Woodblock prints were printed with wooden blocks with the design carved into them.
Quercitron was the name coined for a color-fast yellow dye. The yellow color and its frequent companions of brown and green became known as "drab" style.
Early indigo prints were usually large designs and were originally used for bed hangings and other home furnishings. Since my blocks are only 4", I had to look for smaller scale prints.
Lapis blue fabric prints combined indigo and madder dyes. In other words, early red, white and blue prints - what's not to love?!
Trailing vines and flowers were known as Floral Trails. I was pleased to use some very old repro fabrics in my stash for these.
And my all-time favorite - toile. Original toile fabrics were printed using large (36"), engraved copper plates. That's why early toile fabrics were often called copperplate prints. Now the fabrics are roller printed or screen printed.
I've got 60 time-warped stars at this point (I skipped a week 'cuz I couldn't find any appropriate pillar prints). I have lots of ideas for how I will incorporate them into a quilt, but for now I'm just enjoying the history lessons and the block-making process!
