90 Antique c.1919–1920s String Quilt Pieces • Original Newspaper Foundation • Early American Scrap Quilt Blocks • Unfinished Quilt

Antique Early 1900s Hand-Pieced Quilt Blocks | 90 Pieces | 1919 Newspaper Foundation

A truly special collection of approximately 90 antique hand-pieced quilt pieces, discovered still attached to their original newspaper foundations.

Each piece was created from an assortment of early fabric scraps—ginghams, plaids, stripes, tiny prints and solids—carefully pieced together over newspaper in the traditional foundation-piecing method. Several of the newspaper pieces remain remarkably readable, including one clearly dated July 15, 1919.

While the newspaper provides wonderful evidence of the age of the materials, I cannot confirm the exact year the quilt pieces themselves were sewn. Based on the construction, fabrics and dated foundation, they appear consistent with early 20th-century quilt work.

These were apparently prepared for a quilt that was never completed, leaving behind a beautiful little piece of domestic and textile history more than a century later.

Details:

● Approximately 90 individual quilt pieces

● Hand-pieced scrap/string construction

● Original newspaper foundation remains attached to many pieces

● Newspaper includes a visible July 15, 1919 date

● Assorted antique cotton fabrics, including checks, plaids, stripes, prints and solids

● Pieces vary slightly in size, shape and construction

● Sold together as one collection

● Unwashed and offered exactly as found

These pieces show their age. Expect loose threads, fraying, uneven edges, discoloration, fragile newspaper, stains and other imperfections associated with antique textiles and paper. I have intentionally not removed the newspaper, washed the fabrics or otherwise altered the pieces, so their original construction and history remain intact.

Perfect for an antique quilt or textile collector, historical sewing display, study collection, primitive décor, archival shadowbox project, or someone who appreciates unfinished handwork and the stories old textiles carry.

Please note: The July 15, 1919 newspaper dates the foundation material itself and should not be interpreted as definitive proof that the quilt pieces were sewn on that exact date.

A beautiful collection of unfinished handwork—the beginnings of a quilt that, for whatever reason, was tucked away instead of completed.