Prussian Blue Exhibit at NEQM (and some Indigoes too)

Wendy and I spent 5 hours (of course we talk, laugh and solve all the world's problems in that time!) in the car to spend about 4 Wonderful hours listening to the lecture at lunch and studying quilts at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell MA!  Anita Loscalzo curated and lectured on Prussian Blue.   You can read her  seminar paper if you have the AQSG 2010 "Uncoverings".

First is a quilt by Sarah Stoller............ 

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 Love this pattern!  Imagine the hours spent creating this beauty!!  I have some Ardco metal window templates to hand-piece this pattern.....wonder if I will ever get to it!!   Should try just one block at least!

Love the carefree attitude of the quiltmaker!  Some blocks are planned with only one color and then others are scrappy like this!!

 Nice variety of Indigoes in this one!

And a second quilt by Sarah Stoller...................

I never knew the "Garden Maze" pattern was so early!

Nice combination of Prussian Blue and Buff.......

 The maze was created with a nice Indigo that we have reproductions of today!

 Another Prussian Blue/Buff combination, albeit Faded!

 Don't you think this is a neat print!!  I find the number of different prints from back in the day to be mind-boggling!

I think this is the earliest "Cheater" (aka Printed Patchwork) that I've seen.

The border which is pieced onto the Tumbling Blocks center.

Closeup of one side of the center applique done in "broderie perse".

Hard to tell, but this is a "broderie perse" applique in the center of the quilt.

And here is my Stars in a Time Warp for the Indigo week!  I would really love to cut squares in half for those large side triangles so the stripes would be wonky and diagonal, but I don't like wavy, bias edges on my blocks.........maybe I'll get up my courage later!

 While on the subject of Indigo, I thought I would share some star block photos (same 6" star as what we are doing!) from an old quilt top that I can no longer remember how I acquired!  It appears never to have been used as there are no batting remnants or tying holes tho there is wear to some of the fabrics.  Have taken a couple blocks out but it is slow going.....you'll see why in the closeup of the stitching on the back! I'd like to make some little quilts from it because in the future, whoever finds this raggedy top will likely throw it out but if I make something useful and pretty, it will be saved.  The majority of the blocks are made with this Indigo w/white circles.

 A few, very few, other fabrics are in some of the other stars.

 Love this print and it is used only once in a complete block!

This is the back side of the above block.  See the stitching?  Thought it was Backstitch but now think it might be "double stitch".   In one of my books I found some diagrams of a couple of different seam-sewing methods, but of course, can't find the reference at the moment!

The setting triangles and squares are of this fabric with teeny little stars.  I thought this top dated from c.1900.....anyone else with other thoughts?  In the photo below, the front of the fabric is the bottom triangle and the back of the fabric is the top triangle.........can hardly tell the difference!  We did see two c. 1850 quilts at NEQM that used a similar star fabric.......must have been manufactured for many decades!  Will show those quilts in a future post!

And speaking of Indigo, while I was naming the files for this post, I came across these two little pieces I made several years ago from an "Indigo" line from Windham paired with some Shirtings that came out about the same time.  I may have shown these before, but I just love these colorful Indigoes!

When I got back to my hometown, I was welcomed with this beautiful sunset!!

Because of the location of my home, I rarely see sunsets!  In my previous home, they were spectacular from my dining room window!  Now. I know that Sunrises are beautiful too but I am an Night Person and rarely see daybreak!!