I recently sorted through my collection of vintage/antique blocks to determine which blocks I would like to use for my next project. One block in particular "spoke to me".
I do not recall where this block came from...purchased or given to me??? From the bits of thread still along the outer edges of the block, it appears that it had once been part of a larger quilt top.
I like to really study my vintage blocks before I use them to see how they were made and make sure that they are still in good shape. This block was neatly hand-pieced, using very tiny, even running stitches. The seam allowances are ~1/8" wide. The overall block is a little bit wonky, due to the bias edges on the small checked triangles, but still very workable. The most interesting thing about the way this block was put together is that each red unit is one piece, not two diamonds pieced together!!!
Searching through my various books of quilt block designs, I could not come up with an exact name for this block. The 4 corner sections remind me of flowers found in basket blocks...lilies or tulips? The closest I could come was Sage Bud or a Turkey Tracks Variation (although the center square was much larger in that design.) I like the way that the Shoo Fly design stands out in the center of this block!
I can usually tell the age of a block by the colors and fabrics used in it. This one has me a bit stumped, however. The check fabric is printed, not woven. The bright yellowish solid fabric is the cheddar or chrome orange color typically found in quilts of the 1800s. The red fabric is a thin woven, and (thankfully) the color does not bleed when wet or pressed with a hot iron.
The solid tan fabric is interesting. Because this is a variation of a flower block, did the tan fabric start out as green with the color fading over time? According to Barbara Brackman in Clues in the Calico, p.61: "Synthetic greens appeared around 1875. The synthetics were often fugitive; like most synthetics, they did not fade true but took on a distinctly brownish cast when exposed to light and washing...Clues to the original shade lie in the...fabric visible inside seams ...where light has not done as much damage." I have looked closely at the insides of the seams...I see no indication of another color, only tan.
"Some believe the red, white and tan* quilt to be a distinct end-of-the-century fashion, but an intentional red, white and tan quilt is likely to be rarer than those that have faded...Occasionally I do see a red, white and tan quilt that was intentionally designed in the color scheme, but most are copies of older quilts, with the copier unaware that the tan in the model was once green."
With that information, I am guessing that this block was made circa 1900. Because it doesn't really fit with other antique blocks that I have, this block will be the focus of a medallion wall quilt. Fabrics have been chosen...now to plan the various borders.
Stay tuned...one of my upcoming blogs will be a show and tell of the quilt tops I've started over the past few months--finished!
*Floral applique quilts are the ones to which she is most referring here...
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