A Turn-of-the-Century Log Cabin Quilt Top

Around 1979 my friend Martha purchased a quilt top at a quilt show. She had hoped some day to finish it. This past weekend she gave it to me.

The block pattern is the traditional Log Cabin set in a Fields and Furrows setting. The block traditionally has a red center square, representing the hearth of the cabin, with strips in light and dark values building out from it. It was also traditionally hand pieced, as this quilt is. The pattern seems to date to the mid-1860s in America.

The fabrics in this quilt date to the turn of the century, between the late 1900s and pre-World War One era.

The central red blocks is an interesting diaper print, an interlocking pattern.
In the photo below you can see a black and white print and a butternut calico print then at the left outer edge a brown print.

 I love the poison green print, seen below.

There are a variety of shirting prints in salmon pink and pale blues. Also, below, note the purple print with a serpentine design in white and the indigo blue with a white circular print.

Black and white prints were popular during this time period and are called Mourning prints.

 More shirting prints, with a golden brown check.

The border was machine sewn on and is a dotted maroon print. 

The back shows the hand stitched blocks and machine stitched borders.

The quilt top was washed by the seller. I cut off lots of tangled threads from the back. There are some small worn spots and holes and the fabrics, overall, are brittle. I think the fabrics are too fragile to finished into a quilt.

Free online instructions for making Log Cabin blocks can be found at:

http://blog.modafabrics.com/2013/09/two-tricks-for-perfect-log-cabin-blocks/

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/quilt-patterns/log-cabin-quilt-patterns

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/2011/02/7-log-cabin.html

http://delawarequilts.com/BOMs/LogCabin/index.html