Today I’m pulling a quilt from the quilt top cupboard. There is quite a bit of wear to this quilt. It has been used/loved to death? I saw this quilt at a yard sale last Summer. They were asking $3 for it. I didn’t care that it was worn. It can still be folded and used as a “stacker” quilt. When I bought it I thought I would some day like to use it as a pattern and recreate it?
The quilt is made from solid colored fabrics and dates to the 1940’s.
I think it’s fun how the maker used half blocks around the outer edges of the quilt and as corner blocks in the borders. The applique is fun too, and has a casual feel to it. The flowers are hexagons and the stems, buds, and leaves are sort of “Prim” or Folk Art looking? The applique is stitched down with a running stitch. The edges were turned under and probably basted, then a running stitch was taken to attach the pieces to the background from the top side.
I have a couple of quilt tops that have the applique done the same way, except the maker used black embroidery floss for the running stitch.
This section of the quilt has the most wear/damage. It’s a shame to see this old girl in this condition. I like the overall design of the quilt and when I remake it I’m not sure if I want to do this as a red and green quilt, as a “Prim” quilt with muted colors, or remake it to look like the original?
Here’s a little better look at the block.
This time I’m pulling from the quilt top cupboard a couple of applique blocks that are very old and in very poor condition. The orange and red fabrics are thin and poor quality..and the green had a fugitive dye. The background fabric has turned to a muddy tan color. All of the fabrics are solid colors so narrowing down a date for these blocks becomes more difficult. The biggest clue to me for a date is in the weave of the fabric.
The red and orange fabrics are quite thin…they have a low thread count. Because of this, I would place the date at 1880-1910. Fugitive greens were still common at this time as well. This is an odd block to me. It appears to be a cross between a 
There are many variations, but generally there is a central scalloped circle which represents the rose and is layered with two or three circles and an arrangement of some sort of leaves or buds. The design is often seen in pink and green and were/are popular as an engagement or wedding quilt. In fact, it was rarely used for anything else in the late 1800’s. A similar design is called the Whig Rose which also has many variations. The Whig Rose often expressed support of the Whig political party by it’s maker and is more commonly seen in the classic late nineteenth century red and green color scheme.
This applique is quite primitive and almost looks like it was sewn by a child? The center portion has been stitched with a chain stitch and has no turn under of the fabric edge, causing it to fray badly. The green portion has been hand stitched with a more common ladder stitch which is normally used for fine applique and the quality of that portion is much better than the rest of the applique. The Coxcomb portion has been crudely stitched with a blanket stitch.
) Please forgive my windblown pic. A storm was blowing in.
I decided to use fabrics similar in color to the original design to maintain the feel of the original blocks. I made this as a four block quilt which was also a common design in the late nineteenth century..but I did it for practical reasons. The finished quilt will fit the hanger I have in the family room just perfectly. 
The hand stitching isn’t quite as fine as the rest of the top. The colors don’t seem to fit either? Whatever the answer is to this puzzle..I’m sure the fact that this corner is so different is the reason I was able to get this top. Had it been finished in it’s day by the original maker, I’m sure it would have been put into use?
There are a lot of striped fabrics and plaids used in this top. They were very popular in the 1940’s, when this top was made. I like the extra excitement and energy they add to the piecing, especially since the maker didn’t worry about keeping them straight and lined up like they would have if making clothing. This top looks masculine to me? It would have made a nice boy’s quilt. I have vintage fabrics and will probably replace that corner section? I have a nice western print with cowboys and horses on a dark red background that I will add as borders..and will probably quilt this one…someday.