Dainty Confections

On the back of this quilt is a label explaining its history. “My Aunt Ruth (Strickling) taught me to quilt. When Aunt Ruth died, her children gave me several boxes of her fabric and other quilting paraphernalia. In one of these boxes I found a Kupfer’s chocolates box that contained 12 hand-pieced blocks in a cross-in-the-center design, plus enough cut pieces to make at least 36 more blocks. I assume the blocks were cut and pieced by Aunt Ruth, though its possible they were made by my Grandma (Olive) Smith. I finished piecing the blocks – though not by hand! – and set them together to make this nostalgic little quilt. I decided to use other fabrics from Aunt Ruth’s box to border the quilt, even though several of the pieces that were suitable in color and style were slightly stained. The quilt is called Dainty Confections, after the inscription on the candy box.”

Judy’s Aunt Ruth was born in 1908 and died in 1999. Her Grandma Smith was born in 1876 and died in 1951. If the blocks were made in the 1930s, Aunt Ruth would have been in her 20s and Grandma Smith in her 50s.

This quilt appeared in Judy’s book Triangle-Free Quilts.

In the quilt appraisal by Beverly Dunivent, she notes that the fabrics were multi-color pastels from the 1930s era, but the binding was a 1930s reproduction print.

Quilt was started 6/8/97 and finished 1/24/00.

1985
47-3/4 x 59-3/4 inches
Pieced by Judy Hopkins, Olive Smith and Ruth Strickling
Hand quilted by Julie Kimberlin with pink perle cotton
Label: Yes
Sleeve: Yes
Collection of Darien Reece.

Scroll over images below to see detailed view.