Seen While Thrifting

On Tuesday we joined some friends for a day of antiquing and thrifting in a small town a couple of hours east of here. We had such a great day - good friends, adventures, and diversions. I don't buy antique quilts, but being a quilter, I do love to see them, and I often check the pricing. It saddens me to see beautiful works of art being sold for a pittance, but at the same time, I sure hope these lovingly stitched quilts are rescued by someone who intends to cherish and protect them for future generations.

The cream of the crop finds were these two green quilts. So lovely. If I were a collector, I would undoubtedly have snatched these up. The prices were right around $120, and the tags said they were from a local area home. Aren't they inspiring?

These two rested on a rack together, but space was so tight that I did not attempt to open them up for better pictures. The purple one looked to be in much better condition; the blue one would have been suitable for a "cutter" quilt - one that would be used to make teddy bears or pillows from. Here are the tags from them.

While the pictures so far have featured 2-color quilts, these next two pictures include good examples of more colorful and scrappy quilts. The makers used everything!!

First, let's examine the applique quilt on the right. The red, green, and white motifs were massive. There was minimal actual stitching on it.

The scrappy quilts included this Dresden plate - exceedingly colorful and bright. I did not unfold to inspect size or condition. The quilt pictured below was scrappy, too, but much more controlled and calm.

By the time I found the quilts featured in the previous two pictures, we were nearing the end of our shopping day, so I didn't take the time to check the prices. I was trying to see everything else before "go time."

I not only pay attention to quilts, but other textiles as well. I am a sucker for vintage table linens. This poinsettia one caught my eye, but at $35, I was not interested. Looked to be in good shape, though! Maybe I missed a good one.

Are you a thrifter? Do you pick up great old textiles whenever you are out and about? Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my thrifting adventure.  

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sister's Windfall

The estate of a friend of my sister is being  dispersed, and she has become the newest protector of the most gorgeous red and white quilt. Simply put, this is a thing of beauty.

When she showed it to me, we didn't have much time to do an up close and personal inspection. I just took these few pictures.

Sandy said that before she spoke up for this quilt, it was destined for donations going to the humane society. Now I love that people donate old bedding this way, but for goodness sake! This heirloom in a dog pen? I am so glad Sandy had the gumption to ask for it. Basically, she is preserving its life for at least one more generation to enjoy and appreciate.

I wish I could know its story. We don't know who made the quilt, how this gentleman came into possession of it, or anything. We suspect that his mother might have made it, but it could as easily have been made by one of his grandmothers, or aunts, or great aunts. 

Other items of particular interest here for our quilters, are the contents of a sewing basket. I don't know if Sandy is keeping these or not; the daughter might be donating them. Whatever becomes of them, the items contained therein are interesting.

Sandy said that one spool of thread had a price sticker of 18 cents. Would that be 1960s pricing? Earlier?

So, that was a fun treasure to look at. I know there are collectors of vintage sewing ephemera out there, but I do not know if this man's daughter is willing to invest the time necessary for finding those people. That's what thrift stores are for, right? 

Hope you are having an awesome Tuesday! I've been to the dentist this morning, and later today we are going to see the Columbus Blue Jackets with our daughters and their guys. A fun-filled day!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

It's Hard to Hobby on Vacation

Did you know that it's hard to hobby while on vacation? I had a devil of a time trying to make myself take actual stitches on any of the projects I took. Why is that? My theory is that I had enough mess with necessary luggage and I just didn't want to drag one more thing out into the general chaos of our car or hotels or homes in which we stayed. 

While I did not DO any significant stitching, thinking about quilting was never far from my mind. Today I will share a successful shopping trip and a surprise flea market find.

Throughout our week-plus stay with my brother- and sister-in-law, we took day trips out to explore various points of interest. This was early in our vacation, and visiting quilt shops was high on my priority list. Whenever we decided where the next day's journey would take us, I searched online for the locations of nearby quilt shops. 

I hit gold when we spent a day exploring the Crystal River and Homosassa areas on the gulf coast. We'd planned to visit a wildlife preserve where we could do some hiking, and if we found anything else of interest, we'd investigate accordingly. A quilt shop, Beyond the Stitches, was in the vicinity and we stopped to look around. It was one of only two shops we visited while in Florida, and it was a winner!

I have learned to expect that Florida quilt shops largely feature bright, beachy, vibrant fabrics to match the vibes of the Sunshine State. Batiks, Kaffe Fassett prints, themed panels - all make for a light and colorful shop. Beyond the Stitches reflected the feel of a tropical, happy destination throughout the shop.

The gal at the counter was just as helpful and friendly as could be. I believe she was a friend - or maybe a relative - of the owner. She said that their first incarnation was that of a machine sales and repair store, but through the pandemic, a situation arose that resulted in their becoming a fabric store, too. (Vague on remembering the details, but I think I'm close enough.) This location has two rooms, one for retail, the other for a spacious classroom. Several quilters were busy in the classroom working on special projects.

I kept my purchases in check, but I did find two pieces that will be useful in the completion of projects on my goals list for this year. Here they are - a pretty white-on-white, and a light blue KF fabric for my goal of making at least one blue KF quilt.

The other quilt-related item I want to share has nothing whatsoever to do with seeking out quilt shops. We were out and about with my cousins and their spouses to the Webster Flea Market on MLK Jr. Day. This open-field flea market is HUGE! We saw all manner of vintage items, yet I resisted the urge to buy anything. 

One particular vendor, though, was especially successful in gaining my attention. He was selling vintage signage, and he was using old quilt as table cloths. I'd have loved seeing all of them, and not just the bits that showed through between his merchandise. However, these pictures show well enough the beauty of them.

This Star of Bethlehem quilt was so bright and colorful, it was a real attention-getter. Below, I am holding out a corner of it; the maker had appliqued intricate vases of flowers and vines in the open space.

Does it make you sad to see beautiful work like this being used so? I think of the woman who put so many painstaking hours into making these quilts - maybe she instructed her daughters, too, to contribute and learn needle skills. For whatever reason, some tops were never finished, while others were. Today, all have landed in the possession of a vendor selling farm-related signage, implements, and wares. I took joy in seeing these quilts, though, and I make a private little tribute to the quilter whose hands toiled over this beautiful work.

Getting a bit philosophical, aren't I? It does give one pause, though. I continue making quilts, far more than I could ever possibly need or use. What will become of them? The day will come when they will need to be dispersed. What will their uses be in the future? Will one or two of them find their way to a flea market table in Webster, Florida?

Ah! Great if they do! I enjoy the making. I really do. And I want to continue making. And making. And making. 

In old business, I did fix the timing on my long arm yesterday. Gosh, I was so glad to finally figure it out. I took one pass on the quilt, only to discover that I now need to delve into the mysterious realm of tension. More on that later, I'm sure. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Frienzie Pam's Windfall

Long time readers are familiar with my Frienzies - those dear friends from my working days at CHS. We all had lunch together for years and years; not only were we coworkers, but we also shared many of the same interests, so naturally we formed some very strong friendships.

Most of us are now retired from teaching, but we still faithfully get together every month for a meal - either at someone's house or at a restaurant. Last month we sewed with Sherrie on Veterans' Day, and in the blogpost I did on that day, I mentioned that I would bring you additional details on Pam's treasure-trove of vintage quilt blocks.

In that earlier post, I alluded to the vintage blocks and quilting stash she'd recently acquired from her husband Charlie's late Aunt Margie. This aunt was known in the family as the quilter. Pam tells me that she and Charlie have one of Aunt Margie's quilts hanging above their bed. When the family needed to disburse Aunt Margie's belongings, Pam, a retired home ec teacher, was given the quilting items, which consisted of several tubs of fabric, supplies and orphan blocks.

Many of the orphan blocks are appliqued. Take a look:

A Celtic Knot

A river or stream with a boat?

Pam has taken the last three blocks and turned them into a table runner, using some of Aunt Margie's fabrics for the setting blocks.

Another table runner is made of three flower applique blocks placed on point. Pam did both of these table runners on Veterans' Day.

Now let's have a look at the pieced blocks. Pam has done some research on sampler quilts, and she plans to go this direction so that they can all be used in one quilt rather than a ga-zillion table toppers.

Drunkard's Path

36-patch block

A whale or fish

A starflower

Do you know the name of this block? I do not.

Pam turned these Storm at Sea blocks into a table runner.

Churn Dash

Snails Trails

Combination of blocks - unsure if it has a name, but pretty for Christmas!

Table topper made from triangles cut at 60-degree angles.

Scrappy signature block? 

As Pam creates her sampler quilt using these random blocks, I will try to bring updates from time to time. Pam likes to get things done, and never shies away from a challenging project. It will be fun to see what she comes up with.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Bark Cloth - A New Interest

A month or so ago, I saw the most adorable little zipper pouch on Instagram. I've sorta' been on a bit of a bark cloth "kick" ever since. Below is the pic I saved, and you can click here to make your way to other gorgeous beauties by this designer.

Seeing this fabric sparked a memory in me of fabrics I remember from my childhood - not just in our own home, but at both grandparents' houses, aunts' and uncles' houses, probably many friends of our family, too. Then I remembered a piece of this cloth that I actually own stashed away upstairs in the sewing room.

Why I have saved this fabric, I have no idea. I do not remember where or when I got it, either. The piece is sewn into a case for a smallish pillow, but that does not help me remember my origins with it. (A mind is a terrible thing to waste, you know?) *grin*

Perhaps bark cloth is seeing a resurgence in popularity. I wonder if it's the combination of design and texture that appeals so much? A week ago, DH and I attended the Columbus BIA Parade of Homes, and the very first home on the tour featured a bedroom decorated with bark cloth window treatments, pillow, and chair upholstery.

My piece of bark cloth is in very good condition, so I think I will try copying the inspiration picture and see what kind of a sweet zipper bag I can come up with. Add some embellishments of lace or denim or simply a complimentary fabric, perhaps? Yes, that sounds nice. And don't forget a sweet beaded pull.

One aspect of Instagram that I have come to appreciate is the concept of # (hashtag). If I am interested in something, I can just search that item with the # in front of it. So, for example, when I wanted to see more bark cloth, I entered #barkcloth (don't use spaces in a hashtag search) in the search bar, and WHOA!! What a vast array of beautiful fabrics I found. Then I also searched #vintagebarkcloth, and that elicited even more! I admit to being slow to the game on understanding hashtags, but IG has helped to enlighten me.

This new interest in bark cloth prompted me into a nearby thrift store to see if I could find any items like curtains which were made of bark cloth. Nope. But I think I will remain on the lookout for it. As I have seen the vast array of designs on IG, I find myself more and more drawn to it.

Happy Saturday! I am taking my little stash of Lake Effect hexies on a quick overnight to Columbus. Progress has been steady on those hexies, and I feel a big final push coming on for finishing them off.

Happy Quilting, Friends!