Perfect Piecing

07 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by mcinnesjanette in hand quilting, Mending, old fabrics, Old Quilts, Quilt Stories, Repairing old quilts, Scrap quilts, stitching, vintage quilts

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1860 to 1880, hand piecing, hand quilting, quilt study, Star Quilts

LeMoyne Star Quilt circa 1860 to 1880

The maker of the LeMoyne Star Quilt was skilled in both piecing and quilting. The three inch LeMoyne Stars are constructed from eight tiny diamond pieces measuring approximately one inch in length. There are 345 stars in the quilt. Each star is accurately stitched with nice sharp points and the centre seams aligned perfectly.

Tiny LeMoyne Star

The stars are stitched into a nine patch configuration and are set with three inch wide lattice strips. More LeMoyne Stars are placed as the cornerstones. Two plain borders were added with the remaining two borders made up of the lattice strips and star cornerstones.

Lattice and quilting detail

The quilting is remarkable in both design and execution. The quilting consists of double cross hatching and feathers. There are 12 stitches to the inch, counted on the right side of the quilt. The batting is a lightweight cotton.

Unfortunately some of the fabrics used to piece the stars are extremely fragile and showing signs of wear.
This could be due to corrosive substances that were used in the dyeing process at this time. The white background fabric and the quilt backing are in excellent condition. I will eventually stabilise the weakened areas with tulle. Despite this problem the quilt is still a beauty. One can only wonder at the ability of this quilt maker to accurately stitch this intricate design with out the benefits of the sewing accessories available to quilters today.

LeMoyne Star Quilt

Thank you for visiting, I am off to do some mending,
Janette, The Plain Needlewoman

Strippy Quilts – A Study in Frugality

26 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by mcinnesjanette in Cumbria, English Quilts, hand quilting, North Country quilts, old fabrics, stitching, Strippy Quilts

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Antique Quilts, Christopher Wilson-Tate, English quilts, Feedsacks, hand quilting, Strippy Quilts, The Donnellys

Strippy Quilt – circa 1850-70

Not in her wildest dreams, would the maker of this quilt have imagined that her quilt would turn up for sale at an antique market in rural Victoria in 2015. When I saw the quilt for sale on a vendor’s display, I knew immediately it was an old English Strippy quilt. The seller confirmed she had purchased the quilt from an Englishwoman living in Australia. The seller had owned the quilt for some years and had enjoyed using it on her bed.

On studying this quilt, I could see that it’s maker had joined fabrics together to achieve the length required and in one instance has used a different print to do so. This may indicate that the maker was utilising fabrics already available to her.

Two patterned fabrics joined to create length.

The quilt is constructed of eleven – 8 inch wide strips. There are five different fabrics used in this charming and humble quilt. The quilt is quilted in an all over zig zag design. I suspect it was quilted from the back as the stitches are very even on the back when compared to the front.

Back of quilt showing hand quilting detail.

I contacted Christopher Wilson-Tate, the owner of Antique Textiles Company, UK who is an expert on English quilts. On seeing photos of my quilt Christopher identified the quilt as a typical North Country Stripe from Cumbria/Lake District. The simple wave quilting is typical of this area. Christopher thinks the quilt was made about 1870 or possibly earlier. Thank you Christopher for your knowledge and expertise

Patches.

The quilt measures 84 inches by 85 inches and there is some wear on the vertical edges. A couple of little patches stitched onto the quilt only adds to it’s charm.

With clever joining of her fabrics and an orderly placement of contrasting colours this frugal quilt maker was able to celebrate her thrift and personality in a quilt that has had an interesting journey beyond its humble beginnings.

Fabrics Make the Quilt!

Travelling in time and crossing the Atlantic Ocean to arrive in Tennessee USA we have another Strippy Quilt that demonstrates frugality and verve. This quilt was purchased by the Donnelly’s (quilt collectors) in 1997 at the Donnelly House, Mountain City, Tennessee. It measures 86 inches by 87 inches.

American Strippy.

The assorted blocks that make up this quilt consist of stars, nine patch and album. The quilt maker was not constrained by size, fabrics or colours. Many of the blocks have small strips added to make them fit.

Yellow strip added to size up the block.

Detail of blocks used.

The blocks date from circa 1880 through to 1930. The fabrics consist of shirtings, dress fabrics and feed sacks. The strippy lay-out was achieved by joining the blocks with a hand dyed blue/grey fabric (probably faded over time) and then set into the strippy lay out with the pretty pink solid fabric.

The backing is the same dyed blue/grey fabric which appears to be plain feed sacks as a feint print of lettering and a feed sack symbol is visible.

Hand dyed backing

Block detail with hand quilting.

Frugal use of scraps

Eileen Donnelly named this quilt ‘She did the best she could with what she had’, which I think is a perfect name and what I now call the quilt as well. I think this quilt maker stitched a life time of quilting into a quilt that is a testimony to a frugal and creative quilt maker.

I would like to share this lovely print of a Plain Needlewoman working on a hexagon quilt.

Thank you for visiting, yours in quilting, Janette – The Plain Needlewoman

Spiders and their Webs

01 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by mcinnesjanette in old fabrics, old quilt tops, Spider Webs, vintage quilts

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Antique Quilts, Fabric Study, handquilting, old quilt tops, quilt collections, vintage quilts

Turkey Red and White Star Quilt

This quilt is another Variable Star pattern. It was probably made late 1890s or early at the turn of the 20th Century. I purchased the top from the quilt collector Jan Baker in 2009. This quilt is basted and is next in line for hand quilting. I am quilting my Seven Sisters quilt at the moment and have a long way to go on this quilting project just yet.

I was taking this photo of the quilt to post on a Facebook page and as I took the photo a spider crawled out from the folded quilt. Can you see it in the photo? As I am not afraid of spiders and never kill them (it is bad luck) I caught it and placed it outside in the garden. As I was folding the quilt to put it away, I remembered I had marked this quilt ready for quilting with the spider web pattern. The spider may have thought this was it’s home. As I mark my designs very lightly with a HB lead pencil it may not be visible in the photo. The Spiders web quilting design is a favourite of mine and quilts up beautifully. Can’t wait to get started on the quilting. As for the spider I shall look on this as a good omen for 2015.

Wishing you all a very peaceful, kind and wonderful year of quilting and happy days!
Best Wishes from Janette – The Plain Needlewoman

Fabrics and Styles in Double Wedding Ring Quilts.

31 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by mcinnesjanette in hand quilting, old fabrics, old quilt tops, old sewing books, stitching, vintage quilts

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1930s quilts, Antique Quilts, Fabric Study, feed sacks, handquilting, old quilt tops, quilt collections

The Double Wedding Ring pattern was one of the most popular patterns made during the Great Depression Era. Although a difficult pattern to piece it was made many times over. Double Wedding Ring quilts still remain a favourite with today’s quilters.

Vintage Double Wedding Ring Quilt

Detail of quilt

Backing in that green!

Laser cut templates, paper piecing and books devoted entirely to constructing the Double Wedding Ring pattern are readily available. However, the older quilts show some variation of the numbers of pieces of fabric in the arcs. Perhaps patterns were used from the syndicated newspaper columns popular in the 30s or patterns were adapted to make use of what was in the quilter’s scrap basket.

The yellow and green in this quilt clearly identify it as a 1930’s to 40’s quilt. This quilt was probably made from the scrap basket as it also contains shirtings, dimities, plains and a liberal use of a gorgeous red polka dot. The red polka dot fabric reminds me of confetti. This quilt is beautifully stitched, with six fabric pieces in each arc set against two pinks and a green. The background is yellow and the backing is Thirties Green. The hand quilting is neat and even. This quilt was purchased by The Donnellys in October 1997 at Buckhannon, West Virginia.

1930s Wedding ring quilt top

Detail of quilt top

Another quilt from the thirties contains a fabulous array of dainty florals and prints. This quilter chose to use 12 fabrics in her arcs, enabling her to use many designs throughout the quilt. The background is a fine weave cotton and the arcs are set with green and yellow. A wonderful collection of prints, plaids, florals, checks, stripes and geometrics were used in this top.

A treasured fragment

Another example of a 1930s Wedding Ring can be seen in this quilt fragment. A notable feature of this quilt is the use of Prairie Points to finish off the curved edges. The arcs consist of seven pieces and are set with pink and green patterned fabrics. The quilting was done in the Hanging Diamond pattern. I love this little fragment and can only wonder at what an exquisite quilt it must have been.

My Double Wedding Ring quilt

I completed my Double Wedding Ring quilt in 1996. There are six pieces in the arcs and they are set with a red and tan solid. I was inspired to make this quilt from a photo of an antique quilt in a Hallmark Calendar. I used primarily checks, plaids,stripes and geometrics. There are very few florals used in my quilt. I machine pieced this quilt and it is hand quilted. I carried the check and plaid theme through to the backing, using up all the remaining fabrics.

Pieced backing

I hope you enjoy studying the Double Wedding Ring quilts. Thank you for stopping by, Janette, A Plain Needlewoman

The Stars Are Shining Bright

13 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by mcinnesjanette in hand quilting, old fabrics, old quilt tops, old sewing books, vintage quilts

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hand quilting, old quilt tops, quilt collections, reproduction fabrics, vintage quilts

The Variable Star Quilt Top

Star Designs are one of the most numerous and splendid of all quilt patterns. If you only made quilts featuring Stars you would have many beautiful quilts.

The Variable Star quilt top is a recent purchase from my friends and quilt collectors The Donnellys. Eileen and Bernie identify this quilt as a ‘Time Span’ quilt. The Donnelly’s date this top as being stitched from Circa 1880 to 1930. A Time Span quilt is a quilt which has been made over a period of time, and in this case it is over quite a long period. The fabrics appear to be dress cottons including some fabulous shirtings, turkey reds, double pinks, a 30’s dark maroon and some pretty florals, stripes and gingham.

Dark Maroon and floral print circa 1930s

Shirtings circa 1880s

Another from the 30s.

I love the way the maker of this Variable Star quilt placed similar colours together making for a very strong focal point. This practice seems to be common in older quilts, whereas today we would place them apart.

Reds side by side

In studying and documenting this quilt Eileen has noted ‘The patchworker has essentially used the same pattern when assembling the blocks but occasionally she seems to have reversed the pieces, and also altered the centre of some blocks. She has therefore created the impression of different block patterns forming the quilt. Perhaps, as it took so long to make she made some blocks without looking at the ones already constructed and just forgot which pattern she was following.’ Many of us can relate to this.

Variation in design

Also noteworthy is the pink setting squares and bright blue sashes and borders. The Donnellys purchased this top from James Carrol through the Quilt Loft at Groton, Massachusetts, USA in 1996.

When I first saw the Variable Star top I loved it immediately. I thought it was the same block that I had used in a quilt I had recently completed. However, on returning home and placing the two together, I realised that my design is another variable.

Constellation Star

I had long admired this quilt from the book ‘In The Beginning’ published by That Patchwork Place in the Quilt Shop Series and written by Sharon Evans Yenter. Sharon calls this quilt Constellation Star and I think it is also known as Annie’s Choice. Which ever name you prefer it is a lovely design. I drafted the pattern for rotary cutting and machine piecing. I made it a fraction smaller to make use of my collection of reproduction fat 16ths. The lattice and borders are vintage fabric that proved difficult to hand quilt, but the colour is just perfect. As my block is smaller than Yenter’s I made 36 blocks, which is the same number as in the Variable Star quilt top.

In The Beginning

Inspiration from the book

The Constellation Star Quilt is dated Circa 1910. Perhaps there are similar fabrics as in the Variable Star.

I think my Constellation Star Quilt could be described as a ‘Time Span’ Quilt as well. It contains some vintage fabrics, including shirtings. It has been inspired by an old quilt from a book that was first published in 1992. I pieced and quilted the Constellation Star during 2013 and 2014.

Finished quilt showing reproduction backing fabric

Constellation Star prior to binding

May all your Stars shine brightly,
Janette – The Plain Needlewoman

All Things Thirties

04 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by mcinnesjanette in appliqué, hand quilting, old fabrics, old sewing books, vintage quilts

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

1930s quilts, Fabric Study, feed sacks, hand quilting, old quilts, vintage quilts

China Swans in Shades of Green

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.

Green and cream colours for the kitchen

Bright colours for brighter times

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.

Quilt Designs from the Thirties by Sara Nephew

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’.

Original greens.

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.

Reproduction Green, pieced with contemporary, vintage and reproduction fabrics.

Missouri Daisy quilt made with reproduction and vintage fabrics. Includes some feed sacks.

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

Fabric Study in Old Quilts

19 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by mcinnesjanette in hand quilting, old fabrics, old sewing books, vintage quilts

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1850s-1870s quilts, Antique Quilts, Fabric Study, hand quilting, old sewing books, The Donnellys, vintage quilts

Four Poster Bed Quilt

Straight Furrow – Log Cabin Quilt

These two quilts came into my collection from ‘The Donnellys’.

They purchased the Four Poster Bed quilt in 1997 in Groton, Massachusetts, USA from The Quilt Loft. This was owned by Diane Reese who has a Master’s Degree in Antique American Textiles from Boston University.

The quilt is dated circa 1876, which is substantiated by the fabrics used as they are very distinctive. A lovely fine red and white stripe fabric was used for the sashing, borders and binding. The quilt is backed with a coffee coloured linen type fabric that was possibly a homespun fabric. It is beautifully pieced and features well executed hand quilting. The red and white stripe fabric sets off the nine patch blocks beautifully and lends the quilt a timeless quality.

Detail of the nine patch blocks and sashing

Fabric detail to study

There is no other information available regarding this quilt but Bernie and Eileen did see George Washington’s bed at Mt.Vernon in Virginia, it was a four poster and they were surprised that it was so short.

Quilt Collectors – Eileen and Bernie Donnelly

The Log Cabin quilt was passed on to me by Eileen and Bernie as they thought I might have the time and patience to repair this very old but still beautiful quilt. It contains a stunning collection of fabrics including many shirtings. It is very faded and has worn to shreds in some sections.

Log Cabin block detail

Log Cabin Construction Method

Primarily Patchwork published in 1975 includes detailed construction method of foundation piecing log cabin quilts

Primarily Patchwork published in 1975 includes a detailed construction method of foundation piecing log cabin quilts.

However, the worn areas allow for studying the method of construction. The strips have been foundation pieced onto squares of patterned and plain fabrics. The squares were then stitched together and backed with a plain homespun. There is minimal hand quilting, also with a linen or coarse cotton thread. The Donnelly’s believe this quilt to be circa 1850s to 1860s. The process of repairing this quilt is ongoing. I am re-stitching the strips back onto their foundation block and in some instances the fabrics have frayed away completely. I trim these off to reveal the foundation fabric underneath which is quite fascinating to discover. Although the Log Cabin quilt is very fragile now, its beauty will be enjoyed for another generation and provide a unique study of the old fabrics.

Still beautiful

Happy Quilting, Janette

A Rescue Mission

26 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by mcinnesjanette in appliqué, old fabrics, old sewing books, vintage quilts

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applique, hand quilting, old quilts, old sewing books, vintage fabrics, vintage quilts

I was entrusted with this quilt which I have named Prairie Rose from the quilt collectors Bernie and Eileen Donnelly.

When I first saw this quilt I could see that it had been well made, the button hole stitching on the appliqué and the hand quilting with a perle thread was extremely well executed. Although faded over time the colours are still very pleasing – soft apricot, green and blue on the white background.

Prairie Rose quilt in it’s original state

There were two rather large holes and the curved blue binding was in tatters. The quilt was reasonably clean considering it has such a large area of white and had obviously been well used.

Removing the binding

Preparation for repairing

A soak in Retro Clean

Retro Clean

I decided to give this quilt a soak in Retro Clean to remove some of the stains and to generally freshen it up.
After a good soak in the old wash tub I transferred it to the washing machine and washed it on the gentle cycle. As it was a nice sunny day the quilt dried very quickly and I could plan the steps for repairing it.

I decided to cut off the old binding. This also removed some of the damaged areas which were near the edge of the quilt. There were two large tears remaining, that I thought I would be able to patch. Apart from that the quilt was looking very pretty.

this book contains a wonderful chapter on darning and patching

Following the steps on patching in The Big Book of Needlecraft I proceeded to repair the damaged areas.

Patch placed on the wrong side of the quilt

A neat patch in place

The next step in repairing the quilt was to re-do the binding. Rummaging through my collection of old fabric and trialling a couple of blues, I found a nice old, blue gingham. Gingham is a favourite of mine and it has a timeless quality. I cut many metres on the bias and machine stitched it onto the quilt. The hand sewing of the curved binding was a slow but rewarding process. I was very happy with the fresh look the gingham provided.

I now have a lovely new/old quilt. I think this quilt was made circa 1940s. It was probably a kit quilt with the quilting and appliqué placement pre marked. The original quilt maker chose thicker threads to appliqué and quilt with, giving this quilt another dimension in texture and colour. I haven’t been able to identify an exact pattern name for this design but I think Prairie Rose suits it very well.

Restored Quilt

I thank the quilt maker of the past who so lovingly stitched this quilt and I hope I have honoured her workmanship and I will enjoy having this quilt in my collection. Happy Quilting from Janette, A Plain Needlewoman.

Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron

05 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by mcinnesjanette in hand quilting, old fabrics

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

1930s quilts, reproduction fabrics

The Smoothing Iron Quilt

This is one of my favourite quilts made from vintage and reproduction fabrics. The name of the quilt design was obviously inspired by the old irons that were heated up on the wood fired stoves. I remember my Nanna using these. Nanna Ivy Dawkins Myers, was a luddite and still used these irons up until her passing in the 1960s. Nanna always had two or three on the stove top with a piece of flannel wrapped around the handle. As one iron cooled, it was replaced with one from the stove top.

There is a lovely old folk song called Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron. It commences with “Twas on a Monday morning……….A-washing of her linen and continues on through the days of the week until Sunday when the maiden is wearing her neat, clean linen. Even though we now have efficient washing machines and irons the cycle still continues.

Vintage laundry trolley and basket

I hand stitched my quilt and hand quilted it with my favourite quilting design – The Baptist Fan. The fabrics are reproduction, vintage and a couple of feed sacks as well. I pieced the quilt in rows and when the rows are joined the stars appear. Star quilts are a great favourite of mine too. A Seven Sisters quilt top is next in line for quilting. I will also be quilting this the Baptist Fan. This quilting design suits the old style of quilt making very well. It is also quite quick to quilt and makes for the most pleasurable hand quilting I know.

Seven Sisters – love this design – next quilting project.

Thank you for visiting, hope you enjoy the quilts and their stories.
Bye for now, Janette

Sewing

03 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by mcinnesjanette in appliqué, old fabrics, old sewing books, vintage quilts

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Beautiful Illustration

This beautiful illustration is from a book published in 1973 by Octopus Books called Sewing by Honor Gillot. Old sewing books are a great source of information. They also provide a nostalgic look back on the styles and techniques of the era they were published in.

The Big Book of Needlecraft

This wonderful book which unfortunately doesn’t include the date it was published, but does state that it was printed in London. It contains a wealth of information including simple dressmaking, embroidery, rug making, weaving, quilting and appliqué. The chapter on darning and patching is extremely informative with simple illustrations. I will be trying out the recommended method of patching on an old quilt that I have in my collection that requires a little bit of TLC.

Pre-loved appliqué quilt

The workmanship on this quilt is exquisite and with a patch here and there and a new binding I think it will come up a treat. I will let you know of my progress. Happy Sewing, Janette

	mcinnesjanette on Marjie”s Star Quilt
	Lowana Radel on Marjie”s Star Quilt
	Jill on My Wagga Quilt
	mcinnesjanette on My Wagga Quilt
	Sherry on My Wagga Quilt

The Plain Needlewoman

~ Quilt Study, Sewing, Vintage Textiles, Collecting quilts and other old odds and ends.

Category Archives: old fabrics

Perfect Piecing

Strippy Quilts – A Study in Frugality

Spiders and their Webs

Fabrics and Styles in Double Wedding Ring Quilts.

The Stars Are Shining Bright

All Things Thirties

Fabric Study in Old Quilts

A Rescue Mission

Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron

Sewing