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Tops From the Trunk — Antique Flying Geese

Posted on April 22, 2016September 26, 2016 by Martha

Since I first began using vintage and antique fabrics to make my quilts, my sources have been old tops, blocks and scraps that I carefully pick apart. Most of the tops I purchase have issues related to condition and construction, so I never feel guilty about taking them apart. Until last year, only one top I purchased was kept intact.

Then I got the bug. I like to blame Ann Champion and Tim Latimer, who each have amazing collections of vintage and antique tops. As a result of their inspiration, there are now a dozen old tops in my trunk that I plan to quilt. Of course, you might think that someone who already has a pile of her own tops to quilt would hesitate to go down this path, but when I find a beautiful old top at a reasonable price, I feel like I have to save it.

This top is one of two purchased from the same estate sale. It is all hand stitched using very small flying geese units (2 1/2″ wide) in strips separated by a gorgeous dark blue print (not quite as dark as indigo, but darker than cadet), and it has a chrome yellow design that reminds me of a neon print. It’s crisp and clean, and big at 74″ x 89″.

Anyone have an idea of the decade this top was made? Click on the photos to see the individual prints.

Flying-Geese-antique-quilt-top-1

Flying-Geese-antique-quilt-top-2

Flying-Geese-antique-quilt-top-3

  • Tops from the Trunk
  • 7 thoughts on “Tops From the Trunk — Antique Flying Geese”

    1. Nancy says:
      April 22, 2016 at 5:50 pm

      I would have had a hard time leaving this quilt top at the estate sale, Martha, especially if the price were within my budget. It looks like its creator was using up scraps, but I wonder where she obtained such a great variety of fabrics. Perhaps she exchanged with friends, or collected for years, or I suppose she could have been a seamstress.

      Lucky you to add such a great find to your collection. Will you quilt it?

      Reply
      1. Martha says:
        April 23, 2016 at 4:52 pm

        Yes, Nancy — I definitely plan to hand quilt it. First I want to do a more thorough inspection to make sure they’re aren’t any weak or brittle fabrics that need replacing.

        Reply
    2. Emily says:
      April 22, 2016 at 7:50 pm

      I like the column of very dark geese!

      Reply
    3. Dottie says:
      April 22, 2016 at 9:14 pm

      I like the way she varied her columns. Some have all light geese, some have all dark geese, and others alternate dark and light geese to make a chevron. Much more interesting than if they were all done the same way.

      Reply
    4. mickie says:
      April 23, 2016 at 3:02 am

      The blue bordering the geese puts it squarely in the 1890s, we call that kind of fabric “neons” now. There also appears to be a red and black print in one of the geese (red and black) which is of the same era. I would think that she had a deep scrap bag because of the variety of last quarter 19th century fabrics in the geese. There is an aqua and white stripe print that I find in my quilts from around the centennial. I think an appraiser would date it around circa 1900 (circa–10 years before or ten years after). It is a truly wonderful find!!! Enjoy it! I love it and it was a great save!!!

      Reply
      1. Martha says:
        April 23, 2016 at 4:53 pm

        Thank you, Mickie, for all the info. I knew you’d be able to tell me more about it.

        Reply
    5. Sarah says:
      April 24, 2016 at 11:36 am

      It’s funny that I’ve never considered tops as a source of fabric. For years and years I simply didn’t buy them, because what would I do with them?! Now I use them as they for all sorts of things and find my own collection steadily growing!

      Reply

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