I found one booth with many quilts and quilt tops. Each was gathered and tied at the top, hanging close to each other against a wall. It was impossible to see a whole quilt without removing it from its hook, and since I knew I probably wouldn't be buying any of them, I tried to photograph them by holding each out with one hand while holding my camera with the other.
These two sunbursts
These two blocks
Double nine-patch is such a simple quilt pattern. When I think about patterns to sew I usually pass over this idea thinking it too ordinary, but when I see the finished quilts I think they pack a lot of punch, in a vintage kind of way.
This simple stripey flying geese quilt is another pattern that I am impressed with when I see a finished quilt but that I pass over when I think about what pattern to make next. I love the colors in this one.
And then there was this quilt top. Vintage improv, perhaps? I don't believe I've ever seen a vintage/antique quilt with so many pieces so haphazardly sewn together.
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Oh, here is how the quilts were hung, against several walls of this booth.
Happy quilting to you!
--Nancy.
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Thanks for taking the time to share your photos of these old quilts. I hope they all find appreciative new homes - seems such a shame to see them hooked up like teatowels! The 'simple' old style blocks do have real appeal (I especially like the ninepatch and flying geese strip quilts) and remind me that the simplicity of many modern quilts isn't so far removed from these traditional ones.
ReplyDeleteI hope those quilts find homes, too, Allison. There is one shop we visit about every month which always has quilts, and we never see the same ones at our next visit. That leads me to believe that they do find homes.
DeleteSome of the old quilt patterns do seem to be reinvented as modern quilts. And I notice that some modern quilts fall back on the made-do style of some of the old quilts. We make modern, thinking that it is very different from anything that's been done but, in fact, modern is sometimes a variation of what's been done in the past.
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Nice selection of antique quilts! The flying geese is wonderful...I love the look of this block but don't like the process to make them (any of the processes!)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Yankee Quilter. I love to look at old quilts (and tops) when I come across them. Yes, the geese quilt is wonderful but, like you, I'm not a huge fan of making them. I can't imagine getting a line of geese to stay in line the whole length of a quilt.
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Thanks for the antique quilt show. They are always inspiring. I think the double nine patch is my fave.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy old quilts, too, Jennie, and find something to admire, or copy! I like the double nine-patch because to me it seems calm, soothing, organized....
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I could spend a lot of time browsing through shops like that! You found lovely quilts - I wish they came with their stories. I always wonder about the quilter. I love finding quilts in antique shops - they are always a source of inspiration, but it also makes me a tad sad that they ended up there.
ReplyDeleteI have a dear friend who made a quilt for her bed just like the Flying Geese quilt - it is wonderful.
Like you, Karin, I wish the histories of quilts were attached to each. I think they all deserve a little write-up of their own. As often seems the case with women's work, little is recorded.
DeleteEven sadder to me than quilts alone and without stories in antique stores are the abandoned family photographs. The family historian in me wants to find the descendants of all the people in the photos so they can have homes again.
Yes, I love the inspiration when I look at those old quilts. They just have such a timelessness about them, even when we can guess at the time they were made. I would love to reproduce some but can't imagine them having the same "feel" about them.
I love the colors of the flying geese quilt. Wish I could replicate it. It has a warmth without being too orange, or too pink, but with just enough brown, and the red is not quite true red....
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