taking on someone else's unfinished project: happy VTT

I am joining Coloradolady this week for Vintage Thingy Thursday. See what other people are sharing - click on the icon above.


As if I didn't have enough of my own UFO's (UnFinished Objects).  I have to buy one off ebay.

Arriving in a sheet box was a set of partially finished Dresden plate blocks and pre-cut pieces. In addition, a catalog from John C. Michael Co. of St. Petersburg Fla., with other kits listed.  I had not heard of this company before.

Here are two of the finished circles, some of the pre-cut petals, and wedge-shaped pieces for the border.  Under the pile of fabric pieces is a very long strip of lavender cotton, for the binding.  You needed to provide the muslin for each block, the batting, and the backing material. Still, according to the catalog, this kit for the "Friendship Quilt" cost $2.50. (I paid quite a bit more for this kit! Shh!) There is no date on the catalog or the instructions, pictured below.

The instructions, by the way, are a bit limited!
Maybe this kit is from the 1940's? early 50's?  A good value perhaps if you didn't have a variety of printed fabrics.  Muslin is always cheap and available.  Quilt kits are still available today, some yes with pre-cut pieces.

Must stay away from ebay..... stay away from ebay....

Viridian

Vintage Thingy Thursday: Feedsacks

I am joining Coloradolady this week for Vintage Thingy Thursday. See what other people are sharing - click on the icon above.
Today's entry is 3 feedsacks that I purchased off ebay, from various sellers.


Feedsacks (or feedbags) are definitely before plastic.
At some point in the 1920's, a better grade of fabric was used to make bags - and the manufacturers started printing pretty patterns on them. The product information would be printed right on the bag, or a paper label that could be removed was used.
If in good condition these sacks or bags are collectible. Since new quilt fabric prices are at $10 a yard and increasing, to me anyway these sacks are a reasonable source of fabric, especially if you like the 30's and 40's reproduction fabrics. After all a feedsack contains a yard of fabric, and some with a few rips or stains can be had on ebay for 9 or 10 dollars. Oops, I just let you know my sources. :-)
Viridian

Whirling Star: New Project

As if I need a new project. But it's going to be a beautiful quilt.

First, I'll start with a vintage quilt that has seen better days. This was one of my very first purchases from ebay, lo these many years ago.

A somewhat unusual pattern, very energetic, and very bright with the red and green. The red fabric is weak though and is breaking. Certain other fabrics are weak too, wearing so much that there are holes in the top. Doesn't matter, I use this quilt almost every night.

Next: about a year ago, I bought a book on feed sacks (of course!) that also had patterns in it for recreating some classic 30's and 40's quilts.

Feed-sacks! by Edie McGinnis has some good information on feedsacks (not sentimental mishmash) and some projects I didn't care for, but also this:
A detailed pattern for my quilt! I've stared at this for a while now and I have decided that this summer is the time. As with my nosegay quilt (see this post) I have decided to use real feedsack fabric, vintage cotton scraps, whatever I have on hand. It helps that I recently purchased two box lots of mixed scraps of cotton and feedsack off ebay.
I could use reproduction fabric - but somehow the fabrics are too pretty and it wouldn't look right. Actually I am probably buying the pretty fabric, leaving behind the browns, navies, plaids etc.
I am using reproduction red for the corners, keeping with the theme of red in my old quilt. I am using new unbleached muslin, and yellow for the centers, so each block looks like a flower. Here is the first finished block.

This pattern finishes at 12 inches. In my vintage quilt, each block is 9 inches square.
I am excited by how this project is developing. I think I have enough vintage and new fabric to finish a lap quilt for sure, probably a single bed quilt.
So, alas, the nosegay wall hanging, the bunkhouse quilt - they are newly created UFO's (unfinished objects) - for now.
I'll post more as I get more blocks done.
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

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

vintage thingie Thurs.

This Thursday I am sharing some silk embroidered appliques that I bought on Ebay. They are quite vintage. I think at least some were cigarette premiums, early in the 20 th century. They were either inserted into a pack of cigarettes, or perhaps one saved labels and sent away for the appliques. Read all about these wonderful premiums in the article on fabrics.net, by Laurette Carroll. If you ever had little oriental carpets with fringe at either end for your dollhouse, you have seen one kind of tobacco premium. Ms. Carroll's article says that the embroidered ones were distributed in the European market.

There is a thriving trade in tobacco cards and textile premiums on ebay. Look under collectibles/tobacciana.

Viridian61