Sunday Pics!

This is a treasure of a photo.

Doesn't it look like an extended family gathering?  Maybe the eldest members are on the ends of the group, with siblings and children and grandchildren in between?

Just on edge of the photo at the right is a small section of a "Seven Sisters" quilt.  This quilt block pattern dates to the mid-1800's, as far as I can determine.  Based on the clothing, the photo is from the turn of the century, and I wonder if the quilt is old and a cherished part of family history.

Notice what looks like electrical wiring on the outside of the house.

Don't you just love old photos??

A Blessed Sunday to You!

Sunday Pics!

Don't you just love this?  It reminds me of our quilting group.  All different ages with the same passion.

These are Cherokee women, at least in part, according to the tag on the photo.

I love the fact that they have an Irish Chain quilt there.  I wonder if they're also part Irish?

A Blessed Sunday to You!

Saturday at the Quilt Museum - Lone Stars / Star of Bethlehem - Part 2

Part 2 of our tour of big star quilts includes these that are kind of unique in some way.  Whether it's Broderie Perse in the corners, multiple types of stars included in the pattern, or 7 points, these are spectacular.

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Star of Bethlehem
Hannah Huxley
Possibly Delaware
1832
107" x 111"

While this first picture looks a bit one-dimensional in terms of color and fabric, the photo below has wonderful detail as to the fabrics used and the quality of the workmanship.

There is wonderful information about this quilt at the Speed Museum.  Very worth reading.

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Star of Bethlehem

Unknown Artist

Possibly Maryland

1835

122" x 122"

This quilt is just amazing.  It's a wonderful combination of very precise piecing and chintz broderie perse, framed with a lovely border fabric.  The outermost border is a fun geometric and floral piece (unless it's pieced together.  Hard to tell from the pictures.). To get a greater appreciation of the detail, there are lots of pictures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Star of Bethlehem
Unknown Artist
Mid-Atlantic region
c. 1830

Unfortunately, there's not really any information that I can find to fill out the above details.  

It caught my eye because of the interesting use of color in the concentric rows of diamonds in the star, as well as the broderie perse and bold border fabric.

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Seven-Point Blazing Star

Sarah Cox

Malden, Massachussetts

1860-1870

82" x 85"

Isn't this pattern interesting?  I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.  A 7-point star is unusual and all the "bursts" are fascinating.  When I first looked at this quilt, it seemed kind of "flat" to me, as if it were made of all solids.  But then I found detail shots and, wow!  The fabrics are amazing. Definitely has depth and dimension and is an incredible display of workmanship.

 It is in excellent condition, and if you feel you can't live without it, it's being offered by Woodard and Greenstein for $18,500!

Read more about it and see more pictures at 1stdibs.

Thanks for taking this two-week tour of big star quilts with us!

Happy Quilting!!

PLEASE NOTE:

- I am not a quilt historian.  I simply enjoy finding interesting quilts and sharing them with you!

- The quilt images on this post were sourced from Pinterest unless otherwise noted, and are linked to their origin whenever possible.

Sunday Pics!

Okay, this one cracks me up!  Did you ever dress up your dog when you were a child?  I don't think I ever put glasses on mine, but this is so great!  Can't you just hear the little boy, "But, Mom!  Please???"

The quilt is pretty cool, too.  I'm seeing stars and circles, but I'm not sure what else.  Does anyone recognize the pattern?

A Blessed Sunday to you!

Saturday at the Quilt Museum - Lone Star / Star of Bethlehem Quilts - Part 1

Stars are one of my favorite quilt patterns.  I find myself going to them over and over again.  However, I have never attempted the complex design of the Star of Bethlehem -Lone Star- Star of the East - Morning Star pattern.  As I was looking for information about possible differences between the patterns, I came across an article at Womenfolk.com.  I have ended up at their site many times and often come away with invaluable material.  What I learned is that all the different names are for the same pattern.  There are variations on the theme, but all are made with radiating diamonds in various color arrangements.

So, for the next couple of weeks, we'll take a look at them.  They are so numerous, I didn't want to miss any and also didn't want to cram them into one post!

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Silk Lonestar Quilt

Nina Fletcher Little

Pennsylvania

1800's

100" x 104"

This first one grabbed my attention because of the fact that it's made of silk.  Can you imagine??  It's hard enough to piece with cotton!  And all those bias seams.  Wow.

The pattern is executed in a medallion style with the Lonestar in the center, surrounded by feathered stars.  Then there are 8 frames of various pieced elements which surround it.  It is also made in the 3-sided border style, leaving the top "pillow" edge without two of the last interior frames.

You can see a bigger picture at Pook & Pook Inc. (Great name, huh?) :-)

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Lone Star Variation

Eliza Miranda Allen Green

Ohio

1880

The way Miss Eliza used color in this rendition of a Lone Star is amazing to me.  It almost pulses when I look at it for very long.  The big diamonds in green are unusual and so fitting in the pattern.  The concentric rings of diamonds in subtle neutrals, punctuated with red and brown rings, just works!  The stars and partial stars in the corners and setting triangles are beautifully artful.  The fabrics are very interesting, also.  Well done!

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Lone Star with Broderie Perse

African American Slave Quilts

Unknown Maker

1800's

I have found no additional information about this quilt other than the caption of the photo on Pinterest. The attribution only says "African American Slave Quilts, 1800's."

The colors are used so well and the center star carries the traditional look of the color variation in concentric circles.  Broderie Perse is used in the open areas and is a lovely chintz.  The border is wonderful in its echo of the center star and the corner LeMoyne blocks finish it beautifully.  

I am very curious about this one.  I would so like to know more.  In my reading about this topic, I understand that some of the lovely quilts from the period were made by house slaves who were extremely accomplished seamstresses.  That would explain this one and the fine materials used.

If anyone knows more about this piece, I'd love to hear from you!

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Star of Bethlehem or Harvest Star

Unknown Maker

Mid-1800's

This sunny version of the Star of Bethlehem or Harvest Star makes me happy.  I'm wondering if the maker lived in a place where grey skies predominated in much of the year, and she just wanted sunshine in her home?  I would!

Aren't those corner blocks amazing?  And the quilting in the open space, replicating the stars, is awesome.

There's no other information on it than what is above.  It was sold on eBay.

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Part of what I read on Womenfolk.com talks about this next set of patterns: 

".....this same Star pattern, when made much smaller so that many cover the surface of the  quilt, is known by other names such as Blazing Stars, and when these points are touching, is called Touching Stars."

Sunburst Star and Puritan Star Quilt

Sarah Kyle

1839

The DAR Museum Collection

Touching Stars

Unknown Maker

Pennsylvania

1860

So, lots of little diamonds! Wow.  I've not found any more information on either of these two quilts, other than that the top one was in the 2008 International Quilt show.

They are very interesting.  I think I like the bigger ones better, though!

Next week we'll look at more Lone Star / Star of Bethlehem quilts which contain some unusual elements.

Happy Quilting!!

PLEASE NOTE:

- I am not a quilt historian.  I simply enjoy finding interesting quilts and sharing them with you!

- The quilt images on this post were sourced from Pinterest unless otherwise noted, and are linked to their origin whenever possible.

Sunday Pics!

Like so many of us, I am enamored with photos from the Civil War period.  There aren't that many, and fewer still that have quilts in them!

This one is wonderful in a number of ways.  The attire dates it to the 1860's without question.  There is a dog in it!  And it isn't moving, which is amazing.  The room decor is classic.  And the quilt is actually clear enough to be fairly certain that it's a "snowball" pattern joined with plain alternate blocks and 4-patches.

The photo looks almost candid.  Who were the people and where did they live?  Why were they looking at this quilt?  Why was someone taking a picture of this moment in time??

What a treat to be able to share in it.

A Blessed Sunday to you!

Saturday at the Quilt Museum - Oak Leaf Quilts

Oak Leaf and Reel quilts - and any with oak leaves in the design - are intriguing to me.  I don't know if it's because I lived the majority of my life in California where oaks were everywhere, or just because they're pretty!

I've found a number of them that have an Oak Leaf pattern of some sort as the theme.  They are many and varied and so lovely.

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Oak Leaf Quilt

Hannah Nicholson Grave

Wayne County, Indiana

1843

Red, pink, and green were very popular color combinations for this pattern in the 1840's.  Hannah executed it beautifully, incorporating a lovely flowing border to surround the blocks.

 You can read more about it at Conner Prairie Textiles.

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Oak Leaf and Reel

Sally Conklin

Possibly New York

May 2, 1841

82" x 95"

What a fabulous two-color Oak Leaf quilt! When I posted this on Facebook, I noted that it looked as if it had been made of gingham check.  A reader found more information about it and it is actually fabric degeneration because of discharge bleach.  There is a link to read more about it below.  The border is wonderful with its peafowl, squirrels, leaves, flowers and grapes.  Such detail. When I read about the pattern, it was fun to see that the peafowl are eating embroidered flies!

You can read more about the quilt at International Quilt Study and Museum.
You can read more about the fabric degeneration at this link on the same website: Discharge Bleach Damage  Just scroll down the page a bit and you'll see three photos of the quilt.

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Oak Leaf and Reel

Elanor A. Robinson

Probably Pennsylvania

August 8, 1843

78.5" x 94"

This one was a surprise!  The previous quilt is for all the "red" folks, this one is for all the "blue" folks!

It's not often that a duplicate pattern is found, but here we see the same one done in a different color, two years later.  Amazing!  This kind of thing is what makes sleuthing so much fun!

I wonder if Sally and Elanor knew each other??

You can see more details at Olde Hope Antiques.

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"Vanity of Vanities" Quilt

Emily Holbert

Chester, New York

1847

85" x 102"

A beautiful Oak Leaf and Reel quilt entitled "Vanity of Vanities."

Unlike most quilts of the period, this one has lots of documentation and sentiment worked into the actual quilt.  The maker, Emily Holbert, appliqued these words in block letters around the border:

Emily Holbert's Quilt: Worked January, A.D. 1847

Chester, Orange County, New York.

Industry And Proper Improvement of Time. 1847

Vanity of Vanities.  All is Vanity.

The combination of green and red is also used in this piece and the work is excellently done.

You can see more about it at the National Museum of American History.

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New York State Quilt with Oak Leaf & Florals
Julie Ann Smith

New York

1800's

84" x 99"

This is not an Oak Leaf and Reels quilt, but has oak leaves as part of the design.  It really caught my interest because of how beautifully it presents.

It is a New York State Quilt made by Julie Ann Smith sometime in the 1800's.  It is titled "Oak Leaf and Florals" and for me it just sparkles!  The blocks have the same feel that the Oak Leaf and Reels blocks have, but are made up of different elements.  I love the sunbursts in the centers, and especially how the alternate blocks echo the pattern in miniature.  The sweet border just caps it for me.

For a couple of additional pictures, you can go to Live Auctioneers.  Just scroll down a little.

There are so many beautiful Oak Leaf quilts out there!  A quick Pinterest search will yield lots to enjoy!

Thanks for joining me on this tour of Oak Leaf Quilts!

Happy Quilting!!

PLEASE NOTE:

- I am not a quilt historian.  I simply enjoy finding interesting quilts and sharing them with you!

- The quilt images on this post were sourced from Pinterest unless otherwise noted, and are linked to their origin whenever possible.