As antique quilts go, this one is a real stunner. A nine block quilt with sashes and limited border, this quilt barely covers the top of a 60 inch by 80 inch queen size bed. But dramatic is the word for the punch that this quilt brings to a room.
Each block is hand appliqued using a chrome orange background fabric. The individual tulips have soft yellow and muted red violet petals. The leaves, probably a brighter green at one time, have faded to a blue green, kind of a teal. Sashing of the teal and the red violet fabric crosses the quilt.
There are no prints -- only solid fabrics in this antique beauty.
I own several old quilts that contain this chrome orange color. The dye used for this color is quite stable so most of these quilts really stand out with a color that some would call outlandish.
I like to imagine what a quilt like this must have meant way back in the days before television, before magazines were printed in color, before the telephone, before there were automobiles. Someone patiently stitched these blocks and then assembled and quilted this masterpiece.
Spread out on a bed during the daytime, the quilt speaks across the years. Folded up at night, it is a treasure to cherish and pass on to another generation.
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