Unfinished Quilts

This week we had only a few items to add. There were some feedsacks, Singer sewing booklets and some awesome Wedding Ring pieces (shown right).  These would make a beautiful quilt if anyone could find the time to put them together.  They are hand pieced of typical depression era fabrics.  Someone has put a lot of time into getting them completed this far.

  

I've often wondered what people do with the pieces and tops they buy.  Shown left is a quilt top I sold about 10 years ago to Darlene Zimmerman who took the top, quilted it and made a pattern for it.  It turned out beautiful and the unique pattern is deserving of the time put into it.  I've also received photos of completed projects from a few Japanese customers.  But I suspect most of these unfinished quilt pieces and tops remain that way.

The blocks and tops in my personal collection will most likely remain unfinished.  They're too pretty to part with but I can't find the time to finish them.  I purchased some fabulous Churn Dash blocks decades ago.  The fabrics were so awesome I decided to put them together.  Not having enough for a full quilt, I alternated them with dark reproduction fabrics and the effect is great. Then came the hard part of quilting it.  After a few years of not being able to get it done myself, I begged my Mom to help.  But even with her friends help, it's still only about 3/4 quilted.  Poor little quilt will probably never get done!  I think if I fold it just right and put it on my shelf nobody will ever know.

Apparently I'm not the only one who has trouble completing projects.  Judging by the large number of unfinished tops and blocks I find, it's a universal phenomenon!  Sometimes I think there are more tops and blocks around than completed quilts.  Some just aren't deserving of the additional time.  I've seen some tops that wouldn't lie flat no matter how much you quilted them.  And some that used dark Victorian fabrics with pastel 30's that were too ugly to quilt.  Certainly though, even these ugly ducklings deserve some respect.  Anyone who has made (or attempted to make) a completed quilt knows that it takes a lot of time and effort just to get the pieces together.

My next update will be around mid September since next Monday is Labor Day.  Have a great weekend!

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Trip to Renninger's

Well on Saturday I made a trip up to the Renninger's Flea Market in Mount Dora.  I can usually find something there to purchase but I had no luck with me this weekend.  I saw a beautiful (but overpriced) late 1800's quilt top but no fabrics to speak of.  Every month they have an antique fair and it's hit or miss on antique quilts.  They also have 3 antique extravaganza's each year, in January, February and November and they are spectacular.  I've never left an extravaganza empty handed.  If you haven't been to one, they're worth the effort.  Here's their link if you want more info: http://www.renningers.com/dora/dorahome.htm

On my way to Mount Dora I saw this tall storm cloud and rainbow.  Luckily it went South when I went North!  Unfortunately it was about the most interesting thing I saw all day.

I do have some fabrics to add so I'll get them posted next week.

I Love Feedsacks!

When I think of feedsacks I automatically think of the Great Depression.  It was during that time that feedsacks were most popular.  Printed feedsacks made their debut in the mid 1920's as a way for feed companies to promote their products.  And what a great promotion it was!  I wonder if they knew how popular they would be, causing women to sort through 100lb bags of feed to get their desired pattern?  The "free" fabric became a necessity for families in the making of clothing, curtains and of course, quilts. 

The are only a few people today that have direct memories from the Depression.  The rest of us know it only through their stories which are rich with struggle and survival.  My own grandparents told stories of using horseweeds for toy stick horses (they had NO toys), using wood from apple crates to make a wall and when they were lucky, a new pair of shoes each year.  I have no surviving examples of feedsack clothing or quilts from my own family.  I suspect, as with many, these items were used until they were threadbare and then probably repurposed and used some more.

I love to collect feedsacks.  Not only are the patterns so fabulous (feed companies often hired textile designers for the patterns) but I love the creativity of women who often had very little and took these bags and turned them into pretty quilts, aprons and clothing. 

I've been collecting feedsacks for about 20 years now.  Mine are stacked in piles and displayed around my house.  I haven't been able to bring myself to cut them up for quilts.  Some have started to fade along the fold edges but they're too pretty to hide in the closet!

This "Gone with the Wind" or "Southern Belle" feedsack is my absolute favorite.  It was found in my Grandma's attic room by my Mom.  It can also found with blue and red backgrounds and can occasionally be found on eBay. 

This Lucky Day sack still has its original paper label.  The first sacks were white and had printed labels that were often difficult to completely remove.  These were replaced with paper labels which could be quickly removed with a soak in some water. Because the labels were so easily removed, finding them with the label intact is difficult.

And here are a few of my other favorites starting with a sleeping hombre, mailboxes and a soda fountain girl.  These novelty feedsacks are very collectible and somewhat difficult to find.  The easiest patterns to find are typically floral and/or geometric.  Solid feedsacks can also difficult to locate. 

There are a lot of great resources for learning more about feedsacks.  My favorites box to the left lists some really good resources for more info.

Collecting feedsacks can be quite fun.  They're relatively easy to find and reasonably priced.  If you're real lucky, maybe you can find some in your Grandma's attic.

Welcome!

Hi and thanks for reading my blog. My plans are to update my blog at least once a week, probably on Mondays. I plan to have posts on dating quilts, how to care for your antique textiles, where to find some nice antiques and show some items from my personal collection. Hopefully you can learn a little and have some fun! Please leave feedback, I'd love to hear from you.

If you need a vendor for a quilt show or some quilts for an exhibit in the central Florida area, please email me. I'd really enjoy participating.

Check back next week when I'll post my first in depth blog. I'll discuss feedsacks and post photos of some of my favorites including a Gone With the Wind feedsack!

Hello, is this thing on?

Trying to get my blog setup today. I think I'm making it more difficult than it should be! LOL