Sara Morgan

Sara Morgan

VINTAGE SHIRTINGS, 1870-1925 by Sara Morgan

Between 1870 and 1925, quilters were fond of using white shirting fabrics for pieced quilts. The standard shirting prints were small, isolated figures on white or off-white backgrounds. During the decade of 1874-1884, Allen Printwork's line of shirtings were among the most popular. Quilters used black, muted red and medium blue on white grounds, with small geometric, floral and striped patterns.

Around 1925, plain white cottons resumed their popularity and began to replace shirting as a standard background fabric for pieced designs.

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."

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.

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!

This Special Edition 30s collections is a rare find - straight from Sara Morgan's stash! The focal print is a combination of all of the florals in the collection, handsomely laid out in a smart log cabin motif. New, never-before-seen prints in interesting and unique colorways are sure to delight reproduction and retro fabric lovers.

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.

 

Toybox III - Miniatures c. 1930 by Sara Morgan

You’ll love this adorable collection of unusual and hard-to-find juvenile and toy motifs! Filled with kitty cats, playful children, dogs, ducks, bunnies and more, these tiny prints are sure to delight quilters and kids of all ages.

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.

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.

 

French Miniatures, 1800-1850 by Sara Morgan

These rare minis come from a special Estate Collection that Sara was lucky enough to view during one of her European excursions. Seeing how special these prints are, Sara knew that she just had to add them to her own collection. The adorable motifs give a glimpse into the history of how textiles ware produced in the first half of the 19th Century.

Prior to 1815, a wood block would have had pins placed in it to create the picotage background in the circular design seen in these lovely delicate prints. The Serpentine print, picotage florals, simple plaid and stripe intertwined with tiny flowers are complimented by the filler prints whichare allover small designs that can read as a solid from a distance, but add texture when viewed close. These would have been roller printed most likely, as they are so tiny.

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Latest Comments

  • I love everything about these fabrics & would love to make a quilt from the featured pattern. Let me know when available for download. Thank you so much.
    Antique Seeds
  • My sister (Quilter) showed me the book with the material SKU 7949-13 Full repeat. I fell in love with the material. It would work wonders for a quilt she is heling me make. Would be great for the border. Wanted to know how I can buy multiple yards of this…
    Feedsack III
  • I wore those feedsack dresses in the 1930's very interested in this pattern, when will it be posted?
    Feedsack III
  • What a nice surprise to see the bright colors in a Civil War Quilt. I have one that is that era, and it is all browns, ( some of the brown colors may have been black in the beginning) with a little yellow and light ecru. Someone stuck it in…
    Pomegranate
  • i would absolutely LOVE to have the downloadded pattern for the Feedsack III collection ....the one that only has the material clothesline JUST around the very edge of the quilt. i have a 1 year old grand-daughter and i know she would love to have this for her varied collection…
    Feedsack III
  • when will the free pattern for "feedsack III" fabric be available for downloading?
    Feedsack III
  • Oh, I so wish I knew how to sew! I use my hot glue gun instead, algouhth I have found it can't take the place of a sewing machine :( I've used my hot glue gun to make fabric pillows (winged it). Some fabric ideas: I use fabric as a…
    Ohio Star
  • Is there a kit with all of the fabrics for the Civil War quilt with the Jacob's Ladder blocks and the Churn Dash blocks? This is by Karen Witt. Reproduction Quilts. Joanne
    Civil War Era

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Blue Hill Fabrics is dedicated to offering superior quality cotton fabrics to retailers around the globe, featuring authentic vintage reproductions and trend-setting designs. We are also pleased to work with many favorite personalities, popular authorities and creative artists in the quilting industry who have brought their extraordinary talents to Blue Hill Fabrics.

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