More on the Mini-Quilt made of Vintage Fabrics
Harriet asked me to tell "the rest of the story" in regards to the bits of vintage fabrics that I used in the mini-quilt shown below.
Many of the shirting fabrics (the light colors) were from two sets of samples from a small family-owned department store in Sioux City, Iowa. I'm guessing this store was in business in the early 1900s. I was thrilled when I found these samples in a small box of fabric purchased at an estate sale of a dear friend. Small squares of fabric were stapled in two sets which were, I assume, something that a homemaker could ask the store to mail to them and which she could use to select fabrics for purchase. You can see a photo of these fabrics in a post on April 19 by clicking on the link of archived posts at the bottom right of this page. Some might think I should have saved these sample packets for some museum somewhere. However, I believe there are plenty of antique and vintage fabrics in much larger collections that are properly preserved for posterity. I'm preserving these pieces in a stitched format. LOL.
The other fabrics were from a number of vintage blocks that I have purchased over the years and which were not suitable to finish into a quilt for one reason or another. Either the construction was poor or adjacent fabrics were damaged. I washed all of these fabrics by simply swishing them in warm water, blotting dry, then pressing.
If you check the archived post, you will see above it a post by Judy in Ohio wherein she posted a photo of the doll-quilt I made several years ago for her heirloom doll cradle. The current quilt is slightly smaller, but otherwise is a duplicate of that first quilt.
Not very exciting, but that's the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey might say.
JudyPete
Many of the shirting fabrics (the light colors) were from two sets of samples from a small family-owned department store in Sioux City, Iowa. I'm guessing this store was in business in the early 1900s. I was thrilled when I found these samples in a small box of fabric purchased at an estate sale of a dear friend. Small squares of fabric were stapled in two sets which were, I assume, something that a homemaker could ask the store to mail to them and which she could use to select fabrics for purchase. You can see a photo of these fabrics in a post on April 19 by clicking on the link of archived posts at the bottom right of this page. Some might think I should have saved these sample packets for some museum somewhere. However, I believe there are plenty of antique and vintage fabrics in much larger collections that are properly preserved for posterity. I'm preserving these pieces in a stitched format. LOL.
The other fabrics were from a number of vintage blocks that I have purchased over the years and which were not suitable to finish into a quilt for one reason or another. Either the construction was poor or adjacent fabrics were damaged. I washed all of these fabrics by simply swishing them in warm water, blotting dry, then pressing.
If you check the archived post, you will see above it a post by Judy in Ohio wherein she posted a photo of the doll-quilt I made several years ago for her heirloom doll cradle. The current quilt is slightly smaller, but otherwise is a duplicate of that first quilt.
Not very exciting, but that's the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey might say.
JudyPete
posted by WhiteStone @ 12:04 AM
4 Comments:
At November 7, 2007 at 8:14 AM ,
Betsy in MA said...
Judy,
I look forward to your posts and pictures. Your quilts have a special flair, for lack of a more precise word, and are a real inspiration.
Your writing is excellent as well. Have you ever considered creating a quilting book?
Betsy in MA
At November 7, 2007 at 9:20 AM ,
Judy in Ohio said...
I will brag for JudyPete .... once upon a time she wrote articles for Q magazines until she got too annoyed with Q magazine editors who would promise one thing and then do another. She might provide details now that I have opened that door.
The doll cradle quilt she posted about just recently was featured in the Fall, 2002 issue of "Country Quilts", a special issue published by Quilt magazine.
Judy in Ohio
At November 7, 2007 at 9:22 AM ,
quilter522 said...
Judy, Thank you for telling us "the rest of the story." Of course it's exciting! Probably no one else posting on this site has stumbled across little packets of 1900's fabrics "stapled together"....Museums do a wonderful job of storing & displaying and caring for items for future generations to see. I agree with you, that you didn't do anything wrong by sewing up the little squares into a mini quilt. Good chance some museum would have accepted the samples & put them away for "safe keeping" never to be seen again. A couple of years ago I read that the Smithsonian just discovered a number of unopened crates from Teddy Roosevelt's trip(2) to Africa. So, hang in there. I was surprised to learn of the bright blues, turquoise & red in the sample packets...so you did a service of teaching in your own way. Thank you! Harriet
At November 7, 2007 at 9:48 AM ,
WhiteStone said...
Harriet, the sample packets had only the light shirting fabrics. The blues and reds came from some vintage blocks and fabric pieces. You can click on the April 15 archives at thebottom of the page to see a post with the photo of the stapled samples.
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