An early childhood memory of mine is of our cream and green kitchen. This lovely soft colour scheme was replaced in the 60s by a much brighter colour scheme. Every cupboard door (and there were many) was painted alternating colours of hot pink, aqua, yellow and red. We thought it was fab.

It is understandable following the decades of the depression era and World War 2, that bright colours became popular as the world celebrated peace and prosperity.

During the Great Depression quilters turned to soft, pretty colours to use in their quilts. There was a multitude of patterned fabrics to choose from. These dainty prints were more often than not offset with bleached calico and a solid colour. Nile green was a favoured choice. In the book ‘Quilt Designs from the Thirties’ by Sara Nephew,
Nephew states ‘Many of the colours of this period are pastels or softened colours. Most common among these are ‘thirties green’, pink, lavender, a buttery yellow, a light blue or blue green, and soft brown or tan. Popular solids also included a strong burgundy, a bright, clear red and a bright clear blue’.

If you have the chance to buy reproduction or vintage fabric in these shades, don’t hesitate. It is invaluable in reproducing quilts with the look of this era.

I love working with both vintage and reproduction fabrics from the 30s and 40s and look forward to sharing future posts on All Things Thirties.

Happy Making, Janette