Have you met an Ugly you can’t resist?

At ReproductionFabrics.com, we’ve just listed a spectacular reproduction fabric from the Ragtime collection by Barbara Brackman and Terry Clothier Thompson. It features dramatic green and black maple leaves outlined in hot pink—on a deep burgundy dotted ground. It's bold, it's brash... it’s a true “Ugly”—and that’s a compliment! Limited quantities are available for purchase.  We added several other Neon or Ugly fabrics for sale from our stash as well, check them out now, they won't last long!

These eye-catching prints are more formally known as Fancy Black Novelties, and they have a fascinating backstory rooted in economic upheaval and technical innovation.

When I’ve lectured about late 19th-century textiles, I often mentioned the Panic of 1893, and audiences used to look puzzled. Not anymore—economic downturns are something we all understand now! That particular panic was triggered by overbuilt railroads and shaky financing, leading to widespread bank failures. Many American textile mills closed, and those that survived cut costs drastically: they used cheaper greige goods, more affordable (and often fugitive) synthetic dyes, and laid off designers.

This resulted in a flood of simple two-color cotton prints for quilts and clothing, mostly in cool blues, grays, burgundy, claret, and off-white shirtings. The sparkle often came from the much-loved double pinks (aka cinnamon pinks).

Then came the dye that changed everything: aniline black.

Thanks to William Perkin’s discovery of synthetic dyes in 1856, new colors were booming—but black remained unstable. In the early 1890s, when a reliable aniline black was finally developed, designers went wild. The result? Startling prints using deep inky blacks with bold jolts of gold, purple, pink, green, and blue—now fondly (or not so fondly) referred to as Uglies or Neons.

Despite the nickname, these fabrics were loved in their time and are loved again by today’s collectors and reproduction quilters.

Featured "Neon" Example: Maple Leaf Madness

Take a closer look at our latest listing from the Ragtime collection—a show-stopping maple leaf print with acid green foliage, black shadows, and electric hot pink outlines. It's set against a deep claret ground speckled with tiny dots for extra texture. This is Fancy Black Novelty at its finest—an authentic example of how textile designers embraced aniline black and weren’t afraid to turn up the contrast.

Thanks for being a part of our history loving fabric community.  Sharing textile history is my favorite part of the job!  

Margo Krager, Owner of ReproductionFabrics.com and Textile Historian

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Don't forget to check out our closeout site as well.  Wonderful dicounted items available and Free Shipping on orders over $35! Some great fabric bundles and kits availalble.