Vintage Thingy Thursday: Ugly vintage quilt

But for $1.50, can you really pass it by?

I found this crib sized quilt (48 by 33.5 inches) at a thrift store where I have found other old quilts. This one is in bad shape. It's a bit ugly, with mixed 40's and 50's fabrics making up the 4 patches, with an ugly fabric in between the rows.

The backing is a cheater fabric. The filler appears to be a loosely woven cheesecloth type of fabric. It is tied, not quilted.

But somebody really tried to make a nice looking quilt, with the materials she had, and this may have been some child's "lovey".

Visit Coloradolady for more vintage thingies. They just have to be vintage, not pretty. Though she has some very pretty plates this week.

viridian

Cheddar and Cheese top done, for now

To repeat, and give credit to the author: I am following the pattern from a wonderful blog called Humble Quilts. She started this three-step tutorial for a doll or baby sized quilt called Cheddar Cheese and Crackers before Christmas 2009. The first step is here.

I am using a double pink for the squares, instead of a cheddar solid. Each of the smaller squares finishes at 1 inch. I plan on adding borders, but for now it is done, and I am happy with how it turned out.

viridian

To make a Nosegay quilt, you have to really want it.

This pattern is also known as Bride's Bouquet. So many inset seams! Even using the sewing machine this is a painstaking job. Though on the up side, I was concentrating so much on getting this done right, I forgot about other troubles and cares.

I was cleaning out my sewing room and tossing stuff when I saw this pattern. It was part of a circa 1992 set of patterns that came templates printed on good template plastic, which i was going to re-use. -I've always liked this pattern, and vintage quilts in this pattern are rare, and prices are high on ebay. So I challenged myself to make a few. A small wallhanging. (ut-oh - fateful words?)

The muslin, green fabric and solid squares are new fabric. The six diamonds are vintage fabric. I've been collecting vintage stuff from the nearby antique malls and buying on ebay when the price is right. The pink on the upper right is from a feedsack, and the pink on the lower left is from a sugar sack. I have always planned to cut into these feedsacks and scraps anyway - they are not that collectible. why not now?

If you love this old fabric, why not enter my giveaway? you too can have some of my pink feedsack fabric. Deadline: March 31, 8 PM eastern USA time.

Viridian

Update on new little project

Beginning of this project: This Blog Post.

I am following the pattern from a wonderful blog called Humble Quilts. She started this three-step tutorial for a doll or baby sized quilt called Cheddar Cheese and Crackers before Christmas 2009. The first step is here.

This is about the top third of the quilt top. This will be as wide as it gets. I have a bit of the part below pieced, but not completely. Now I am liking how this is turning out.

Viridian

Vintage Thingy Thursday: old CDV photo

I am participating in Vintage Thingy Thursday, hosted by Coloradolady. She has found a real treasure that will touch your heartstrings. Go see!

I have an old photo that is definitely vintage. I do look at the old CDV (carte de visite) photos at antiques stores, looking for an image that attracts me. I like the ones of children.

This one I picked up because it was not taken in a studio, but on the street. A pony has been brought to an urban neighborhood and a brother and sister are loving just sitting there. I love their expressions.

In the store window behind them, are some cans with labels I cannot make out, an ad for Morning Glory brand hams bacon and lard, and Shinola. Shinola is a shoe wax that, during World War II, became associated with the phrase: "He doesn't know s*** from Shinola." Not a saying any corporation would want to hear, concerning their product.

Shinola is a 20th century product, and if Wikipedia is to be trusted, the trademark was filed in 1929. Hmm, I would have guessed this photo to be older. What do you think?

Happy Vintage Thingy Thursday! Please check a previous post for how you can enter in my contest and win a fabulous prize! Well, a prize anyway.

viridian

Post #150 Give Away Contest

I just passed post # 150, and yesterday was National Quilting Day! Let's make it National Quilting Weekend. Let's have a fabric give way.

These pieces cut from my stash vary from 8 by 10 inches to 9 by 7 inches. the two on the far left are feedsack, and there is a small hole in the pink with berries one. The pink with morning glories fabric is tightly woven but has a line of stitching holes along the selvage. It was also a small piece. I'm guessing it was a sugar sack. The flowered fabric on the right and on the bottom are dress weight, or quilting weight cottons.

A story about the two feedsacks: I purchased these at an antique mall. The pink with berries sack had some rips so the price was very reasonable. When I got to the front counter to purchase these, the ladies there said, "Oh, booth 17. She had some real pretty feedsacks a few weeks ago." (This pink one is NOT pretty? This blue one is NOT cute?)

The contest: Comment on this post for ONE entry. My current followers as on Sunday March 21 are automatically entered. But a comment here will give you another entry.

And let's be honest, a giveaway is done to promote readership. So if you are not currently a follower, become a follower, and that will be another entry.

EVA SB is not eligible as she won my last give way.

DEADLINE TO ENTER: MARCH 31 8 PM eastern time (my time zone!)

I will make a list of entries and submit them to the list randomizer at Random.org (See this blog post for example) to pick the winner.

Good luck, and it's back to sewing!

Viridian

Vintage Thingy Thursday: quilt top

This is post # 152 for my blog, so it's really time for another giveaway, but we'll have to wait. On to this week's vintage quilt item. Purchased off eBay in the last 6 months, I am pretty sure this crazy quilt top was made near Wabash, Indiana. That is because it is pieced on pages from a Wabash newspaper, March 1930.

Above you can see the date of March 3, 1930. It's hard to imagine how bleak this time was, about 6 months or so after the stock market crash of October 1929. Note also the ad for the store closing, selling 10 yards of muslin for 79 cents. But you still can't buy it if you have no job, and you have no cash.

Just LOOK at the prices here. Whole chickens actually have increased LESS in price percentage-wise, (0.35 to $1.19 lb for whole chicken, 240%, based on my local prices), than the hamburger has (0.25 to $2.69 lb or 976%). Again, time to be frugal when the husband has no job. And feeding a family is top priority, not buying muslin, or dresses, no matter how marked down.

Also note how this quilt was made, which may not be obvious in the first picture. Fabric scraps from earlier in the 1900's (note the dark blue and red and pink fabrics) have been placed on the newspaper foundation, and then their edges turned under, and machine top-sewed. Most quilters today would use a sew and flip method, as would quilters doing string-piecing on newspaper in the past. Or a hand applique stitch. Why this method?

I have another quilt top similar to this, feedsack pieces placed on a large striped feedsack, with edges turned under and machine top-stitched just like this. It's pretty wild-looking.

When I was starting out as a quilter in my late teens (many years ago!), I thought a crazy quilt was done this way, as I had never seen any, and the women of my family did not quilt.

So was this maker young, or inexperienced? Or was this a fad or style in the 1930's? I have not seen quilts like this in quilt history books.

viridian

A New little project

Which is taking a little longer than I thought, readers. I have to watch fabric placement very carefully? Only a little strip piecing, then piece by piece?

I am following the pattern from a wonderful blog called Humble Quilts. She started this three-step tutorial for a doll or baby sized quilt called Cheddar Cheese and Crackers before Christmas 2009. The first step is here.

The original quilt had large squares of solid cheddar orange fabric, and a lovely mixture of shirtings and late 1800's fabric for the rest. I decided to dig into my collection of double pink reproduction fabrics. At a quilt show 2 weeks ago (more on that later) I had seen some pink and white quilts in a dealer's booth that I found very appealing.

My work so far this weekend is above. This is less than 1/4 of the original quilt or Lori's reproduction. The big squares are a perfect seaweed pattern fabric by Diana Leone that I have hoarded since 1993. I'm liking the browns and the paler pinks, but not liking the pinks that are very close in tone to the big squares. Therefore I am modifying my fabric choices as I go. This is photographed on a very dark green carpet.

Don't I have other projects going on you ask? Why yes! Just two Dear Jane quilts, and a prairie braid quilt which I hope to share next week. And I just signed up for the Dear Jane siggie swap. But sometimes a quilter can't help herself or himself.

Viridian

Vintage Thingy Thursday: Army Sewing Kit (?)

Happy Vintage Thingy Thursday, hosted by ColoradoLady!

This is a leather sewing kit picked up in an antique store and labeled by the seller as an army sewing/repair kit. The item itself is not labeled, but given the color of the thread included, I would agree. The first photo shows the closed kit, and second, when opened.

On the inside the label says "Belding-Corticelli genuine leather". Belding Corticelli was (is?) a thread maker, and spools of this thread and advertising cards are sold on ebay.

The little aqua box contains button and a plastic thimble, but no safety pins.

The thread is old: I used some to hem my husband's pants (same olive color) and the thread quickly broke. Which war is is from? Sigh. It seems as if there is always a war, doesn't it?

viridian

Give away winner announced

And the winner of the vintage fabric is ... EVA SB!

I have to teach class now but I will be contacting you!

viridian

Vintage Thingy Thursday - baby quilt

I'm joining ColoradoLady for Vintage Thingy Thursday, with a baby quilt purchased in Ohio, and probably made in Ohio. it is 27 inches wide by 32 inches tall, not including the points around the edge. It is hand-quilted.

Each pinwheel is about 4 and 3/4 inches square, and they are made of a great variety of 30's dress weight fabrics. None has that coarse weave of feedsack. If you collect reproduction 30's fabric (Aunt Grace, etc.) and you look closely, you may recognize some designs that have been reproduced. There are also some fabrics here I wish could be reproduced! The quilting design in the alternate white squares is of a simple circle flower and two leaves. If the quilt is held up to the light, you can tell the cotton batting has shifted and bunched, though the quilt doesn't feel lumpy.

I have never added prairie points to the edge of any of my quilts but these do appear to be prairie points, though the maker probably did not call them that. They are made as shown on this About.com web page, though not overlapping as they show.

Happy VTT! and see this post for how to enter my fabric giveaway to celebrate my second blog anniversary.


Viridian

Second Blog Anniversary Give-away!

THIS CONTEST NOW CLOSED, MARCH 8 2010
And not a moment too soon, as my actual blog-iversary was back in mid-February!


To celebrate I am having a giveaway of some vintage fabric from my stash. Pictured above is the prize package of 6 pieces of fabric about 6 by 8 inches, a few a little larger. The blue piece on the left and the aqua on the right are feedsack, but the others are quilting weight cottons. Just right to add to your stash, or use in a thirties reproduction quilt.

I often add a few pieces of actual vintage fabric to my 30's style scrap quilts. I figure it will keep future quilt historians guessing!

How to win: please leave a comment on this post for one entry in this contest. Become a new follower for another entry, by Sunday night March 7 at midnight. I will use random.org's list randomizer to pick a winner early Monday morning March 8.

And stayed tuned - I am back in the sewing room. Good luck.

Viridian