Thrift store finds

Nancy-Rose in Canada certainly has great thrift stores in her area. On her blog she posts almost weekly on some great find or finds. I have found a few things in my area, but rarely.

Friday was one of those days. I visited two thrift stores in town, ostensibly to find good used clothes for my kids, but I always go up and down the linens aisle. I saw this folded up on a hangar. I grabbed it and didn't even open it up.
An antique quilt, by the style of it made before the Civil War, I would guess between 1820 and 1860. It has been used, washed, used again, and abused. It still has its original binding in some areas. A classic American pattern. Perhaps once a family heirloom, now subjected to the final indignity:

Yes I paid $8.00 for this quilt. The white fabric and the quilting have held up remarkably well. As has the pink-on-white flower petals in the central flower.

Where is it from? What is its history? This thrift store gets its items from the general area (southwest Ohio) but also from cities and towns up to 60 miles away, judging from the school and summer camp t-shirts that are on the racks. I'll never know, other than it is probably from Ohio, it is about 150 years old, there is no date or signature on it as far as I can tell, and I probably saved it from being cut up for craft projects. It is certainly not a museum piece, and not worth restoring, but it still has the dignity of a completely hand-made object. It represents the hand work of a long ago woman who otherwise is lost to us.

In the second thrift store I found this in the aisle with various wooden plaques and scratched picture frames. Not shown is the handle on the back. It really looks hand-carved. It looks like a large stamp to stamp fabric.

This thrift is run by the Vietnam Veterans of America. Where did this come from? How old is it? What was it used for? For 99 cents I found it very interesting.
viridian61