In the earlier part of the 19th century a swag border emulated the drapes in one's home. This quilt shows us a Folk Art rendering of a very sophisticated piece. Khaki and red are a wonderful combination. This palate on this quilt is actually by accident as the Khaki was a tobacco dyed green that oxidized as soon as the fabric was placed in water!

The 9 block formation was also an earlier quilt format. Each block measures 22" square, the border measures 8", which includes a 1/2" separately applied binding. We have two quilt techniques used here. We have piecing and applique. This is a dynamically graphic quilt one treasures for the design and colors......not for its average quilting. We have here outline quilting and crosshatch quilting. Each separate piece is outline quilted.

This graphically wonderful folk art quilt is now hand washed organically and ready to be sent, with free shipping, for your approval.

Everyone has favorites..This is one of mine! The quilt design is a Diamond in a Square, created from lush woolen homespun as well as purchased woolen fabrics. Some of these fabrics are from the 1860's era. All fabrics colors are rich in tone. Sending this quilt to an entire higher level is the center medallion miniature appliques.

The backing is a gray cotton flannel. The binding is a fine gray wool. Each square measures 7-1/2" with the diamonds having sides that measure 5". We have early vegetable dyed black woolens as well as home dyed dark Khaki color woolens. The diamonds are an array of warm tone colors. Centers of each block have perfectly hand appliqued six leaf flowers with red centers. The flowers are around 2-1/8" in diameter with the red center being 3/8". The binding only measures 1/4" and is separately applied and hand stitched closed. Cross hatch quilting in a 2-1/2" grid ,executed in black thread, covers the entire quilt.

The quilt appears not to have been used and is now waiting for its new owner. A perfect size for a wonderful piece of quilted wall art. Please ask to see this quilt in your home. Our shipping is free of charge in the continental US. Out of this country there will be an extra fee.

A folk art wool Crazy Quilt created using sophisticated colors in a manner remnisent of African American quilts. This quilt was made at the beginning of the 20th century from various men's and women's suiting fabrics, mostly in today's sought after colors of gray and black. The pieces were joined by hand, the quilt is hand tied and has a 1" seperately applied binding.

The use of a flannel backing creates an extra cozy quilt. A perfect piece of art for your family room or bedroom either at home or at your lodge. Wool quilts are aways tied due to the fabric as here tied with red thread.

Due to the overabundance of ties the batting is nice and safe and secure inside. We have actually organically hand washed this wool quilt. Because the colors are so shade-wise similar, I did not worry about the colors running as can happen with wool and silk fabrics. Now we have a wonderful folk art crazy quilt ready to be used as a quilt or as a fabulous piece of folk art for your wall.

Ready to be sent, with free shipping, for your at home approval.

I believe this original design, mostly rayon, hooked rug is African American and created to remember the massacres of the "Red Summer" race riots of 1919. During that summer there were nunerous race riots that began with the Chicage riot caused by an African American boy swimming at a "white only" beach. During that summer there were hundreds of African Americans killed, in various riots, resulting in the name "Red Summer". The bullseye center symbolizes this slaughtering of human life.

Constructed on burlap using rayons, knits and a very few cotton fabrics, to create a graphic and poignantly graphic rare piece of art.

This one of a kind folk art rug has been hanging in my home for many, many years. I have decided it is time to let someone else treasure this art piece in their home.

Please email or call to see this rug, on approval, with free shipping, in the privacy of your home.

A fabulous folk art crazy quilt comprised of a combination of wool, wool challis and velvet crazy pieces with whimsical wool embroidery. A wonderful palette of reds, blues, russet, greens, browns, and ecru forms the ground of this great folk art piece. The artist used this as a canvas onto which she embroidered large scale whimsical and traditional designs using a variety of stitch patterns and colors of wool yarns in bright, warm hues.

Multiple cats along with birds, large bugs and a terrific barn with fence are included with a sentimental 'Think of Me'. In the center of the quilt is the embroidered date of 1900. The name of 'Hatt' as well as initials 'G.D.R.' are hand stitched with wool yarn. The backing is a fabulous and early black, pink and white cotton print - see detail images. Reverse tied with cream wool yarn this quilt also has a pillowcase edging. Multi-hued wool embellishment stitching provides the perfect finish for the outside edges.

Charm and a certain 'joie de vivre' combine to make this quilt a great choice as a focal point for that special room. Folk art whimsy at its best, this is a wonderful and unique quilt that can be sent to you on approval for private review. Please ask Betsey for more details.

This is what's called a folk art version of the very sophiticated Rose of Sharon pattern. The colors are very typical of North Carolina and are mostly home-dyed fabrics. The lighter shades that show up on the light brown fabric were there before the quilt was created. There is positive proof of this in the fact that many of the faded areas end at a seam.

This mint condition quilt is, I feel, one of a kind. The quilt is pieced, appliqued, and reverse appliqued. The center of each motif has reverse applique of a painstaking level. The creator of this quilt has combined folk art with very serious and formal designs. The observation that I am making is the difference in the sashing design from southern quilts to northern quits. In 34 years I have never see a northern quilt that has sashing strips that do not completely connect vertically and horizontally. But at this point, I have had a few that have a similar visual configuration that are also Southern. There is a tiny nibble on the binding on one of the short sides. Other than that, this quilt appears to have never been used or washed.

The blocks measure approximately 18" square. The triple sashing measures 4-1/2" top to bottom, 6" side to side. There is 4" border on two sides and a 7-1/2" border on two sides. The horizontal sashing is cross hatched in approximately 1-1/4" grid. The vertical sides are diagonally quilted between 3/4" and 1-1/4" apart. All borders appear to have the old fashioned triple lines design: 3 rows, space, 3 rows, space. The folk art design is outline quilted with an unusual diamond and zigzag quilting around each piece. The backing is a cotton homespun fabric. All piecing, quilting, applique, and reverse applique are executed by hand. The binding is 3/8" hand applied using a funky fabric that I am unable to decipher. All brown fabrics appear to be home dyed. The teal and blue were, I believe, purchased.

This amazing North Carolina texile Folk Art is ready to be sent to you for your in-home approval.

I am so excited when finding a quilt design that I have never seen before..Well, here is a wonderful early folksy southern quilt. The fabrics contradict themselves...we have very expensive wool challies combined with home dyed homespun fabrics. A puzzle...Was this quilt made by a servant of a wealthy family using their fabrics along with the fabrics of the designer?... or a less affluent family that was able to procure remnants of exquisite fabrics?... Or still the possibility of an afluent woman who thought outside the box of convention and may have put away this quilt because it was so far "out of what was the expected" for a lady of position.

How has this Virginia quilt survived all these years including through the 1860's turmoil of our country?

The blocks now measure 11" square ...When originally created and before quilting, the blocks would have been slightly larger. The joining sashing is 2" wide, the strips outlining the squares on point measure 7/8" in width and the squares on point are 3". A wide 1" applied binding frames the quilt. The linen backing fabric is a home dyed oak color. Diagonal quilting covers the entire quilt.

A true fresh, out of a private collection, artistic masterpiece which will enhance the beauty and originality of your home.

This is an original adaptation of a very sophisticated pattern which was created by an expert sewer as well as being an expert quilter. In 34 years I have never seen a pattern created in a manner such as this.

Created from turkey red, white and tobacco dyed green cotton and linen fabrics. Hawaiian quilts are known for their echo quilting. While this is certainly not a Hawaiian quilt, it is echo quilted and stippled throughout the entire piece. This original pattern was created in 20" X 21" blocks, which were appliqued and reverse appliqued with the roses using an amazing pleated, ruffled design. This pattern was outline quilted and from there we go to actual echo quilting. Each joining block has been echo quilted in a 5" square on the diagonal. The balance of each block has echo quilting following the entire design.

The top and bottom borders measure 5-1/2" and the side borders measure 7-1/2" in width. All four borders are appliqued with a meandering vine and buds folk art pattern. Once again, we see that the pattern is completely outline quilted with the balance of the sashing being echo quilted. The result is an entire quilt covered with echo quilting approx 1/4" apart, creating a stippled effect. There is an 1/8" applied binding using the tobacco dyed green fabric.

Tobacco dyed green is a very fugitive color and is easily changed from washings and direct sunlight. I can see this quilt hung as a true masterpiece in a special place on your wall. Only direct sunlight will damage this quilt. This quilt will be fine in a bright room where you can see and marvel at the exquisite quilting. ...just not direct sunlight....You will see shading in the tobacco dyed green and there are still a few faint areas of foxing.

A rarety is the fact that this quilt is signed and dated .....J.M. Murphy ..Jan. 8th,1858. The exact date leads me to believe that it was made to commemorate a wedding date.

This masterpiece quilt is now organically washed and ready to be hung or used on a bed in your home.

Ready to be sent to you for your in home approval........

How exciting to discover an original design by the maker of this graphic bassinet quilt. The center medallion has a stylized design using a blue and white windowpane, plaid, double pink calico and off white. To me, the way I have it hanging shows wonderful positive energy. Surrounding the central design are seven borders; multiple sawtooth edges alternating with solid bars. The outermost border is the widest at 5-1/4 inches with the smallest border at 1-3/8 inches in width.

Pieced entirely by hand as this little quilt was created prior to common use of the sewing machine. All outline and echo outline quilting is also executed by hand and follows the origional design, but not the reverse side. The maker used another quilt - a cotton broken dishes pattern in soft blue, white and lavender - for the backing of this piece. See detail images. The applied 3/8 inch binding is pieced fabrics in tan stripes and a blue plaid and shows slight wear at the fold on one area of one side.

This is a wonderful small quilt that would be fabulous art for the wall. Organically hand washed by Betsey, it is in fabulous condition having been lovingly cared for. Please ask to see it on approval for private review.

A totally unique folk art rendition of an earlier Broderie Perse style, this quilt has been arranged in block formation with 2 ¼ inch Turkey red sashing and border. Many nineteenth century fabrics have been cut out in various shapes and hand appliquéd with miniscule stitches. The diagonal line hand quilting is spaced approximately 1 inch apart. The border includes a 3/8 inch wide separately applied Turkey red binding and the backing is muslin. Professionally hand washed by Betsey; please ask her for more details.

In complete original condition, this creatively embroidered table embellishment is comprised of 24 7” blocks with wool embroidered motifs on black wool. We have a swan, which to me represents a relationship lasting a lifetime, flowers and leaves representing spring, summer and happiness. There’s a bird with “AM” embroidered on its wing. Created in the 1890s, it appears that the maker was incredibly creative and probably came from a less affluent family. The backing of each block is a much earlier homewoven fabric. There are sleeves or what are called pockets sewn on the back making it ready for hanging. Equally beautiful would be as a center focal point of your dining room table...Ready to be sent for your viewing and approval.

Created on a 35" loom; finely woven with thick black and red woolen threads. Odd Fellows symbols are the format for the design of this creation. I enjoyed using "Google" to read about the deeper meanings of the many Odd Fellows symbols. An over simplified version of these symbols is the importance in life of love, industriousness, truth, and acceptance of one another.

This c.1890 amazingly graphic piece of art was actually carpet for the floor of a 19th century home or possibly the actual Odd Fellows Lodge. Strips of 35" wide carpet were sewn together to create the needed room size. This carpet, a perfect piece of art for your wall, is not quite two full widths: one full and one apx. 3/4 width, hand sewn together. Please look at the closeup sections by clicking the above photo. Where have you ever seen 19th century art in red and black...a sought after and hard to find color combination.

Betsey has organically washed this carpet so it is clean for your perfect wall space. We can also apply "sleeves" so the "carpet" is ready to easily hang. Please call for more details.

Whimsical, folksy , happy and original. My way of describing this amazing piece of folk art. The designer has even created sampler blocks that are samplers within the sampler. I would not be surprised if her husband was a carpenter or builder. What a wonderful way to show what is important in her life, but also the designs she loved. Completely hand pieced and beautifully hand quilted with many different patterns, this quilt was used lovingly. There are over 50 quilt patterns on this one Folk Art original quilt! Many of these patterns require a sewer of expert ability. The Sunburst and the ball being two of the most difficult to piece.
I see this quilt hung as art on the wall of a great room. However, there is no reason why it should not be used on a bed.
Organically hand washed and ready to be sent for your at home approval

Everyone has favorites...well, this is one of mine...and no surprise that I am an early fabric textile junkie...Here we have a folk art Log Cabin Quilt executed in very expensive early wool challis and other very, very fine wool fabrics. To me this is an oxymoron as affluent families usually created sophisticated quilts, not folk art. There are dozens of different fabric patterns, including early block prints, plaids, stripes, solids and calicoes. huge variety of colors...
It is pieced from strips (called logs) mostly measuring 5/8" in width to create 5" wide blocks. These blocks are foundation pieced. All work is executed by hand as this quilt was made before the public use of the sewing machine. Finishing the quilt is an applied 5/8 " wide plaid fine wool binding.
I am showing you the quilt on one of my beds as my lighting does not seem to work with these fabrics ...another reason to be sent on approval for viewing in your home.
An amazing piece of art for your wall or your bed.
Please call for more information.

A quilt very possibly created during the Civil War era.
This is a very rare and unusual Amish piece that is comprised of early wools and wool challis fabrics, some of which appear to be home woven. The backing fabric of this quilt is a grayish tweedy flannel, an early flannel. The squares created here, using a variation of the Log Cabin pattern, measure 11-1/2 inches. Each log measures approximately 1 inch in width. Yes, this a Log Cabin but an oxymoron because it's so very folksy and it's such an early Amish piece.
This quilt is not only a rare piece but would create an artistically amazing wall hanging. There's a lot of other information that I'd like to share. Please call or email.

This funky little fragment is comprised of various wool fabrics, both in texture and design. Pieced by hand and tied with colorful yarns, this little fragment has a very folk art feel. The four patch blocks are joined with a 2-1/4” brown wool challis fabric sashing. Each block measures apx 7” square. The backing is a c.1890 stripe in muted black, lavender and yellow. The binding used here came off the original quilt. This quilt art fragment, for your wall. is ready to be sent on approval.

This quilt is currently featured in the exhibition Cut and Paste: 400 Years of Collage held at The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Scotland, from June 29 to October 27, 2019. It may be seen on page 21 in their book Cut and Paste: 400 Years of Collage, published by the National Galleries Scotland.

Many Victorian women were resourceful, creative and loved embellishing. In the homes of today, when we have stopped embellishing, Victorian women have just begun...I like to say that these women embellished the embellishment. However, in addition Victorian women loved to be creative and excelled in needlework of all kinds. As a trendy habit most Victorian men smoked cigars. These cigars, in clusters, were wrapped in beautiful silk ribbons denoting the manufacturer. This advertiser design resulted in exquisite silk ribbons waiting to be creatively assembled in a piece of textile art. This Massachusetts woman, whose husband may have attended Harvard, has taken the silk cigar bands and created a version of the log cabin completely from these ribbons. The reason why I date this mid 1880’s is because of the vibrant colors. Later, the colors (mostly blue, orange and red) faded more easily due to a change in dyeing techniques. These miniature quiltx are rare not only because of their scarcity, but because of the rarity of the colors and the manufacturers, notably Harvard. There are numerous ribbons from Massachusetts companies and over a dozen crimson Harvard University ribbons. One ribbon includes a patriotic golden American eagle holding an arrow. What an amazing piece of textile art for your home or office. In perfect original condition and ready to be sent for your approval.

I will classify this original folk art Crazy Quilt as “off the charts”! It’s spectacular! This quilt is truly a piece of art. Comprised of 12 20” square blocks, using fabrics that are mostly 1890’s wool and wool challis. The backing is 1880’s - 90’s flannel thus creating not only a warm, but a very cozy quilt. Much of the embellishment on this quilt is three dimensional. There are a lot of unanswered questions on this piece. I have a feeling it was made by Grandma, whose initials may have been V.B.M. Many of the blocks are initialed. Does this mean that many people made a block or were the blocks made in their honor? There is a similar style so I believe it was made by one person, however that is up for discussion. One block has 5 sets of initials all ending in M. Could this be Gandma's children or grandchildren? This major piece of textile folk art can be hung in either direction. If you want to rotate it, you’ll see a totally different piece of art work. This is such a happy quilt. I think the creator must have adored her family. Ready to be sent for your approval at home.

Orange is a color that is hard to find as a major part of an antique quilt. This stunning optical illusion quilt is comprised of a rarely seen color combination...orange,red and taupe. There are actually two shades of red...a Turkey red is used in the bricks and a red red is used for the border. The color combination is wonderful. The blocks seem to stand upon one another. The simplicity of the colors, due to the fact that they are all solids and not calicoes, lets this graphic piece of art easily complement other designs that are in your home.
This quilt is all hand pieced and hand quilted. Each diamond has straight line quilting in the longest direction of the diamond. This quilting design adds to the optical illusion effect by accenting the direction of each diamond. The innermost border, in Taupe, has a unique wave design, while the outermost red border is quilted with an arc design. The binding is a dark Taupe woven tape. The backing is a wholecloth in red. This fabric was obviously purchased for this quilt and points to the fact that the family was of comfortable means.
An amazingly graphic quilt which appears to be unused...now organically washed by Betsey and ready to be sent for your in home viewing and approval.

Both elegant and fun, this gorgeous Folk Art floral applique quilt is in unused condition. The various shades of blue of the vine have occurred naturally. The whimsical floral with twining vine is an original pattern skillfully executed by an accomplished needlewoman. The interpretive and naïve representation of the naturalistic motifs gives this quilt wonderful Folk Art appeal. Floral 'bouquets' are enclosed by a freeform meandering vine of buds and leaves.

The needlework on this quilt is exquisite. The maker used tiny, perfect stitches for both the applique work and hand quilting. The applique tulips and roses in solid cheddar and Turkey red, respectively, have solid blue vegetable dyed stems and leaves. The Turkey red buds between the flowers are reverse appliqued.

Hand quilting is magnificent and consists of additional leaves on branches quilted throughout the fine white linen ground between the appliqued bouquets. The meandering vine has quilted leaves completely filling the space between the appliqued leaves and buds.

The backing is fine white linen as is the 1/4 inch applied binding. The quilt is entirely hand stitched and of original design by its maker. The fine execution and great palette contribute greatly to an already elegant Folk Art piece. This quilt can be shipped to you on approval for private viewing.

A totally unique quilt, the creator of this piece took conventional patterns and turned them into a piece of abstract art with incredible movement. The logs have been pieced into abstract pinwheels from a cotton conversation print featuring hats and umbrellas on a black background. Bright pops of yellow, pink, blue, and a multicolored stripe have been placed in the arrangement to give the overall feeling of a cobweb pattern. Various bright feedsack prints have been pieced together to form the backing, and finished with a 1 ¼ inch separately applied yellow calico feedsack binding. In used but excellent condition, and tied with black cording. Subtle and sophisticated, with a visual jazz impact! Professionally hand washed by Betsey and ready to send to you on approval.