Valerean

The green patchwork quilt I won from my last round of wannabuts bids just arrived. Let's take a look. It's a lovely quilt, pieced and quilted on a domestic machine. I love the gold quilting thread the maker used. The backing is a dark tonal green that matches the binding. It's a pretty quilt, and once I wash it I'll keep it to snuggle up with on the sofa in my home office.

The vibrant quilt I thrifted as a wannabut for $9.99 just arrived, and it's even prettier in person. The log cabin pattern is a favorite of mine. Someone really had an eye for tropical color combinations, and using predominantly orange and blue novelty prints in such bold shades was brilliant. I also adore the black print sashing because it acts as the perfect foil (and I usually dislike dark colors.) It's definitely not a new quilt; the center of the backing shows moderate fading. Someone might have draped it over something that sat in the sun, like a table or a pet cage. I like the quirkiness of the backing fabric, too. Really interesting, and possibly east Asian in origin. The quilt was long-arm quilted with a simple loop pattern, and expertly bound by machine. It resonates with positive energy and love of color, and it's too pretty to cut up as I originally planned. I don't mind; I'm delighted to add it to my collection.

I bid on three different quilts at the thrift auction that I wanted but only for the price I was willing to pay, aka wannabuts. How did that go? Another bidder took interest in this green quilt I liked, so I wasn't sure if I'd get it. I finally won it with my max bid of $20.14. This skillfully made quilt had unusual colors, which appealed to me enough to bid ten bucks on it. Alas, I was quickly outbid, and then a last-minute sniper war ensued. The winning bid was $74.88. The colors of this vivid quilt were what convinced me to bid $9.99 for it -- and I won it for that price! I'm very happy I got two of the three quilts I wanted at the right price. That's a real streak of luck. :)

I'm presently bidding on three different quilts at the thrift auction; I want to use these for my home office and the pups' crates -- but only if I can get them for the price I'm willing to pay, aka wannabuts. :) I liked this green quilt from the moment I saw it, but I may not win it due to another bidder taking interest. This is a very skillfully made quilt, and I like the unusual colors. If I can get it for the minimum bid I'd be quite happy to own it. The colors of this vivid quilt just jumped off my computer screen. It's really neat -- as long as the price is right. Stay tuned to the blog to find out if I win any of these quilts.

When I'm thrifting online I often see quilts that most folks probably should not bid on. Take this vintage crazy quilt: it looks authentic, and likely dates back to the early 20th century What I see: it appears to be made out wool and homespun fabrics that (like the materials in most authentic crazy quilts) are deteriorating, and it's probably never been laundered. Dirty wool and homespun tends to reek. You can't launder something like this; it will fall to pieces and/or shrink. Finally, while the construction is interesting it's not very well done, and the embroidery isn't special enough to merit saving the quilt. Here's a more modern patchwork quilt that appears folded up in all the photos. This is either to hide damage or staining, or perhaps because it measures 94" X 106" (according to the listing.) Whatever the reason, never thrift a quilt unless you can see all of it front and back. Here's a quilting project that ...

This little cobbled together utility quilt that came in the trio lot is actually really sweet; the original maker may not have known how to piece but still put a lot of work in it. I'm going to use it as a mat for under my home office computer chair, so I laundered it and it held together beautifully. There are a few seams that have popped or torn that needed to be sewn down. What was used for batting migrated and bunched in one corner, so I decided to remove that. The batting was cobbled together, too, and included part of an old flannel blanket. This is what made up the bunch in the corner. I repaired the seams that needed it, and the quilt went to join my other utility quilts in the closet.

I picked up a lot of three quilts at the thrift auction that were not photographed very well, and (because of the lack of good pics) kind of a mystery. They just arrived, so let's take them out and see what I got. All three were in rough but still usable shape, with staining being the biggest issue. A small polyester and wool utility quilt that is topstitched together with a vintage sheet backing, probably from the sixties or seventies. No issues other than a few seams that need to be sewn down. I love that the maker cobbled together scraps to make this piece. A machine stitched queen size quilt top with patchwork depicting a very long dachshund pup. Stained but adorable. A very old unfinished crazy quilt top, probably from the turn of the twentieth century, with exquisite embroidery. Sadly someone tried to launder it (never ever ever wash vintage crazy quilts.) There are obvious signs of dye migration, silk patch shattering and overall age and water damage....

My last wannabuts bid for the year was for this lot of quilts that I quite forgot that I bid on until I got the notice I had won the lot for the minimum bid, plus one penny shipping. The two patchwork quilts look like utility quilts (and I will probably use those as crate liners for our pups.) It was the third quilt that caught my attention. From the photos in the listing this crazy quilt is definitely vintage, with the typical shattering and threadbare patches that are typical of those made at the turn of the twentieth century. Judging by the dye migration stains on the front and the foundation fabric someone probably tried to wash it, which is why you should always have vintage quilts cleaned by a an antique textile cleaning pro. As is the crazy quilt is probably not worth repairing, although I can't decide that until I see it in person. What I am interested in is dating the piece and perhaps using some of the patchwork for next year's calendar quilted tote proje...

The apple applique pattern for this quilt top is one from a magazine that I also made into a quilt and gave as a gift 26 years ago. Did I win it for a $9.00 max bid so I can make it again? Nope, I was outbid by a dollar. I still have the pattern for this quilt, so maybe I should get off my lazy butt and make it again. :) Much of the quilting I did early on when I started was in Asian fabrics, so the fabric of this scarf appealed to me. I put in a max bid of $5.00 for it, and won it for $4.99 with no challengers! If I win it for $10.00, this cute Let It Snow mini quilt will remind me of one I gave my friend and the one thing I like about winter (snow!) -- and I did, with no challengers, for $9.99! Two wins and one loss works great for me. :) Image credit: All of the images in this post come from the original auction listings at ShopGoodwill.com.

Six dollars and change won't get you a lot unless you opt to thrift. Then you can find a used hardcover cookbook ($1.99) and a paperback (.99) like I did last week. How about an adorable, gently-used baby quilt? This is a gift for my nephew's dog when they move in at the end of the month (she likes to sit and sleep on quilts.) It was made by a local quilting group, too, so I'm happy to give it a second life. Here's my receipt.

My guy and I decided to get out for some fresh air, much needed after being homebound for two weeks, and headed out for a nice lunch and some wandering around Wildwood, home of one of our favorite antique malls. This mall is huge, has lots of vendors and for the most part very reasonable prices. I saw several good-condition vintage quilts that tempted me, but I'm trying not to add to my collection, which is near to overflowing its closet as it is. I loved seeing all the Halloween-themed decor the vendors put out. You can never overdo Halloween for me. :) One booth had some blind date with a cookbooks! I love this idea. The vendor packaged them with pretty potholders and hand-painted bookmarks. This would be a great gift for anyone who likes to cook. Check out more finds in the next post!

I thrifted this old import quilt last year for the floor in my home office, primarily so my dogs could chew on it instead of my nice quilts. It's turned out to be their favorite quilt for napping on, but is now shedding batting through a few holes that they gnawed in the top. Time for repairs. The patchwork fabric is very thin and worn, so they've been able to tear several holes in it like this one. First I spread out the quilt on the floor and marked all the repairs with safety pins. I don't have any light blue scraps, so I'm using a leaf print to patch over the holes. The old fabric also frayed at the seams in several places. I stitched it back together and reinforced it with some stitching on either side of thesplit seam. It will likely come apart again with use and laundering, so I expect I'll have to patch over them next time. Finished. The quilt really is quite old, with a few lumps from batting migration and overall fading. Th...