My benefactress picked up this quilt for me – it was stuffed under a table and she paid $2.
It is quite old by the looks of it. I'm trying to i.d. how old exactly – to me the fabrics look to be from the 30's but what do I know. I'm basing it on 30's reproduction fabrics I've seen and used (logic being if it looks like the reproduction AND looks old that perhaps it is the real thing).
The pieces are about 1" and were hand pieced. Instead of the quilt being quilted it is hand tied.
The quilt has a large hole in it – about eight inches across, and all the way through the layers. The batting appears to be cotton (and quite old looking too….)
My camera's batteries died right as I was getting ready to take pictures so these are all taken from my iPhone.
I was thinking of either taking it apart and trying to piece the missing front blocks with reproduction fabrics and remake it into a quilt. Or take it apart and make something out of the front – like tote bags or something along those lines.
Is that sacrilegious? To re-purpose an old quilt? Or to repair with newer fabrics?
If you go the repair route, I had to repair a large hole that a certain Grand-Dog ate out of a quilt I had made for Lizz. The repair wasn’t a walk in the park, but it does look pretty good. Let me know if you want pointers.
Just a couple of weeks ago the MOKA Quilt Preservation Society met in Kansas City to discuss quilts with “issues.” You have a genuine 30s quilt here with wonderful fabrics including feedsack pieces. There was a lot of good advice offered at the meeting but the prevailing theme was, “It is my quilt now.” I would go with that idea and make your repair decisions from there. A good cleaning is always a great idea in case you have brought fiber eating bugs in with the quilt endangering other linens in the house. ~Kelly
unDeniably Domestic
That is lovely. I’m not a quilter, but I would agree with you that the quilt looks like it’s from the 30’s, and it certainly looks like there are some feed sack patterns in there, too.
I think you should do whatever you want with it! I have purchased several craft items made from bits of old quilts (angels or Christmas stockings, for example) and I think it’s a terrific way to keep those works of art going for a while longer.
I have an extremely tattered and irregularly shaped bit of crazy quilt from my grandparents’ house…this thing has to be 100 years old. I’m toying with the idea of cutting it into six wall hangings for myself and my sister and our four “girl” cousins, but I feel paralyzed by the responsibility!
Andrea,
I would do what I could to make it useable in some form. Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com might be able to make suggestions as what to do to repair it – if that is your choice.
I am not sure what I would do- it feels sacrareligious on the one hand to cut it apart, but if it is not useable this way then maybe I would cut it so I could use it.
Like others, I am pretty sure it is vintage 30’s.
I will look forward to seeing what you decide to do with your quilt.
Regards,
An
The easiest way to fix it would be to make a patch of 1″ squares out of reproduction fabrics a little larger than the hole and then applique it over the hole.
Sio at http://scrapsandthreadtales.blogspot.com/ knows a lot about dating quilts – you could give her a look/see … it is lovely, innit?!?
No suggestions from me Andrea ~ but the quilt work is lovely! I’d love to learn how you decide to tackle this. xo
Its so pretty I might just fold it up and enjoy looking at it unrepaired. I have a hard time cutting stuff up. Can’t wait to see what you decide.