This striking collection of vintage roses, damasks and florals is OohLaLa! When you're looking for a style that's sophisticated and elegant, these antique taupes, deep reds and blacks will surely inspire your inner "Francophile".

Inspired by her love all things French, artist Paula Scaletta created this collection to share with quilters and crafters from every part of the world.

The name "Winding Blades" conjures up the image of spinning windmills on the prairie - the perfect name for a quilt found in Oklahoma - and the inspiration for this collection. Could this treasured keepsake, with its linen backing, have been carried to Indian Territory by a cowboy's bride?

Winding Blades was made around 1845-1850, a time of westward expansion and rapid population growth. Fabrics imported from Europe influenced the styles made by the increasing number of American mills. Beautiful Prussian Blue, introduced to America around 1830, was often used to make sought-after ombre prints. Brown was a reliable color, dyed with manganese, madder or wood.

Purchased from an exclusive antique fabrics merchant, this rare estate collection from Sara Morgan features fine prints with intricate and delicate details. The Eagle print is truly majestic and will work beautifully with historical quilt reproductions from the mid 1800s.

Paper Doll Cuties In Association with the Chester County Historical Society

These adorable paper dolls come straight from the archives of the Chester County Historical Society. The dolls date back to the early 1900s and originated in Germany. You'll find the sweetest details, intricate designs, and matching accessories to cute to pass up!  The creative possibilities are endless - create a take-along play set, or a beautiful bed quilt with matching pillow shams and curtains. Or just sew a border or two around a few panels and you'll have an instant quilt or wallhanging!

Certain colors, certain prints, certain styles...together, they give us what is known as fashion. These trends in fashion make it possible to date not only the clothing that was worn, but also quilts that were made from fabrics that were popular at a given time. Each decade or, at least, each quarter-century can be identified by specific fabrics that were in demand by fashion-conscious ladies.

My collection of antique quilts dates, primarily, from the early 1800's and, as such, I am used to seeing a particular palette. Every now and again, I find examples of colors or prints that do not seem to fit the typical mold. Although accurate to the time period, they are not seen as frequently as the more familiar color schemes. Such is the case with this collection.

Lincoln Era, 1860-1865

This Rare Estate Collection comes from fabrics found in antique clothing from General Stores in New York City, Philadelphia, Charleston and Richmond.

The General Store was quite popular in rural areas around the country, especially during the mid-to-late 1800s. Folks depended on their local mercantile, not just for the necessities such as coffee, spices, baking powder, flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, fruits and vegetables, honey and molasses, cigars and tobacco, but also for a host of other “essential” items.  Store owners tried to anticipate the needs of their customers and often extented credit or bartered for their goods.

What a find! Sara Morgan shares some of her goodies from a very special private collection of vintage swatches she is lucky enough to have acquired for her own stock.

These moons and stars motifs have been reproduced in popular reds, rich burgundys, dark brown, and faded blues from the early-to-mid-19th Century. These small, delicate prints are perfect as fillers with larger patterns or on their own with the appeal of calico-style petites. You’re sure to find them perfect for both vintage reproduction quilts and for projects with contemporary twist.

Dark Chocolate and Lilac, c. 1850 by Sara Morgan

Rich warm browns, subtle lilacs and deep purples make for timeless beauty in this wonderful vintage reproduction collection from Sara Morgan. As was popular in the mid-19th century, the soft florals reflect a sign of the times – elegant prints with strong copper brown accents and finely detailed prints which displayed the strong European influence of the era. The purples of that period were fugitive dyes, often unstable and bleeding onto other fabrics of the quilt, making prints such as these a rare find.

Decorative borders and stylized floral appliqué motifs were indicative of the quilting styles, as were eight-pointed stars. During this period, quilters began to experiment more with piecing patterns and variations.

Wrappers were the casual dresses the women wore for everyday activities. Made to suit the season in either cotton or wool, this comfortable dress was high necked with long sleeves and a free-flowing body. Less fitted than more formal dresses, the wrapper didn’t require hoops, corsets, or bustles, was easy to make, and could easily be adjusted for maternity wear. The style was practical and enduring in popularity and suited women of all ages, including young girls.

As with any dress goods, after the garment was completed, the leftover pieces went into a scrap basket, eventually joining other scraps to make quilts for the family.

Blue Hill Fabrics™ is pleased to present the first series of new fabric collections born from our alliance with the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.  The Ohio Star collection is based on a true gem from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum archives, from the original collection of Lydia Skinner.

Lydia Mitchell was born in Maine, somewhere around 1820, and became the second wife of William Skinner, a mariner who ferried timber harvested in Maine to New Jersey. William was prosperous at the time of their marriage and went on to become quite wealthy. The couple moved to New Jersey and had 12 children.  Lydia was an ardent abolitionist, and she was known to have made several quilts that were sold to raise money for the anti-slavery movement and later for the Union Army.