Clueless Quilter

I was wondering if there is anyone with knowledge of dating fabric?
I am attaching (hopefully) a picture of two pieces of fabric and I am hoping that someone can give me an idea of the decade they may be from.

I have made a small quilt top from diamonds cut out by my great-grandmother in the late 40's to early 50's. The fabrics she used were scraps from her and my grandmothers 'house' dresses and aprons. I need 8 diamonds to add to some leftover diamonds, that I didn't use in the center, to make a border. These 2 fabric come from a box of scrapes that came from my grandmothers but could easily be from later decades, I just don't know.

Thanks for any help you can give.

thepolyparrot

Aren't those beautiful! I have bought a print similar to the one on the right and it was called a 40s reproduction. I think they're probably both from the 40's, but I'm no expert, just a collector/stash builder. As you say, a scrap bag can contain many decades' worth of prints. I've bought quilt tops that had everything from the 30s to the 70s in them.

I wish that one on the left was available as yardage right now! Both of them, but I've never seen anything like that one on the left - I'd like to make a dress out of that.

Good luck with your project - I hope it comes out just great.

luvstoquilt

Those could be from the late 30’s early 40’s. I have seen the one on the right in 30’s reproduction and have seen similar to the left in some antique quilts from that same time. I feel the left one could be the older of the two. I have seen feed sacks with similar print though that isn’t feed sack fabric.

railroad

These are either reproductions by Darlene Zimmerman, or the original feed sack, I am thinking.

juliasb

They look to be late 30's early 40's judging by the floral design. Feed sacks are a good guess.

tropit

My first thought is very early 40s. So pretty!

Clueless Quilter

THANK YOU ALL! You have confirmed what I thought.

The pieces of fabrics I posted are from a box of fabric that belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother, although none are the same as the diamonds that were cut out by my great-grandmother and that I used in the quilt top. As with the fabrics in the quilt top, all of the pieces in the box are from fabric that was left from yardage after they cut out their house dresses and aprons. It was given to me in the late 70's to early 80's and I have never added other fabric to it as it is very precious to me. (No reproductions.) As have a vague recollection, as a child in the 60's, of one of the fabrics in the box as a dress (no idea of how hold the dress was and yes I am old) I just wanted to make sure that the piece of fabric I add is from the same era as the rest of quilt top.

Several of the diamonds in the quilt top have fabric very similar to fabric number 2, the fabric on the right. Like Elizabeth, however, I have never seen the fabric on the left before, fabric number 1. I think am going to use number 1 as the coloring is a little more subdued and I think balances with the diamonds that I already have in the border the best.

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP!!

thepolyparrot

I hope you'll post pictures when you're done!

Clueless Quilter

As I am sure it will be quite some time before it is totally finished, meaning with the quilting and binding, I will be happy to post a picture when the quilt top when finished.

Jordan

They look like feed sack fabrics to me but there are designers that copy and reproduce fabrics from the early 40's and 50's