Clues in the Calico: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Antique Quilts [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Barbara Brackman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The system unveiled here for dating heirloom quilts is based upon five characteristics--fabric, style, color, technique, and pattern. In recounting the method's evolution, which involved the examination of 900 date-inscribed specimens, Brackman imparts a colorful history of quilt making.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Howell Press Inc.; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0939009277
• ISBN-13: 978-0939009275
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #675,269 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clues in the Calico is the bible., December 19, 1997

By A Customer

Best source for quilt history information. Details of textile technology, trends in style, along with elements of social history allow the reader to interpret handmade quilts. The quilt history researcher will return to this text time and time again.
Fawn Valentine

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Quilt Book I Own, June 6, 2001

By	Thelma L Stone (Chaffee, MO United States) - See all my reviews

I purchased this book several years ago in preparation to becoming a certified quilt appraiser, It proved to be invaluable. I have used it so much it is literally falling apart. I have highlighted it's pages until it looks like like they were colored to begin with. I consider it to be the best guide for fabric identification on the market. I own many quilt books on lots of subjects, but this is my favorite.

Thelma L. Stone

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The super information makes up for the lack of visual appeal, December 7, 2001

By	M. Swearingen (Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book could use a lot more pictures. It is a great source of written information, but does not provide much help in the visual identification of calico fabrics. Eileen Jahnke Trestain's book is much more useful in providing pictures, but Trestain's book does not come close to providing the written documentation and depth of discussion that Barbara Brackman does in Clues in the Calico.

I use both books and they are great companion guides for solving the mysteries presented when you attempt to identify the age of old fabrics, especially in old crazy quilts. HOWEVER, in general, I find I refer to the Trestain book more often than the Brackman book.