America's Quilting History

There is nothing like being able to hold a scrap of old fabric in your hand; to feel it, see the texture and imagine what the world was like when it was made. To learn about the history of fabrics this way would be ideal but for most of us handling vintage fabric is a rare treat. There are many books out with beautiful color prints of quilts from various eras but until now we couldn't examine an extensive collection of fabrics. "Dating Fabrics: A Color Guide 1800-1960" offers this opportunity by organizing hundreds of fabric swatches by period.

For each period Eileen Trestain gives us fascinating information about how textiles were made, dyes were used and prints created in the making of fabrics during that time period. She goes on to explain about the dyes available and how various colors were made. Most intriguing of all is her description of how prints were created and what kinds were popular. She then tells us about the quilt styles of the period. With this background information we are able to notice so much more detail in the pictured fabrics. Through studying this book you will develop a good sense of what the fabrics were like in a given period and how they were made, dyed and printed.

The delight of this book is the time you can spend just gazing at these wonderful fabrics of the past. What fun it can be looking at the fabrics of an era and deciding which ones you would use to make a quilt if you were living in that day. "Dating Fabrics" is also a great resource if you are buying reproduction fabrics to make a period quilt. Most of all you can just enjoy wandering through dark indigos, Turkey reds, madder browns and double pinks; moving from those somber florals of the nineteenth century into the more playful colors and prints of the 20 century.

© 2001 Anne Johnson (Do not reproduce any material from this site without permission.)