More Red and Green for the Holidays!

A Southern Quilt Hailing from the North Georgia Mountains

Variation of Whig's Defeat?

I spied this poor baby (above) in the window of a hardware store in the north Georgia mountains in Clayton, Rabun County. It wasn't really for sale. It was just a window prop but I managed to persuade them to sell it. (If you double click on the photo and look closely, you can see the books on the shelves through the holes in this former beauty.)

The green in the leaves and stem of the tulips has obviously faded.

Does anyone else have a pattern name they would suggest? Would you say it is a variation of Whig's Defeat?

East Coast Red and Green Swag and Swirl

The above quilt was found in 1995 at Becky's Country Gift Barn in Dagsboro, DE. Becky called the owner of the quilt for me. Jewell, the owner, told us she purchased the quilt at an estate sale in Wilmington, DE directly from the quilt-maker's descendants.

I think it may be early 20th century for there is not much quilting around the three-pronged Lily within each block and the binding looks to be store-purchased bias binding to me. The lack of quilting has allowed the batting to clump as a result of use and washing.

I just loaned the this quilt to my youngest daughter so that she can display it for the holidays. She has such a nice area in which to display it - a high balconey overlooking her living room.

But wouldn't you know it, I forgot to snap a picture before we left! I have spent the last hour pouring through old photo albums trying to find the photos you see here. 

Searching for an hour for something is getting to be more than an occassional "senior moment", folks. This is beginning to translate as "have too much stuff"!! I think I have it organized, and I still overlooked it in the first binder I went flipping through! That really put me on the warpath. Soon I was "accidentally" discovering all kinds of wonderful little tidbits I had squirred away....only to finally "find" the above photo in the first binder after all.

Same Basic Design - But Later?

Here is a later 20th century version of my tulip quilt above. I think mine has a touch of Art Deco to it in comparison to the one below.

I try to keep a list of where I store "special" items but then fail to update the list if I move something. Now that I have begun to scan a lot of my "stuff", I have to remember what I named the file so that I can file it again too! Ah, the challengs of managing "stuff"!

The finished look of this qult is much simpler than mine but beautifully done and it's in great condition.

Red and Green on Parade!

 Well, I just can't resist sharing a few more Red and Green quilts I have seen on eBay over the past many years!

That extra little touch of orange is perfect!

Or how about yellow!

Or maybe a little pink?

And there is always another Princess Feather to be found and recorded! 

Or is this a palm?

What are your Holiday Decorating Traditions?

Here is a photo from Christmas 1994. In the foyer I added some other pieces of needlework and artwork made by various members of the family. The papermache bust was made by my youngest daughter her senior year of high school.

Poor thing, Patchwork Man had only one arm. He sits on an old cheese barrel from the Valley wrapped in red fabric.

I had more fun with that guy dressing him in his Santa hat and belting him in the passenger seat of my van and driving him to his new home each time we moved within the D.C. area.  Alas, he had to be left behind when we moved from Virginia.

The chair he sits in is a rocker minus its rockers. My paternal grandfather Daniel gave it to his wife Carrie, my grandmother.  The rocker was given to my mother when she had her first child. I gave it to my sister in 2004 when we moved from Virginia. I think it's still without its rockers but I think we have all the parts.

                     

The framed naivety needlepoint piece above "Santa" I created in 1977 before I discovered quilting. I found the image on a Christmas letter, graphed it and then blew it up on very large graph paper. 

Next I traced it onto needlepoint canvas. I decided each color would be a different stitch so I guess you could say it became my sampler.

Shalom ~ Karen

Solstice Wreath - click either to see a study in traditions!