Kampsville Quilts

What does this:

(photo IL State Museum)

have to do with this?


Answer:  Kampsville, Illinois.

Cozy Wool

Here's a friendly, cozy wool 6-pointed star quilt.  It was made by the owner's grandmother and holds lots of family loving.

The quilt was recently washed - in the washing machine.  This is not a good idea with a wool quilt!  Washing wool in warm soapy water is the way to make felt, after all.  The quilt came through the process in surprisingly good shape.  The forest green diamonds bled onto the backing, but politely didn't bleed onto the top.  Several seams pulled open, and many ties pulled through the top.

Amazing Stars, part 2

My previous post showed the repair work I did on a c. 1870 6-pointed star quilt.  In this post, I will share photos of this wonderful collection of vintage fabrics.

I think it's easy to assume that everything in the olden days was drab and pale, mostly brown, and nearly always calico.  At least that's the traditional way to costume TV dramas about the 1800s!  But this quilt lays all that to rest.  When you're looking at these photos, take note of the range of colors and the variety of prints.  Enjoy!

Amazing Stars, part 1

This quilt just begged to be recorded for posterity.  It's not an uncommon pattern, a basic 6-pointed star.  It's a very nice rendition, stars surrounded by lighter colored baby blocks shapes.  But as you will see, its real claim to fame is its fine condition and its fine collection of 19th century fabrics.

The quilt dates to c. 1870.  "Circa" is usually interpreted at occurring somewhere in the 10 years before or the 10 years after the date.  I think many of these fabrics are 1860s and 70s, maybe a few into the very, very early 1880s.