Details Details
What is your favorite thing to find in an old quilt? My top three are: trapunto, dates, and signatures. So, today’s details are all about the signatures (and some other inkings). I took all the photos for this post at the Lovely Lane event I attended on Sunday and they are from Baltimore album quilts in their collection. It’s a little hard to read but I love the design on this one. It’s one I’d like to try myself. In case you cannot make it out, the date is 1847 (Reverend Roberts quilt).
I love all the birds you can find on BAQs. The fabric in this bird is similar to some reproductions I’ve seen but if you look closely you will see that the small squiggles (technical term) are much crisper than what we see today and are a smaller scale.
There are inked birds in addition to the applique birds.
Miss Colvin still uses the old “fs” instead of “ss.” I wonder if she was a drefsmaker?
Amanda A. Yearley has beautiful penmanship. Should I say she has a “good hand?”
Lots of inking here. Note the bible and inked details in the flowers.
And, finally, enjoy taking in all the inked details in these flowers. No need to find just the right fabric when you can draw your own.
I'm definitely gearing up for May 9th. I'm looking forward to talking quilts for days!
These are wonderful inkings. Thanks for sharing them with us. What a thrill to get to see them up close and personal. Looking forward to the 9th and seeing lots of signature quilts.
Such gorgeous inking! Its aweseom they are still so crisp.
I like everything you do but especially inking as I've liked to add it to my quilts too and it leaves a permanent record sometimes. What lovely quilt details
Love the Post! Gearing up for May 9th I see! So glad you are coming out again. Looking forward to lots of signature quilts – Great Post!
What a great post!! I love the insights and details you have shared (even the technical term *LOL*).
Lovely inkings by some of those quilters.
I guess I need to apologize to my Mom now. On a watercolor quilt she did years ago of birds at a birdbath, she inked in the birds' eyes and I chided her heavily for it.
Thank you so much for showing us the details of this (unique?) quilt. I love that she used ink to add detail to the flowers. And is that a speech bubble coming from the bird's beak? How delightful! I have to admit BAQs are normally not high on my "like" lost, but i will surely be paying them more attention now. There's definitely something to be said about looking at a thing through someone else's eyes. Thanks again!
Such treasures! It's like someone from the past is sharing a portion of their life with you.