I found it!!!

I bought Barbara Brackman’s encyclopedia many years ago – specifically to find out the name and origin of this pattern. I found #2876 called The Broken Stone or East and West. But… it had a square in the middle. I just assumed the maker made a slight variation and that this was indeed the pattern.

Well – lo and behold – just 20 pages over I found #3086 called Broken Stone, Lover’s Quarrel or New Wedding Ring – all dated 1931. I probably would never have found it if I had not run across a Quilt History forum message dated September 2006.

I have been obsessed with finding out the date of this quilt. Now the search is over and it didn’t tun out as I had hoped. I so wanted it to be made by my great great grandmother Polly Barfield. But alas – she died in 1912 and this pattern was published in 1931.

Update on the antique quilt

Wikipedia says:

Serge is a type of twill fabric that has diagonal lines or ridges on both sides, made with a two-up, two-down weave

I have studied the pink fabric I said was serge in yesterday’s post and upon closer inspection with a strong magnifying glass I see that it isn’t serge at all – it’s just a red stripe. And that difference in color – one darker than the other – isn’t fading. The lighter pink fabric has smaller stripes and the darker one has stripes a teeny bit wider.

Serge has ridges on both sides and this fabric does not – the stripes are printed on the surface of the fabric – not woven in.

The following pictures are scanned – not photographed – the detail shows up much better in a scan.

I have received several comments – but so far nobody has any knowledge of antique fabrics or quilt patterns. I am keeping my fingers crossed some expert may stumble upon my blog and offer some advice. Meanwhile – I am ordering two books that may help me solve the mystery.  “Dating Fabrics – A Color Guide” by Eileen Trestain and “Clues in the Calico” by Barbara Brackman.

Antique quilt

I inherited this quilt top well over 25 or 30 years ago.  I remember my grandmother (Margaret Viola Martin Cox – 1899 – 1991) gave it to me – she found it in a trunk if I remember correctly – but I don’t remember her giving me any details about it. I am assuming it did not belong to her because as far as I know she didn’t sew.

I seriously doubt if it belonged to her mother because she was the wife of  the owner of the  largest general store in Mt. Olive, North Carolina – and this quilt looks like it is made of scraps from old clothes.

This is a picture of my great grandmother Mattie Viola Barfield Martin (1868 – 1936)  with my grandmother. Does this look like a woman who would spend time making a quilt from old clothes? If she had wanted to make a quilt I am sure her husband had bolts of wonderful fabrics for sale in his store just down the street from their beautiful Victorian mansion.

I know Mattie sewed because I inherited her gold thimble with her initials MVM engraved on it. I can see her embroidering or making something with fine linen and lace – but this utilitarian scrap quilt – I don’t think so.

Now this looks like someone who would have made a quilt using sewing basket scraps and old clothes.  This is Mary Ann (Polly) Hood Barfield (1832 – 1912) my great great grandmother. I know nothing about the history of the fabrics used in quilts so I have no idea if she could have made it.

The pink fabric is serge – and many of the quarter circles are pieced – there are at least two or three shades of pink – maybe from fading on different garments?

The brown floral center piece is a fairly loosely woven fabric and it has pulled away from the studier fabrics it is attached to.

At first glance it seems like there aren’t too many fabrics used in the light curved strips. The blue and white stripes dominate – but if you look closely there are several types of white fabric used in  five and a half blocks.

And then there are the three totally out of place blocks. On the top row – a green check and the black and white stripe and third row down a green stripe.

It looks to me like the maker used that wide sashing to make the top bigger – it would have looked so much better with a narrow sashing – or even no sashing at all. It is entirely hand pieced.

I do not know what the pattern is called – but I found a very similar one in Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns. # 2876 called “East and West” by Hearth and Home and “Broken Stone” by KC Star.

The Brackman version shows the center piece as a square – so one side of the curved pieces is flat. I have never drafted a pattern before – but I think I might be able to do this. I would love to make a modern version of this pattern in honor of the unknown quiltmaker in my family.

If anybody can give me some details about the pattern or the fabrics or anything that may help me date it I would be most grateful.

Octagon inner border

It looks a bit wonky in this photo. I am going to draw a square on the flannel the same size as the top – so that I can block it before adding the wider outer border.

I measured the width across the middle and cut the strips accordingly. I had a lot of easing to do – because all of the blocks on the edges are on the bias. I handled the blocks as gently as possible when joining and pressing them – but there is no way you can avoid a bit of stretching. If I can be sure that the top is square at this stage it should be square after the outer border is added.

Octagon progress

I finally got it ironed – took untold hours which I spread out over several days because it was so boring. I am pleased to report it turned out nice and smooth and flat. Trimmed the edges and now I am attaching the fourth strip of the inner border. The sun is shining through the top hanging off the ironing board and it looks like a stained glass window – but unfortunately it didn’t show up in the picture.

Octagon update

I have to trim the edges, add the inner and outer borders and piece the backing and then it is off to my long arm quilter in Connecticut.

But first I have to press it. That is the stumbling block – the reason I have put off finishing this quilt. I pressed all the blocks exactly the same way as I was making them. But when I started joining the rows I forgot to pay attention to how the seams were pressed – I just picked them up at random. Now the seams are going every which way and it will be very difficult to sort out. I’ll just have to do the best I can – even if each one isn’t perfect – I am sure it will lie flat.

New York Beauties 1-4