Amelia's Blues

Amelia's Blues
by Betsy Chutchian for Moda Fabrics

Blues, cool and crisp. Buttery yellows, warm and cozy. Chocolates, just delicious. Frame these colors with soft ivory and you have Amelia's Blues.

Inspired by the life of Amelia Bloomer, 1818-1894, I've chose fabrics from my collection of antique quilts for the prints in this collection. Amelia was a suffragist, a social activist, and the editor of the temperance newspaper, The Lily. Her interest in the reform of women's clothing led to her promoting the Rational Dress Movement during the Victorian Era. She especially advocated the wearing of a form of pants called pantaloons, as being sensible and practical under a short dress. Women accepted the idea of wearing pantaloons, mostly in the form of undergarments, and while Amelia did not invent the pantaloons, the nickname bloomers was adopted.

"We live in a web of ideas, a fabric of our own making." - Joseph Chilton Pearce