Civil War Ladies by Pat L. Nickols for RJR Fabrics

Pat L. Nickols with RJR Fabrics has done it again! She's put together a reproduction collection with splendid colors of the era and added a few new twists to make the collection truly her own. We are so excited that Pat agreed to write about her newest collection, Civil War Ladies!

Civil War Ladies started with a photograph of a young couple, framed in a daguerreotype, possibly taken for their wedding. This gave me a romantic settling as I started gathering antique fabric swatches for this line from my extensive collection of authentic fabric. The name Civil War Ladies was chosen to illustrate the supportive role women played during the war and after as we put our young country together. The young woman in the photo has a paisley shawl over her shoulders that would have been a prize possession in the Civil War era. The paisley stripe and paisley medallion were chosen to illustrate the popularity of the paisley shawl, which might have been woven of fine wool in Scotland and exported to this country.

Paisley Medallion
I strive to get the exact reproduction prints as close to the original fabric as possible. In most cases there is a document or original color-way that is engraved and printed. In addition, we alter colors in some of the prints to cover as many original and popular colors of the period.

Paisley Stripe
When selecting prints to use for a collection I like to have a variety of scale and pattern. In this line the paisley stripe was my starting point, then the paisley medallion was a good support. I followed the paisley with the ribbon stripe and the next three medium prints, some dense with patterns and some open with widely scattered figures. Small scale prints are very important for quilt composition and the four stars prints will be welcome additions for quilters. I like to offer quilt makers, re-enactors or museums the colors and patterns that are true to the period . When choosing a project I try to be as true to the period as I can. Does that mean I feel these can only be used for antique reproduction pieces, no, not at all. These patterns and colors can be grouped to work very well in today’s contemporary settings.

Another of my Civil War Ladies lines is coming later this fall. I really do like the wonderful prints and colors in the 1860s and 1870s and will do more lines if they remain popular. Another time period I really like is the 1840s, I have done several collections and would like to do more, if public interest calls for it.

Pat L. Nickols

We are excited to offer two quilt kits using the Civil War Ladies fabric! Show your patriotism year-round with the Stars and Stripes Table Runner Kit. Our kit includes the table runner pattern by RJR Fabrics and Civil War Ladies fabric for the 25" x 60" quilt top and binding. 
In the mood for a larger project? We are also offering the Jacob's Ladder Kit. Our kit includes the quilt pattern by RJR Fabrics and Civil War Ladies fabric for the 67" x 74" quilt top and binding. Reserve your kit today, and we'll email you when they're here!

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