Feathered Star Quilts 

                      What is an ARCH quilt ?

Guess it can happen to any of us, but I must admit that I was embarrassed to find out that I was shown an ARCH quilt and failed to recognize it. Indeed, I was unaware of this particular Chinese brand until contacted by a fellow quilt enthusiast! In my defense, all I can say is that I am not alone in not being aware of these quilts - that is until now. Hope the following information will help you.

ARCH quilts were produced in China in the late 1980s into the 1990s. Hundreds of thousands were made and imported to the United States.

They used reproduction fabrics and traditional patterns. One of the ways to identify an Arch quilt is by the way the edges were finished. They used a knife edge finish to create a clean, smooth finish, rather than sewing on a poorly cut straight edge binding. 

Another tell-tale sign is that the SPI ( stitches per inch), average only 5 to 6. While quilt collectors and buyers of used quilts may sometimes run across authentic American made quilts with 5-7 spi, this is more commonly found in wool or utility quilts made pre-1950.   

For more information on ARCH quilts, please visit Leigh Fellner's site - Hart Cottage Quilts at http://www.hartcottagequilts.com/archquilts

Her site is an excellent source of information about antique and vintage quilts, quiltmakers, and other interesting information for quilt historians, collectors, and anyone who loves old quilts and would like to learn more. 

 If you would like to see a picture of the quilt which fooled me, visit

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/modern-vintage-finely-stitched-pineapple-arch 

Another view is found at http://www.worthpoint.com/wothopedia/feine-quality-pineapple-sawtooth-vintage-quilt-needs

  Some additional patterns in the ARCH quilt line you may run across  include: LONE STAR, GRANDMOTHER'S FAN, DOUBLE WEDDING RING, AMISH STARS ( bright colored stars on a navy colored background).

Thanks to Kathy S. of the Keystone Quilters. As she mentioned in a recent e-mail, they make attractive table covers or a cover for a sofa, especially if you have pets!