but I thought you might like to see this little miniature horse and her baby that recently came to stay with us for the fair season.  I would guess he stands about 20" high.

Fabric History book & New Fabric

Received this new little book that is chock full of information about fabric history!  It says it is Volume 1, so that looks like there are more to come!

Very easy to read and understand text.  And, there are Real Reproduction     Fabric samples for each topic!  Historical facts about color are fascinating.  You will find the book at ReproductionFabrics.com

A real treasure for those interested in quilt/fabric history!!

New fabrics received this week are a fabulous Toile "Birdsong" from Andover in three colorways.  Wonderful toile to use as large pieces featuring the flowers and birds or even cut up in small pieces as backgrounds in your quilt blocks!  

The following 3 photos show the different flowers and birds........

From Barbara Brackman's new "Civil War Jubilee" line are these three Paisley Stripes......great for sashing/borders!  

The block below is a little "teaser" of some photos I will show for fabric study of a c.1840 quilt next time!