Road Home Quilting: vintage sewing

Showing posts with label vintage sewing. Show all posts

Vintage Remake

I found this flannel log cabin in a vintage shop some years ago.

It is small, about 30" square. The red centers are only 1/2"!

I've always wished to try recreating this very clever design.

Have you seen this block before? Does it have a name?

The leftover honeybun scraps from Bergamot cat quilt are ideal for this project!

And there are even enough scraps for two colorways; orange and white.

This is Moda bakeshop, Last Bloom by Sandi Gervais, and I absolutely love it!

I got this right before the lock down, it was just the

IDEAL colors I had dreamed of for creating Bergamot -

California poppy orange and depression jade.

(Hence the name, Bergamot;)

Here are the orange log-cabin flower centers. So far so good.

I will get back with you about the white/green blocks. Honeybun centers finish at 1" square, so my project will be twice as large as the original vintage inspiration.

Don't you just love it when a wish quilt comes together?

In this case, one honeybun is making 3 dream quilts!

(Bergamot, orange log-cabin, white log-cabin)

BTW: Bergamot is with the photographer.

As soon as I have a pattern cover pic, you will see it in the Etsy shop.

Silk Quilt

Here is a vintage treasure from the RHQEtsy shop:

Full silk quilt!

Trip Around the World patched in silk, with silk panels for backing. Tied, no batting. Very heavy. One of the green silks shattered but the rest is in surprisingly excellent shape. And best of all.....

Silk prairie point border:)
This genuinely makes be smile. I mean, you couldn't put binding on the silk, right? So the quilter had to invent a different edging.

Wow, they sure were dedicated to making this quilt happen. I hope it finds a good home soon.

One for the Road

Did I say one? How about, TWO more quilts from our show! These are sew unique, I knew you wouldn't want to miss them:

This is the Northcott panel of Flag with fireworks. And there are real lights in it!

Yes, a fireworks quilt that lights up! Holiday lights string quilted in, with just the bulbs strategically showing through. The lights kept blinking, so it was hard to get a good pic.

From the Young Quilter Category, Fireworks by Jackson Hurford and Peter Plante.

Great job, Gentlemen!

Third Generation by Pamela Snow

This is sew super special. Modern and vintage meeting. Family portrait of quilters. And just a great plan for preserving fragile unfinished blocks. The blocks were made by a great aunt, now finished in raw-edge applique by her modern quilter niece.

I knew you'd love this one tool:)

Schooled at Guild

Schooled!
To me, this is a fun word. Means I'm not too old to keep learning.
Here is what I learned at Guild this month:

rail batik from Indonesia travels

Batik from Indonesia.
It's the same on both sides--two quilt tops, sans batting!

Because it is so hot there, and because fabric is so expensive,

it would be crazy to use a giant run of cloth for a blanket.

1896 Smith

Old sewing machines were small- toy sized by modern standards.
Everything shown here is toy-sized.

Wilcox and Gibbs

First sewing machines were sold by door-to-door salesmen, on credit, $5 down.

In the 1850's, a home sewing machine cost $100. Household average annual salary, $500.

By WWI, Singer was a 4 billion/year international industry

Mr. Singer left America with his 5th wife when he was convicted of bigamy.

The 5th Mrs. Singer was the model for the Statue of Liberty.

Yes, I should have taken better notes. I was too amazed by this point.

crimper? pinking shear?

Gold net under the purple applique covers much sequins/beads, makes the whole thing glow!

Stars for the Road

Thanks for Reading!

Vintage Squared

My favorite quilt models just stopped by! Now I can show you two vintage covers I have been gifted.

Very windy afternoon, quilt models have a hard job.

Look at all the lovely cheddar!

What is this block? Kind of a road that goes in a circle.

Here is the other one. I'm sure they are both made by the same quilter. Very scrappy, lots of poor patches. Same fabrics in both. Depression Era? Same sizes in everything: stitches, patches, blocks...

And what do you call this block?

If I had all day I would photo each of these yummy old fabrics for you to see.

Dust storm coming, show-n-tell must end, quick!

One for the road.

Vintage quilt upcycled

I found a too well used but really lovely Depression Era Northern Star quilt when I was vintage hunting with my neighbor Mary this Spring. It had already been cut down, so it was oddly sized and wouldn't work on a bed. The new binding was crooked and hideous, and plenty of stains remained, poor old quilt. But it was still too precious to leave unloved in a crowded shop, so I brought had to it home. Finally I decided that Northern Star would be happier repurposed into a new vintage treasure that could be shared and loved all over again.

But I couldn't cut into it. Couldn't do it. So I asked my Twitter Friends for help. @JeanneGwin of The Learning Curve Quilts and Such wrote this amazing poem, just that quick:

Bless this quilt, Oh Lord I pray.

To the owner I say;

Thank you for leaving me this quilt today.

I'm repurposing it in a wondrous way.

Thanks, Jeanne, it worked!

Here is a new bag I made from old the quilt. It is so cuddly warm, and makes the day extra fun when I have get to take a piece of vintage with me everywhere.

I've made a few extras, and I'd love for you to share one too. Please visit our always FREE shipping RoadHomeQuilting.Etsy shop. And with special thanks to Jeanne and all the FriendsWhoLiveInMyPhone, you are welcome to use Coupon Code 4FTLIMP for -15% off everything in our RHQ Shop thru December 5th.

Happy Holidays, Friends!

Butterfly Bunting

Bunting and garlands are my favorite way to decorate. Here is a quick quilty springtime project, good for fat quarter or scraps. Finish with ribbon ties, vintage buttons and pipe cleaner.

http://roadhomequilting.etsy.com

Make a toast shaped pattern, 5"h x 6"w. [I like brown grocery bags for pattern paper.]

Make a quilt sandwich, where both sides are "top" worthy fabrics. Butterflies are reversible. Stitch on pattern outline. [I used spray basting and regular stitching foot.] Cut out with pinking shears.

Quilt toasts. [I made swirly shapes with darning foot and mismatched bobbin thread.]

Hand basted and gather center of toast shapes.

Now you have a butterfly :)

Use 1/2 stick of pipe cleaner folded in a V shape. Tack on back of butterfly.

Finish Butterfly front with 3 large [more than 1"] buttons.

TIP: For perfect spacing, sew on the center button first.

Tack Butterflies together at top edges. Tack ribbon ties to end butterflies.

ALTERNATE ENDING: Extra Butterflies? Attach a clothes pin to back of butterfly with hot glue gun.

Happy Springtime & Happy Quilting

More antique hunting trip report

You wouldn't believe the 11 steps I have to take to get pictures out of my phone. So, hope you enjoy these:

Can you name this block for me? Nicely handmade. Well worn. A treasure.

[Still looking for a name to the vintage sewing tool in previous Antique Hunting Trip Report.]

My first penny rug. It features two of my favorite holidays. Charmingly unique.

Lastly, Star in a Star. Clever and homey. Not vintage. From a reproduction catalog.

More later when I've calmed down from fighting with the picture files. Aaarrggg --Mom

Preview Quilt Show and Vintage Auction

Gilbert Historical Museum quilt show, The Art of Quilting, starts tomorrow.
When I visited the museum this month, I hadn't expected to get to preview exhibit and auction pieces, so I neglected to get my camera out until it was almost too late. Luckily, I get to share these quick snaps with you.

Doris' Card Trick

I like this picture of Doris :) Look, Doris quilted her Card Trick with red roses!

Can you see the red thread? And the beautiful rose pattern?

I think this is Town Square. Please comment and let me know if this is wrong. This is one of the vintage sets the Museum will be auctioning during quilt show.

More vintage block sets, c. 1925-30. All appraised by Karen Hausner.

It is hard to recognize the scale in this picture. These are crazy blocks of unusual silks and seersucker. Scraps from old family nightgowns? Each block has a sugar sack for its foundation.

I call these unusual rectangle blocks, "10 lb. blocks," because they are the size of 10 lb. bags.

Behind the Back

Here is my last post on our trip to Sedona to visit Audrey's quilt exhibit.
This is Mom's favorite quilt at Cocopah North, a bead store with more.

Mom likes this quilt because it is extra puffy....

unique....

...and very old.

Here is the back of the quilt. It is made from feedsacks. No, this picture is not backwards.

Audrey says the words are backwards because this quilter was trying to make them less noticeable

by using the feedsacks inside-out.

Mom also really likes this tall sewing case.

This last picture shows the fold-out shelf in the top of the old sewing case...

..with pincushions.

Happy Quilting, and quilt shopping, too!

Here We Come Sedona

This is Audrey Waite. She is a great quilter, who very kindly invited me and Mom to see quilts in Sedona.

Cocopah North Beads, Shells & Artifacts

at Creekside in Sedona,

currently showing a huge collection of antique and vintage quilts. Many are for sale.

You can tell right away, the quilts are here!

This picture shows some of the other amazing things at Cocopah North. More on beads and stuff in the next post. Today we are just looking at quilts.