Ely & Walker was a dry goods merchant and distributor of many fine lines of fabrics including cotton, wool, silk, rayon, and silk and knitted goods. Started in 1870 the firm was acquired by Burlington Industries and listed as E&W Division from 1960-80s when production ceased.

Two of its most well-known lines were Quadriga Cloth and Quaker Chintz prints acquired in 1911 from the Quadriga Cloth Co. Note that chintz is not glazed but refers to the original Asian-Indian name chint [pl. chintes] given to fabrics with a type of calico or floral design and later on known as English chintz. Shown here are two selections from the Quaker and the Peerless 80 square [160 thread count] percale lines.

Estimated dates are 1940s for Quaker prints and 1950s for Peerless. As E&W was noted for the longevity of its designs, these prints could have been in production earlier and/or later than this time range. Notice the similarities of some of the Quaker prints to the Rondo prints in Part 1. For comparisons of E&W’s earlier and later reproductions of its print line plus other E&W prints and company information, click on http://www.hartcottagequilts.com/his4a Our thanks to Leigh Fellner for permission to link to her site.

Peerless 80 square percales

Quaker Chintz Prints

The arbitrary cut-off date for this Vintage Fabric column is 1960.

To stay within the scope of this timeframe, reference materials published up to that date are the prime source of information to more accurately capture actual thoughts of the time.

Joan Kiplinger is an antique doll costumer and vintage fabric addict who learned to sew on her grandmother’s treadle and has been peddling fabrications ever since.