old things at show and tell

Last night I stopped by the Portland Modern Quilt Guild meeting and brought two very old things to show and tell. I thought I'd repost them here so attendees could find them, and there's more information and pictures if you follow the blog.

The first was the indigo resist quilt, with fabrics made in the third quarter of the 18th century, possibly used as bed hangings before becoming a quilt. Rare as could be, and the seller originally found it at an auction for one dollar!! (omg)

My friend Dawn White of First Light Designs helped hold up the quilts. Dawn is an absolute whiz with the sewing machine, and an esteemed teacher, and recently completed an impeccable master bath remodel. Her blog can be found here.

The other thing I brought was the recently acquired c. 1820s candlewick counterpane, and it was fun to see the jaws drop when we held it up. Even though it's technically not a quilt, it is something quilters could appreciate. Generally speaking, there are a lot of new, young quilters in the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. Offering small lessons in quilt history and sharing things they never imagined, feels like passing the baton of quilt history to a whole new generation.

Great to see friends- I was sorry I had to go after show and tell, but happy to share these two very special objects. And speaking of special, Susan Beal was at the meeting and she gave me a stack of wonderful signature blocks she found in her travels. Thank you, Susan!! Will share more about the blocks in my next blog post.