Quilts, Wildflowers and Majestic Views

We took a little drive last weekend.

When we set out, we were fairly certain there would be quilts and antiques involved.  What else are weekends for?
The lawn mowing could wait.

After all, the wildflowers are at their peak.

The views are majestic

Mountain Top Quilts - Closed Weekends

Leadville Colorado is the highest incorporated city (10,430 feet elevation) in North America.

 It is a town rich in history as the frontier west's wildest, rich mining town - a Boom Town in every sense.

Leadville is a National Historic District.  We used the walking tour map to see some of the 50 significant 1870 Victorian buildings.

The town is filled with little cottages, restaurants and shops - of course quilt shops and antiques were our first stops.

Back of the shop looking to the front

This is one of the original hardware stores, 'The Western Hardware Antiques and Variety'.  You can see their photo gallery HERE.

We spent a couple hours here!

There are two stories and about 10,000 square feet in the building.

The original front doors are 10 feet tall.

Most of the fixtures on the lower level are original - massive walnut and cherry counters topped with display cases filled with treasures.

if it looks like the stairs tilt, they do!

The stairway leading to the second level is lined with the original wallpaper.

Should you need to pause on the way up, old prints and photos line the way.

The upstairs is filled with rooms of antiques.
The rooms used to house doctors, lawyers and dentists.  The original marble directory is still there.

You can read more about the building HERE.

There were lots of quilts and quilt tops.

I didn't see any quilt blocks.

This is the inside of a large cabinet of textiles.

This printed patchwork, or cheater cloth, was the back of a very, very worn pieced quilt.  There was so much fabric loss on the front, I could barely make out the pattern.

This is a more recently altered old quilt.

Note the 1980's lighter blue fabric in the binding and along the right hand side of the quilt.  I think it could be more accurately 'updated' today - but, I wasn't looking for a new project.

The original portions of the Drunkards Path quilt were hand pieced and hand quilted.

This charm quilt in kite shapes was also more recently finished with poly batting.

It was draped over the open door of the textile cupboard.

Hand quilted, I could picture it in one of the many mountain cottages in the area.

I am sure it will find a new home very soon.

I was very tempted by these sweet little children's furniture pieces.

They were about 36" tall.

I can just imagine doll quilts and clothes filling the shelves and drawers.

They weren't a pair, and are not being sold as such, but they do seem like a fun pair.

I did bring home a couple quilt tops.

This one is all hand pieced and includes a wonderful assortment of vibrant circa 1870 prints.

At least three different double pinks.

Lots of stripes in this top.

A nice example for fabric study.  I have no plans to 'finish' it.

This top is also includes a nice assortment of fabrics.

Whoever the maker, I think she was brilliant to
place the floral block in the center of the top.

It is all hand pieced - a little more wear than the pink top shown above, but nice in its own way.

Here are some of the fun prints.

I love the over print on the blue ground.

Stripes, dots, plaids - so much wonderful detail.

In the very lower right corner - note the piecing within the small triangle.











A nice 'Caifornia Gold' or chrome orange print.

This print is shown in Trestain - Dating Fabrics pg 117.  Still in print HERE.

The combination of the copper-toned madders and the chrome orange is wonderful.

This one also has a great lace print.
Looks like they were trying to get a Battenburg tape lace look.

There are a few pieces of 'that' green - minty, light ground green...wonderful fabric study.

All too soon it was time to head home.

Every where we looked there were reasons to come back!  I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Have a great week,
Dawn

PS
The Catherine's Garden Month Eight was posted last week HERE.

Solving A Mystery

It is always fun to solve a mystery with friends.  The antique Noah and Matilda Quilt has two inked blocks that were puzzles.

The first block was Noah and Matilda's, it was more straight forward to figure out.  The mystery there was the city (Lawrenceburg) and the significance of the date.

Maybe, it's all pulled together now - and raised other questions.

The answer might be Noah and Matilda traveled back east from Illinois to Indiana to visit their daughter.

In the inked letters of the second block, we were speculating if the first letter was an M or W.
First thought was maybe M was for Matilda and S was her maiden name - that didn't fit with wedding dates.
If it was WS, or MS no family members could be found.

Doreen (Aunt Reen) made a fabulous proposal.  A big thank you to super sleuth Deb in Florida too.  

What if it is M for Millie, and Mille is Amelia's nick name?
Amelia is Matilda's daughter who married Christian Spiegel in 1845.  They married in Illinois, but the 1850 census shows them living in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.  Matilda's inked block says she visited Lawrenceburg in 1851.
Lawrenceburg is near the point where Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana meet.  Matilda was born and married in Kentucky so perhaps her visit included other friends and family.  Was the quilt a gift?

I also discovered I didn't show my finished Noah and Matilda top on my blog.
I think it is interesting Matilda's daughter had her hand in making Matilda's quilt (we don't know how), and my daughter drafted the patterns from the antique.  Now I know how I will ink my two blocks!  Of course with my daughter's initials in Amelia's block.
The patterns are still available HERE.



What do you think?
How long did Matilda visit on her trip east?  Long enough to make a quilt?
Did they make it together?
Did Amelia make it after moving to Indiana and present it to her mother when she visited?
Is it Amelia's quilt and she commemorated the visit of her parents on HER quilt?
It would make a great story!

Have a good week,
Dawn

The Audition is Over

A couple weeks ago I told friends I would have the borders on a quilt - then didn't post about it.  The top had me stuck for a year deciding on borders.

I LOVE Dutch fabrics.  Maybe LOVE isn't even a strong enough description...Obsessed?

When I bought "A History of Dutch Quilts" by An Moonen I savored every page - so of course when she and Petra Prins published "Promenade in a Dutch Garden" I was all in.  Their deep, rich textile heritage is evident!

I've been working my way through the books making several of the quilts.  I have more on the bucket list and stacks of Dutch fabrics to pull from.

This is my top with the borders I finally decided on.

I decided the larger scale light chintz is what I liked best.

I chose a light cream solid back that looks like linen.

The batting is a first for me, "Quilters Dream Angel"
Request:  Thinnest loft preferred by hand quilters

I won't get to it until I have Harrison Rose quilted.
The top is layered and ready when I am.








This quilt has wonderful details.


A mix of blocks.

The wonderful center star.

I chose fabrics to match the antique shown on the cover of An's book.





You can see more of my finished Dutch inspired quilts HERE.

You can find wonderful Dutch fabrics HERE.  Including the harder to find Dutch Heritage STRIPES.

Have a great week!
Dawn

New Book In War Time: A Study of Civil War Era Quilts 1850-1865

Book - Front Cover 

If you love antique quilts, there is a new book you will want in your library.

In War Time:  A Study of Civil War Quilts 1850-1865
By the American Quilt Study Group

The book contains 50 quilts from the study, 25 of which are traveling the country for four years.  The traveling quilts are currently at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell.

Copies are available at most exhibit venues and on Amazon HERE.  The book was published by AQSG and all proceeds benefit the organization.  The study involved no 'prizes' - everything for the project is donated and benefits AQSG.

My quilt in the book

I was fortunate to be able to see all 50 quilts in the opening exhibition last year in Milwaukee.  I've written about my entry before.  To see those posts, click HERE.
I am hoping that any of you who visit the exhibit in Lowell will email me photos for my scrap book.

The book is filled with 100's of color photos and history.

Each entrant is required to have written permission from the owner of the antique quilt.  There are also size constraints and selection criteria for consideration.

You can read the new entry requirements for 2016 HERE.

It is my pleasure to know so many of the study quilt makers personally and share our passion for quilts and quilt history.

I hope you add a copy of the book to your quilt history library and have a chance to see the exhibit.

Have a great week,  Dawn

Happy Independence Weekend

Machine quilted - by me

In America we are celebrating Independence Day with a long holiday weekend.  Saturday is the actual DAY.

I made this quilt for the Fourth of July several years ago.  I've shared it before, I hope you don't mind.
It was a Free To Use pattern from Windham for a Mary Koval Coverlet fabric line.

Hand Applique Stars

Center - red colorway of the eagles

Backed with a coverlet reproduction fabric from the same line

Have a great weekend!
Dawn