Patriotic fabrics are almost as old as the nation itself.  Fabrics printed with the image of George Washington were sold in the US as early as the 1790's.

Of course, quilt artists could always use the medium of applique to give their works a

patriotic flair. Appliqued eagles, stars and stripes being especially popular.

There are two known fabrics printed during the Civil War with patriotic themes. One of them

survives in a baby quilt featured in Barbara Brackman's book "Quilts From the Civil War".

A more popular way to express patriotism during the Civil War was to name quilt blocks after a popular figure (Sherman, Lincoln, Burgoyne), or write inspirational notes on strips of muslin, to be incorporated into quilts.

But after the war, with the nation's centennial birthday looming, fabric makers truly "got into the act".

Red, white, and blue bunting had long been used for banners, flags, podium drapings and ribbons, but now promotional handkerchiefs and scarves wre printed as well - sometimes with a political candidates image or his excerpts from his most recent speech.

Centennial fabrics combined historic and symbolic images, such as Washington's portrati, the bald eagle, sunrise on the plains, the motto PEACE, drums, swords, cannons, shields,  and of course the year 1876.

These small motifs were excellent for quilters, who could carefully cut out the most visually striking pieces.

Sometimes a little homework is needed to figure out why a fabric is political in nature. Fabrics printed to commemmorate William Harrison's 1840 presidential campaign featured images of cider and log cabins. And those adorable Scotty dogs so ever-present in the 1930's and 1940's? They began as a nod to President Franklin Roosevelt, and his beloved Scotty, Fala.

Modern patriotic fabrics run toward the garish, in my opinion. The bright, almost lurid, colors and slick images don't  lend themselves to imaginative quilting. But the "With Respect" line printed by Marcus Brothers a few years ago has a wonderful vintage look, and honors all four branches of the military.

American Patriotic Fabrics

Dotty for Dots!

Polka dots have been a fabric staple since - well since fabric has been printed! Textile historians have found polka-dot fabric scraps dating from 1810.

In the 1840's, the Polka dance craze took off - and manufacturers were quick to label their products "Polka" anything. We don't eat Polka Pudding anymore, but we still wear the dots. Polka dots tend to evoke a playful feeling (although it is rumored that the British goverment used polka dots to disguise messages in Morse Code).

Whether they are tiny (pin-dots), or standard (coin size) or huge (oversize), dots remain an incredibly popular print. They had their heyday from the 1930's to the 1960's, popularized by Shirley Temple (in her classic red and white polka-dot dress), Little Lulu (whose best friend was named Polka Dottie and owned a spotted dog) and Minnie Mouse (whose trademarked white on red dotted dress is still a preferred choice for Halloween costumes).

In the 60's - it was the Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini that kept the dottie craze going strong. Fabric in the 70's (like most things in the 70's!) is best forgotten, but polka dots had a comeback of sorts in the 1980's when Princess Diana was photographed wearing a black and white dotted dress to the wedding of her brother-in-law, Prince Andrew. In the 1990's children's show called Blue's Clues debuted, featuring a blue polka-dotted dog (named Blue, of course).

Today, you can purchase dotted fabrics of any size and color combination, and we also have a line of comforters, throws and shams featuring big dots in lots of colors.