This quilt has been in my family for about 40 years, but I have no idea of its origin. In the 1980's my parents purchased a furnished home in central Florida, and this quilt was tucked away in a closet. It could have been made anywhere, as people migrated to Florida from other areas. A quilt store owner informally dated to the 1930's, based on the fabrics. Looking at the wear, I think it was made by a practical woman for everyday use, but she chose the difficult (to me) double wedding ring pattern. I picture it in a house like Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' home in Cross Creek, FL or a farmhouse in the Midwest. If anyone has any insights on quilt history, I'd appreciate it.
I used to display it, but it has become too fragile. (And dirty.)
I agree with you about complexity of the pattern. Look at the amount of tiny stitches! It must have taken so much patience and time to complete this. I have several similar that were made by family members. I certainly hope you find out more about this one. Fabulous photo of it.
The time and patience it took to produce this is beyond comprehension. Such a treasure- and to think some one stuck it in a closet and let the whole house be sold! I'm glad you cherish it.
I'm going to guess that some of those fabrics are feed sacks. You can wash it gently, by hand, in a bathtub, mostly just letting it soak, changing the tepid water a couple of times. I highly recommend a product called Retroclean. In fact, I just used it on a quilt from the 30s and it's amazing how much nastiness came out of it. Gently squeeze as much water out of it as you can, I used towels, then use a sheet (or roll it in towels) to lift it. Lay it out flat in the shade on a sheet. Do not hang it to dry, the weight will stress the threads! When it's mostly dry, you can toss it in a dryer on low heat. You would not believe how much cleaner it will come. It will do it good to be washed. This one looks to be in very good condition, but if there are fabrics that are disintegrating, they will need to be repaired first (by covering with an appliqued piece of similar fabric or a piece of netting). Also, you should make a label with what you know on it, pretty much what you said above. Even if you don't know it's entire history, you know some things that should be documented. It's a beauty!
@margonaut Thank you SO much for the information. There used to be a quilt shop in Baton Rouge (it closed years ago.) One of the owners told me to wash the quilt in a bathtub, like you suggested, and I did. But I did not remember what product I used and did not know if that was still recommended. I want to preserve this quilt. I know it is not a priceless heirloom, but someone (or maybe several people) put a lot of themselves into it and I want to honor that and preserve it as best I can.
BTW my mother made me dresses from feed sacks. Great tradition.
BTW my mother made me dresses from feed sacks. Great tradition.