Score!

Yesterday I bid in an eBay Live Auction for the first time, and came away a winner. This stunning applique quilt was offered by Clarks' Auction Company of Scotts Valley, California. The live auction started at 3pm Pacific Time and the quilt came up before 5pm. The bidding was fast and furious for a few moments, but I kept clicking the bid button until it said I was the lead bidder, then the bidding abruptly ended and I won. It wasn't super cheap, but at the same time it was an outstanding bargain. 

The quilt comes with some documentation, and one photo shows a label with a lead to information about the maker of the quilt. The "strawberry" design looks almost like a thistle because of the green appliqué points coming out of each berry. I have seen a few quilts with this basic design over the years, but never saw one with the additional applique points coming out of the berries.

The circa date was 1870, and it could be just a bit earlier but probably not later. Toward the end of the 19th century, fewer of these red, white and green applique quilts were made. It was more of a middle 19th century trend in quiltmaking. Dimensions are 98" x 98" and the binding appears to be a quarter-inch, applied red binding. The quilting is superb, with small-scale grid diamond fill and feather wreaths.

These details seem to point to an earlier circa date, pre-Civil War, when many large, square quilts were made with beautiful, decorative quilting and fine applied bindings. Depending on what I learn about the maker, I could see backing up the circa date to 1860. There are some stains on the back, but they do not appear to show through on the front. I think it will clean up well. My head is still spinning from the auction and this magnificent, masterpiece quilt. I can't wait to see it in person.