What pattern should I use to evoke the late 1800s? Sharon W. wants to make a quilt that appears to be from the 1890s. Penny McMorris has pattern and fabric suggestions for Sharon's project.

I have a wicker baby buggy made in 1890. I would like to make a quilt to use in it that would have been made in the late 1800s. Could you help me decide on a pattern?

- Sharon W.

Penny McMorris responds:

I searched through BlockBase, using the "Search for blocks perfect for reproduction quilts" feature, which lets you search for typical quilt styles by decade.

Read our review of Blockbase

Here's what Barbara Brackman, who created these searches, suggests as the "perfect" blocks to represent these time periods:

1885

• Pineapples
• Fans
• Drunkard's Path
• Ocean Wave

1895

• Schoolhouse (the pieced house)
• Attic Window
• Road to California
• T Quartette

For colors I'd use darks, jewel solids and two-color prints. For more information on specific pattern styles by date, I really recommend Barbara Brackman's book Clues in the Calico. It's the best quilt-dating book I know.

Learn more about Clues In The Calico at Amazon.com... click the book!

Another great quilt-dating book that I've reviewed is "Dating Fabrics" by Eileen Jahnke Trestain. You can read my review here

- Sharon

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