Early Finery, c. 1845 by Roberta Benvin
Several decades subsequent to the declaration of our nation’s independence, we were still reliant upon France and Great Britain for many of our commodities, most certainly for the majority of the textiles that were available to women for their household needs. Only the affluent could afford to purchase quantities of quality material; others had to make do with smaller amounts and either cut up or recycle them to maximize their usefulness.
By the 1840’s, however, America had built vast numbers of textile manufacturing mills from New England to Baltimore;had its own workforce of skilled designers and engravers; and had made such strides in technology that women now had access to countless patterns of more affordable fabrics to expand their wardrobes. This fact is characterized in so many of the the quilts from the second quarter of the Nineteenth Century, which were truly scrappy in their construction. It was almost as if women were flaunting the availability of fabrics that they were able to purchase. Looking at these quilts now in the Twenty-FirstCentury, we are truly fortunate to be able to recreate these astonishing designs for use in our own quilts, and it is my pleasure to share them with you.
Free Projects:
SKUs:
7878-3, 7878-4, 7878-7, 7879-3, 7879-4, 7879-7, 7880-4, 7880-7, 7880-8, 7881-3-, 7881-4, 7881-7, 7882-4, 7882-7, 7882-8, 78893-3, 7883-4, 7883-7,7884-3, 7884-4, 7884-7, 7885-4, 7885-7, 7885-8
Roberta's interests focus almost entirely on antique quilts. She avidly collects, restores, lectures, and teaches about Nineteenth Century quilts and enjoys making reproductions of them. Since 1998, she has been an ongoing participant in the York County (Pa) Quilt Documentation Project which has examined more than 2000 quilts. Her American Quilters' Society's publications, Antique Quilting Designs (2001) and More Antique Quilting Designs (2006), as well as her line of quilting stencils (manufactured by Quilting Creations International, Inc.), consist of designs she has traced directly from pre-Civil War quilts. In 2003, she curated an exhibit of antique Pennsylvania quilts for the Paducah Rotary Club; and in 2007, was on the teaching staff of the AQS Quilt Show and Quilt Odyssey. This is Roberta's second collection for Blue Hill Fabrics. The first, Early Elegance, was one of our all-time best selling collections.
Quiltsndogs@aol.com
