Vintage Depression Era Butterfly Quilt – 1930s Feedsack Fabrics – 63” x 83”

This cheerful Depression-era butterfly quilt is filled with colorful feedsack fabrics and charming handwork. Dozens of appliquéd butterflies flutter across the soft white background, each made from a different vintage cotton print. The butterflies were carefully hand appliquéd using black blanket stitching, a technique commonly used during the 1930s and early 1940s.

Many of the fabrics are classic feedsack prints—tiny florals, geometric patterns, and bright Depression-era pastels—making every butterfly unique. The hand-quilting is in outlines of the butterflies and in diagonal grids. The back is white cotton while the binding is bright blue cotton that has been machine-stitched to the front and hand-stitched to the back. The cotton batting is very lightweight.

The quilt is in excellent vintage condition with some fraying of the binding.

Details
• Date: circa 1930s–early 1940s
• Size: 63” x 83”
• Pattern: Butterfly appliqué
• Materials: cotton fabrics including feedsack prints
• Construction: hand appliqué with blanket stitching
• Quilting: hand quilted
• Colors: pastel florals, blues, pinks, greens, and geometric feedsack prints on white ground
• Binding: blue fabric binding

The quilt is from a smoke-free, pet-free home and is pictured on a queen-size bed.

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