Hearing voices from the past, part I

It's always inspiring to me to see quilts from quilters whose needles were flying many years before I was alive..... quilting is, after all, many things. It's an art form, and it's a community, too.

Recently I had the opportunity to "listen" to these quilters by visiting an exhibit at a South Carolina museum hosting some lovely examples surviving since the 18th and 19th centuries.

I wanted to share my good fortune with you.

Right as you entered the room, this show-stopper greeted you....I spent a while drooling here. (Grin) I do need to apologize for some of the photos -- flash was not allowed, so I spent some time fiddling with making available light pictures, too. Some of them turned out well, and some were deleted!
That treasure above was made in 1852!

Here's another beauty, in what we call "Low volume" today:

I've seen it called many names, sometimes "Tulip," and this one was crafted in 1885.

I loved this pair -- same pattern, different colorway -- the red and white was made in the late 1800's while the blue and white was stitched in about 1900. Love that Hearts and Gizzards pattern....anybody had a good dinner of gizzards lately? LOL

By the way, all of these can be embiggened so that you can check out the details....

Here is a stunning pair in thirties fabrics..... (look at all those yo-yos!).

The vibrant colors of this Drunkards' Path quilt make it hard to believe that it was made before 1900!

Here's another curved piecing treasure....this one was made by a Massachusetts stitcher and maybe traveled with her to the South.  Robbing Peter to Pay Paul, I believe, and the card said approximately 1820!

This has a Christmas vibe, from the colors.....sometimes called Caesar's Crown, and other folks call it Full Blown Tulip. Made in 1850 or so.

The one folded on the chair is sometimes called Turkey Tracks, but also known as Wandering Foot! It has been narrowed down to a possible date of 1880.

Think of all the wonderful and handy tools that we use to create our quilts..... now look at the few tools these stitchers used:

Makes it all the more inspiring to see their craftsmanship!

I have a few more photos that I will share next time - hope you enjoyed the first of the show!

Love,