Look what my neighbor gave me!

He was going through some drawers and found this quilt top and wondered if I wanted it.  It is hand quilted.  Enlarge the pic and tell me if you think this is 1940s fabric.  And is the block a dresden block?

I'm so excited - don't know what I'll do with it as it is 42 blocks or around 80 x 106 total.  It's just a tad narrow for my queen size, but I don't know how I'd quilt it.  Would love to have comments on this.

12 comments:

  1. My goodness, what a wonderful gift! Quite a treasure. I'll betcha it doesn't even have a label on it, does it? Yes indeedy, that certainly *is* exciting! ~Sarah Lynn~

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful quilt. What a wonderful neighbor. The sashing looks wide. Are you going to hand or machine quilt? I would hand quilt around outside of each plate and then put really quilty design in sashing like feather. I would not machine quilt cause I don't machine quilt. Wouldn't know how. Good luck. Love Lois

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like Dresden plate to me. Can you turn it sideways and make it fit better? Looks pretty old to me too! I think hand quilting would be better too, but I also cannot machine quilt lol.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am thinking it is 1930s. But you would want to take it to someone who really knows. Here in Massachusetts we have New England Quilt Museum, and they will sit down with you for $10 or $15 and document your quilt. I don't know if they appraise it. I have always been told that if an antique top is quilted then it loses value as an antique. But it would gain value for you as a finished quilt. I have a lot of antique tops, and they are still sitting on my UFO list to be quilted. So I don't really follow that advice. But the tops I have that are antiques are really nothing special, so I don't mind altering them somewhat. If I am careful then they will be meta-antiques someday - after another 50 years go by!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It looks like 1930s fabric to me and definitely Dresden plate. If you found some fabric that would coordinate, you could add some borders to fit your bed better. I think it would be more of a treasure for you to finish and use it. I also would hand quilt it. Yvonne and I both love it, you lucky girl!

    ReplyDelete
  6. A treasure indeed! My two quilty cents -- stipple quilt around the plates then feathers in the sashings. I'd want to finish fast, as usual, lol, and that would be the easiest for me. Can't wait to see what you decide!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What ever you decide post it when you have it finished. It is a wonderful Treasure, to a wonderful lady. Thank you for posting it now. I'd say 40's?

    ReplyDelete
  8. How blessed can you be !!!!!!!
    I'm sure with some borders it will fit on your bed.
    I do believe that's 1930's also.
    Enjoy for years to come and Bless this neighbor for sure. Evita

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's a Dresden Plate, and likely from the 30's as turquoise or that green color was a common color then, not to mention the plates look very much like 30's fabrics. You are most fortunate. I would have this treasure either professionally machine or hand quilted...it would be worth the investment. And if the quilt is not the proper size for a queen bed, then I would lovingly fold it at the end of the bed, being sure to change the folds frequently. With loving care this quilt could be passed on for generations. I could not have been as generous as your neighbor....did he not have any family? does he know any history of it that you could add to the label? I would add the word "neighbor" in naming the quilt. This would be gorgeous on a bed with a pure white spread or quilt on it, folded gracefully at the bottom. You're very lucky indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm glad your neighbor brought this treasure to you. How sad to have such a lovely quilt languishing in a drawer. AT least now it will be loved and cared for.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is beautiful. I would finish it for sure. What I would do is stitch in the ditch around the blades of the plates and around their centers, then I would fill the rest in feathers. The reason I would do that is that you have 2 different size sashings and for me that would be unsettling to put anything in just them, because they would not be the same. A flurry of feathers would be beautiful and I would do it on the longarm, since I have one (grin). Since you machine quilt I see no reason to not do that. Another thought is to echo the plates in the white area and then do something with the sashings. I am sure your neighbor will be thrilled to see you finish it and use it. A real treasure, and such a blessing.
    Hugs
    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  12. OMGosh! What a gorgeous quilt! Such a treasure - from a wonderful neighbor.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by. It's always nice to hear from you. I try to reply to each and every one of you, but sometimes life gets in the way. I hope you understand. Blessings.

All Comes to A Halt

 Sighhhh....  While I was quilting I  ran my finger, somehow, under the needle. Went right through my left index fingernail right through to...