1840 to 1940
Five Quilts Than Span a Century
Lapis Style printing, developed in the early 1800s, is recognizable by dye processes that involved indigo and madder which resulted in bright prints like those seen in the Pinwheel quilt above. Lapis style was widely popular for dresses and garments. When a cloth is popular for garments it is subsequently popular in quilts!
This green and white pinwheel quilt boasts several different lapis style prints which make up the blocks, measuring six by six inches each. The setting blocks are white cotton and beautifully quilted with feathered wreaths. This style of meticulous, ornate quilting in the blank areas of the quilt was a popular feature in early to mid-19th century quilts. The entire quilt is framed in a brilliant green floral border.
This stunning, rare piece is just one of five individual patchwork quilts that I’ve gathered for the website this week and I thought it would be fun to take a brief look at each one since they span more than a century of quilt making in age. We will start with this green pinwheel, circa 1840, and work upwards through the 19th to 20th century, ending around 1940 with a wonderful Rose Basket quilt.
Lady of The Lake Quilt c1880 - 1890
A perfect, late 19th century, hand pieced quilt in a bright wine red with half triangles of mixed prints; shirtings, scraps of cretonne, micro-ginghams, etc. The backing is a beautiful allover floral. The binding is a wraparound from front to back. It is hand quilted in an outline with scallops quilted into the border.
Condition: Mint condition
Weight: Summer weight, very low loft
Measures 78 x 83 inches
Crazy Quilt c1920
Hand Stitched, hand quilted in a utility arc, this use quilt has been well loved and repaired over time. It has a dark blue gingham backing and the edges are treated with a wraparound binding from back to front - hand stitched. While crazy quilts were most popular during the Victorian Era, the improvisational style continued into the early 20th century, but instead of seeing silks and velvets like the late 19th century crazy quilts, their younger cousins tend to utilize scraps like indigo, chambray, plaids and ginghams, etc.
Condition: Patched/mended in several places. Some thinning and fading to a particular blue stripe used in several places throughout the quilt. This quilt was machine washed and the batting has shifted inside, not visible to the eye but can be felt with the hands.
Weight: Medium, a little fluff
Measures 65 x 67 inches
1930 - 1940!
Hexagon Quilt c1930
A charming hand stitched and hand quilted piece from the 1930s-40s. Constructed with tons of singular scraps in multicolor and prints. One single hexagon at the center is quilted with a flower in its center. The rest of the quilt is quilted in a large-scale crosshatch. It has a green applied binding, stitched by hand. The backing is a sweet, yellow, allover floral in great condition.
This is a very classic example of a late 1930 to early 1940’s quilt with its cheerful prints and scrappy nature. For sure there are printed feed sacks, so common for this era, among other dress prints, shirt fabrics and other printed cottons.
Condition: Good. Only one hexagon (black) has thinned out revealing some batting. Otherwise, strong, soft, and usable. A charmer!
Weight: Medium
Measures 59 x 79 inches
Rose Basket Quilt c1940
Baskets filled with blooms and a striking, unusual Flying Geese Border make this mid- 20th century quilt sing. Hand pieced with hand applique and hand quilting; it has an applied binding and one mended corner.
While the baskets and flowers are very reminiscent of the 1930s and 40s, the addition of the flying Geese border feels like a nod to earlier styles. It works so well as a border, in part because its angular design echoes that of the baskets, yet it also offers a nice contrast to the curvature of the flowers. sometimes, opposites attract
Condition: Great. One corner mended under (upper right corner) to fix a tear. Bottom right has some surface wear to the roses as shown. Beautifully bright.
Weight: Medium to light
Measures 62 x 81 inches
Scrolling down through the five quilts gives a good nod to the way quilt styles have changed over this particular one-hundred-year span in America. Each of these quilts has characteristics typically of the time period in which they were made, from the patchwork styles to the colors and prints they give us a good sense of style and change.
I hope you’ve enjoyed them as much as I have.
Sarah