Chrome Orange & Chrome Yellow

Mariner's Compass - 1880-1920

Many quilters working from about 1880-1920 used chrome colors as the neutral or the background in their quilts, a rather radical idea that very conservative women in Pennsylvania and the South found quite acceptable. Here are a few more pictures of quilts using yellows, some as accent, some as theme. The one below is from the Quilt Complex. I'm dating them fairly loosely from these snapshots.

Feathered Star 1880-1920

The two below are from dealer Laura Fisher

Princess Feather 1880-1920

Delectable Mountains 1860-1890

The rest I found in online auctions.

Star 1880-1910

Sugar Loaf 1880-1910

The block in this one is hard to figure out. Here's a diagram from my BlockBase software program.

For more about BlockBase click here:

http://www.electricquilt.com/Shop/BlockBase/BlockBase.asp

Pincushion or Orange Peel dated 1887

Ann Champion's blog shows a lot of antique quilts. She's fond of yellow.

http://annchampion.com/

Variation of the Whigs Defeat, 1850-1920

Monkey Wrench Variation 1890-1920 (It looks like a tiny Log Cabin in the corners of the block)

Log Cabin 1880-1920

Now go out and buy some yellow fabric. The boss reports that yellow doesn't sell as well as other colors--like blue, red or green. That's a shame.

Reproduction Quilt Blogs

Ocean Waves by Barbara Brackman, 2002, Quilted by Rosie Mayhew, 42 x 51"

I'm a fan of reproduction quilts. I make them myself and many of my quilting friends look to antique quilts for color, pattern and design ideas. Above is one I made from some of my earlier Moda reproduction fabrics.

I spend a lot of work avoidance time reading blogs about reproduction quilts. (Can't I call that work since they are so inspirational?) Here's my list of blogs that picture old quilts and the new quilts inspired by them.

Click here for Kathie Holland's blog, called Inspired by Antique Quilts. http://inspiredbyantiquequilts.blogspot.com/

The Dedicated Appliquist from Penelope Tucker features English culture, French fabric and applique reproductions:
http://penelopetucker.wordpress.com/
Here's Penny's reproduction for the American Quilt Study Group "Study in Red and Green."

And here's Deb Rowden's piece for the same quilt study.

Click here to read Deb Rowden's Thrift Shop Quilts
http://debrowden.blogspot.com/

Above, a new Flag Quilt from Jan Patek who puts her own twist on antique patterns at
Jan Patek's Girl Gang
http://janpatek.blogspot.com/

Click here to read more about Jan's new book Flags of the American Revolution:

https://www.pickledishstore.com/productDetail.php?PID=1138

Michele Hill specializes in interpreting William Morris design in applique. Click here to see William Morris in Applique
http://williammorrisandmichele.blogspot.com/

Above is a block by Elizabeth McMahon, who is making the Civil War Bride Quilt, a close version of the American Folk Art Museum's Bird of Paradise quilt. Click here to watch her progress:
http://thecivilwarbridequilt.blogspot.com/
And see a picture of the original at the American Folk Art Museum's website
http://www.folkartmuseum.org/default.asp?id=1523

It's at the bottom of the diagram of quilts.

Two more bloggers for fans of the reproduction look:

Above a copy from Ann Champion's own collection. Click here to see Ann Champion's Blog
http://annchampion.com/

And below an unusual pattern found in Tennessee and Texas at Janet's Quiltsalott blog. Click here: http://quiltsalott.blogspot.com/

Send me comments recommending other blogs about reproduction quilts that I am missing.