Two quilts made by the Bulmer family in Ontario, Canada
In Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia Of Pieced Quilts, this is pattern no. 3031 - Linoleum or Violet's Dream. I prefer the latter name to the first...
Some parts are very fragile. To me this is part of the quilts' history.
Pattern no. 272, Endless Wheel, according to Barbara Brackmans Encyclopedia.
This quilt makes me think of a flower meadow.
They were stored on top of her guest room cupboard. She told me they were made by a member of the Bulmer family in the Fenelon Falls area in Canada. My DH's aunt and uncle were the Bulmer family's neighbours for about 20 years before moving back to Sweden. When she gave the quilts to my husbands aunt (ca. 2004), Marie Bulmer was in her eighties. She told my DH's aunt that the family had been poor, and that her mother-in-law had made the quilts.
I very rarely see old quilts hands on, so to speak. When I told our relative that these quilts represent something I love, she promptly said that she wanted me to have them. I was lost for words and wanted to jump up and down for joy.
They are incredibly soft from wear. Some places in both quilts are more than worn out. And I love them still. Now they reside in our living room, on top of my grandmother's cupboard that I inherited from her.
When it comes to how old they are, I am not sure. My unprofessional guess is that the Violet's Dream quilt is the oldest. The sashing of said quilt is the same as the backing of the Endless Wheel quilt. Probably there was fabrics left over from the first quilt. I have a theory that they are made by different members of the Bulmer family. To my eye the quilting in the one I presume is the oldest, is finer than in the more colourful one. Maybe the first was made by a mother, and the latter by a daughter. I am guessing that the Endless Wheel quilt is from the 1930's to 1950's and the oldest from 1910-1920. I would love to hear opinions on this.
Thanks for stopping by and listening to my ramblings. Take care.
11 kommentarer:
hej una,hvad heldig du er,att faa saa fina gamla täcken,har det bra,susi
Oh I do enjoy old quilts. I have quite a collection and I use them under my winter comforters. They add just the right amount of warmth. I have not fix them, because they have such charm this way :)
m.
What a great gift, the are so lovely
Wauh, Una, sikke 2 helt fantastiske skønne quilte og sikke en gave at få :-).
God weekend.
Klem
Anne-Mette
Lovely Una! I love the softness of old worn quilts too - they have such a story to tell if we care to listen. Your date estimations seem about right to me. Interestingly I too have an Endless Wheel quilt from Canada from the same era...I wonder if it was a particularly popular pattern then?
All the best, Kate
I cannot help with the dating Una but what glorious quilts to be given and what luck that they have gone to a good home to be loved and used. The colours would have been so vibrant. I hope someone can help you with the dating of them. It shows the importance of labelling and dating a quilt.
I am glad those pretty old quilts found a good home, so they can continue to be loved...
; )
I would have jumped up and down too...I can feel the softness from over here. Congrats..
It is good to know you gave this a good home. Sadly too many like these get tossed.
blessings, jill
Beautiful quilts, and so nice they are still treasures after all these years.
Oh, thank you for sharing these quilts. I love the look of them, and it's clear they've been well used over many years.
Funny how they travelled from Fenelon Falls (which I drive through quite often) to Sweden to Norway.
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