While not a work-in-progress in the traditional sewing sense, a history lesson is in order for me this week. I had it in my mind to share a family heirloom with you this week. Earlier this week I lovingly took this quilt out and labored to make her comfortable while I made her picture. This morning I sat down to tell her story and I discovered I didn’t know much. After sleuthing around on the internet, it turns out there’s much to learn about antique quilts.
So, it’s back to searching for me, but I leave you with a sneak peak.
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She’s gorgeous!
And well worn.
How about you? Do you have any family heirloom quilts? Please do tell, I’d love to hear!
My grandmother has passed on a few antique family quilts to me which I really need to clean and display in some way, but they're huge! There's one crazy quilt made of old dresses that includes satin, taffeta, and velvet pieces, and there's also a gorgeous redwork quilt. I need to get them out again soon!
Oddly enough, my mother-in-law recently gave me a stack of sunbonnet sues… And they look just like that little snippet you posted!! They're from my husband's great grandmother Sue. Must've been quite the trend to use those pastels and black embroidery thread!
I just took a quilt of mine in to have it documented. Thought it might be from the 1930's and I was so so wrong. It's from the time period of 1860 to 1890! It's the Carolina Tulip pattern and is so lovely. We think my Great Grandmother did it or maybe even her mother!
My grandmother has a few of her mother's quilts, and every time I've snuggled up under one of them, I've felt secure and warm and wrapped in family. When I went to buy materials for my first quilt, I was confused and highly disappointed to find that quilt batting is so lightweight–it turns out that Momo, who lived her whole life in rural Mississippi and picked cotton for many years, used actual cotton bolls for batting. She'd remove the seed and stretch them out. That's what made her quilts so heavy, and that was my main reference for many years. 🙂