Alice's Washday Blues

Designed by:  Carrie Quinn

Alice’s Washday Blues were inspired by a quilt that was owned by Alice Stewart Wolf, the daughter of John C. Stewart who was the three-time mayor of Galesburg, Illinois in 1859, 1877 and 1883. Carrie’s grandmother inherited the Stewart/Wolf home, as they had no heirs, and she took care of them until they died. Although there is no documentation of it, it was believed that Alice made the quilt herself, since she was born in 1871 and the timeline would be correct.

It is believed that the term “Washday Blues” may have several origins: First, it took about three days of back-breaking labor to do laundry back then, and that would surely give anyone “the blues”. Another theory is that the term comes from the bluing that was used to brighten the whites. This collection focuses on that particular color of faded indigo – indigo that wasn’t left in the dye bath as long and produced the lovely shades of medium to light blue that we love. One of the strongest dyes, Indigo was often used in utility (washday) clothing and, of course, quilts, because it would maintain its color through many washdays.

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SKUs:

7425-1, 7425-3, 7425-8, 7426-1, 7426-3, 7426-7, 7427-1, 7427-17, 7427-8, 7428-17, 7428-8, 7428_1, 7429-1, 7429-8, 7429_12, 7430-1, 7430-7, 7430-8, 7431-1, 7431-8, 7431-7

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1 Comment

  • Comment Link Candace Frazier Sunday, 15 January 2012 14:58 posted by Candace Frazier

    These are beautiful fabrics for a log cabin quilt!!!

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