When we moved into our old house almost 40 years ago one of the things we learned the first winter was this old house was cold and drafty in the winter. Eventually I found this Arch quilt at a thrift store in very good condition and hung it on the window to stop the draft. It worked so well I started collecting them for every window and then I kept on collecting them.
The pieces are machined stitched of reproduction fabric but all the quilting is done by hand.... some rather crude but on some Arch quilts it is very nice indeed. They were mass marketed from China to the US in the early 90s, This one has been machined washed repeatedly and is still lovely and is now hanging over the slider at the new house. It immediately made it feel like "my" home.
The fad passed and I seldom see them at thrift stores anymore but I do see them at garage sales, Etsy and Ebay and often proclaimed to be antiques or family heirlooms. But if you are familiar with them, they are easily recognizable as Arch quilts even though the label is long gone. They had a limited number of patterns and a "look" that can't be missed.
I've seen them described as inferior, poor quality and worthless. All mine are used and all have been washed in the washing machine repeatedly and are still lovely and treasured....besides helping us to keep toasty warm.... I send a big hug to the persons whose hands stitched these quilts.
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6 comments:
I may have had one and didn't know it. Using your quilts in your new home will certainly make the new place more "homey".
Happy Thanksgiving.
xx, Carol
Lovely sentiments and kind hearted appreciation, I totally agree. What a nice way to make your new house your warm lovely home. Suzie in Idaho
I remember that controversy - I have the quilt in the 4th photo (Trip Around The World). It has a few seams that pulled apart, otherwise is still in good condition. Wasn't the big fear(?) that people would start thinking *all* newly made quilts should cost what those did? I think that fear did come true - most people gasp in horror at just materials cost today if they want a quilt made, at that's before adding in the time to make it.
About a couple of recent posts - your hot house is Gorgeous! And soil is pathetic enough after being mauled by development process, and even worse when they haul the good stuff away to sell and leave only a couple inches over hard packed clay behind.
I've literally just bought one with a teapot design from a UK 'thrift' shop for £5. I don't care about its heritage I just love it. This is fascinating though thank you.
I ran across your page while searching for info about Arch quilts. We have an Arch tulip quilt (the sewn-on corner tag says "Arch Quilts, Hawthorne, NY") that we bought in a department store about 30 years ago, so we've known all along it isn't an antique. We bought it because we like antiques as well as things that just look "antiquey". As long as we know the difference and don't try to misrepresent it to anyone else, there is a place for reproduction or antique-style items. We have a mixture of both in our home. Our quilt was meant for everyday use and the wear and tear that comes with it without worrying about it being an actual antique and/or family heirloom. The more recent antique-style quilts can brighten up a room and make it feel homey for a reasonable price, as demonstrated by the very creative use you found for them.
I agree with the sentiment of "does it really matter whose hands?"
I own and have restored many vintage (1930s thru 50s) home-made quilts. Some were sewn by relatives. Others were sewn by people I know by name only. Many I do not know any history of at all. I do know that they were all new at one time, and they were all made with the intention of being used on a daily basis. Some of them came to me very well "pre-loved" while others led more sheltered lives. I treat them all with care and respect, regardless of their age or who sewed them originally.
I also own several Arch quilts. Some of them are truly wonderful (Trip Around the World comes to mind) and some (Tulips) not quite as finely made, just like their home-made counterparts. The sketchiest Arch quilt I have is no worse than some of the "antique" home-made quilts in my collection. Just because a quilt is "new" (the '90s were 30 years ago now) and I don't know who sewed it doesn't mean it isn't worthy of care and respect.
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