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1862 Crib Quilt: Questions
Small flag quiltDate inscribed 186238 1/4" by 32 1/4 "This quilt has been in my file of quilts related to the Civil War for several years. It's been handled by a few antique dealers and was auctioned...
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Stars in a Time Warp 15: Woven Plaids
Star of woven plaids and stripes by Becky BrownVintage block, perhaps 1850-1880It's is hard to believe the woven green plaid is that oldbut it is.Here's a swatch from an 1851 British journal with...
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1862 Crib Quilt: Could it actually be 1862?
Last week I posted on my skepticism about the date inscribed on this crib quilt.Could it be that a flag dated 1862 was used in a quilt made in the 1870s? Or that the date 1862 commemorated an event...
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Stars in a Time Warp 16: Paisleys
Reproduction block with a paisley star by Becky BrownTintype of a woman in a cashmere shawl, about 1860What we call paisleys derive from woven cashmere shawls, which originated in India’s Kashmir...
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1862 Crib Quilt: D'OH!
Quilt dated 186232-1/4" x 38-1/4" I have been rattling on about this scrappy triangle quilt dated 1862, my main point being if it is indeed dated 1862 it's the earliest dated example of the charm-style...
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Stars in a Time Warp 17: Conversation Prints
Cynthia used a conversation print with her chrome orangereproduction in February.Vintage quilt about 1870-1890The blue shirting pictures a small jingle bell.We always enjoy coming upon a conversation...
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Varina Davis's Butterfly Quilt
Butterfly symbolizing the "soul of the Confederacy beautiful and immortal."Embroidered silk quilt by Varina Howell Davisabout 1865-1880.Collection of the Museum of the Confederacy.This quilt of nine...
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Stars in a Time Warp 18: California Gold
Reproduction block by Becky Brown,a California style print in the center. Vintage block about 1900The smallest stripe is California or California gold, a fabric style popular with quiltersfrom about...
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Varina Davis's Butterfly Quilt Part II
Detail of Varina Davis's Butterfly quiltin the Museum of the ConfederacySee last week's post on its making:http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/2015/05/varina-daviss-butterfly-quilt.htmlVarina Howell...
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Stars in a Time Warp 19: Serpentine Stripes
Reproduction star by Becky BrownVintage block, 1820-1850Serpentine stripes, which snake along the fabric's surface, were quite popular in the first half of the 19th century. Vintage flowers set in a...
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Sewickley Valley Historical Society's GAR Quilt
Appliqued GAR badge,detail of a remarkable Pennsylvania Civil-War commemorative quilt.The quilt is attributed to Sarah Bright Anderson Lea (About 1833-1918.) Collection: Sewickley Valley Historical...
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Stars in a Time Warp 20: Excentric Prints
Reproduction star by Becky Brown.The star is a version of an eccentric or excentric print. Either spelling is correct. Americans spell it with two C's today. You'll see below excentric as an...
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Confederate Album in Homefront & Battlefield
Confederate flag block in the center of an album samplermade for Atwood Cluverius Walker,date inscribed 1863Also inscribed over the flag and the yellow flower:"Be faithful to your flag and when the...
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Stars in a Time Warp 21: Neat Stripes
Reproduction star by Becky Brown with three neat stripe printsVintage star about 1875---three stripesStripes for figure and background, about 1880.Subtle stripes make great period backgrounds for your...
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Quilt Recalling the Benton Barracks Hospital in St. Louis
Descendants of Caroline Boston sent me pictures of this autograph quilt.It's covered with names of veterans and their Civil War units but no date.In the center square is their great-great grandmother's...
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Stars in a Time Warp 13: Printed Plaids
Printed plaid reproduction block by Becky BrownPrinted plaid repro star on a woven gingham plaidby Bettina HavigVintage top from 1840-1860We don't often notice printed plaids because they are usually...
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Stars in a Time Warp 22: White Ground Chintzes
Reproduction star by Bettina HavigReproduction star by Becky BrownWe're going back in time to the earliest American patchwork, so we will be spending the summer months discussing fabrics found in...
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Library of Congress Acquires CW Photo Collection: Good News & Bad
Enslaved women about 1861, detail.Photo from the Robin Stanford collection, Library of CongressThe Library of Congress has recently acquired a collection of Civil War photos from collector Robin G....
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James and Caroline Boston's Civil War
Caroline H. Gerlach Boston (1833 -1922)Last week I did a post on this Memorial quilt, which has been passedfrom mother to daughter over five generations of Caroline Boston's family.Caroline was born in...
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Stars in a Time Warp 23: Blotch-Ground Chintzes
Reproduction block by Becky Brown,a white chintz contrasting with a blotch-ground chintz for the background.Notice the white lines around the florals in the background.These signs of poor print...
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