During the Seige of Vicksburg (May1863-July4, 1863), quilting never ceased...it became a past time for keeping spirits up and making the best of a bad situation.

A ridge located between the main town and the rebel defensive lines provided the diverse population with safe houses for the duration.

Over 500 caves were dug into the clay hills, which were deemed safer than any home, structurally sound or not. Women did their best to make their living spaces comfortable, bringing quilts, rugs, furniture and pictures to hang. They timed their activities with the rhythm of the cannonades. As a result of the caves, the Union soldiers gave Vicksburg the nickname of "Prairie Dog Village."

Featuring botanical art from antique seed catalogs and distinctive engravings of old garden tools, this beautiful collection captures the ever-growing spirit and enthusiasm for creating lavish home gardens in the mid-to-late 19th Century.

Popular for their beauty and botanical importance, seed catalogues are a window into early graphic arts.

Working with these vintage elements, Paula combines colorful coordinates, offering many choices for designing together for quilting or crafts, or they can each stand alone for your next design project.

These adorable mop-heads are sure to delight doll lovers and collectors of all ages! While Sara was foraging through her stash for some new fabric ideas, she stumbled across these cuties and we just had to create a new collection with them.

Each of the colorways brings the simple sophistication of bright primary colors with crisp coordinates - the possibilities are endless!

Although the 1930s was the era of the Great Depression, women’smagazines were full of optimism. Cheery fabrics and colors could be found on new quilt patterns in an attempt to keep creativity alive as homemakers struggled to sew practical items for their families Although quilters were still interested in creating quilts that reminded them of their heritage, they wanted them in happy pastels and lighter colors.

Newspapers also picked up on the surge in quilting and began to feature quilt patterns, as did catalog companies. At the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933, Sears included an exhibit of the winning quilts from their national competition, which had reached women all around the country and netted a response of 24,000 entries.

Pink Fusion, c. 1930 by Sara Morgan

Often referred to as the “Renaissance of Quilting, the 1930s brought a great quilt revival, a result of the hard times of The Great Depression. All across America, activities devoted to the home arts became popular. Quilting groups, shows and newspaper gained popularity, bringing women from California to New England together around their quilting frames. Eleanor Roosevelt's campaign for American Arts and Crafts further helped propel quilting to the forefront of activity. Although times were tough for Americans, quilts of this era were usually bright and cheerful.

Sara wows us again! This time, she shares some of her vintage swatches in the popular turkey reds, creams and both indigo and wedgewood blues. This delightful mix of small calicos, large florals and beautiful, hard-to-find prints offers a wide array of coveted textile designs from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The fondue prints, also known as ombré or rainbow prints, are a combination of the vivid reds and blues of the late 19th century, while the narrower stripe is indicative of those fabrics produced several decades later. Additionally, Sara has chosen some patterns with a slightly mottled ground for the exaggerated look produced by the overdye process often found on textiles from that time period.

Gafiq Trafiq wows us with sophisticated color combinations and exciting design motifs.  These adorable prints are full of color and fun! Perfect for that unexpected splash of surprise, the Brighton collection delivers bold brights in happy flowers, silly circles and perfect paisleys!

With a hint of 60s flavor, this collection is a fast favorite to everyone who sees it.