undiscovered beauty

I've noticed something interesting over the last few years. Nice quilts seem to come out of the woodwork at the end of the summer and beginning of autumn. I watch eBay all year round, and there are always nice quilts for sale, but some of the best undiscovered beauties appear as the leaves are turning.

This quilt was up for sale on eBay a couple weeks ago, and the seller didn't know the name of the pattern. There were a few of us bidding at the end, but I was the lucky winner. Paid more than the going rate for it, but this is what I collect. It was worth it to me.

The pattern is most commonly called New York Beauty after the 1930 Mountain Mist pattern, but this quilt was made in the late 1800's, when quilts with this pattern were called other names such as Rocky Mountain Road and Crown of Thorns.

The quilt has some interesting elements I'd seen before, but not all in the same quilt: decorative quilting - the quilting designs in the white space are leaves; fugitive dyes, likely green at one time but now faded to tan; pieced sashing with narrow band running through the center; blunted spikes; symmetry, borders; sunburst cornerstones; and cheddar orange fabric.

If quilts like this keep showing up on eBay, I'll be out of money well before Christmas! 

Just like last year...