Froncie's Reproduction Fabrics

What a thrill it has been to be part of this reproduction project. To view beautiful museum quilts is a pleasure alone, but to have the opportunity to get acquainted with them intimately is indeed a once in a lifetime experience. They are even more spectacular than photographs depict them!

Every effort has been made to bring you an accurate reproduction of the quilts in full. Each quilt has been measured and thoroughly viewed in order to provide you with the closest representation as possible. I recognize that, although most of these quilts are handmade, many people will wish to rotary cut and machine piece them. Therefore, the dimensions and instructions for the " Modern Construction Method" are given. There are, however, some of us who still like the handwork, and so the templates and instructions for the " Historical Construction Method " are also provided. Some also include foundation-piecing patterns.

In addition, the antique quilt patterns will include a brief history of the quilt, illustrations for making a quilt label that is indigenous to that particular quilt, and a Certificate of Documentation that is in keeping with the time period of the quilt's original construction. Many of the quilt patterns will also include the quilting stencils, the designs having been traced directly from the antique quilts. Others include freezer paper templates, color pages showcasing some of the original fabrics, or in the case of the appliqué quilt patterns, a stencil for marking the appliqués. The Clarissa Moore Quilt, one of the star quilt patterns includes charming painting stencils designed directly from the 19th-century originals and with the Peony Quilt the stencil set for the plain blocks are available. These are Civil War era stencils and accurate to the 1863 quilt!

Also part of the reproduction package is the quilt registry that has been established between HOOPLA and the various museums in which the quilts are found. When your quilt is complete, send a photograph of you with your heirloom, along with the Certificate in your pattern and a $10 registration fee, to HOOPLA. Seals will be affixed and your name will be registered with the appropriate museum. It will be returned in a beautiful, personalized folder and will place you among an elite group of people. This will document your quilt for many generations to come.

Let me whet your appetite! One wonderful scrap quilt was made by a 14 year old girl, another an 80 year old woman. One quiltmaker's relative was the inspiration for the song Yankee Doodle and yet another was made by a member of the Vanderbilt family. As you collect the historic patterns, you'll be able to discover the answers to these clues.

Royalities from sales of all the patterns are paid by HOOPLA to the museums to help preserve their fabulous collections. I've been most fortunate to be a part of the book C& T Publishing has produced. It is titled Grace Quilts from the Shelburne Museum Collection. Order your copy now.

I hope you enjoy browsing through the web site and find something that inspires you. These authentic quilt patterns are only a beginning of those to be offered. More will be added on a continuing basis.I have also begun designing 19th-century reproduction fabrics, which might help in your fabric selection for the patterns! Have fun, take your time and enjoy piecing a little of the past into a future heirloom!

Thank you,

Froncie Quinn