Snail Trail | Brooklyn Quilting Co

Snail Trail

Happy 2015! I hope everyone had a happy new year and is ready for a quilt-filled 2015. I know I am. I have big plans and lots of quilt to-dos on my list.

First up for 2015 is the Snail Trail quilt. A couple of weeks ago, while I was home in Iowa for the holidays, I went antiquing with my mom and found an old Snail Trail quilt top that I bought. I am in love with this quilt and can’t believe I found it.

I asked the person I bought if from if she had any of the backstory on it, and all she could tell me is that she got it at an auction in Iowa. I then showed it to someone who knows quite a bit about quilting and sewing, and she estimated that it is from the 1930s or 1940s. I’m no expert in this, but I can believe that to be true. The fabric is a little yellowed and there are some places that need mending, but otherwise it’s in pretty good shape.

There is one spot that’s driving me a little nuts but I’m letting it go. Whoever made this quilt top long ago turned one of the blocks the wrong way. Do you see it?

I didn’t think anyone would notice, but then yesterday I posted an image of the quilt on Instagram and my friend immediately texted me to tell me. I know, I know! I see it too! I thought about ripping out the block and fixing it, but I decided it adds character to the quilt, right? That’s what I’m telling myself anyway. And technically this is not my quilt top. Some Iowa person made the quilt years ago and all I’m doing is finishing it off and I don’t want to change it. So in the words of Frozen, I will “Let it Go.”

Now let’s talk about the back for this quilt. I thought it would take me quite a bit of time to find the right fabric for it; something that strikes the right balance between looking modern but also looking age appropriate, because the thing I love most about this quilt is how modern (I think) it looks even though it’s so old. I think the fabric choices and the placement of the different colors really works. In reality, the person who made this was probably using what they had and wasn’t thinking about making the quilt look modern for 2015, but I think he or she really nailed it.

Anyway, I was in Jo-Ann’s picking up some quilting notions and I swung by the fabric section. Now, as many quilters know, you have to be careful with fabric shopping at Jo-Ann’s. They carry a lot of very affordable fabric, which is awesome, but a lot of times that fabric tends to not be of the best quality. So just be mindful of that when shopping there. However, they do have some better quality fabric, and in recent years have teamed up with some fabric designers to offer some pretty great collections. They have had collections with Denyse Schmidt, which I have bought a ton of, and have also had collections with Cloud9 and others. In this case, I saw the Elizabeth Olwen collection and immediately knew I had found the backing for the quilt.

The fabric is called Fairytale Gardens Twig Buds. I think the mustard color design pairs perfectly with the quilt top. I love it. Sometimes I have to really think about my fabric choices, but this was a case where I knew instantly what I wanted. I’m really happy with the design and the fabric feels of good quality.

Now I’m working on quilting this beauty. I’ll be back with the finished quilt just as soon as I’m done, so stay tuned. Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday full of sewing!

Three Cheers for Antique Quilts

Greetings from Northwest Iowa. I’m out of Brooklyn and into Iowa visiting my parents for the holidays. And while I’m here visiting, my mom and I hit up a few of the local antiques stores yesterday. Whenever I’m back home, we usually take an afternoon to stop by a few of our favorite spots in search of any hidden gems buried somewhere in a box or in a long forgotten corner of a store. Sometimes our visits are successful, and sometimes they are a bust. Yesterday was one of those successful days.

Now I didn’t go in search of antique quilts yesterday, but oh did I find them. Seriously. We saw so many old quilts. Lots of different patterns, colors, sizes, you name it. Some were in better shape than others, and the prices ranged from reasonable to lots of dollar bills. Although, as those of us who quilt know, the time and effort put into hand making a quilt justifies the higher prices.

We saw finished quilts, quilt tops that needed to be finished, quilt blocks that needed to be made into quilt tops, and even a couple of quilted pillows. I snapped a few pics of some of my favorite ones that I thought I would share.

I thought they were all pretty great.

And now here is where the day turned successful. Stuck between a bunch of old dishes and some other random items was an antique quilt top looking to be finished. At first I didn’t think it was much of anything, but as I looked more closely I realized it had potential. Oh did it ever have potential, and this beauty is now mine.

The pattern is a version of Snail Trail and the quilt measures approximately 84” x 64”. The fabric is definitely aged and there are a few spots that need a little mending, but all in all I think it has a lot of potential. I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do for the back, so if anyone has any ideas I’m all ears.

There’s more to this story, though. I bet you thought that was my big score of the day. No, no, no. At the second antiques store I spotted a pile of quilts, and in that pile I found an old Bowtie quilt priced at only $20. Whaaaat?!?!? I couldn’t believe it. How could that be?

Upon closer inspection, it looks to me that the quilt top is older but someone made it into a quilt more recently. I say that because it is machine quilted. The fabrics in the bowties are old, but the machine quilting looks more recent. I’m also wondering if the pink sashing was added when the machine quilting was done. Maybe someone discovered old bowtie blocks and put the whole thing together???

Now I don’t think the quilt was finished in the last five years, but I would guess in the last 10-20 years, maybe? That is a total guess, though. I would need someone that is an expert in these sorts of things to give me a better idea. Regardless, I really love it and I can’t believe I got it for only $20. Christmas came early around here!

Have any of you ever bought an old quilt? Or do you have any quilts that have been passed down to you?