I made a few more Scrappy Trip Around the World blocks . . .
Here are a few more of block of the month blocks for my Civil War Quilt
And I completely forgot about THIS! I found an old ratty and stained one-patch quilt made with polyester fabrics that wasn't worth saving; but look what was on the back! I cut off all the old ties and freed it from the polyester and ripped batting and as you can see, this piece still has some pretty bad blue stains as well, but isn't this a fun cotton print? These flowers are LARGE. So fun. Knowing what I know about the quilt's origin, this fabric is from somewhere between the 30's and 50's.
And last but not least I have developed a keen interest in learning about vintage fabrics and learning how to be able to date quilts. That stuff fascinates me. First step, read everything I can get my hands on that talk about antique quilts and fabrics. Here are my first two purchases and I'm having a lot of fun reading them. The Bibliography in the first one has a great list of books to put on my bucket list.
Now don't laugh because I am learning things that many of you have probably known for years but one of the first things I learned from Julie Stocker at Pink Doxies is that in the 1950's fabric widths changed from being sold in 36 inch widths to the widths we are seeing today. I did not know that! I have found a kindred spirit fabric nerd in Julie and I know she is going to be a wonderful source of encouragement and knowledge!
OK, here is another obvious question that is probably fairly common knowledge but I do not know. When did they start printing designer and maker information on the selvages? I would love to know the answer to that and any other fabric dating tidbits you care to share with me in the comments. I'll bet I'm not the only one interested in this stuff, so feel free to write an essay there if you wish!
Linking to:
Lovely oranges going on there;))) The Courtyard tile is just so pretty...hugs, Julierose
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I love everything you make! That first quilt is so very pretty, and of course I love all the fabrics. Sorry to be so gushing - lol! I have that book on fabrics from 1800-1960 but haven't found an affordable copy of the second one. I hadn't thought to look at the resources, duh! I have my Granny's quilts and also purchased a vintage quilt a couple years ago and got interested in vintage quilt repair. I hope to pursue that more this year, if I can ever stop digging in my scrap bin for the RSC!
ReplyDeleteJulie is definitely your go-to girl for learning about dating fabrics and their history! A good long scroll through her archived posts should be a big reveal! Loving your orange quilt, and that backing you discovered is to die for!
ReplyDeleteI love your orange courtyard tiles!!!
ReplyDeletethe oranges look great in your quilt
ReplyDeleteJanice, I love all your orange fabrics and Kelly's pattern is just perfect to show off those lovelies.
ReplyDeleteNow, because I am a horrible horrible person, my eye is drawn towards the error. It is the orange/white polka dot block. You may want to correct the pieced strip's orientation on the right side of the main square.
Love the Courtyard Tiles top!!!! I did spot the mistake (only because you told me there was one!) and it looks like hopefully and easy fix. Fun pattern!
ReplyDeleteOh my, you do make lovely blocks!
ReplyDeleteYou have wonderful orange fabrics! So fun when a quilt project takes over the plans!
ReplyDeleteYou've been having a lot of fabric fun lately! The Courtyard Tiles quilt is going to be wonderful because of all those different oranges you've included in it. I confess to knowing nothing about fabric history, but I'll enjoy learning from you!
ReplyDeleteOk, I admit I did not see the error and had to read the comments to find it! Great quilt. So many fun quilt blocks you have been playing with. Lovely to see. I'm a novice at fabric history... it was neat to learn they change the length in the 50's.
ReplyDeleteYou've had a great month with all your orange sewing, well done. I rather like the tiles quilt top you have made, and only saw the mistake once I read about it and went looking. Lucky you can turn that piece around before you assemble the quilt.
ReplyDeleteHI - I agree - it is really fun to sleuth around and figure out the ages of fabric - one thing to note though - I worked in my father's fabric shop throughout the 1970's and we had bolts of 36" wide fabric. There were not very many - most had moved on to the 42-44" width but there were some. So, if you get confused and see fabrics that look like the 60's or 70's - but are 36" wide, they might still be from that era. Just FYI. :-)
ReplyDeleteHard to pick a favorite from this photo! The courtyard tiles look lovely and yes i see the mistake. It will take less time to correct than you think. I love the star block with the thrifted shirt fabric.
ReplyDeleteWhat an AWESOME selection of ORANGE blocks, Janice!!
ReplyDeleteYou really went to town with orange and I'm loving it! Such gorgeous photos. I did not know that fabric used to come 36" WOF! Thanks for the education!
ReplyDeleteSo cool that you got carried away with orange! its a great quilt!! Thanks for linking up at Finished (or not) Friday too!! We are glad to see your awesome finishes!!
ReplyDeleteI remember buying a beautiful large floral that was only 32" wide. I was surprised by how narrow it was but bought extra so that I could make a blouse and NOT have the large floral right on top of my breasts! I LOVED that blouse!
ReplyDeleteLove history too! Hoping you'll share the fabric history you uncover. Thanks for linking up to Wednesday Wait Loss.
ReplyDeleteI do not like orange...but I like your orange Courtyard tiles...even the houndstooth block...lol....Hope you have a little extra fabric to cut another right side. Love your blog...just found it. Having a hoot going through the archives. Blessings from southeastern WV.
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