Thursday, March 12, 2009

Vintage Thingies Thursday, Quilts

As a quilter I thought I'd show a few of my vintage quilty things this week.
Recently I bought a few blocks from eBay, some Dresden plate blocks, some Grandmother's Garden & a quaint little pink plaid/muslin top. They are all circa 30's I'd say & will be fun for me to complete. I love the idea & the satisfaction of finishing something that was begun so long ago- I think the originator would be so pleased by that, I know I would be & I hope that anything I leave behind unfinished will be completed by another generation quilter. Of course I also hope that won't be much, I am really trying to finish what I start!

There will be 25 of the Dresden plates to make a nice sized quilt, the plates themselves are 12" across, the muslin blocks 14". I will probably have to keep this one, I love these blocks they are very nicely made & well preserved. I have really fallen for these vintage fabrics if you look closely I think you will see why, they are adorable!


Above is a sample of those appliqued already......

and two of the half dozen that still need to be appliqued onto muslin.


Then I have 28 Grandmother's garden blocks, not all quite as well sewn but ok. They each measure 9" across & I will probably combine them with some solids to make a quilt.


This sweet little top is 60"x73" & I have no idea at all how I will quilt it or what I will do with it after that but I thought it quite dainty looking & feminine & the price was very reasonable. No one else seemed too interested in it it so I sort of felt it needed a new home & someone other than the maker [now long gone from this life I suspect] to love it! I think that it needs a muslin border to set it off & that would make it about 70"x80", reasonable single bed size. Perhaps if I ever have a granddaughter I can give it to her as she grows up, I might even be able to teach her to quilt-if this family can ever make a girl!
I also have no clue if there is a name for the "pattern" or if the piecer just invented the design?

This Double Wedding Ring quilt[DWR] was a top given to me by a friend in TX in the early 70's. It had belonged to her husband's aunt & she had lots of the aunt's quilts & tops & I was thrilled to get this one, I think I knew I would not be making a DWR. I started to once, made about 4 or 5 blocks & gave it away !
I purchased the stripe in the border of this one, added on three sides to make it KS & paid two little old sisters in their 90's to quilt it for me.


I think they charged me about $25, the simple outline quilting stitches are rather large & I suspect their eyesight may have been less than perfect but I was grateful to have it done, I knew little about quilting at that time. It remained on our bed for many years, now it is displayed on a quilt rack. The wedding rings are not very round & they are rather large perhaps that was the problem but to me it is a treasure & I believe somehow that the maker is pleased that her work is in loving hands.

As I always tell others, no quilt police allowed here!
If this has whet your appetite for vintage things you will love visiting
Colorado Lady
& a list of other VTT participants, it's always entertaining.
PS. Just three more days to sign up for my give away, the "Koalas In The Window" quilt, scroll back three posts to leave your name & contact info.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a lovely post..i love vintage quilts & i've bought a few on ebay too :)

Susan said...

Beautiful quilts--I love the old traditional blocks and the fabrics are great.

Miri said...

Wonderful vintage quilts and blocks...I love the pink and white quilt (the pattern is Jacob's ladder). Can't wait to see the Dresden plates finished.

Unknown said...

I love those grandma's garden blocks.

PC said...

WOW seeing these makes my heart happy - reminds me of my grandmother...love this post! Thanks for sharing, Paula from Idaho

Bea said...

Ros, it warms my heart that someone like you takes care of these old pieces. Each one is beautiful.

Carolyn said...

I'm so excited to see your post--vintage quilts are my favorite thing. I really like the wedding ring. The colors in it are great.

CC said...

I love your quilts..the Dresden plate blocks are my favorite. I love the older fabrics. Happy VTT and have a wonderful weekend.

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

I total love quilts and the little pink and white one is just perfect, so delicate and lady like. Enjoyed looking at all the antique blocks.
Molly

Protector of Vintage said...

Vintage quilts are so beautiful! It would be so special if you good pass your quilting knowledge on to a grandchild!!

Coloradolady said...

These are wonderful and I love the vintage fabrics too. They are so sweet and your are very pretty.

Unknown said...

Quilts are cool and there is alwasy history and a story to go along with them. I like that part.

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

this project reminds me of my grandma.. she loves quilting.. and she used to let me use her handmade blankie everytime I came & visited her.. thanks for sharing this project.. have a great weekend!

Janet, said...

I just wrote a comment and somehow it just disappeared before I could post it. You have some wonderful pieces here good luck in quilting them. I have an old quilt top I got at a yard sale, I want some day to quilt it when I have the time.

Jeanne said...

I AM WAY>>>>JEALOUS, LOVE THOSE Grandmothers Flower Garden Blocks!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE LUCKY to have gotten all those blocks. ENJOY THEM.

farmlady said...

I'm learning so much about quilting from you. I didn't even know about "blocks". Someone did a lot of work a long time ago, didn't they? How wonderful that you have a skill to pass on to a grandchild. We both need to work on having a little grandbaby GIRL. It's time.