I was lucky enough to have a break in my schedule on Thursday ---no class was scheduled in Weatherford, just a lecture on Thursday evening.
What’s a girl to do when she has a day off?
She accepts an invite out to lunch and antique mall hopping! Whoot!
We saw some lovely utility quilts –great scraps, fabulous quilting texture.
This Apple Core quilt was made possibly in the 1940s, though there are a lot of 1930s fabrics included as well. Can you imagine? Tracing each shape, cutting each one out with scissors, piecing all those curves, placing fabrics just so…and then the quilting!
The batting was very thick – this quilt was meant to keep loved ones warm. And the quilting:
You can see the shape of each patch, echoed and echoed again!
Simple cheery nine patches on yellow!
Simple straight line quilting gets the job done and keeps family members warm through the winter!
And yes, I know it is Texas – but it does get cold there. It was all of 34 degrees and drizzling when we drove me back to the airport on Friday morning – warm quilts are needed.
This is Dianne! My shopping partner and chauffer extraordinaire!
Isn’t this a sweet nine patch in a 4 patch quilt? Look at that fan quilting! Wide green sashings with bright orange cornerstones..yowza!
Fully unfolded. No top border! Look at those fans!
Snow Balls!
Early 1900s through 1920s fabrics in this one ---this is a precision piecing project, those squares are all inset between the octagons ---simply beautiful! I see lots of masculine fabrics in this one – could the maker have been a mother of all boys? 
This is interesting! Does anyone know the pattern for this one?
1920’s - 1930s Crazy Anne!
And it makes ME crazy when shops bundle up a portion of the quilt for hanging – don’t they know we want to see the WHOLE THING!? I can just imagine how certain patterns fell out of favor around the WWII era. What was once a traditional quilt pattern became taboo as Nazism became known, and designs once known as Crazy Anne, Fly-foot and others were tucked away in cupboards.
A well loved Album quilt with HUGE blocks!
Another utility quilt style I just love…sashings do not frame the outside of the quilt, and there are no borders..it just ends where it ends…almost like the blocks are not contained and they could just all off the edge. Very simple quilting, just to get the job done. Notice the Crazy Anne behind it…very simple quilting here too..straight lines in the sashing and also in the blocks, but some blocks are quilted differently than others…look at both pictures…the one in the Album block pic here has different quilting than the photo above! I just noticed!
It’s nice to have a second pair of hands to help with photos! Usually I am trying to find a place on a floor to lay a quilt out!
Eight pointed star in 1920s fabrics ---with some earlier indigoes. The soft lavendars are so pretty from this era! And this quilter had enough of the background fabric to use it for the whole quilt.
Patterned check background with a cute star…look at the upper gingham point – frugal-piecing!
I love the floated inner border…very effective!
That lovely lavender plaid!
THIS was my favorite of all!!
1930s…scrappy hexagons separated by tiny diamonds…this was FABO!!
Such a random scrap bag, and the diamonds are VERY small. The diamond rows ar all red, but some of the prints are busy – like the row of red gingham diamonds on the far left…it almost blends in with the rest of the hexagon patchwork….what a super quilt! This one also has heavy batting and is quilted in baptist fans.
Sweet hexes on a bubble gum pink background!
This one also had a huge variety of prints from different decades – 1940s and 195’s mostly, but there are some 1930s in there. I’m just not feeling ambitious enough to adopt tops to finish right now…but this one was ready for quilting!
I LOVE Utility quilts. They were the ones meant to be used and loved until worn to shreds – and if you find them in really bad shape, you know they've done their job and are held close in someone’s memories.
To me these are much more precious than the prize winners that stayed in the cupboard, unused, or only coming out for show.
The utility quilts are full of living and loving and hopes and dreams and the memories of daily life.
There are more photos to show of “other” antique goodies, machines included – but I’m out of space in this post, and I want to get some sewing in before heading down the mountain toward home.
This is the view off the front deck this morning.
The leaves are all gone off of the hard wood trees now ---the sky a brilliant blue, but don’t let that sunshine fool you! It’s briskly cold and windy outside –but I’ll take it! At least I don’t have to shovel it 
Have a great Sunday, everyone!
27 comments:
Thanks for showing the photos of the quilts. Loved the apple core, and yes it is time-consuming. I made one as a charm quilt during snow days one winter. My mother also made one using the same fabrics I used; we both cut two pieces out of our stash and traded. Wow! What a nice way to have charm pieces. Hope your Thanksgiving is super!
wheee! I love that simple 9-patch with the great green sashing and orange posts. and of course the quilting has something to do with that!
Oh how wonderful to see these glorious quilts. I would love to be able to feel the old fabrics. My favourite is the apple core one but they are all stupendous. Thanks for sharing. Safe journey home.
In some of those heavy quilts is another quilt but very tattered! Have found this in a lot of the well used quilts. Waste not was a way of live on the farms here in rural VA.
Loved the quilt parade!
Lola
I LOVE that apple core quilt--surprised it didnt find a new home with you--I might have snatched it up for the cabin....love the view from the front deck...ENJOY
Lovely view to have a cup of coffee and plan the day! And a quilt show for the rest of us too!
Couldn't agree more about utility quilts! I was telling a friend this morning that I expect my quilts to work for a living. :) When the quilting stitches and seams begin to pop, you know a quilt has truly been loved. Did none of those beauties go home with you?
I think the one you didn't know the name of could be a unique version of a teeter tooter only done in a round. only one I can think of with that type of design
Hi Bonnie,
I believe the pattern you were wondering about is called endless chain. I have a book with the pattern by Emilie Richards. It is a leisure arts book. This pattern is the reason I bought the book.
I think the quilt you were looking for the name of the pattern is "Endless Chain", but without the circle in the middle.
All I want to make are utility quilts. I love the fact that they are useful, keep you warm, and look pretty. And nobody cares if my stitching or quilting is wonky. Yay, wonky.
Such beautiful quilts! The echo quilting is fabulous and something I want to try, when I head out of the beginner quilting stages. Thanks for sharing!
Loved seeing all these wonderful antique quilts. Thanks for showing all of them.
Thanks for the show this morning before church. I really enjoyed it!
Thanks for the eye candy! What memories those quilts must hold! Too bad they aren't on some family members beds. Drive safe going home, then going back tomorrow! Are you staying the whole week? Enjoy your visit with your dad. Take lots of pic of him. I lost mine 35 years ago and still miss him terribly. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for sharing! That first one - the apple core - would be at my house right now. I fell in love with it. I don't think I would ever make one, but if I ever see one that pretty, you can bet it will be mine!
Enjoy your Thanksgiving with your family.
that was a Dresden plate cute in octagonal and corners set in and I am working on one now. what a surprise to see one so old! yippee! happy holidays!!!
I love your postings, you surely are a busy lady. Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am working on a quilt for my niece for Chemo. You sharing as you worked through for your brother really encouraged me, that I can do it. She came a few days ago with material that she loved, and we matched some from my stash, on Tues. my sister in law will be coming to pick it up. Now that Thanksgiving is over for us, I can just sew, and I am looking forward to it. And of course as we sew, we pray for those that we love and that we are sewing for. My niece is very excited about having her own quilt, and being able to be a part of the planning of it. With all of that said, Thank you so much for your wonderful example, for your sharing and your encouraging for the rest of us! Cate
Actually the commenter who said that the "interesting" pattern was an Endless Chain was correct. The Sharlene Jorgensen Dresden template set can be used to make it. I am actually doing 2... One full size, and one in miniature. I don't know if the templates are still available, or not, but this is what they look like, and should include the instructions for the Endless Chain also. The sets I bought were purchased when she was producing her products independently, these are done "as endorsed by" for Omnigrid. hanks for the virtual antiquing!
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/sharlene-jorgenson
What a treasure trove of old quilts! Honestly now, do you call a head to say you are coming and the entire county decides to sell quilts at these malls? Never find that many in one place... Bonnie, you are the Queen of Old Quilt Hunters!
Smiles, JulieinTN
Bonnie, do you remember what antique store you were in where the Apple Core Quilts was? I know there are several just off Main Street around the courthouse square. If you recall the size and the price of that quilt, I'd love to know. My daughter lives just outside Weatherford. If you recall what shop, I might send her to go look at it for me! Thanks for sharing, they are all beautiful, and yep, utility quilt lover here!
Loved these quilts. Creating them and assembling them must have been a labor of love. Enjoy Thanksgiving
Thanks for sharing your adventures! Once again, though, I am so jealous of the cabin and view! Have a great Thanksgiving!
Love the vintage quilt show, Bonnie. Thanks! : )
Mary Mashuta has a quilt called Waggon Wheels in her book Confetti Quilts that looks very similar to your red and green find, though that one has a circle in the middle.
Loved seeing the utility quilts. No matchy-matchy fabrics which makes them even greater.
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