Dating quilts

How do you date a quilt?

Dating quilts with accuracy includes examination of many parts of the quilts, but the process starts with one aspect and goes from there. For me, the style is usually the first place I start.

How can you tell how old a quilt is?

The most important clues to the age of a quilt are the stiches, the fabric and the design used. It must be remembered that fabrics, especially those used for patchwork and applique, often started their lives as other things (dresses or curtains) before becoming scraps and then part of a quilt, so they may be much older then quilt itself.

What is it about antique quilts?

Their quilts speak to them and tell their story through clues in the style, fabric, pattern, quilt stitches and sometimes stitched or inked words, names, cities or dates. The first time I went to an all antique quilt auction was in Southern California.

What is the style of a quilt?

It is the manner of style in which the border and the corners are treated, and the fabrics being prints or solid colors that help determine if it’s age is early or later, regardless of what they call it. The style of a quilt is the first thing I see when I view a quilt, whether online, in an antique shop or booth, on exhibit or in an auction.

How can you tell how old a quilt is?

The most important clues to the age of a quilt are the stiches, the fabric and the design used. It must be remembered that fabrics, especially those used for patchwork and applique, often started their lives as other things (dresses or curtains) before becoming scraps and then part of a quilt, so they may be much older then quilt itself.

When is a quilt considered antique?

A quilt made in the 1920s or earlier is also considered antique. Most antique and vintage quilts were made by hand with no help from a sewing machine. Look closely at the stitching throughout the whole quilt.

How do you label your quilt?

Here are some great, creative ways to label your quilt, so you get credit where credit is due! Sometimes, it’s good to go the KISS route (Keep It Simple, Superstar!) This twill tape is a great way to get your label on your quilts without getting too elaborate.

How were quilts made in the 17th century?

Patterns in Quilts Antique American quilts of the 17th century were often made by poor Colonists who couldnt afford to make detailed patchwork designs. Instead, they made quilts out of one or two sheets of the same fabric. Patchwork-style quilts first became common in the 18th century and after the American Revolutionary War.

What is a quilted style?

This quilted style is characterized by its central block motif. It’s framed by the surrounding stitches in a pattern that accentuates it. The center part is usually appliqued, but it doesn’t have to be stitched that way. But the rest of the quilt is always intended to enhance whatever design is in the center.

What are the different types of quilting patterns?

There are four basic types of quilting, though there are all sorts of patterns that use more than one of these techniques. Our four basic types of quilts are: Pieced, Appliquéd, Paper Pieced, and English Paper Pieced. Pieced Quilts

What are the characteristics of quilting?

Quilting designs may be geometric or figural, and the quality of the quilt depends in large part on the fineness of the stitching and the matching of appropriate designs to the piecing. A quilt’s layers may instead be stabilized by being tied at intervals with thread, yarn, or narrow ribbon.

What is Italian-style quilting?

These Italian-style quilts usually feature parallel lines of stitches. They have an inner layer of batting or yarn too, which gives these quilts extra dimension when making stitches. Trapunto comes from the Italian word trapuntare, which means simply “to quilt.”