Clues in the Calico: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Antique Quilts

by Barbara Brackman

In Clues in the Calico Barbara Brackman unveils a much-needed system for dating America's heirloom quilts. She tells how, by collecting and observing quilts and finally analyzing her computer file on close to 900 date-inscribed specimens, she arrived at the system. And through this telling she also imparts a colorful, stunningly illustrated history of quiltmaking along with a good bit of entertaining social history and the newest findings in textile research.

Genres: Quilting, Historical, Nonfiction

503 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

Barbara is a free-lance writer, historian and museum curator with seven published books on quilts and numerous museum catalogs to her credit.

Reviews

[Kristin Fritchman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously researched and full of interesting history, not just of quilts but of people and technology. Brackman cuts through the mythology surrounding quilts and gets to the facts. A must read for anyone trying to determine the age of a quilt - particularly those made in the mid 20th century or earlier.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great historical book on the history of quilts. It helped me to pinpoint the dates of some family quilts I have.

[Candy]

I got to page 13 and have not been able to read anymore. Our common area is too busy right now, so I will try this again later when things calm down.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book - it is considered the definitive work on this topic - and somehow it's out of print. She covers how to estimate the age of a quilt - based on pattern, fabric, design, colors, etc. - different clues you can look for.

[Becky Loader · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this 6-stars, I would. For anyone wanting to acquire knowledge about dating fabrics, I would highly recommend Brackman's book.