One of my hobbies is shopping at Goodwill Outlet where you buy "by the pound." I think it is the unknowns that make this kind of shopping fun. Sometimes you find things, sometimes not. Sometimes you win big, and other times not. The good thing is, that at something like 69 cents a pound, if you lose, you only lose a little. Last time I went I came home with a shirt for Michael, and shirt for Laura, a vintage colander, 7 vintage handsewn and embroidered placemats, a vintage linen tablecloth and an antique crochet tablecloth as well as a few other linens and two embroidery transfer books. I only paid $3.00!!!
That means, the day I brought this antique crazy quilt square home, I probably only paid about 20 cents for it.
Last week I finally threw it in my sink with cold water to let it soak. Bad plan. It hadn't really dawned on my just how old this might be. But, I'm extremely afraid of Goodwill cooties and I refuse to pay for drycleaning (I have made 2 exceptions). So, I got rid of the cooties, colored the water quite a bit, and sadly added a few holes to this quilt square.
But it also got me thinking about how old this might be.
Check out the backing: It looks quite ancient to me.
And then here is the embroidered flower added to one side -- done in some sort of velour type thread.
The flag boasts 43 stars -- which dates it to 1890 (of course the flag itself may not be that old but that is when our flag had 43 stars).
I would love to know the story behind this quilt square. I think instead of making a pillow out of this I'm going to find a frame suitable for her and add her to my wall where I can enjoy the workmanship and the beauty of a bygone generation.
