Eastern Shore Quilt Study Group 

The Eastern Shore Quilt Study Group met on Tuesday at the library in Denton, MD. The topic for the day was flowers, a perfect choice for spring. 

We started with a single block from a Windblown Tulips quilt (someone had chopped it up for reasons unknown). A delightful Album block quilt dated 1932 had typical floral fabrics and many embroidered names including "Professor Krum class of 1932." 

There were a slew of hexagon quilts ranging from the typical 1930s GFG, to a circa 1910 hodgepodge. The star was a paperpieced circa 1870 brought back from Wales (Jen Jones) with lots of lovely chintz florals. Also from Wales was a pink and white floral stripe wholecloth quilt with all the bells and whistles of Welsh quilting--absolutley incredible. 

An unusual bouquet of flowers pattern (tulip, rose and rosebud with intertwined stems and a vine border with buds), circa 1860, had exquisite quilting and appliqué. We didn't know what to call a pod and cotton boll appliqué (maybe that's what we should call it) from the same era with a wide half square triangle border. We enjoyed the exuberance of a Rose medallion surrounded by smaller rose blocks--everything very large scale in yellow and orange. The owner commented "She probably got better," but you had to smile at such a happy quilt. 

9 Tulip blocks rounded by embroidered circles made a very elegant 1930s quilt. Another quilt had variously colored tulips in bright blue pots surrounded by a rainbow border. A perfect example of Colonial Revival quilting was a President's Wreath in pink, orange and green with a flower and vine border. Another Presidents Wreath (circa 1880) was red and green on a print background. 

Interesting small items included several floral cheater cloth pieces, Berlin work flowers on black velvet, the panels for a 1970s "Colonial Quilt" (we agreed, after spirited discussion, that the decade of the 70s was the nadir of taste for our generation), a "Quilt Envelope" with pieces for a Wild Rose block and the price ten cents.

A strippy quilt bought in New Hampshire had T-corners. A 19th century beige and blue print was combined with a fairly recent double pink to create a curiously incongruous combination. There was a four block Whig Rose (3rd quarter 19th cen.) variation with appliquéd feathers around each block; from the same era a four block Pomegranate, a Coxcomb and a repeat block of 8 branches of carnations radiating from a center (quite unusual). 

Flowers seem to call up the Depression Era. We saw a lovely Cabbage Rose appliqué on a Nile green background, a twin T-shape with a central bouquet and bowknots, and a marvelous Morning Glory kit with elaborate embroidery. 

Cinda on the Eastern Shore