When the Unknown Surprises You!

As we have shared in the past, Teri and I (Kara) are novice quilt collectors. We started with a few quilts that we inherited and picked up a few here and there as we wander the antique malls—one of our absolute favorite things to do together! A few of those inherited and purchased quilts have been shared on the blog (you can read about them by clicking on the links at the end of this post). Over here in Germany, there are not many antique quilts to be found, so I have formed a habit, albeit not necessarily a financially savvy habit, of perusing some online auction sites. 

My first purchase of a quilt online started with finding a quilt that I kind of liked because it was different. The description was minimal at best and read, Late 19th century pieced quilt, hand-stitched and hand-quilted, 7'2"x7'2". I knew I liked the quilt for the colors and the pattern, and that was about it—my expectations were low for the most part. I had it sent to Teri because it was simpler than shipping it across the pond. When the quilt came and Teri opened it, we were both in shock as to the quality of this quilt, the perfection of the hand piecing, and the density of the quilting. 

This view doesn't do the quilt justice as far as how it was made or its size. It is on a king-size bed and measures 87"x 86".

At the time of this purchase, my fabric dating knowledge was very limited, so I assumed that the auction house was correct in that this was a late 19th-century quilt. Much to my surprise, the appraiser dated the quilt at around 1830, based on the fabrics, with one little piece dated at 1810! This quilt is best appreciated in person, but since that isn't possible in a blog, here are some close-ups with more information from the appraisal.

The quilting from the back side.

The tiny 3/8-inch grid stitches

A near perfect diagonal grid

The pattern is King David's Crown,—#3649 in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.

Each block is 14 3/8" square.

The blue in this fabric caught my eye and was one of the reasons I purchased the quilt.

For the most part this quilt, from a fabric perspective, appears to have been very thoughtfully laid out. But for some of the blocks at the bottom of the quilt, the maker had to resort to picking some pieces out of her scrap bag.

Here, all the component parts of the block are uniform.

The first dip into the scrap bag

The one block that has quite a few different fabrics

One of the earliest fabrics in the quilt

And one of the others

The pink that was used throughout

Another fabric with the blue that I love

This fabric has such an interesting pattern.

A beautiful brown

The quilt is in excellent condition for its age with some staining, fading, and migrating colors. There are also a couple—very carefully done—vintage repairs, but you really have to look for them. 

The one fabric that has experienced some disintegration and color migration.

Another thing that is wonderful about this quilt is the precision piecing. All her points meet perfectly, and the blocks are pieced so beautifully!

Here you can see just how close she was able to get the points to meet.

Alas, I have no provenance for this quilt, other than it came from an estate in Massachusetts. Having it appraised gave me so much more information, thanks to Phyllis Hatcher. The maker of this quilt was obviously a highly skilled seamstress, but as far as why it was made, for whom, and where, we have to make suppositions. I would have loved to have sat by her side as she made it to see her techniques—and maybe get some hand quilting tips!

I thought I was buying a late 19th century quilt for which I didn't spend an exorbitant amount. Much to my surprise, I purchased a much older quilt and one that far exceeded the value of what I spent; however, the monetary value is not what I treasure. Being able to see the thoughtfulness in the maker's fabric selection, her attention to detail in all aspects of the quilt, and owning such a wonderful representation of a quilt made so long ago—that is where the real value lies.

To see some of our other antique quilts, please click on the links below:

Seeing Red and White

A Mysterious Quilt

Log Cabin Love

A Crazy Treasure

What a Lady

A Collection of Antique Blocks

Vintage Flower Baskets

Tattered Elegance

Vintage Virginia Stitches

This week, Kara and I (Teri) are busy preparing to spend a quilt week in Virginia. First, we will go tho the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, and then we will spend the week in Williamsburg at the Academy of Appliqué, teaching our Floral Wreath and Secret Garden classes. 

As I assemble kits with lovely ribbons and threads, I am reminded of the trip to Virginia that I took with my husband in the fall. He is wonderfully accommodating when we travel and accompanies me to many a quilt shop, and sometimes even a museum or two. Last fall, we spent a day in Charlottesville, Virginia, and we found some beauties!

When I see a name like Quilts Unlimited on a sign, it is a sure thing that I will be drawn inside. Indeed, I was not disappointed when we got to the back of the store and saw the shelves stacked with vintage quilts. I knew we might be there for awhile. The quilt that intrigued me the most was a hand appliquéd album-style quilt, thought to have been made some time around the 1970s. Unfortunately, that was the only provenance known about the quilt, but it was a stunning piece of workmanship.

Album-style appliquéd quilt, c. 1970

Detail: rose wreath

Detail: vase of flowers

  

Detail: tulips and bird

Detail: cornucopia of flowers and grapes

Detail: dogtooth border, strawberries, and piped binding

I thought this piping made an interesting binding;
this was the first I had seen binding done this way.

The shop has an Etsy store, linked above,
if you are interested in seeing the quilts they have for sale.

As we continued to walk through the Historic Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, this shop called The Needle Lady was the next to lure me inside. 

The walls were filled with colorful eye-candy: threads of many kinds were beautifully arranged, just taunting me to try them. There were wools, silks, and wool/silk blends. And I confess, it was difficult to pick which colors I needed. I ended up with a lovely sampling of new threads to add to my fiber collection. (Addiction, perhaps?) Who could resist?!

Our last visit in Charlottesville was in this shop.
Don't you love the door stop?

The next day, we took a trip to Harrisonville, the home of the Virginia Quilt Museum. (That visit deserves a post all to itself!) After spending the morning studying the quilts in the museum exhibits, we decided to wander through the town. As we passed this antique jewelry store, below, I jokingly asked my husband if he thought he might need to buy me a small souvenir from the shop, but as I looked in the window, I saw an exquisite antique appliquéd quilt hanging on the wall. Of course, we went inside to study the quilts—there were three. (And no, I didn't get any jewelry souvenirs...)

This stunning Princess Feather quilt used to be red and green, but the green has faded to tan.

I love this quilt—it's such a gorgeous block! I believe it may be a variation of a Rose of Sharon block, but I cannot locater my Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Appliqué at the moment. (If only I put things away when I'm finished researching . . . ) Perhaps you know the name of this block; if so, could you tell us in the comments below? 

 

The scalloped border frames the quilt beautifully. And the quilting was superb!

This lovely pomegranate quilt, above, is the one I saw through the window that drew me inside. We spent some time chatting with the shop owner, James, and his friend, Wayne, about the quilts in the shop, and about quilts in general. Both are collectors of antique quilts and are involved with the Virginia Quilt Museum in town, and Wayne is learning to quilt. It was a privilege to have met them and to have had the opportunity to visit with them. It's so easy to make friends with fellow quilt lovers! 

We visited quite a few wineries while in this area. Virginia makes some delicious dry, red wines.

We also scoured several antique shops. As Kara mentioned last week, we both love to search for inspiration, hoping to stumble upon some treasure that may be within our budget limitations. Too often, we leave empty-handed, but our brains are usually filled with ideas.

Lone Star, c. 1930, made in Illinois 

 

The fabric choices in this Lone Star quilt are interesting; note that the star points are not identical. The corner blocks, above right, are each made with different fabrics as well.

A creative way to display a piece of an old quilt

An embroidered Colonial Lady
(To see more Colonial Ladies, read What a Lady!)

More vintage embroidery

This plate has some potential design elements for appliqué or embroidery—or both.

Stop back next week for more from Virginia! We will share some fun from the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, and give you some insight into the Academy of Appliqué in Williamsburg. Maybe we will see you there? Have a "stitchy" weekend!

What a lady!

My mother-in-law, Cecelia, was a thoughtful and kind-hearted woman with a gentle and quiet spirit. I (Teri) was honored to have become part of her family, and over the years we grew quite close.

Shortly before she moved from her home in Virginia to live closer to our family, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her surgery, I took off a week of work to go down and help her out during her initial healing. We spent that week talking and sharing family stories, making and freezing easy meals, going to doctor appointments, and beginning to pack for her move. Though the reason for the visit may not have been ideal, we truly had a great time together. At the end of the week, she told me she had something she wanted to give me for helping her. She came out of her bedroom holding this quilt, and she lovingly put it in my arms. This quilt was made by her favorite Aunt Mae, and she told me that it would give her great joy for me to own it now, because she knew how much I loved quilts and would cherish it as much as she did. I was touched beyond words and tearfully accepted this incredibly generous gift. And I do cherish it, as I cherish the relationship I was blessed to have with this woman who treated me more like a daughter than a daughter-in-law.

The ladies are quite charming, each wearing a two-colored dress with parasol and bonnet to match. The colors of the dresses are beautifully matched. There doesn't appear to be any repetition in the fabrics; each block is unique. I'm sure if I were an expert, I would know something about whether that indicated that they were feed sacks, or possibly old aprons or dresses. I have not yet had it appraised, which would likely give me a bit more information. My best guess is that is was made some time in the 1940's, but even my mother-in-law couldn't remember exactly when she received it.

In each block, the center panel of the dress, the parasol, and the flowers are a solid fabric. 

   

The bonnet and skirt is always a print and lighter in value. 

She stands in an embroidered garden, with French knotted red flowers...

...and pinwheel blooms to match her parasol.

I just love her shoes! 

Her parasol is embroidered and "fringed" with French knots.

Each lady is looking away, her face hidden by her bonnet. And note the cute little bow at her neck.

My favorite belle in my favorite color

The back of the quilt

The entire quilt is appliquéd, embroidered, and quilted by hand. It is evident that much love went into each and every stitch. By quilt show judging standards, it may not be perfect, but the love in this quilt was indeed perfect. And the love expressed to me when my mother-in-law gave it to me was just as special.

I have done a tiny bit of research, trying to locate the source of the pattern. I know it was not original, because I found one picture of a quilt online with the same lady and flowers. (You can see it on our Pinterest page.) I was unable to determine who distributed the pattern, however.

According to Barbara Brackman, my Colonial Lady is a derivative of Sunbonnet Sue, (of whom ironically, I've never been a fan.) A similar lady is found in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Appliqué, along with several pages of bonneted girls and ladies. For more information about the colonial lady, read Barbara's blog, Old Fashioned Nostalgia. And for a good laugh, check out her recent blog, Colonial Lady: Wardrobe & Other Malfunctions. In comparison, my Ladies sure are elegant!

Recently, I have found a couple variations of the Colonial Lady in antique stores. Both were embroidered dresser scarves or table runners. One had a lovely crocheted skirt. On each, the Lady is mirrored on both ends of the scarves.

As lovely as my Colonial Lady quilt is, it is all the more special because of the story that those stitches tell. The story of the love of a favorite aunt for her young niece, and the love of that young niece grown to an old woman, passing that cherished heirloom onto her daughter-in-law. And someday it will certainly be passed on to future generations, who I pray will appreciate the stories these Ladies have to tell.