Lessons from an Old Bright Bowtie Quilt
Look at this amazing quilt! In this post, we’ll explore the quilt's design, discuss its vintage fabric choices, and examine how quilters of the past used clever piecing techniques to create this intricate optical illusion. Whether you’re a quilting enthusiast or a history lover, this quilt is sure to inspire!
Lessons from an Old Kitchen Sink Quilt
I bought this old quilt top at an auction for $20.00. It is affectionally known as The Kitchen Sink quilt because it has every color in it. Because of that, it also breaks some of the so-called quilting rules.
Come with me as we explore this amazing Kitchen Sink antique quilt top!
Lessons from an Old Northern Lights Quilt
I would love to know more about this one! Here’s what I can figure out: This old quilt has been well-loved. Or maybe it wasn’t loved at all and just set aside? Either way, it deserves a better life than what it has had in the last few years. Who is going to save it? Me, of course!
The block used in this old quilt is called Northern Lights. While researching this block, I couldn’t find much information about it. I did, however, find many examples of this quilt block in much older antique quilts.
Lessons from an Old Grandmother’s Flower Garden Quilt
This gorgeous quilt design is called Grandmother’s Flower Garden. Usually when we see these patterns, we immediately think of the 1930s and 1940s, but it’s history dates back earlier than that, but became very popular in the 1930s. In fact, it was so popular during this time period that in 1933, Sears catalog sold cottons in this quilt design (source: Clues in the Calico: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Antique Quilts by Barbara Brackman, p. 95.). This classic design is still popular, even today.
Lessons from an Old Fancy Dresden Plate Quilt
Again, just like most of the old quilts in my collection, this one took me on a deep dive into the history of Dresden Plate quilt blocks. Although I found a lot of great information about them, there are some conflicting details. Of course, all of that doesn’t have anything to do with this quilt. We can still enjoy its beauty without knowing its history. Either way, this journey has left me curious.
One of the most interesting yet conflicting pieces of information I am finding is about the actual inspiration of the Dresden design. Some say the design was inspired by the marking on the bottom of the Dresden dishes, while others say it is the design on the dishes themselves. Personally, I believe it is the actual marking, but there is a lack of evidence of this because the majority of Dresden dishes did not survive WWII.
Lessons from an Old Hawaiian Quilt
I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Hawaiian quilts prior to making this video and writing this blog post. Reading about these quilts and their history has been so rewarding. All of these old quilts teach me so much, and this one is no exception. Between the stunning appliqué, the two-colors, and the delicate hand-quilting, you can’t help but be inspired by this quilt.