Fall is Here - It’s Quilting Weather!

We hope everyone is enjoying the long Labor Day weekend and finding some time to recharge and spend some time with family and friends.

We are highlighting some of our late 19th Century lines in recognition of the Labor Day holiday in this newsletter but we are consistently adding new fabrics lines to our inventory. Visit our What’s New page to see all the new fabrics added in the last couple weeks. 

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Labor Day - Textile History

Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters.

In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it.

Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives.

On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the Pullman strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers.

In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.

Fashion in the 1890s in Western countries is characterized by long elegant lines, tall collars, and the rise of sportswear. It was an era of great dress reforms led by the invention of the drop-frame safety bicycle, which allowed women the opportunity to ride bicycles more comfortably, and therefore, created the need for appropriate clothing.

Like Lululemon and Athleta today, Sportswear originally described activewear: clothing made specifically for sport. Part of the evolution of sportswear was triggered by 19th-century developments in female activewear, such as early bathing or cycling costumes, which demanded shorter skirts, bloomers, and other specific garments to enable mobility, whilst sports such as tennis or croquet could be played in barely-modified conventional dress.

Prior to increasing worker freedoms from the mid-late 19th century onwards, leisure had been a luxury available only to the leisured classes during the Industrial Revolution (c. 1760 – c. 1860). Acceptable leisure activities drove the need for big changes in women’s fashion and fabric prints in this time period.

Late 19th Century Designs

Marcus Pam Buda: Maple House - There are lots of great Brown’s, Beige’s and Navy’s in this line. Available individually or in a full quilt kit (Contains fabrics from the Maple House line for pieced blocks, borders and binding..also the pattern)

Whistler Studio Circa: Sharp Cheddar - Wonderful Oranges and blues perfect for those fall projects. Available individually by yard or FQ Bundle. 18 lovely prints in this 1865-1900 Late 19th Century line.

Rbt Kaufman Wild Oats and Honey

Foundation...lots of novelties

Late 19th Century Shirtings

PREVIEW: New Fall Lines

Petra Prins Dutch Heritage from Anbo Textiles in London. These are live on the website and I expect delivery this fall in the Sep/Oct timeframe. Place in your ‘wishlist’ and I’ll notify you when they are in stock. Reproduction Fabrics will be just one of a couple places in North America this amazing line will available.

#ScottSentMe2024 Challenge

Finally - We LOVE getting vistors to our store in Northfield, MN. We are partnering with Scott Fortunoff, VP of Henry Glass Fabrics in the #ScottSentMe2024 challenge! We are offering an incentive from Sep 1 to Nov 30 for all new visitors to our store. Just say “Scott Sent Me" and get 10% off a purchase of $25 or more. Check out all the participating stores. Hope to see you in the shop soon! Some great prizes are available for the top visitors. Check out the website for all the details and prize.

Don’t forget to have sew much fun! And lastly, please spread the word about the details of the contest to all of your quilty friends.

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