Skip to main content

Collection #1

I'm cleaning out my quilt collection this summer, and I thought I'd post some pics of what I'm keeping. This is a lap-size log cabin quilt, made mostly of silk, which probably dates back to the early 20th century. It may have been cut down from a slightly larger size. The backing and ruffle are completely intact; sadly the patchwork has deteriorated quite a bit.

The quilt was reverse-tied, so the little bits of household twine holding it together show on the back instead of the front. That is fairly uncommon, but I think it was done because the quilt was intended for display instead of practical use. The ruffle was likely sewn on with a treadle (foot-powered) sewing machine; that kind of stitching has a distinctive appearance.

I believe all the patchwork was pieced by hand, as you can clearly see the hand stitching everywhere the silk has worn away.

Although it's in poor shape, I'm keeping this one because it is unusual in so many ways, and (to me) still lovely.

Labels:

Comments

nightsmusic said…
Unique in so many ways! I'm glad you're keeping it. As an aside, I used to make most all of my clothes since it was so much cheaper for the material than buying ready made and we were poor. I used a treadle machine that I still have and it still works! Every once in awhile, I still sit down to that. It's so very calming in a strange sort of way.
July 3, 2021 at 4:53 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Other Stashes

Along with clearing out the spare bedroom and tidying my office and our guest bedroom, I decided to reorganize some of my stashes. This is all the yarn I have on hand, sorted by color. It looks like a lot, but lately I've been using up a minimum of half a bin every month, so this is approximately a year's supply. All of my solid color cotton perle thread. I go through a lot of this every year, too. I need a container in which I can fit all of it together, but I haven't found the right one yet. I won't show you all of my fabric -- I'm still reorganizing this stash -- but I went through everything and donated two bins of fabric I won't need to the local quilter's guild.
Post a Comment
Read more

Goodwill Gamble #2 Arrives

My second Goodwill gamble arrived; this is one I paid ten bucks for last month. Just inside the lid was a big roll of plastic mesh that I think is for latchhook work. In the auction listing it looked like fabric to me, so that was unexpected. Someone at the seller's end was nice enough to put a note on this pinned fabric. I'll put on my gloves before I take it out to inspect it. The embroidered green fabric turned out to be 1-1/2 yards of sequinned and three-dimensional designer fabric. I'll guess this cost somewhere between $20.00 to $30.00 a yard, and it's in pristine condition. But here's a shot of everything in the lot, which is mostly crafty odds and ends with a small amount of cotton fabrics, a large amount of synethetic fabrics, and some other surprises. The original owner of these was probably a Catholic school teacher; these beads, crosses and medallions are the kind of rosary kits for kids to make at Sunday school or Bible camp (and s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Love Means This

Invested in a couple of hand-dyed bundles from one of my favorite fabric artists. This one said "Make me into something for Valentine's Day." So I went for a quilted and embellished tote. I kept thinking about what love means to me as I worked on it. Here's the finished tote. Although I was tempted to embellish with beads and pins, I got sick and only felt well enough to do a little stitching every night. As I worked I thought about how often love seems disappointing to us, especially when it fails to live up to our expectations. But now that I've experienced love in many forms, I can say that it's made me a better person than I might have been without it. Love is a precious thing, and should be appreciated in all its forms. I am very grateful for the love of my guy, my child and my friends who have stuck with me all these years. That's you two, in case you're wondering. :) Also finally found something to do with a ve...
1 comment
Read more