Oh those tattered old quilts....

So at work we are having a fabric sale, and while cutting some fabric for someone, it brought to mind a quilt that I had that I forgot about. It's been kicking around since I was a kid and several years ago it started falling apart. I couldn't bring myself to toss the quilt, so have been hanging onto it. I can't remember who gave it to us, or who made it, all I know is that when I moved out about 18 years ago, it came with me and has been with me ever since.

Last night I pulled it out and had a look at it. This picture doesn't do it justice. The blocks are made from the loveliest, brightest, funkiest Polyester. Most likely from the looks of it old jackets and pants. If only you could see the textured designs on the fabric. My friend was speechless when I showed it to him. That's how cool it is. Beyond words. Ha ha!

Anyways, some of the blocks are coming apart, the fabric on the back is hanging in tatters, and the filling is also hanging all ripped up, so it all needs replacing. I really quite suck at sewing but I am considering attempting to repair it some. How hard do you think it will be? To be honest, I am worried about how in the heck I am going to do the edges of the quilt with all the little diamond edges.

Here is the Retro Beauty in it's tattered glory.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


This second quilt, I call "Elsie's Blanket". It was made by an elderly lady named Elsie who used to babysit us when we were kids. She made it for our family way back then. It is the most cozy warm quilt ever. It has a wonderful heavy weight to it that I can't get enough of. The lining is made out of the soft fuzzy jackets. It's thick and plush and feels great wrapped around you. Our family has always playfully fought over this quilt, who gets to use it, sleep with and who will be buried with it. Ha ha! But it has been with me for several years now and I love, love love it. This quilt has been much used and much loved though out the years. I'm sure Elsie looks down on us and smiles. She was such a wonderful lady.

Anyways, it's all getting tattered now and I need to decide just how I will fix the edges of the quilt. I'm not really sure what kind of material to use or just how I will sew it because it is so thick. I'm not really sure if my sewing machine will be able to handle it.

Elsie's Blanket
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I thought it might be fun to see somemore tattered old quilts and hear a little about them. Feel free to post some pictures of some of your favorite blankets or quilts and share some stories about them.

Ooooh Silkie, a post close to my heart.

My dear Grandma, who taught me to quilt, made a few of those polyester prizes. They live on to this day in the trunks of cars, the emergency blanket that will never die. Polyester, the forever fabric.

I would keep that quilt too because it speaks of a thrift that we rarely see anymore in quilts. Today we quilters (most of us) go buy NEW fabric. But a real quilter was a person who made use of scraps, cast offs and old clothing and that's how those polyester gems were created. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine anyone purchasing that stuff by the yard to make a quilt, on purpose! (shudder)

It does not look to me like it's quilted, but tied. If it were my quilt and I wanted to rescue it, this is what I'd do. I'd sacrifice the pointed triangle edge and cut it off blunt, so the quilt edges were square, not jaggedy. I'd snip the ties, pull off the backing and the stuffing (batting). If you want to make it more light weight, like a coverlet more than a quilt, you don't need to add more batting. I'd just add a flannel back and tied every 5 inches or so. Or if you DO want to add batting, add it and tie like before. Add binding.

That plaid quilt! Gorgeous! Again doesn't actually look quilted in the pics, but tied. Snip ties, replace the parts you want to replace, tie again. BUT..you know the cost of fabric is pretty steep. Before you spend lots of money on yard goods, make sure there is enough 'meat' left to the top to hold up to sewing. If the top is extremely worn and thin, reworking the back might not be worth it and could be difficult. If there is a local quilt club in your area, contact one of the members to advise you. Without seeing the quilt up close it's hard to judge the state of the fabric. Who knows, maybe one of those quilting ladies will even do it for you! Love the pics. Those quilts are keepers.

My Grandmother made some like that too.

She made certain that each of us grandchildren had a beautiful handsewn quilt. I'm afraid mine is still in the closet. I'd love to use it because that's what she made it for but then it would start to wear. sigh Really must use it.

I think old quilts are the coolest. When they are made with bit's and pieces of someones clothing, it gives you a lot more to think and wonder about. I find myself wondering about the person who might have worn that piece of fabric and what that person may have been like or if they like the item of clothing that they were wearing....

That's not to say that I don't think that new quilts aren't beautiful. They really are works of arts and I love them too. One of the things I enjoy at work is when ladies bring what they are working on to match up fabric, and I get to see a little glimps of what they are creating.

Yes, Fabric is pretty expensive. I will admit that sometimes when I am cutting it, I will secretly fantasize that it is mine. hee hee.... Right now I am enjoying looking at these fabrics.

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This is one of my current favorites....
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I'm trying to decide on what type of fabric to put on the back of the Retro one. There are lots of nice flannels. But then there are so many other neat prints in the Cottons... I'll take a closer look at the quilt when I remove the back of it, but I'm pretty sure that all the diamonds are stitched together. I think the little ties are just for looks as far as I can tell. The material on the top of the blanket is in pretty good condition. Just some of the stitches have come undone. I posted a picture for a friend of mine who quilts and she says the material is called Fortrel, and will last forever, unless it is exposed to flame.

The blanket with the stripes on the bed is one that my Sister In Law made me one year for Christmas. It's a wonderful blanket too. It is massive and folded in half and still covers my queen sized bed. I can't imagine the time it took her to Crochet it. It's a keeper too. I just love hand made things.

Fowler, you really should use your Grandmothers Quilt. Bet she would love to know it's being used. Do you have pictures of it you could share?

I have one that my Grandma made me. She thinks it's hideous, but I love it so much and use it all the time. I'll probably end up wearing it out one day and she will be glad to know it.

Grandma's Quilt.
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