Posted 14 years ago
M2xmommaCh…
(1 item)
I was given this quilt by my mother in law. She and her husband have been collecting things since the early 70's. They went to a lot of auctions and this quilt is something they picked up. As far as I can tell ( I am in no way an expert) the quilt is handmade. I took a magnifying glass and looked at the stitching. The stitch lengths are not all evenly spaced and there is some over stitching on it. The quilt has all of these little bear characters on it. I was just hoping somebody would know how to find out or when this quilt was made. Thank you! If anyone does know please email me at c.sullivan85@yahoo.com.
Looking at the style of the characters, my personal guess would be 1920s or 30s. The only thing that throws me is that the borders are so colorful, but maybe the quilt is just in really good shape!
I agree that the graphics looks 30's to me, (maybe 40's,) but I believe the sashing is of a later date. Maybe someone had the blocks stored for a long time and then pulled them out and put them together for the birth of a grandchild. Sashing looks 60's to me.
Thank you so much for the helpful comments. The edges are frayed, but the fabric is of quality material. Could any one possibly tell me about what region this would have been made?
I just came from the New England Quilt Museum, and came across some interesting info. Apparently "storybook" panels and fabric were sold through newspaper ads nationwide during the 30's and 40's. The Kansas City Star newspaper was famous for having quilt offerings and patterns, but other newspapers offered ads for them as well. If I were to guess, I would certainly say the mid-west would be the best bet, since quilting was more popular during that time period than the east, but it could be from almost anywhere. I agree with the previous poster, it's very possible that the panels themselves were around for quite awhile, and were finally put together at a later date. The sashing colors are very close to the panels, so they may even have been sold together. Maybe the panels came from another quilt and were washed more than the sashing? Quilts are such interesting history! I'm not sure I can find much more exact information. It might be time to contact someone who specializes in vintage textiles.
Love your pics on your quilt! Not an expert either, but have made a few. My Mom always was working on a quilt or two at a time. The question I have is about the bear blocks. Are they painted, embroidered, or applique? The pics look real familiar. Wasn't it Aunt Emma that had embroidery iron-ons? Name doesn't sound right, but close. Everyone was always picking up these packages of iron-ons for t-towels, pillowcases, etc. Real popular.