Antique and vintage quilt parade (2)

As we looked at and gently handled all of these dozen or so quilts, we wondered what their makers would have though about other generations of quilters still appreciating their work, as thing of great beauty, after so many years.

The first of Lynette's collection - a beautifully buttery soft nine
patch made in Texas, that Lynette bought from Sydney dealer
Jenny Burton. Hand quilted, made for practicality, every now
and again an 'odd' piece is used to make up a block, when the
quilter has run out of 'right' fabric - it is utterly charming.

Helen's family brought two Durham quilts for daily use from
working class northern England in the 1920s, and referred
to them as 'those Pommy things'. Helen and her sister have one
each. Both the pink and yellow cottons are faded, and it is worn
from frequent use. Two sides were extended with pink panels
added by machine by Helen's dressmaker grandmother.

Val told us that the quilting design was probably drawn on the
fabric by a travelling 'marker', in blue pencil, from a stock of
patterns. Many markers were men. The hand quilting stitches
are deeply embedded in the quilt sandwich. You can see more
of the original colours in the depths of the stitches.

Helen bought her crazy quilt from the late Narelle Grieve.
There is no documentation. It is very worn in parts, but much
of the colour and fabric is intact

It is heavily embroidered, as is typical of the style.

Embroidery on the block pieces and seams.

Jo-Ann bought her late 19thC - early 20thC quilt in Houston in
2014. As a professional long-arm quilter, she was particularly drawn
to it  as it an early example of free-motion machine quilting.

The block appears to be a variation of the 'Wonder of the World'.
The quilt maker's choice of just two fabrics, and dark grey and
white give it a surprisingly modern look. 
From an earlier viewing, we learned that 'although there is not a 
lot of documentation, some inferences can be made about the quilter 
- it is assumed she was comparatively well off, because the quilt is 
not scrappy, being made from just two fabrics ... and it is machine 
quilted. The batting is now quite thin, and the quilt is very soft and 
drapes beautifully, probably indicating that it has been well used.'