You never know what may turn up at an auction. I was casually hanging out while furniture was being sold on Saturday. There was an old tea crate sitting on a table; I hadn't looked inside. Just as it was being sold, someone lifted the lid briefly and I caught a glimpse of calico. I shot my card up and won the old box.
Imagine how thrilled I was to discover that the box was packed with over 100 quilt blocks. Some were pieced on pages of the 1910 Chicago Tribune.
The crate dates from the same era, so I imagine that the blocks were done in that time frame and tucked away, never to be assembled.
My favorite blocks are small...
...and imperfect.
The corners don't line up. (Not even close!)
Look at those sweet stitches! Big stitches, little stitches, crooked lines. Obviously stitched by a child's hand.
Can you imagine the concentration on her little face as she tried to line up the patches? These little blocks are what I call "heart-grabbers". Simple little bits of history that tell a story. (I'm sharing a few of these little blocks in my etsy shop.) Have you ever made an "accidental" purchase that turned out to be a heart-grabber?
Now...a little reminder! Entries for our Fleabag giveaway end tonight... click here for details!
Sew Sweet, Jan! There seem to be a lot of predominately plaids and stripes in red, white and blue...perfect for a baby boy quilt????
ReplyDeleteYes i know that feeling when i win a surprise in a box at an auction like that
ReplyDeleteI have some old quilt pieces now trying to decided weather to sell then at the next flea market ot give them away
I have a family member who wants it all then her husband makes her( where is women's Lib?) get rid of it because he doesn't like OLD( guess thats why they don't come over much LOL) i'm old LOL