Here is a pic of the bow tie top that I purchased. It is hand pieced and has some feed sack fabrics in it. It has some stains in the squares that are definitely feed sacks that look to be rust.

Connie

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And here is a shot of the flower pattern top I bought. It is done in the traditional pink and green that many of the quilts of the 20's were done in. The blocks are hand pieced and the sashing is done by machine, possibly added to the blocks at a later time.

Connie

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And here is one of the other tops I purchased. I don't remember the name of this pattern though. Again the blocks are hand pieced and the sashing was added by machine.

I haven't gotten a shot of the 9 patch, snowball top yet but I will. All four of the tops were purchased from an antique store.

The quilt came from Charlotte.

Connie

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Connie, these quilts are wonderful, I love old quilts and the fabrics they are made of.
You have some great finds here.

Connie,

I am so glad these quilts went to someone who really will appreciate them. I did a bit of digging and the one you call a flower quilt is actually a 1956 pattern from the Kansas City Star. It is called Old Fashioned Star Quilt. What made me think it was later than the 20's was the pink and aqua combination. You are not old enough to remember, but that was a very popular combination for restaurants. At least, that is where I remember it from. My mother had some other equally hideous combination in our house in the fifties.

The other quilt is known by several names- The Crossroads, Dove in the Window, Duck Paddle, Fancy Flowers, Lily Corners, and Crow's Foot. They seem to be patterns from the mid- to late-30's, although the fabrics look more recent to me. Especially the blue sashing; we have a quilt from Steve's grandmother that I know was done in the 50's and the sashing is the same shade of blue. It is possible that the blocks were pieced in one decade and sewn together with the sashing in another.

The bow tie quilt has a piece of fabric in it that my mother has a scrap of. The maroon/burgendy with the viney flower in it. I called and asked her about it as I always thought it was from a dress my aunt had made for her daughter in the 40's. She said it probably was, however, she could remember a dress from one of her older sister's in the 20's that had a very similair pattern and color scheme.

Because of the war effort, fabric mamufacturer's took the easy way out and just reprinted old designs. The key here then is going to be the fabric itself. The looseness of the weave, the sheerness of the fabric will be a better clue as to the age. She also said that during the 30's, new fibers began being blended with the cotton to reduce the wrinkling. If that fabric wrinkles easily and holds the wrinkle it is more likely to be 20's or early 30's. My mother had several siblings and other family members who worked in the garment factories in Alpena. This is information she gleened from conversations with them.

Hope it is useful to you.

Connie, I will have to find it! I bought it over 15 years ago at an auction. Way before I ever dreamed I would be quilting. I had hoped to get my Grandmas to finish it up for me. And it may be the LoneStar instead of a Texas Star. I will look for it and get a picture for you.

So what did you think of my tumbling blocks quilt?

Thank you so much for this info. I am documenting everything I can find out about these tops and will keep good records so the info will be available to the owner of the quilts always.

Did you check out the AQS site?

Connie

Connie-

I am embarrassed to say that I got so caught up in the tops that I completely forgot to check out the site! Duh!?! I will go check it out in minute. Yes, the tumbling block quilt is exquisite! The quilting is so beautiful. Are the colors as soft as they appear in the photo? I imagine it looks wonderful on a bed! You are as lucky to find it as it was to be found by you! It is good to hear that you are going to document it all.

Yes, Meg the colors are soft and light. It is a beautiful quilt and I am so excited to have it.

Thanks for all the info. I will post a pic later of the other top I have.

This is so much fun!!!

Connie

Connie

Lovely quilts especially the tumbling blocks - I'm with everyone, I think you should go ahead and quilt the other tops

Milica