Pieces and Patches in Green

 

Welcome to Treadlestitches, and welcome to green month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

I'm a quilt collector as well as a quilt maker, so I thought I'd share one of my favorite antique green quilts for March.

Today we might call this a granny square block.  In the mid to late 19th century, when this top was pieced, the maker might have named it Album or Chimney Sweep.

It's sort of unusual for all the blocks in an Album quilt to have the same main color.  (Note to self:  It might be fun to try that!)  The maker apparently ran out of the original green, and used a different print in the four corner blocks.  The greens are very similar, but the main one has yellow dots and the other has a white shape outlined in black.  I didn't notice the difference until I got up close.

The outside corners have this shape appliqued to them.  All the work in the quilt is by hand, including the borders.  That doesn't mean the quilter didn't have a sewing machine, just that she didn't use one for this quilt.  My own great grandmother made all her quilts completely by hand up through the 1960s.

Several of the blocks have this kind of damage:  a discoloration in the prints.  It could have been caused by some kind of mild bleaching agent.  When I bought this top at a flea market, the seller thought mouse urine might have been the cause (yuck!), although there are no holes from chewing.  The quilt had been washed before I bought it, so no smell of course.

My antique quilts and tops are stored all over the house.  I'm going to start bringing them out more so I can enjoy them.

Nothing is finished this week, but I did make a start on some scrappy green blocks.

This cheeky monkey print kept showing up in everything.

This one is even waving!

But here's the real story of this week.  Baby Buddy had his first birthday!

He loved the cake, of course.  Vanilla for him (less messy) ...

and chocolate for Little Buddy, who got to lick the icing off the beater.

Little Buddy did his best to interest his baby brother in his presents...

But Baby Buddy loved the tissue paper best!  (I may have felt like that about fabric.  How about you?)

The snow is still here, but it's retreating.  We can see more grass every day.  Spring is coming, however slowly.  There are lots of good reasons to be hopeful.

Stay safe, and have a happy hopeful week!

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with these marvelous ladies:

Angela at So Scrappy
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict 

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Cynthia at Oh Scrap