What's on the line?

Today I have more than just one quilt to share! There are four vintage quilts that I hung on the line and each has a story. I took them out to the line on Saturday afternoon, the day it was so hot here. It was 92 and humid as I hung the quilts and I was mighty glad to get back to the air conditioning after I finished taking these pictures! It's quite possible that I've shared these before because I do love my old quilts alot and if I like to get them out and look at them more than once, maybe you do, too. :-) Here ya go..........
My brother gave me this vintage star quilt. He bought it at an auction for just $10 as it's very, very worn but it has possibilities. Each of the quilts in these photos today is very, very worn but on each quilt there is a section that is in reasonably good shape. In a minute, I'll tell you how I take advantage of that. Back to this star quilt........it's maker pieced all the stars and then appliqued them to each block. Then she hand-quilted an interesting design around each of the stars. I tried to get a close-up photo and it didn't work so well. Maybe it will show up when you click to enlarge on this photo. It's soft and must have kept someone very comfy under this quilt.

This gorgeous quilt with it's yellow background is a favorite of the ones that my mother and dad bought at auction. It has a bad stain on it and I have not yet attempted to launder it. It's faded but otherwise it's not too bad. The edge of the quilt must have been very worn as the previous owner added a new muslin binding to the quilt. It's done very well and you almost don't notice that it's new. The block pattern in this quilt is a personal favorite of mine. I always refer to it as "Churn Dash" although in some books it is called "Monkey Wrench". Either way, I really like the block. I love the whole quilt and especially like the yellow and black polka dot fabric used for the background. It's just a cheery quilt!

These last two quilts were made by the same woman who long ago passed away. They came to me as a gift from my friend, Judith. She was at a garage sale and a young woman had the quilts for sale. They had been made by her grandmother and were worn beyond use but she hoped that someone might have a use for them. Well, Judith knew I would love them and treasure them and tell their story. And that's what I have done! Each quilt had been washed and while they are significantly worn, especially the green and white one, they still have incredible charm.
The feel of the two quilts is quite different. The green and white quilt is made of crisp white cotton fabric and bordered in white twill tape. The handquilting on this one is very fine, it's just that the green fabric has simply begun to disintegrate. This quilt is stiffer and doesn't feel quite so comfy.However, this red and white quilt is very comfy. It is made of the softest cotton fabric and it just feels like one that you would want to snuggle under on a cold winter's night. Lately, it's been too hot to think of snuggling under a quilt but in Minnesota the summer's aren't all that long so before you know it, the night's will be cool and frosty!

So what good are these very worn quilts and what possibilities can they possibly hold? The answer is simple........I measured each one and then measured the block designs in each one and come winter when the snow flies and I don't want to go anywhere in the ice and snow........I am going to recreate these quilts in fabric from my stash! And if it works, the patterns will go into that book I keep talking about. Yes, I'm working on it. There's a "time and season for everything" and it will happen one day.

I mentioned that these quilts are very worn but that each had a section that was in good shape.......and here's how I take advantage of that............................

I found the good section on each quilt and then carefully folded it so that it's good side was showing, and then I placed them on this little night table (it's in the bedroom where my grandson sleeps when he visits). I placed a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil over the wood shelf before I placed the quilts on it. That way, no oils from the wood will seep through to the quilts. This is a tip verified by the Minnesota Historical Society. If you are keeping quilts in a wooden chest or dresser, line the drawers with heavy duty foil. Line closet shelves with the foil and if you are putting your quilt on a wooden rod, wrap foil around the rod before placing the quilt on the rod.

That's all for today. This Monday will be a busy one as I am "knee-deep" in quilts that I am packing to share at a program that I'll be doing this evening. I'm taking some of my best ones along with some of the well-loved ones and hope the ladies enjoy seeing them and hearing their stories. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. :-)

Have a good Monday!

Sandi

P.S. I've made a change in my comments settings and effective today, I'll be approving each comment before it is posted.