I want to make a quilt for my long time gal friend. She has her GREAT GREAT grand parents bedroom furniture that came from "back East" on a Conestoga wagon back in the 1800's. In keeping with the AGE of the furniture I need help picking a pattern that would be appropriate. Any suggestions are welcome... Thanks in advance!!!

A log cabin comes to mind. But young ladies of that era would have made a sampler quilt to show off their sewing prowess to potential suitors. So either one would work for the time period. Just stick to the standard blocks. You could even pick out a sample of the Dear Jane blocks and enlarge them to 10"-12" in size.

I think a pioneer sampler would be just the thing. Good luck deciding!

I like the pioneer block sampler idea, too.

If you don't want to do a sampler, an Irish Chain quilt would look so classic and fresh with her furniture.

Or if you prefer florals, how about a quilt of North Carolina Lily blocks?

I like the Pioneer sampler idea but I have always wanted to do an Irish Chain. Maybe I'll make both and she can pick the one she wants. Thanks everybody. knew you'd come thru.....

I love to see a two color quilts on those old beds. I would say a deep red and white burgoyne surrounded would be stunning. Striking but simple enough to allow the bed to shine too.

Here is a link to some images from google.

http://images.google.com/images?gbv=...+quilt&spell=1

Red! Thanks for the site! I had not seen that Bourgoyne Surround before. There are some beauties there. I especially like the scrappy looking one called Marion's on pg 4.... E Gads! ANOTHER quilt to add to the L-O-N-G list of must do's.

I decided to learn how to quilt after I saw a scrappy double wedding ring quilt hanging on a clothes line of an old farm house. I think it would look fabulous on an antique bed.

There is a paper pieced pattern out there. I started one many years ago in repro. fabrics. I think I'll pull it back out and finish it.

Whatever you decide to do, what a great gift.

Patty! ANOTHER great suggestion... Thanks! Where did you find the paper pieced pattern? Was it EASY?? I am not a big fan of paper piecing but have done it in the past and the result is worth the effort (I think! lol)

It's a Judy Niemeyer pattern called A Garden for my Wedding Ring. I'm not doing the applique part on the borders, but it's super easy (I only do "easy"). When I think traditional/antique I always come back to the Double Wedding Ring pattern.

You can't go wrong with Log Cabin. I do not know how old it is, but it is suggestive of the period.

My DSIL does double wedding ring quilts all of the time, and she goes down to the local JoAnn's and buys a foundation type fabric with the pattern printed on it so all you have to do is sew the squares on and it teaches you how to do it.
The same company prints different patterns on lightweight muslin ... like paper piecing, but you don't have to take the paper out.

http://www.shopwiki.com/Quiltsmart+Double+Wedding+Ring

cool! It is a preprinted fusible!

if she knows where they came from, you can do a rocky road to.....quilt and change the name to rocky road FROM...

that would be in keeping with the history of the furniture.

EDIT: i said rocky road, but it could be any of the state name quilts. you can find all of them on bellaonline.