Circa 1840's Fabrics

 We spent two days at the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah this week.  I found some fabric treasures at the Jean S. Lyle Booth .  I bought some quilt pieces shown above - everything except the buff and blue piece with the large tan flower in it.  They had rescued the pieces from a quilt that had vast amounts of disappearing fabrics.  The blue diamond shaped pieces were still attached to one another and in turn attached to the yellow diamonds.  I have spent a lot of hours taking them apart and washing the fabrics.  Pre-Civil War quilts are not necessarily sewn together with a running stitch, by the way.  (This one was back stitched and not intended to come apart.) I tried soaking the pieces  in Vintage Textile Soak, but it removed too much color in addition to the stains.  One thing I have learned about using old fabrics in miniature quilts is that the staining doesn't look nearly as bad if you are using a tiny piece.  Often, it lends a certain look to the finished quilt that I like. And, 1840's fabrics are incredibly hard to come by, in any condition or size.  The pink fabric that is barely showing in the background is actually a nice piece - about 25" square, so it is a wonderful addition to my meager stash of pre-civil war fabrics. The buff with flower is from some long panels I bought a few years ago in Nashville, TN at an antique show.  The panels were in very bad condition, but I have managed to get a lot of miniature mileage out of them. My husband swears the blue fabric could have been made in the 1930's!  He has a good eye for this kind of thing.

Other quilt show news.  I met some really wonderful people this year.  There is a group of 4 ladies who call themselves the Yo-Yo Group and you will be hearing more about them in the future.  Gerald Roy viewed my Portfolio Quilts and requested to appraise them as a collection.  That was a thrill for me.  We hope to get an appointment with him to do that.  Will keep you posted.  Till next time.....

Sheila