She has used that pillow so much, even taking it along in her camper on a cross-country trip, that it has faded away until the navy print is a super pale grey. Time for a new pillow, I figured. (The block on this one is Single Wedding Ring. And in case you're curious, the semi-circles quilted around the border were traced around the inside of a roll of masking tape.)
April 7, 2016
Hands All Around
Something like 10 or 12 years ago, I cleared out lots of my old creations with a giveaway to friends and family. One friend took a pillow, one of the first I made way back when.
She has used that pillow so much, even taking it along in her camper on a cross-country trip, that it has faded away until the navy print is a super pale grey. Time for a new pillow, I figured. (The block on this one is Single Wedding Ring. And in case you're curious, the semi-circles quilted around the border were traced around the inside of a roll of masking tape.)
Here's the new pillow I made for her.
She has used that pillow so much, even taking it along in her camper on a cross-country trip, that it has faded away until the navy print is a super pale grey. Time for a new pillow, I figured. (The block on this one is Single Wedding Ring. And in case you're curious, the semi-circles quilted around the border were traced around the inside of a roll of masking tape.)
Labels:
design process,
hands all around
April 2, 2016
Rose Baskets
Oh, my! The design and technique on this quilt is amazing!
The quilt was made in the mid to late 1800s, maybe 1860s or 1870s. It sustained some damage at some point in its life that faded out the center block but left the fabrics mostly intact.
The quilt was made in the mid to late 1800s, maybe 1860s or 1870s. It sustained some damage at some point in its life that faded out the center block but left the fabrics mostly intact.
March 30, 2016
Fabric Choices for Quilt Repair
Just in case anyone is curious, here are photos of the individual fabrics that I auditioned for repairing the Lone Star quilt I recently wrote about.
Two greens:
Four tans:
Here are all six. They are in the same order left to right as the photos above. Which would you have chosen?
Labels:
lone star,
quilt repair,
vintage fabrics
March 24, 2016
Lovely Laces and Buttons
Here's a lovely little chiffon blouse from the Basya Berkman Vintage collection. The only mending help it needed from me was re-attaching loose snaps. I'm sharing it here because the laces and buttons are so delightful.
The buttons, which are decorative only, are sweet little crocheted covers over solid bases. (The front placket snaps closed.)
The buttons, which are decorative only, are sweet little crocheted covers over solid bases. (The front placket snaps closed.)
Labels:
buttons,
faggoted seams,
lace,
vintage clothing
March 20, 2016
Glowing Lone Star Quilt
Here's a quilt that's definitely "one to write home about", or in this case, ha-ha, one to write a blog post about.
This 1930s beauty was sent to me for repairs. The ring of green diamonds was pretty much totally in shreds, and the ring of tan diamonds was not far behind. In the end, the owner and I decided to have me replace all the greens and just the tans that were in the worst shape.
That decision hinged on finding fabrics that blended well with the originals. I ordered swatches from my favorite on-line source, Reproduction Fabrics, and took photos to compare them and pick the best match.
This 1930s beauty was sent to me for repairs. The ring of green diamonds was pretty much totally in shreds, and the ring of tan diamonds was not far behind. In the end, the owner and I decided to have me replace all the greens and just the tans that were in the worst shape.
That decision hinged on finding fabrics that blended well with the originals. I ordered swatches from my favorite on-line source, Reproduction Fabrics, and took photos to compare them and pick the best match.
March 14, 2016
Cozy Log Cabin and Woven Gingham
This cozy log cabin / straight furrow quilt dates to around the 1920s or early 1930s.
That first photo isn't cropped badly. This quilt actually has just one border. And that one border was a pretty bold color choice, given the main colors used in the blocks. The red border fabric was the only one that had started to give out, along with the gingham binding which was the back fabric brought around front. I used a red reproduction print replacement, and also re-bound the edge with a vintage woven gingham.
That first photo isn't cropped badly. This quilt actually has just one border. And that one border was a pretty bold color choice, given the main colors used in the blocks. The red border fabric was the only one that had started to give out, along with the gingham binding which was the back fabric brought around front. I used a red reproduction print replacement, and also re-bound the edge with a vintage woven gingham.
Labels:
gingham,
log cabin quilt,
quilt repair,
vintage fabrics
March 10, 2016
Little Cat Quilt
A repair customer brought me some of her other quilts to look at, just for fun. Here's one of them.
I like it because I like cats. I also like it because it's signed and dated - 1997 - another quilt that can help document and date fabric colors and styles. I'm quite fond of finding these and adding them to the online "data base".
Labels:
cat quilt,
dated quilt,
storing quilts,
vintage fabrics