Colours of Georgian Fabric swap

Good Morrow Ladies. Tis Mr. Wycliffe, of Bexford Drapery announcing to all interested parties, that our humble abode has in stock a new line of printed cottons and dyed homespun for your perusal. If you are not a member of our Amberleigh village, you are most welcome to join in the swap. We would love you to choose a character in the Forum if you feel inclined. It has been brought to our attention that there are a number of nearby residents making themselves a comfy handpieced top for a quilt coverlet. This supply would deem wise to add to your stashes at home.
Yours in service, Mr Wycliffe, Draper

We shall take 2 lengths of our chosen fabric measuring 6 inches wide (15cm) by 24 inches long (60cm) and send one each to our 2 partners. In each envelope include a note the size of a post card and write to each of your partners why you chose the fabric perhaps using your characters voice if you have chosen an Amberleigh resident.

So this in simpler terms : 2 partners, a piece of cloth 6 inches x 24 inches (or longer if you wish), for each. A short note to each. Sent in a flat envelope for your convenience.

Ladies as long as the colour of your fabric is a softish hue, say a washed out blue one, or patterned with an old fashioned kind of feel to it, then it is acceptable. They do not have to have colonial imagery. Georgians wore a lot of checks! Every kind of old style school girl check or stripe blouse material is kosher as long as it is in a natural cotton. Do try for it to be cotton or light linen or natural fibre. Many a blue and cream check, or in minty or green shades of our selection, browns, dark and white. Stripes, dots or spots, florals or sprigged, vines and leaves. There is much to choose from without going overboard in worrying about strictly period so much. Some of us do not have access to quilt shops like Mr Wycliffes Drapery, with fabrics of our period. So in the base of this fabric swap i will put links for perusal. you never know if they are having a sale online. If it is cotton the receiver can choose to alter the shade...it can be overdyed with a dip in warm tea before you cut the fabric for your hexagons or however you will use it. I hope that eases the worries of pressure on yourselves.

By the way… there is nothing wrong with sending your partner a plain dyed homespun in a natural hue. not everyone has access to patterns. We will need plain homespun to go between our hexagon patched motifs, to keep them separate from one another. Phebe (bearnbab) suggested on the forum page of ideas we might also draw in permanent ink over a botanical print. An interesting concept, and one I am likely to try. Thankyou so kindly. So if you only have some buttery yellow, or cream or off white, soft blue, or sage green, or tan or salmon, or dark brown or indigo blue...that is perfectly fine to swap or give Phebe's idea a go.

When one lives in a lonely situation, devoid of feminine or any, company, then just walking into a fabric shop (or online) allows one to feel a little like Jane Austens - Jane Bennett & her sisters at the Variety shop in Mereton or Catherine Morland with Mrs Allen on her visit to Bath or Amy March dressing up in her grandmothers bedroom (Little Women) or modest Jane Eyre from Charlotte Bronte. My local shop makes me feel very ladylike, gentle and quite special...so I expect like our sisters of yore, that is a gifting that the quilt lady gives me. This is the gift we can give to each other.

There are some authentic modern fabrics I noticed last time in our quilt store, they were cream and green, and another in lavender and cream, in different striped patterning by Moda in 100% cotton.I will leave you with the words of bearnbabs... As Phebe said... reposed beneath her coverlet by the fireside reading her book. How beautifully said. Thank you.

image courtesy of Reproduction Fabrics an US Online shop with dozens of lovely fabrics at $11 per yard (metre) they specify period and ours is stated 1725-1830. A good source for all of us. http://www.reproductionfabrics.com/shelf.php?ID=3

https://www.burnleyandtrowbridge.com/cottonandcottonblends.aspx at $10 to $24 yard

William Boothe Drapers https://www.wmboothdraper.com/
cotton thread, some patterned cottons at approx $19 yd

there are also the Discount fabric outlets in towns that have end of line rolls that one can find interesting stripes or pique cottons (self coloured with an interworven texture that is delicate and usually white). Nearly every other town has a discount fabric store.

I hope you will enjoy participation in our swap and that you may be encouraged to make yourself a coverlet of your own style if hexagons are not your thing. Cheers, Jane xxx