We began with a discussion about the different terms used to describe the color blue and the dye processes used. We learned there are several different dye stuffs used to produce blue and several different dying methods. Did you know there are 50 different plant species that can be used to produce blue?

We focused on indigo, woad, Prussian blue, Lancaster blue, cadet blue, and synthetic blue as these were the colors we had the most examples of. We learned that you can still buy indigo dye in cake form today. We also learned indigo will adhere to cotton without a mordant! It turns blue when it hits the air. We learned that Saxon blue is really just ground indigo mixed with oil of vitriol and produces a turquoise like blue which is used mainly in on wool or silk. The terms Dutch blue, German blue, and Amanda blue were actually just marketing terms used to describe indigo. Chemists are unable to tell whether a fabric is dyed with indigo, woad or a synthetic dye.

We learned woad is a plant in the mustard family. It is said to grow as a weed in the US and can be found in Indiana!

Prussian blue is a mineral compound of potassium ferricyanide and iron acetate. It also known as Berlin blue, Lafayette blue and Napoleon blue or even island blue. You see it a lot in 1840s and 1850s quilts in florals, chintz, pillar prints and rainbow prints. It is often used in two step dyed greens. An interesting bit of trivia we learned was that the first greenbacks were made with Prussian blue!

Lancaster blue was found mainly in Pennsylvania in 1860-80 thus the name. It is a clear bright blue often seen as a blue on blue print with a darker blue printed over a lighter blue of the same.

Cadet blue is a misty grayed blue popular in the 1870s to 1890s. It is also known as Calcutta blue. You usually see it printed with a white design of some kind.

Synthetic blue was first marketed in 1897 and is still used today. Within ten years of its introduction very little natural indigo could be found. A clue to an early synthetic blue was its poor colorfastness! We saw a very good example of that on the back of a quilt.

After our initial information session, we started the day looking at examples of indigo. Our first couple pieces were fragments. The more interesting of the two was printed using what is called an American resist (left) because the background is not blue! It is actually blue printed on white and examples of this can only be found in the US. It is thought to have come from the Dutch colonies in New York around the 1790s.

Next we saw a piece of toile dated 1810 featuring scenes from Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake from Mulhouse, France. It is what is considered a China blue because of the sharp clear print. The date was part of the print if you looked very closely!

We saw two feathered stars one was a 1830s feathered star with some indigo feathers and my favorite was all indigo and white with a compass in the center of each star.

I'd say the group's overall favorite indigo quilt was a folk art style appliqué that featured blocks set on point made up of indigo hearts radiating form a center design with oak leaves in each of the four corners. The border featured a large chunky undulating vine with flowers, small hearts and small diamond shaped leaves. It was quite a sight to behold!

We ended our look at indigo with some contemporary fabric examples. These are imported from DaGama Mills of South Africa. We saw examples unwashed fat quarters and compared them to washed pieces. The unwashed was almost as stiff as cardstock. The washed pieces were just as soft as an old quilt! We particularly liked the company's logo printed on the back which featured three leopards. Examples can be seen on www.reproductionfabrics.com and www.cottoninthecabin.com.

After lunch we moved on to examples of Prussian blue, Lancaster blue (pictured), cadet blue and a couple synthetic blue pieces. We saw two examples containing Prussian blue. Interestingly enough both were set in the stripy style. One was worked with several different fabrics. The other used the Prussian as part of the setting for the on point blocks and part of a strip separating the two. It dated to 1850.

We saw a quilt and two different tops that contained Lancaster blue. The quilt had a very Lancaster county feel to it due to its color combination of pink, green, and double blue. The two tops were nine patches with the double blue pieces scattered through them.

We saw as many examples of cadet blue as we did the indigo. There was an ocean waves, bow tie, trip around the world, baskets, nine patch, double cross and stars all done in the two color combination of cadet and white. They were very soothing to look at.

My two favorite cadet blue quilts were both tree of life patterns. One was worked with the trees set on point and the alternating block were what we termed "ubiquitous yellow" otherwise known as chrome yellow (right). The second had an interesting shape to the tree's trunk. It was almost the shape of an elongated bow tie and it was appliquéd onto the block! The setting for this quilt was unique as well. The trees on both long sides pointed toward the center and the two rows down the middle pointed up (or down as the viewer's perspective might be). This quilt had exquisitely executed quilting and we were all in agreement it had a very 1925 feel to it (left).

We were also treated to a special contemporary blue quilt. It was the 1987 Vermont Quilt Festival raffle quilt won by one of our members! It was a gorgeous mariner's compass set in a medallion style. It was designed and pieced by Mary Klett Ryan and quilted by Merial Liberty. How lucky to be the winner of such a beauty!

We wound up the day looking at some off topic show and tell. Our first were two pieces of red toile purchased on the fabric tour of France. The one piece was from the 18th century and was a blurrier print compared to the piece from the 19th century which was a more crisp print! The second item we looked at was a star quilt that had faded considerably but was still very pretty in its current soft coloring. The last was a star baby quilt done with ubiquitous yellow squares in the centers of the stars with Turkey red tips.

I'm pretty sure I speak for those in attendance we came away with our heads feeling like saturated sponges filled with our new found knowledge of blue. I think we could have easily used yet another day or at least several more hours to cover all the great information Joy and Peg put together for us. A very big thank you goes out to them for all their efforts. We are all more informed because of it.

Our next meeting will be a visit to Cincinnati Museum Center to view the exhibit, Threads of Faith: Recent Works from the Women of Color Quilters Network and a visit to the nearby Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Both are planned for Sunday, January 22nd, 2005. If for some reason we have bad weather that day we will try again on the following Sunday, January 29th. Please check your email as details will be forthcoming.

Respectfully submitted, Lisa Portwood