Sara wows us again! This time, she shares some of her vintage swatches in the popular turkey reds, creams and both indigo and wedgewood blues. This delightful mix of small calicos, large florals and beautiful, hard-to-find prints offers a wide array of coveted textile designs from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The fondue prints, also known as ombré or rainbow prints, are a combination of the vivid reds and blues of the late 19th century, while the narrower stripe is indicative of those fabrics produced several decades later. Additionally, Sara has chosen some patterns with a slightly mottled ground for the exaggerated look produced by the overdye process often found on textiles from that time period.

Wrappers were the casual dresses the women wore for everyday activities. Made to suit the season in either cotton or wool, this comfortable dress was high necked with long sleeves and a free-flowing body. Less fitted than more formal dresses, the wrapper didn’t require hoops, corsets, or bustles, was easy to make, and could easily be adjusted for maternity wear. The style was practical and enduring in popularity and suited women of all ages, including young girls.

As with any dress goods, after the garment was completed, the leftover pieces went into a scrap basket, eventually joining other scraps to make quilts for the family.

Captain Phillips , c. 1860 by Carrie Quinn

"America is the greatest country on earth!” I can still hear my father saying that, always with a catch in his voice. He was born at the beginning of the Great Depression and graduated from Military School just as World War II was ending. He joined the Illinois National Guard and obtained the rank of Captain, eventually retiring just short of twenty years of service. My dad was a man of convictions, who never wavered in his devotion to God and his country. It seemed fitting that I should name this patriotic collection after him, Captain William Evertson Phillips.