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.

Vintage textile enthusiasts and collectors will find this group very exciting!

Fabrics from the Boussac of France mill are very rare and unique finds - Blue Hill Fabrics has been lucky enough, through their association with Sara Morgan, to present this beautiful collection of exclusive designs and motifs from that famous mill. . These treasures are just a sampling from the most incredible collection of mill samples from from the Boussac of France mill book.

The delicate background netting, the interesting color combinations and the wonderful handwriting motifs are straight out of mid 1800s textile history. Delicate flowers and intricate designs are just part of the appeal - once you see the collection, you’ll understand why it so special

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.

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.

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.

In the Pre-War South, almost every manufactured good was imported from the North or overseas. In fact, local and state laws pointedly discouraged manufacturing, a cause for deep concern among some Southerners as war appeared inevitable. The region’s few textile mills were small, averaging only 12-24 looms (New England mills commonly had 10 times as many), and most produced warp for home weaving, a few checks and plaids, and utility cloth for the plantation or prison on which the mills were situated.

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. 

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.

"Half-way down a by-street of one of our New England towns, stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables facing towards various points of the compass, and a huge, clustered chimney in the midst.” Thus starts the novel The House of the Seven Gables written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1851. This historic romance, inspired by Hawthorne’s visits to family members who lived in the house, was written the year after Hawthorne penned The Scarlet Letter. This legacy is why the House of the Seven Gables Historic Landmark site exists today, celebrating its 100th Anniversary as a museum dedicated to serving the needs of the community of Salem.

Carrie's Madders, 1860-1880

Madder is a low creeping plant that will quickly cover an area of ground without a great deal of maintanence. The plant matures at fiveyears old, bearing small yellow/green flowers and berries. The berries are dark when ripe and can be used as seed stock to multiply the crop.  The part of the plant used for the dye is the tuber type root. The plant is pulled from the ground after loosening the soil, the leaves are stripped from the plant and the roots are dried out until they can be ground up into a powder and put in a pot with some water. This mixture is heated to extract the bright red dye. If a copper dye vat is used, the color will be brighter.