Something New Yet Old

Over the weekend I should have stayed focused.

Stuck with the projects I already had started.

But instead, I splurged just a bit

and added a new (old) quilt to my collection.

It's not in perfect shape.

A little wear around the outside border and on the binding.

But the color shouts out.

It's so vibrant..

The orange is just so happy.

Take a closer look at the blocks.

The quilter must have been happy because of the delightful color she was

working with, but

 didn't really care

how the blocks were put together.

I counted 5 different ways the blocks were pieced.

Maybe she just thought, "oh, well"!

Maybe it was one of those group projects and not everyone got the message.

I'm sure that #1 block was the original intent.

The piecing is nicely done with all the points in the right places.

The quilt was machine pieced and hand quilted.

The quilting was her forte.

The stitches are small and even

and the design is fairly elaborate with a feathered wreath in the open area

with

double lined quilting going over the pieced blocks.

It's difficult to date a two color quilt.

But based on a few other clues I'm thinking it was made during

the last quarter of the 19th century or early 20th.

Some general characteristics were:

Bindings were generally very thin

Simple patterns

less quilting than earlier

double lines of quilting

cheddar orange was popular

 more solids were being used at the end of the century.

Some of the orange fabric is shattering so it might have been 

made with cheaper fabric that was readily available.

Of course, it was made by 

"The Unknown Quilter"

We'll never know who made this, when or where.

But I will enjoy it here and now.

Until Next Time-Kyle