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Friday, January 04, 2013

A Tale of Two Quilts ---

This is the made up story of a very interesting quilt that lives in one piece on Allison’s guest bed.

Ocean Waves variation --- circa????  It’s hard to tell because solids are hard to date – but we are guessing 1930’s ish?  Look at the gorgeous quilting in these triangular areas……WOW!

I saw the quilting from down the hall and moved toward the quilt just dying to see ----is it machine quilted? Is it hand quilted?

Oh, it’s hand all right….each miniscule stitch in the blue and white areas ---and in the “stitch in the ditch” between the diagonal rows of half square triangles.

Here is the whole quilt on the bed…..

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Beautiful Blue and White!

As we are standing there, Allison says something like “Do you notice anything about the hour glass triangles?”  And I look and I look and I look….and then I see it…..down the center of the quilt!  “Ooops!  have these been turned wrong?”  Wait --- they are wrong, or specifically turned all the way down the center of the quilt…do you see it? Left to right? ((there is another coverlet folded at the foot of the bed))

TX_Jan2013 146

This was TWO QUILTS!!

And now it is one quilt!  We stood there and examined and speculated and discussed.  I am short a couple of photos but here is what we decided:

This was a set of matching twin quilts.

At some point and time the side borders were removed and the quilt was stitched together as you see above…..the side borders were added to the TOP of the quilt, shown in the photo of the full quilt above ---there are two rows of pieced triangles at the top of the quilt, where there is only a single row on the sides and on the bottom. 

Look again at the full quilt…you will see the double row on top….and along the side…one row.

What’s the story, Morning Glory??  We will never know, but oh if this quilt, or pair of quilts could talk!

I thought the way the quiltmaker joined them was quite inventive…..and of course, the quilting was LOVELY!

Another question comes to mind…….was the joiner a different person, perhaps years later --- than the original maker?

Have a great day everyone!  I’m off to teach a Virginia Bound workshop and make a mess in the strings!

19 comments:

  1. So beautiful! I love blue and white quilts, and have made at least two pretty ones. http://tubakk.blogg.no/1314460534_sm_bter.html I don't know if this link works, so you can see one that I'm really proud of.

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  2. The quilt is beautiful . The blue and cream.. Awesome.. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you Sue! It is the only antique quilt I have that fits the king guest bed. When I purchased it I did not open it up all the way. So it was a fun suprise to realize two quilts had been joined to make one large quilt. Thank you for commenting.

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  3. Ulstein, Thank your for your blog link. Your blue and white quilt is so lovely. I can see why you are so proud of it. I'm partial to two color quilts and have collected four that are blue and white. Thank you for sharing!

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  4. These are the times I wish quilts could talk. Oh the stories they would tell! Such a beautiful way to adapt and preserve!!! Love it!

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  5. Oh to hand quilt so beautifully!Thanks for the share ;)

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    1. You are right Jackie . . . the hand quilting is stunning. It took my breath away when I saw it. The blue thread shows up really well in the cream white areas.

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  6. How gorgeous ! Amazing how beautiful two simple colors are and what an amazing tale of 2 quilts. Me and my girls were trying to figure out what the story could have been.

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  7. Amazing. Quilters are ingenious, are they not?

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  8. I had to look again, but I do see where the two quilts meet. Still a very beautiful piece of work or should I say, two beautiful pieces of work!!!

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  9. Beautiful quilt and story. This is a quilt story yet to see completion. I started quilting when my DD was 22. She asked for an all pink quilt. Two years later I succumbed and made a king size all pink quilt. Knowing no husband would want an all pink quilt, I bought extra material with the intention of splitting the quilt down the middle and adding borders to become two twin quilts, hopefully for girl grand babies. No grand babies yet, but then again I can always donate the quilt or quilts. I've packaged the extra material with notes, so I'll remember what it was for.

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  10. So interesting! I would never have figured that out.
    (So thanks to you, Bonnie, now I will be singing that song from "Bye, Bye, Birdie" all day! --
    "What's the story, morning glory? What's the word, hummingbird? Have you heard about Hugo and Kim?" *LOL*)

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  11. A whole other kind of mystery quilt. Thanks for sharing, Bonnie and Allison. It's beautiful, and I'd love to see that stitching in person.

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  12. Anonymous10:55 AM EST

    Beautiful! The blue and white contrast and color are so vibrant! Thank you for sharing. I love quilts and their stories as metaphors for life, in addition to their contributions as art.

    Loretta Boyer McClellan

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  13. Wow how cool is that! What a neat find.
    Have a great day.
    Always, Queenie

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  14. Wow, whoever did this is ingenious!

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  15. How beautiful Allison's quilt is! I will definitely have to add a two color quilt to my list of quilts to do. Thank you for sharing, especially the tale of two quilts!

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  16. Oh that one is on my bucket list. I actually have it mostly cut. but it wasn't going together well at all. So it is on the shelf. Now I have other ways to make all thosse little triangles and may attempt it some day.

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  17. So lucky is Allison to own this beauty!

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