Snowflake quilt for a snowy day

It's a gray day in Allentown.

It has begun to flurry here so I thought I would share a snowflake quilt from my collection.

 This Snowflake kit quilt was offered by Paragon Needlecraft. 

I particularly like the gray because that was a color we saw become fashionable during the 1950s; 60 years later and the color is all the rage again.  The kit featured four different appliqued snowflake motifs.

 I love the dog-tooth border!

I had an original ad for the kit in my stash of magazines.  

Featured in the Winter 1949-50 McCall's Needlework magazine, The ad indicated the background was offered in blue, gray, green, and the rose that is featured in the ad.  

I am glad I found a quilt with the gray in it.  The 1950s were known for featuring decorative colors in gray, pink, and aqua (or turquoise).  

These colors naturally translated into the fabric offered at that time.  The house my parents bought when I was a child featured grey wallpaper.  Thankfully, my parents removed that before we moved in.  I like grey but not on walls :)

Keep sunny thoughts and have a wonderful day!

Rhododendron Quilt Top

It's hard to imagine that only two days ago the temperature was 60F!  

My husband and I have a little exchange we do each morning regarding the weather.  We ask each other, "What are the rhodies doing today?"  We can tell how cold it is by the status of our rhododendron bushes.  The leaves today look like this:

Temperature is 12F with a windchill that makes it feel like 0F.  Rhodie leaves will curl in response to cold temperatures.  It's a natural defense for the bush.

I purchased this quilt top a few years ago and it still appeals to me.  Rhododendron was a kit quilt offered by Progress.  Rosie Werner* dates this kit in the early 1950s.  My top still has the quilting lines on it and I am going to get it quilted soon.  I'm not doing any handquilting anymore but our local fabric shop does have a handquilting service.

Rhododendrons (and Mountain Laurel)  grow wild just north of us in the slate belt area and particularly around Jim Thorpe.  If you have a chance to travel that way in the springtime, the color of the hills will astound you!

On days like this, however, I think our puppy Scout has the right idea!

*Rosie Werner has a website totally dedicated to quilt kits.  The website is www.quiltkitid.com and is a subscription website.  If you are interested in 20th century quilt kits, her website is a must for documenting your quilts!

Wagon Wheel Embroidered Quilt

In July of this past year, I purchased this wagon wheel quilt at a local flea market.  What I loved the set up of the quilt and the charming embroidered images in the center of the quilt.

I would date the quilt circa 1935.  This embroidered image could even be from the early 1930s (possibly Walker transfer) but we can't date a quilt by that criteria. 

 Also--notice the white scotty dogs on the print fabric?

I fell in love with this piece for two reasons.  The first being that I suspect the charming embroidery was done by a child.  Additionally, it reminded me of a  book called Embroidered Pictures and Patchwork by a British writer Priscilla M. Warner.

Most embroidery collectors know of this book; it is rare and often expensive.  I was lucky enough to find a bargain copy years ago.  Today I see it is offered at Amazon for $500.  Obviously, my quilt is a different pattern than Warner's image but it still has a similar feel.  The quilt is also older than the book which was published in 1950.  Warner's book must have been somewhat popular because my copy indicates it was reprinted in 1960.

Little is known about Warner, she was primarily a children's writer and illustrator after World War 2, sometimes under the name P. M. Warner.  I think she was fairly popular at one time.

The patterns in Warner's book are charming.  You can peruse parts of it here if you like.

As for the quilt, I've seen another version locally but it was an unfinished top.  We need some charm here in the Lehigh Valley today to deal with the Arctic temperatures we are enduring.  I hope you have a wonderful day!  Stay warm!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!