I went antique shopping last weekend in Benton, Illinois, and came home with a treasure. I found this quilt for $70. It is perfect except for two small stained spots—there are no holes, rips, or frayed fabrics. The blocks are unusual because the pieces are dimensional—slightly puffy—and all the blocks match exactly, and the fabrics are the same quality. It seems as though the fabrics were purchased at the same time with the intent of making this quilt. It is all hand quilted (although the quilting stitches are not especially fine) and the edge is finished in a double line of black perle cotton topstitching, which matches the stitches on the flower centers. The back is an off-white muslin of a coarser quality than the fabrics in the top and is folded over to the front for the binding.
I estimate the date to be 1920 to 1950, probably 1930s. I hesitate to wash it because there are still some pencil marks visible, but I also hate to bring anything into my house that is NOT washed. (Dust mites? Bed bugs? Years of dirt? Yuck ….) I am pretty confident I can hand wash it in the bathtub to get out the dust, at least. I am going to a quilt show in Springfield, Missouri, tomorrow, and I think I’ll put the quilt in the car. There is supposed to be a quilt appraiser there, and if she has a time slot available, I’ll have her appraise it and get her advice.
Beautiful! The antiquing in Benton is amazing! I am eager to make another trip in that direction.
ReplyDeleteI had the quilt appraised today. The appraiser gave it a circa 1940s date, about what I thought. She said it is in the "almost folk art" category. I guess that means the maker was trying to make a bed quilt, but it ended up being kind of quirky and off-kilter, and her skills were not quite up to the task. However, it is so graphic and unusual that it is very artistic. A $500 appraisal, so I did well.
ReplyDeleteYou have a good eye for value. And art, folk or otherwise. It would be interesting to write a fiction piece about the maker -- how she gradually realized it was too advanced a project for herself but she persevered anyway and saw it to the end. Reminds me of The Blood of Flowers -- those early scenes when the unnamed protagonist is just learning to weave carpets. Wow, now that I think of it, that quilt is a damned good writing prompt.
ReplyDeleteI could imagine all kinds of scenarios--she made the quilt for someone who never came home...
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