If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
De-lurk, vintage quilt tops, and an idea
I'm 42 and I have inherited some quilt tops that were made by my great
grandma and grandma. These were not made to be pretty from fancy fabric like today's quilt tops, they were made to be serviceable from the fabrics left over from other sewing projects and the usable parts of old clothing. They have been folded in a cabinet for years, languishing unfinished and unused. They are crying to be quilted and used. I want to use them. One is made from crazy quilt blocks with light burgundy sashing, it's the one I like the best (probably because I've thought about making one similar to it before). The other is a nine patch. Neither of them are very special, or wonderful to look at. But they have a homeyness that is seldom seen these days. One of the tops I have, Great grandma sewed the blocks together by hand and grandma added the sashing by treadle machine. The blocks are simple two-color nine patches with some patches being made from 4 triangles to form a star or flower pattern, and all the fabric was probably from clothing she and great grandpa wore. The sashing is a large ugly print that doesn't really go well with the blocks. It was what grandma had on hand, so it got used. Now I could easily put padding and backing on by machine, but I'll never use it because of the ugly sashing. Since I've got another quilt top made by them, I don't mind taking the top apart. Taking it apart is not easy as the machine was having all sorts of problems when the sashing was added, but it can be done without harming the blocks, so I have started on that. I do have an ulterior reason for taking apart the quilt top, other than to remove the ugly sashing. It is an idea that I came up with after seeing something similar in a magazine. The magazine had a picture of a country livingroom with one quilt hung over a window as a curtain. I thought it looked marvelous. One quilt won't cover my windows though. So I plan on taking two blocks and adding sashing wide enough to span the height of the window and add tabs to hang them by. I'll be able to make 6 panels since the quilt top has 12 blocks. For the backing I am going to use a sheet set from MIL's home. I am going to make them reversible by making the tabs button on and off. To protect them from fading I will install room darkening roller shades. So am I crazy or what? Debra in VA |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
I vote, "or what".
Welcome to the group... make yourself comfy! Diana -- Queen of FAQs Royal Peace Maker http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44 "Debra" wrote in message ... I'm 42 and I have inherited some quilt tops that were made by my great grandma and grandma. These were not made to be pretty from fancy fabric like today's quilt tops, they were made to be serviceable from the fabrics left over from other sewing projects and the usable parts of old clothing. They have been folded in a cabinet for years, languishing unfinished and unused. They are crying to be quilted and used. I want to use them. One is made from crazy quilt blocks with light burgundy sashing, it's the one I like the best (probably because I've thought about making one similar to it before). The other is a nine patch. Neither of them are very special, or wonderful to look at. But they have a homeyness that is seldom seen these days. One of the tops I have, Great grandma sewed the blocks together by hand and grandma added the sashing by treadle machine. The blocks are simple two-color nine patches with some patches being made from 4 triangles to form a star or flower pattern, and all the fabric was probably from clothing she and great grandpa wore. The sashing is a large ugly print that doesn't really go well with the blocks. It was what grandma had on hand, so it got used. Now I could easily put padding and backing on by machine, but I'll never use it because of the ugly sashing. Since I've got another quilt top made by them, I don't mind taking the top apart. Taking it apart is not easy as the machine was having all sorts of problems when the sashing was added, but it can be done without harming the blocks, so I have started on that. I do have an ulterior reason for taking apart the quilt top, other than to remove the ugly sashing. It is an idea that I came up with after seeing something similar in a magazine. The magazine had a picture of a country livingroom with one quilt hung over a window as a curtain. I thought it looked marvelous. One quilt won't cover my windows though. So I plan on taking two blocks and adding sashing wide enough to span the height of the window and add tabs to hang them by. I'll be able to make 6 panels since the quilt top has 12 blocks. For the backing I am going to use a sheet set from MIL's home. I am going to make them reversible by making the tabs button on and off. To protect them from fading I will install room darkening roller shades. So am I crazy or what? Debra in VA |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
I don't really understand the 'reversible' concept, as anything that faces
the outside is going to be damaged soon, especially since you are dealing with old material to start with.... I mean, if these have sentimental value, it won't just be a case of dashing them into the garbage and whipping up some new ones to take their place when the sun damages them. If you are set on using them for curtains, consider making the back stay the back so the quilt top pieces stay on the inside of the room with the back acting as the liner/sun protector for the quilt blocks themselves, and they will last much longer. Diana Curtis wrote in message ... I vote, "or what". Welcome to the group... make yourself comfy! Diana -- Queen of FAQs Royal Peace Maker http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44 "Debra" wrote in message ... I'm 42 and I have inherited some quilt tops that were made by my great grandma and grandma. These were not made to be pretty from fancy fabric like today's quilt tops, they were made to be serviceable from the fabrics left over from other sewing projects and the usable parts of old clothing. They have been folded in a cabinet for years, languishing unfinished and unused. They are crying to be quilted and used. I want to use them. One is made from crazy quilt blocks with light burgundy sashing, it's the one I like the best (probably because I've thought about making one similar to it before). The other is a nine patch. Neither of them are very special, or wonderful to look at. But they have a homeyness that is seldom seen these days. One of the tops I have, Great grandma sewed the blocks together by hand and grandma added the sashing by treadle machine. The blocks are simple two-color nine patches with some patches being made from 4 triangles to form a star or flower pattern, and all the fabric was probably from clothing she and great grandpa wore. The sashing is a large ugly print that doesn't really go well with the blocks. It was what grandma had on hand, so it got used. Now I could easily put padding and backing on by machine, but I'll never use it because of the ugly sashing. Since I've got another quilt top made by them, I don't mind taking the top apart. Taking it apart is not easy as the machine was having all sorts of problems when the sashing was added, but it can be done without harming the blocks, so I have started on that. I do have an ulterior reason for taking apart the quilt top, other than to remove the ugly sashing. It is an idea that I came up with after seeing something similar in a magazine. The magazine had a picture of a country livingroom with one quilt hung over a window as a curtain. I thought it looked marvelous. One quilt won't cover my windows though. So I plan on taking two blocks and adding sashing wide enough to span the height of the window and add tabs to hang them by. I'll be able to make 6 panels since the quilt top has 12 blocks. For the backing I am going to use a sheet set from MIL's home. I am going to make them reversible by making the tabs button on and off. To protect them from fading I will install room darkening roller shades. So am I crazy or what? Debra in VA |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 03:02:34 GMT, "cozy"
wrote: I don't really understand the 'reversible' concept, as anything that faces the outside is going to be damaged soon, especially since you are dealing with old material to start with.... I mean, if these have sentimental value, it won't just be a case of dashing them into the garbage and whipping up some new ones to take their place when the sun damages them. If you are set on using them for curtains, consider making the back stay the back so the quilt top pieces stay on the inside of the room with the back acting as the liner/sun protector for the quilt blocks themselves, and they will last much longer. The room darkening shades and the UV protectant glass in the windows should be enough to keep them in good shape for years. DH and I are second shift workers, so the shades will be drawn closed most of the time the sun faces those windows anyway. I don't expect them to last forever, but then quilts don't last forever when they are used regularly either. Besides, I figure the material in the blocks got the most sun damage before the pieces were ever cut because they were cut from clothing. I am not trying to make a keepsake. I am not terribly sentimental about the quilt tops, especially the one I am taking apart. What I love is the potential use of them. Great grandma made the blocks to be used, and I am lucky to be one of the people that will make sure they get used. I am trying to follow the old way of putting things to good use rather than hiding them away from the light of day. Great grandma was one of those folks who re-used things as many ways and times as she could until there was nothing left of them before she would buy anything new. I feel like my great grandma would be happy that someone is going to use her blocks rather than keeping them in storage until they turn into dust. Debra in VA |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 16:22:54 -0600, "Diana Curtis" wrote:
I vote, "or what". Welcome to the group... make yourself comfy! Diana Thanks. Debra in VA |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
I think you took my thoughts as a criticism of your using the blocks. That
is not what I meant to convey. Many people have no idea about sun damage and wish someone would have mentioned it. That is all I was trying to give you a heads up about and, not scold you for using them. You don't have to defend your using them rather than hiding them in a box to me. Sorry for offending you. Debra wrote in message ... On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 03:02:34 GMT, "cozy" wrote: I don't really understand the 'reversible' concept, as anything that faces the outside is going to be damaged soon, especially since you are dealing with old material to start with.... I mean, if these have sentimental value, it won't just be a case of dashing them into the garbage and whipping up some new ones to take their place when the sun damages them. If you are set on using them for curtains, consider making the back stay the back so the quilt top pieces stay on the inside of the room with the back acting as the liner/sun protector for the quilt blocks themselves, and they will last much longer. The room darkening shades and the UV protectant glass in the windows should be enough to keep them in good shape for years. DH and I are second shift workers, so the shades will be drawn closed most of the time the sun faces those windows anyway. I don't expect them to last forever, but then quilts don't last forever when they are used regularly either. Besides, I figure the material in the blocks got the most sun damage before the pieces were ever cut because they were cut from clothing. I am not trying to make a keepsake. I am not terribly sentimental about the quilt tops, especially the one I am taking apart. What I love is the potential use of them. Great grandma made the blocks to be used, and I am lucky to be one of the people that will make sure they get used. I am trying to follow the old way of putting things to good use rather than hiding them away from the light of day. Great grandma was one of those folks who re-used things as many ways and times as she could until there was nothing left of them before she would buy anything new. I feel like my great grandma would be happy that someone is going to use her blocks rather than keeping them in storage until they turn into dust. Debra in VA |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 16:34:20 GMT, "cozy" wrote:
I think you took my thoughts as a criticism of your using the blocks. That is not what I meant to convey. Many people have no idea about sun damage and wish someone would have mentioned it. That is all I was trying to give you a heads up about and, not scold you for using them. You don't have to defend your using them rather than hiding them in a box to me. Sorry for offending you. Not to worry, I'm not offended at all. You didn't seem to be scolding, just concerned that a keepsake would get ruined quickly, or an heirloom lost forever. I never thought about someone not knowing about sun damage though. But I guess someone who was a newbie to all forms of needlework might not know about it. BTW, are you the same Cozy that posts to RCTN? Debra in VA |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
While it's possible I might have posted there at some odd moment... but if I
did... I can't remember it. So, if there is a Cozy that is a frequent poster there, it must be another. Debra wrote in message ... On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 16:34:20 GMT, "cozy" wrote: I think you took my thoughts as a criticism of your using the blocks. That is not what I meant to convey. Many people have no idea about sun damage and wish someone would have mentioned it. That is all I was trying to give you a heads up about and, not scold you for using them. You don't have to defend your using them rather than hiding them in a box to me. Sorry for offending you. Not to worry, I'm not offended at all. You didn't seem to be scolding, just concerned that a keepsake would get ruined quickly, or an heirloom lost forever. I never thought about someone not knowing about sun damage though. But I guess someone who was a newbie to all forms of needlework might not know about it. BTW, are you the same Cozy that posts to RCTN? Debra in VA |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Vintage Kentucky Whiskey Barrel Tops | kyrustic | Marketplace | 0 | November 18th 04 11:36 PM |
Marking quilt tops | Audrey Eischens | Quilting | 7 | November 22nd 03 04:43 PM |
new pics of of 2 more quilt tops | Kathy in CA | Quilting | 7 | October 26th 03 05:05 PM |
posted pics of 2 quilt tops | Kathy | Quilting | 6 | July 19th 03 04:44 PM |
Vintage Oak Barrel Tops | kyrustic | Marketplace | 0 | July 11th 03 12:57 PM |