How to Read a Coverlet
A reader, Carol Ruth, sent me pictures of an overshot coverlet that she inherited from her mother, and asked what I could tell her about it. Her pictures revealed a lot, and she… Continue reading
Category Archive: Historic Textiles
17 Comments
ScrapHappy April 2023 — A Mending Story
Years ago, a fellow quilter and blogger, Paula B, was downsizing and asked me if I would like to have some of the things she had collected. Of course I said yes, and… Continue reading
Celebrating Public Domain Day
Every year at this time, I am eager to explore the works that are entering the public domain each year. For a list of 75 highlights of this year’s works, you can read… Continue reading
Locked Down in History — Unraveling “The Queen’s Embroiderer”
I came across a book excerpt that described a French embroiderer in the court of Louis XIV – his techniques, materials, and customers¹. I quickly bought the book, The Queen’s Embroiderer by Joan… Continue reading
Wrapping up 2019
Looking back at my resolutions from last year, I accomplished about half. I am happy with that. Big Projects I finished repairing our friend Chuck’s quilt, not much more than a year after… Continue reading
Scraps from the Past
The wonderful Paula B of PaulaBQuilts* kindly sent me a package with two scrap collections, one from the late 1800s and one from the 1930s. There are at least 200 different fabrics represented!… Continue reading
Aachen Cathedral Textile Treasures
Last week I got to tag along on my husband’s business trip to Düsseldorf, Germany. We had one day available for a side trip, so I picked a place I have wanted to… Continue reading
New Goods! New Goods! An Ohio Storekeeper’s Inventory from 1838
Earlier this year, I typed up the 1847 inventory of Jacob Weaver, a storekeeper in Knox County, Ohio; this week I worked on the 1838 estate inventory of another storekeeper from the same… Continue reading
The Richness of Greek Embroidery
When I think of “household embroideries,” I think of framed cross stitch samplers on the wall, or some pillowcases with daisy-stitched flowers with French knot centers. But last week I got to visit… Continue reading
Ohio Merchant’s Inventory from 1847
While hunting online for our ancestors’ records, I have been searching through collections of digitized microfilm pictures. I have been lucky; many of them have already been indexed, making it easy to go… Continue reading