A Mysterious Quilt!

If you have been reading our blog for a while, you will know that Teri and I (Kara) have a obsession, fondness for antique quilts. We have assembled quite a collection between the two of us and we love sharing it in our lecture, The Stories in Our Quilts. Recently, we have picked up a few quilt gems that we will share with you over the coming months. 

When I look at potential quilts to add to my collection, I usually go for the unique ones that could have an interesting story or background. The quilt I just bought was listed as a "Patchwork Colliers Quilt". That was all the information available other than the pictures and I had never seen anything like it before. The front was made of what appears to be painted or colored blocks, outlined in black thread, and the back was very obviously made out of  feedsacks.

The patchwork Colliers quilt. Notice the interesting edging on only 3 sides. 

The back made with feed sacks. Washburn Crosby became General Mills in 1928
and wheat screenings were often used as poultry feed.

Colliers was a national, weekly, magazine that had quite a following and was known for it's artistic covers, however, I couldn't find any covers to match the illustrations of the quilt. Google provided very little information with the exception of one other quilt that was similar and can be seen here. It is definitely a little more refined but seems to made in a like fashion. Vintage and antique Facebook groups were unable to provide any hints as to where someone could have found prints like this and then colored and stitched them. Was it an enterprising artist that copied the covers onto fabric? My research has been by no means exhaustive, but I am hoping this blog post might help.

The time frame from the images seems to be around the 20's or 30's and the subjects are varied—geishas, pilgrims, transportation and daily life just to name a few. The work seems a bit primitive but it has such a charm to it, that I couldn't pass it up in spite of not knowing much about it. 

A nursery rhyme.

This lovely geisha appears twice in the quilt.

These singers also appear twice.

One of the transportation blocks.

A zeppelin!

Family life scene.

A kitty cuddler.

A German Shepherd maybe?

Some of the more interesting (odd) ones.

Where's Sunbonnet Sue?

This one is open to interpretation.

These pilgrims look skeptical.

A blacksmith relaxing.

As I mentioned before the coloring and embroidery are a bit primitive but the artist (or maybe artists), was very detailed with their coloring.

This quilt is quite a mystery and I am sure that it was a treasure for someone—they certainly must have spent a lot of time making it. Now it will be treasured and researched by me and hopefully I will be able to find out more information about the subject matter, the techniques, and maybe even the maker. Have you ever see a quilt or technique like this? If so, any help in my research would be most welcome! Maybe some of the mystery behind it will be solved with your help, but for now I am grateful that this gem has found it's home in my collection.

A Quilt That Found Its Way Back Home

Since we began this blog a year and a half ago, we have shared many of the stories that quilts tell. Now we'd like to share the story of an old quilt that began in one place, traveled to another, and eventually found its way home.

Some time ago, our friend, Carol, mentioned that her mother had a good friend from her Garden Club, who had a beautiful old quilt; she asked if we would like to see it. This friend, Peg, also ran a bed and breakfast in an old log cabin that was built in 1700s. Teri and I (Kara) love old quilts and old buildings, so we jumped at the chance to see both. 

While it took a little time to arrange, we finally were able to travel to Boyds, Maryland, to see the quilt and its home. Pleasant Springs Farm is a bed and breakfast run by Peg Coleman; it is a delightful 18th century log cabin set in an idyllic pastoral setting.

A lovely place to stay

All one needs is a glass of iced tea and this front porch!

The cabin was lovingly restored by Peg and her husband back in the 80s; it is surrounded by 30 acres of gardens, woodlands, and pastures. While it is only 28 miles from the hustle and bustle of Washington, DC, one would never know it when rocking in one of the rocking chairs on the front porch.

A lovely arbor

We met Peg at her lovely home, and she led us on a tour of her farm. First we walked around her extensive gardens and enjoyed the beautiful June flowers.

A view of the gardens from the cabin front door

Peg's collection of hand-dyed and spun wool

We also found out that at one time, Peg had a dye garden, so she could dye the wool from the 100 sheep she raised. Now she only has a few sheep, but she still has much of the wool yarn that she dyed and spun herself. She no longer sells her yarn, but it is beautifully displayed on the wall as you enter the cabin.

A few of the sheep left

Our next stop was the cabin. Peg shared with us that the cabin was built in 1768 by Thomas Drury, and was then sold to the Austin family in 1804. Generations of Austins lived in the tiny cabin that at one time housed as many as 13 children! The Austin family put on the additions (for good reason). The cabin was sold in 1951, and it then was vacant until 1980, when Peg and her husband bought the property.

The cabin in 1980

As Peg led us into the cabin we were finally able to see the quilt. It was a beautiful triple Irish chain made from feed sacks from the feed mill that was just down the street from the cabin. And though the quilt was wonderful, the story as to how it got there was even better. 

A stunning triple Irish Chain

This sign hangs next to the quilt in the cabin

A Frederick, Maryland, newspaper wrote a story about the bed and breakfast and log cabin restoration project, and a former local resident, Sarah Wade, read the story. Not too long after the story was published, Mrs. Wade contacted Peg and said that she had a quilt that she would like to bring back to where it belonged. In the 1940s, the quilt was commissioned to be made by the three Austin sisters that resided in the log cabin. (They were three of the 13 children.) Mrs. Wade had no one to leave the quilt to, so she thought that it should go back to its first home.

There was no electricity or plumbing in the cabin when the quilt was made, so they had no Ott lights to help with the long hours of piecing and quilting. The quilt is made of feed sacks that were purchased from the local feed mill down the road and is hand-pieced out of 1" blocks. Although the quilt is not signed, Peg has a picture of the three sisters, as well as their names. 

The quilt-making sisters in 1900

So many little pieces!

We had a delightful lunch with Peg, her friend Jane, and our friends, Carol and Bonnie. After lunch we looked at a few old quilts that Jane had brought. We also learned more about the farm and were able to enjoy a special day with new friends.

A fantastic lunch!

Good friends catching up

Another Irish Chain quilt

Teri and I are going to be sending Peg a written description of the quilt, along with its story. This way she can have it as a written record, so that others years from now will know more about this special quilt and how it found its way back home. We were so happy that we had the opportunity to meet Peg Coleman and to hear the story of her quilt, as well as to see her splendid homestead.

Do you have a quilt that has a special story? Contact us and maybe we can share it here!

Vintage Treasures Left Behind

Last week, we showed you our new vintage treasures we obtained on our visit to Hershey, PA. As you can well imagine, there were many more left behind, offering us inspiration through our memories and photographs. We hope you will enjoy this tour through the antique malls with us.

This quilt appeared to have been made mostly from clothing scraps, with many wools from probably men's suits. It is an interesting combination of styles, with patchwork embroidered in a crazy quilt style.

Some wear gives clues to the batting used; this appeared to have been a fairly thick cotton batt.

A more typical crazy quilt, made mostly clothing or decorating scraps, including corduroy, wool, silk.

One of several embroidered motifs

A peek inside; this appeared to have been layered
with an old sheet or piece of bedding. 

This stunning fan quilt made great use of the negative space; the quilting work was exquisite.

This simple nine-patch quilt had a unique charm. We weren't sure what is was that drew us both to it, but it definitely spoke to us. Wonder what its story is? The floral border/backing has an interesting look with the stripes in the blocks.

Who doesn't love an old treadle sewing machine? 

The machine came with the manual, which was priceless. One cannot imagine a manual today referring to user error!
In case you are unable to read the text, it begins thusly: "Do not expect to get along entirely without trouble. Difficulties will arise of a more or less serious nature...and remember, that you yourselves are liable to make mistakes..."

The pins were rusted into the pincushion.

This heavy wool quilt was tied. Quilting would have been almost impossible, as it was nearly an inch thick!

We found an stack of interesting embroidered pieces, unlike any we had seen before. We couldn't figure out at first what the background material was...

...but this one which wasn't framed solved the mystery: stamped paper.

Another simple design...

...with more lovely quilting.

Of course, with our love of stories, we found some inspiration in this old print of Little Red Riding Hood.

Embroidered linens...an ugly duckling, perhaps?!

This lovely lady was on one end of a table runner, apparently a stamped kit.

And the man was on the other end.

An ambitious project! Only 48 states at the time.

Quilt top made from feed sacks.

A stack of basted crazy quilt fan squares, some with embroidery, most without.

And a stack of marked cross-stich embroidery squares, some embroidered and some unfinished.

Doesn't every sewing room need one of these!?!