Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Vintage Quilt

There was a time when I would scour Ebay for vintage quilts and quilt blocks. I saw the listing for some hand pieced vintage blocks. They were cheap and no one was bidding on them. The story behind them was that they were picked up at an estate sale somewhere in the southern states. I won them and waited anxiously for their arrival. When they arrived I was horrified. They weren't at all like the picture of the blocks I had bid on. They smelled horrible and looked like a child had pieced them together. I felt like I had been cheated. I was so angry that I decided to just throw them away. Later and upon further inspection, I wondered if in fact a child HAD pieced them together. The hand stitching was uneven and a bit sloppy. I wondered if this was a child's first attempt at piecing. I took a closer look at some of the fabrics used and couldn't help but wonder if they were the remnants of old clothing. I could tell some of them were made from feed sacks. There were odd types of fabric, a brocade and some other loosely woven shiny fabric. I wondered if they were taken from a favorite item of clothing. Then I wondered if they were carefully put away by the mother of this child. Anyway, feeling a bit sentimental, I decided that I would put them together and not throw them away. After all, if my child had made these blocks, I would have thought of them as a masterpiece and displayed them in a place of honor. I sewed them all together and made a small quilt. I really like how it turned out, even if it isn't what some would call beautiful.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think these are ugly at all. Now, don't be offended by what I'm about to say...but they suit your house! :) That was a compliment. :)

Jo-Anne said...

No offense taken...I am well aware of my "early depression" theme.:)
You know what they say.... another man's junk is another man's treasure.

Sara Adams said...

Hey!
I found your blog through Erin's blog! I love it, especially the craft ideas, since I lack all creativity. I'm excited that we are still in the same ward! Don't worry, I told my husband that I was screening his phone calls to me as well, for the next couple weeks!

Holly said...

I think this is a sweet post! I think the quilt is beautiful!

familywithfivekids said...

What a great story how you came about these and made it your own. I think they are beautiful!