This quilt is a recent purchase on Ebay. It came from Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina and was found at an estate sale in Georgia. The star pattern is The Brunswick Star which is also known as The Rolling Star.This quilt had never been washed and the pencil lines marking the elegant quilting design were still visible. The notable features of the quilt is that it contains many feed sack fabrics. It is neatly stitched and accurately pieced by a skilled needlewoman.
The delightful variety of fabrics used by the quilt maker include seersuckers, feed sacks, polka dots, stripes, plains and geometrics. The 20 blocks making up the quilt are all artistically brought together with the pretty pink solid and the feedsack background fabric. The quilt’s backing is also plain, open weave feedsack fabric with the Kansas Flour Mill logo faintly visible. There are also some neat repairs on the back where some patching was done before quilting.

The backing is brought around to bind the quilt. This quilt washed well and scrunched up delightfully after it’s first wash in probably seventy years. The women of the past made use of what they had and in this case it was feed sacks and dressmaking fabrics that were used to create a special quilt that is now a time capsule of the Depression Era.

Something New from my Workbasket.

A project I have been stitching slowly for sometime now is a Peony Rose quilt. It also contains diamonds so is in some way related to the many star designs which are constructed using the diamond shape.

I have a collection of French General layer cake fabrics and they are perfect for replicating this lovely design that comes from the classic book – In The Beginning published in 1992 by That Patchwork Place. The inspiration for this quilt is Ferol’s Peony Quilt made in 1902. I am making the quilt larger than Ferol’s and at this stage I am at the half way mark. We have had a good start to our Melbourne Winter with rain (which we always need) and some lovely cold weather which is perfect for sewing. I have good intentions to complete this top over the next few months.

I hope you are all enjoying creating something wonderful,
Warmly
Janette – The Plain Needlewoman.