Category Archives: Double Pinks

Busy Days in Winter

24 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by in antique fabric, antique quilts, Double Pinks, hand quilting, old fabrics, Postage Stamp Quilts, Quilt Collections, Quilt Restoration, quilting projects, Scrap quilts, stitching, Trip Around the World, Uncategorized, vintage quilts

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Detail of Album Quilt

Detail of Album Quilt

The Winter months are the best time to catch up on quilting projects. The cold days and longer nights provide the perfect opportunity to stay indoors and stitch. To make a start I made a list of jobs to be done, then set to work.

First up I put the old Album quilt into a gentle bath for a soak in Retrowash.

The Album Quilt having a gentle soak.

The Album Quilt having a gentle soak.

I had been working on blocks for a new quilt and having completed 25 blocks I have started to stitch the blocks together. This gorgeous fabric that I found at my local op shop ties the blocks together beautifully.IMG_4225

Windfarm Quilt - work in progress

Windfarm Quilt – work in progress

I made up cushion fillers for these lovely vintage cushion covers and added satin ribbon bows for ties.

Vintage cushion covers

Vintage cushion covers

After it’s bath the Album quilt was ready for a gentle machine wash and some fresh air. With a good wind blowing the quilt dried quickly. It is now fresh and beautiful.

Album Quilt circa 1870

Album Quilt circa 1870

Cold nights are perfect for hand quilting and I have started quilting an old Trip Around the World top from my collection. It is a large quilt, so I expect to be working on it for quite a few months.

Hand quilting Trip Around the World. Circa 1930s.

Hand quilting Trip Around the World. Circa 1930s.

Centre of Trip Around the World.

Centre of Trip Around the World.

I hope you are finding time for Stitching, Happy Quilting, Janette – The Plain Needlewoman

Darting Birds

09 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by in antique fabric, antique quilts, Double Pinks, hand quilting, Mending, Old Quilts, Uncategorized

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I purchased this charming old quilt as a ‘cutter quilt’. This is the term used for quilts that are in a very sad condition and can be cut up for small projects with out feeling guilty about cutting up an old quilt. I could see it had potential for salvaging into small keepsake pieces.

A heart shape cut from the Darting Birds quilt .

A heart shape cut from the Darting Birds quilt .

When the quilt arrived in the mail, I realised I could not contemplate cutting up this beautiful old quilt. I identified the block pattern in Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Blocks as Darting Birds designed by Nancy Page.

The maker of this quilt had a good collection of fabrics dating from the 1880s to 1900s, including the gorgeous double pink used in the alternate blocks. The birds are pieced from reds, blacks, indigos and browns. The patterns are florals, checks, stripes and polka dots. The backgrounds of the blocks are mostly shirtings.

Detail of fabrics.

Detail of fabrics.

Darting Birds block

Darting Birds block

The beautiful backing fabric used on this quilt was a pleasant surprise as the seller had not mentioned this. The majority of old quilts have plain muslin backings.

Gorgeous backing fabric on display.

Gorgeous backing fabric on display.

Obviously made by a skilled needlewoman the piecing is neat and accurate. The hand quilting stitches are tiny and even and the maker chose cross-hatching for her quilting design.

Most of the wear on the Darting Birds quilt was on the outside edges. I decided to cut the outside rows off the four sides of the quilt. Removing the damaged area has provided me with some scraps for cutter quilt projects. I stitched a new binding – nice and narrow in keeping with the original. Even though some of the remaining blocks are worn, I can still admire and enjoy this old and obviously much loved quilt. I hope you can too!

Softly aged and worn.

Softly aged and worn.

The ‘Collins’ Quilt – circa 1840s

01 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by in antique fabric, antique quilts, Double Pinks, hand quilting, handquilting, Mending, old fabrics, Quilt Stories, Scrap quilts, Signature Quilts

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The ‘Collins’ quilt was purchased by Eileen and Bernie Donnelly in 1994 from Peterborough, New Hampshire, USA. It is a lovely old Album quilt with signatures of the Collins family and dated 1849. The names on the quilt are Thomas G. Collins, Samuel B. Collins, Smith Collins, Daniel Collins and Mrs Lewis Collins. They also added their location as Halifax and West Halifax.

The block is a simple but appealing Album Block. There are 49 blocks set on point with an alternate plain block in a lovely double pink and white floral. The blocks are pieced from scraps so there is a good variety of interesting fabrics to study.

Detail of blocks

Detail of blocks

There is some wear to this quilt due to its age and it appears to have been well used. Eileen has noted that a brown fabric has disintegrated, due to mercury being used in the dyeing process of brown fabrics in those days. Eileen has carefully stitched tulle over these areas to protect the fragile fabrics. The quilt backing is a plain cream calico. The quilt is hand pieced and hand quilted.

Tulle stitched onto the quilt to protect a fragile area.

Tulle stitched onto the quilt to protect a fragile area.

Bernie researched the history of the family and traced the Collins family to New England. Bernie traced the family back to 1740 to a Daniel Collins who married Alice Pell in New London, Connecticut in approximately 1762. Daniel and Alice were the Great Grand Parents of those who signed the quilt. Bernie also found a Robert Collins who married Ruth Browning in New London in 1809. They had 10 children including Lewis 1817, Daniel 1819, Samuel 1823 and Thomas G. 1831. These signatures are on the quilt along with Mrs. Lewis Collins. (perhaps she was widowed). Thank you Bernie and Eileen for the wonderful research and preservation work on the ‘Collins’ quilt and for providing me with the information.IMG_3027

Hope you enjoyed the story of the ‘Collins’ Quilt. Happy Quilting from Janette – The Plain Needlewoman

It’s Never Too Late To Mend.

16 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by in antique fabric, Double Pinks, Mending, Repairing old quilts

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The Letter H Quilt

The Letter H Quilt

This gorgeous late 1800’s quilt arrived from America in good condition bar a 2 inch tear in one of the H blocks. As the general condition of the fabrics is excellent I can only presume that the quilt caught on a sharp object that caused the tear.

I sorted through my reproduction fabrics for a match to repair this block but could not find a suitable tone of red and black. I thought about using black tulle but didn’t have any on hand. I then remembered that I had some old black lace in my lace collection. I stitched the damage section of the quilt back onto the batting and covered the exposed area with the lace. This was an easy solution and the tear is practically invisible. I am happy with the result.

Repaired block

Repaired block

About this quilt

The Letter H quilt dates to about the late 1890s to 1910. The Letter H blocks were probably made from the quilter’s scrap basket. The cream background fabric in the blocks is consistent throughout, as is the gorgeous double pink used for the alternate blocks.

Detail of blocks

Detail of blocks

The quilt has another double pink used for the side borders. The quilt measures 230 cms. (90 inches) by 178 cms. (70 inches) and the blocks are 24 cms. (approx 9inches) sq.

The backing is a very pretty shirting with a pink on white design. The maker obviously ran short of fabric and joined in a similar shirting to create enough fabric for her backing.

Joined Backing.

Joined Backing.

More of the pretty backing.

More of the pretty backing.

The quilting is the Baptist Fan design and is executed in a loose, relaxed style. The quilter bound her quilt by bringing the backing fabric to the front of the quilt. The batting is a hand carded cotton. When I washed the quilt the little black cotton seeds were clearly visible when the quilt was wet.

This quilt is one of my favourites. I love the design, the colours and the quilt’s tactile quality.

Unusual fabric design

Unusual fabric design

So it really is never too late to mend. ” Mend in time; patch to a purpose; reinforce for strength and take care with all.” (quote from Mary Brooks Picken).
Hope you enjoy the quilt and it’s story, Happy Mending – Janette – The Plain Needlewoman.