I enjoyed quilting time with my local group-
my throat is still pretty sore but the medicine is starting to kick in gear!
I finished the other 6 blocks while there so I can squeak a table topper out of these.
I have only a few blue pieces and a few more of the beige
so I am playing around with the idea of angled blocks for a border
to really use up every last piece from this collection.
While at our stitching time, a woman came in and asked if we would be interested
if she dropped off a few unfinished quilt tops from her m-i-l who passed away.
We naturally said we would be glad to look them over and donate what we couldn't use-
you never know what you are going to get!
She said no one in her family did any sewing let alone quilting
and she wanted them to go to people who would appreciate the work that went into them.
Well, we hit pay dirt!
These are very old tops (flimsies my Aussie friend calls them!)
We each picked out one and said what we thought we would do with it.
Most had condition problems-they have been stored a long time and smelled of moth balls.
When this quilter ran out of fabric for a strip-she just pieced a similar color and continued on her work.
You can see this red square had several pieces to bring it up to size.
All of the quilts were pieced by hand with a few blocks sewn by machine, too.
The pieced block on the right was done by machine.
There are 81 pieced blocks and two different fabrics used for the red blocks.
There are fabrics from the 30's, 40's and 50's in this quilt;
some of the other tops were from the 50's and 60's.
We sure had a wonderful time examining these donations!
I think I will layer this with batting and backing and quilt it.
Of course, many quilts made in FL of that time period were just backed and quilted without a filler so it was a light covering for the bed not a quilt for warmth.
But since this was made by a woman in Jacksonville,
she would have experienced cooler temperatures for winter
and would have appreciated a quilt with a cotton batting.
I will think it through a bit-how do you weigh in?
I must weight in and say that when your group accepts this donation, it fills theheart of the relative. When one dies and their projects are left it is a true gift to donate to those who will MAKE their beloveds quilt /craft dreams come to LIFE
ReplyDeleteLovely work - I'd add a batting to the flimsy before quilting. I think it would stabalize the stitching and give the older fabrics more body.
ReplyDeleteThat vintage quilt is really cool! Reminds me of the Scottish flag!
ReplyDeleteUsing some batting may give the older fabric a bit more stability.
ReplyDeleteIt's just beautiful! And it's all by hand. That just amazes me. I have a pile of my great grandma's quilts that are all hand pieced and I can't imagine how she found the time.
ReplyDeleteIt is gorgeous. I love the fabric and I think she did not waste a scarf of fabric, just adding on when deeded. It is a wonderful pattern. I am so glad you are finishing it up.
ReplyDelete