Saturday, March 10, 2018

Introducing Dottie

Dottie is a quirky little doll quilt I found at a thrift store in January.  She measures about 18" x 26".  I found her irresistible and brought her home.  When you find a quilt with so many polka dots what else could you call her but Dottie?


Other than the bow ties, the only repetition or pattern I can see are the red-dot fabrics between each block and the long strips of sashing between the rows of blocks. 


The hand-stitched blocks are approximately 2" finished.  Some are more rectangular than square. 


Lori of Humble Quilts uses the word "humble" to describe quilts that are less than perfectly made.  This is a humble quilt for sure.


In fact, when I look at some of the blocks and, really, the whole quilt, I have to wonder who made it.  Was it a child's early attempt at sewing bow tie blocks with five pieces of fabric (instead of the six commonly used these days) and set-in seams?


Or perhaps an aged grandmother with less than perfect eyesight made it for her granddaughter?  There are puckers throughout the quilt where one piece of fabric was gathered to fit against another.  Before rotary cutters and acrylic rulers cutting accurately was an art.


The ties feel like wool and have wool's fuzzy appearance.


The quilt was folded and probably laying where sunlight hit the fold.  There are sections of faded fabric.



As if red dots weren't enough, there are also blocks with turquoise dots.


You can see that some of the fabric had already been used in clothing.  It was unstitched but not all threads were removed.  There are several seersucker fabrics in the quilt.


The backing is a very soft flannel.  It is pulled around to the front to make the binding.  I suspect there is a layer of flannel between the top and back but without unstitching some of the binding I would have no way of knowing.


The stitches holding the binding in place are long with no attempt to hide them under the fabric.


I can't tell the age of the fabrics but I'm guessing 1940s and 1950s, possibly even 1960s.  Do you have a guess?


I haven't chosen a place for Dottie to reside yet.  For now, she rests on the back of chairs or lays on a little table.  She's not really my "style" of quilt but I love her for her quirkiness.

And that's Dottie.

Do you buy small, quirky quilts?  Are you sometimes unable to resist a quilt at a thrift or antique store?

--Nancy.

14 comments:

  1. What a fun buy you have found in your little Dottie. It is nice to be taken back in time with such things as this....it was a different world when she was made.

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    1. She is fun, isn't she, Jennie. She's not quite my style but she's quirky enough that I enjoy her. I don't know when this little quilt was made but I sense in the 1940s or 1950s and yes, it was a different world then.

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  2. Adorable little quilt! Great you found it and brought it home.

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    1. Hi, Dawn. Yes, it's a sweet, albeit quirky, quilt. Its style is nothing like anything in the rest of my house but I couldn't resist it.

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  3. Precious. Just so precious. Whoever made it, it looks like love in the form of a quilt.

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    1. What a great description of this quilt, Lisa. I wish I knew who made it.

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  4. Dottie is adorable! And irresistible, too!

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    1. LOL. Yeh, I couldn't resist. I don't need another little quilt but when adorable calls....

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  5. I love that there are both blue and pink ties on it. I kind of recognize some of those fabrics like the one used for the long sashing strip. What a sweet little piece of history.

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    1. Hi, Robin. Those pink and blue ties are fun, just another oddity about this quilt because the pink and green goes with nothing else in the quilt. It's just such a scrappy little thing. Like you, some of the fabrics look familiar, especially the long sashing strip. Maybe those little rosebuds appear again and again across generations?

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  6. A very sweet find! I am glad it has a loving home now.
    To be honest, I don't frequent antique malls a whole lot, but when I do, I don't see doll quilts. The bed quilts I have seen there are usually overpriced.
    I haven't seen doll quilts in the thrift stores, either (where I am more often found), but if I saw one I would surely buy it!. :)

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    1. Hi, Janet. I don't know what I will do with this little quilt. It's hanging over the back of a chair but doesn't really fit the style of my home. But it was just so quirky and cute....

      I only occasionally get to antique stores/malls/fairs. My daughter likes to go and look around, no to buy but to see old things and imagine what it must have been like to live then. (Strangely enough, some of the "antiques" are closer to my own early years than to my parents' or grandparents' lifetimes. When I see them I look, admire, and take photos. I don't need another old quilt that needs special care though if one came along that I couldn't resist and was at a good price, I might buy it.

      We were at at thrift/charity store a few weeks ago where there was a quilt top for sale. It was all 1930s-1940s fabrics in a brick pattern. I didn't measure but I suppose each piece was about 3 1/2" wide by about 7" long. It was $35.00 and though I really liked it I knew I wouldn't quilt it and it would be one more thing to do something with....

      I rarely see doll quilts at thrifts stores (where I am often seen!) except this one (which was from the charity/thrift store).

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  7. Good for you, rescuing and appreciating Dottie! She's charming.

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    1. She's a very quirky, scrappy little quilt, Sue. I wish I knew her history.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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