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.

Featuring botanical art from antique seed catalogs and distinctive engravings of old garden tools, this beautiful collection captures the ever-growing spirit and enthusiasm for creating lavish home gardens in the mid-to-late 19th Century.

Popular for their beauty and botanical importance, seed catalogues are a window into early graphic arts.

Working with these vintage elements, Paula combines colorful coordinates, offering many choices for designing together for quilting or crafts, or they can each stand alone for your next design project.

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.

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.

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.