Great find!!!

THIS is what I found yesterday, at a Dutch antique textiles fair in Maarn!!! Isn't it beautiful????

I immediately noticed it was a silk quilt, not quilted, with a thick batting (looked may be like wool) and backing at the back . It is not quilted at all, only the backing was stitched through the batting and the whole was finished with a trimming around the edge.

The grey silk fabric in between the rosettes of hexagons is special too, I think. I didn't see this colour a lot in books. There was some damage on quite a few fabrics. It has to do with the way they starched the fabric before using it. Sadly the silk breaks. I learned that from An Moonen.

The ladies of the booth were kind enough to hold it so I could take a picture.

Where is the quilt now? I didn't buy it.... I thought it would need a proper home with someone who could take care of it and preserve it for the future. Somewhere everyone could go and look at it, I thought. So this is what I did:

I saw An Moonen at another stand and asked her if she wanted to look and may be buy that quilt and she did. I hope to be able to meet her soon so I can see her antique quilts, see this beauty again and hear more about it. She was very happy and thanked me. I feel I rescued a quilt today!!! 

If you visit An Moonen's site or weblog you can write her and arrange a visit with a group and have a wonderful afternoon hearing all the history and see antique quilts.

Note: the quilt is probably from around the 1850s!

Have a nice Sunday,

Groetjes
Annemieke

(ps I know some people might say I should have bought it myself and I could have sold it for more. I thought about that later in the car home....I think I will never be a rich girl this way; but I'm still very happy!)