Tag Archives: Vintage Quilt

Vintage Quilt Inspiration

October 2, 2017UncategorizedAntique Quilt, English Paper Piecing, Vintage QuiltBrooklyn Quilting Co.

Raise your hand if you like vintage quilts. I happen to love vintage quilts and I’m always on the lookout for them. I love seeing the fabrics used – much of which is feedsack fabric – and I love how they can provide lots of inspiration for making new quilts.

I’ve done a blog post about vintage/antique quilts before, but that was back in December of 2014. So, I thought it was time for another one.

I was in Iowa last month to go an Iowa football game (Go Hawks!) and to visit family. While I was there, I spent an afternoon antiquing with my mom and the antique stores we went to were full of old quilts. I just had to take a few pics of my favorites to share with all of you. Check out the beauties I found.

First up is this purple star quilt. I looove this one and it kind of makes me want to order some English paper pieces and make my own version.

This fan quilt was in pretty bad shape, but I loved the feedsack fabric so much I had to grab a picture of one of the fans that looked good.

I’ve seen versions of this circle-style quilt before and I’ve had a similar one on my quilt to-do list for ever.

I love how the quilt maker used the colored fabrics for the background. Here’s a close-up so you can see.

Here’s another version of a star quilt with the most beautiful shade of green as the background fabric.

This is another quilt that wasn’t in the best shape, but I had never seen this pattern before. Anyone know if it has a name? I loved it!

These shapes and piecing would take some time, but wouldn’t it be worth it in the end if you had a quilt that looked like this?

Out of all the quilts I saw, this may have been my favorite, but I am a sucker for anything pink.

To top it off, it was in great shape. It was hard not to buy this one, but like I need more quilts in my apartment.

And finally, I couldn’t leave without sharing a flower garden quilt from my antiquing excursion. It’s such a classic and always looks gorgeous with feedsack fabrics.

That wraps up my vintage quilt share for 2017. Hope you enjoyed it!

Butterflies – Finished

August 30, 2015UncategorizedApplique, Denyse Schmidt Fabric, Grandma, Vintage QuiltBrooklyn Quilting Co.

Way back in January, I posted about an applique butterfly quilt top my (almost 93-year-old) grandma made many years ago. She can’t quite remember when she made it, but we guestimate it is at least 20 years old, if not 30+. Since grandma doesn’t quilt anymore, I took this one on to finish for her and I’m finally done.

This quilt took a long time because it is so large; it measures approximately 78” x 86”. I don’t think I’ve ever worked on a quilt that big, and let me just say it was a lot to handle.

While it did take a long time to finish, I actually had it done a couple of months ago, but I hung on to it for a while before I photographed it. That’s because I was waiting for my summer vacation to begin.

While I was away this summer, I spent some time with my aunt and uncle, who now live on my grandparents’ old farm. The white barn you see is the original barn that still stands. I thought it would be appropriate to photograph my grandma’s quilt on her own farm so I packed the quilt in my suitcase and waited until I got to the farm to take photos.

Turns out that was a good move, because I love the barn in the background. I also got to see my grandma while I was visiting and I showed her the finished quilt. Needless to say, she was very happy to see it done.

The back of this quilt was a bit challenging, mainly because it took me a long time to decide on a fabric. I knew I wanted to do something red and floral, but I couldn’t find the right fabric. It finally occurred to me that a Denyse Schmidt print would be a perfect complement to the vintage look of the butterflies. (Side note: Many of the butterflies are likely made with actual vintage fabric. My grandma was known for cutting up old dresses, aprons, etc. to use for quilt fabric. My mom even recognizes one of them as a dress she wore as a child.)

I ended up using a print from Denyse Schmidt’s Sweet Ruby collection for Jo-Ann’s. I am so happy I went with it; I think it looks perfect.

I also used an extra row of butterflies for the back. When I found the old quilt top in a storage bin, there was an extra row of butterflies that were packed with it. I wasn’t quite sure of what I was going to do with them. I thought about attaching another row to the quilt and making it a little bit longer, but then I decided to use them for the back. It ended up working out really well, because I needed a little more fabric for the back. Once I had the Sweet Ruby fabric and the row of butterflies, it was just enough fabric.

Now that this is done, I’m itching to dig into the other quilt tops my grandma left unfinished; I think there are two more left. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might remember that I previously finished another applique quilt top of hers back in 2013. You can read about that one here. Maybe my next one will be finished in 2016. Stay tuned.

Snail Trail – Finished

February 11, 2015UncategorizedElizabeth Olwen Fabric, Snail Trail Quilt, Vintage QuiltBrooklyn Quilting Co.

My Snail Trail quilt is done, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. The pattern, the colors, the 1930s/40s fabrics…everything about it is perfect.

I still can’t believe I found this quilt top in an antiques store for only $22. It was definitely a lucky find, but I feel like we were meant to come together!

Once I started quilting it and really worked with the fabric, I could see that it was made from old clothing. It looks to me like most of it comes from old work shirts, which makes sense given that it is likely from the 1930s or 40s.

It’s hard to see in the photos, but I ended up doing a grid-like pattern for the quilting. I stuck with the modern, straight line quilting that I like so much, but thought the grid would add a little something extra and some nice texture.

The back of this quilt is made with an Elizabeth Olwen print that I think is the perfect complement to the front. Normally I like to make my quilt backs a little scrappy or do something interesting, but in this case I went with a solid back and only used the Elizabeth Olwen print. It just seemed like that was the right call for this one.

And yes, if you notice, the turned block is still there! When I talked about the mistake in the quilt top in my previous post, someone mentioned in the comments section that a wrongly turned block or a mistake in a quilt is knows as a “spirit piece” or a “humility block.” I love this idea and I’m going to use it the next time I make a mistake in a quilt. Who’s with me?!?!?

Butterflies

January 25, 2015UncategorizedButterfly Quilt, Embroidery, Grandma, Vintage QuiltBrooklyn Quilting Co.

I’ve written before about my grandma and how she was a longtime quilter but, now that she’s in her 90s, unfortunately her eyes don’t allow her to quilt any more. She still does a little bit of embroidery, but quilting for her is done and instead she’s happy to know that I like to quilt.

The good news is that before her eyesight became too poor to quilt, she finished a handful of quilt tops that have been stored away in a box in my parents’ house. I finished one of those quilt tops back in 2013 (you can read about it here), and when I was home visiting my parents over the holidays I pulled out another one of the quilt tops to work on this year. This one is appliqued butterflies.

I don’t have a full picture of the quilt because this one is large and in charge. It measures approximately 78” x 86”. Whoa! I will have to clear some major floor space just to get this one basted.

My grandma liked to do a lot of applique but I’ve never made an applique quilt myself. I have a couple of ideas for some modern applique designs I would like to try, but for now they’re just that…ideas. I have too many other quilts I want to make that aren’t applique and they are my priority, so instead I’ll just finish this applique quilt my grandma made.

As someone who doesn’t applique, I’m a bit stumped right now on how to quilt this one. There’s quite a bit of white space on the quilt that needs to be taken into consideration, but also what to do with those butterflies? I think I’ll be doing a bit of research before I start in on quilting it.

Any applique quilters out there that want to weigh in on quilting it? I’m taking suggestions!

Snail Trail

January 4, 2015UncategorizedAntiques, Elizabeth Olwen, Snail Trail, Vintage Fabric, Vintage QuiltBrooklyn Quilting Co.

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

December 21, 2014UncategorizedAntiques, Bowties, Mom, Snail Trail, Vintage, Vintage QuiltBrooklyn Quilting Co.

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?

Vintage Fans

November 8, 2013UncategorizedApplique, Grandma, Vintage QuiltBrooklyn Quilting Co.

This is a quilt I can only take about 50 percent credit for; the other 50 percent goes to my grandma. Years ago she made the quilt top and I took it over and finished it last week. This design is part classic Dresden Plate quilt pattern, but with a twist. I think they look more like fans so that’s what I’m calling it.

My grandma recently celebrated her 91^st birthday and has spent most of those 91 years as a quilter. But unfortunately now that she’s 91 her eyes aren’t so great anymore. She can still do some embroidery (more about that in another post) but she can’t see well enough to work a machine.

Before she stopped, she had a few quilts tops that were done but hadn’t been finished, so my mom gave them to me to finish. They’ve been packed away for years and I finally dug them out on my last visit home to my parents’ house.

I love the old fabrics she used. My grandma comes from an era where you use what you’ve got, and many of the fabrics found in this quilt come from old shirts of hers, according to my mom. It kind of inspires me to look a little more closely at old shirts of mine before getting rid of them!

I chose a simple white back for this quilt and put it all together. When it was time for the binding, my grandma had already taken care of that part, too.

Every quilt I can remember my grandma making has these little triangles for the binding. She had already pre-cut all of the squares and all I had to do was fold and attach them to the quilt.

I typically do a traditional binding on my quilts but it was fun to do the triangles to keep this a true grandma quilt. I have to warn you, if you ever do the triangles for a binding they take A LOT longer than doing a traditional binding, but so worth the end result.

I love how this vintage quilt turned out and now I’m anxious to get my hands on any other quilt tops packed away.