Wednesday, September 17, 2008

A Gift of a Vintage Nature

I am SO excited!
I am pretty sure I posted about going to visit my Aunt this past weekend..... This is the Aunt that initially inspired me to learn to make quilts!
We had a fabulous visit. I brought down the quilt I'm about to finish for my DH. And she got out some quilts that she has, both finished and unfinished. It was pretty neat to see what kinds of things she has made in the past, how she does her piecing and quilting, and in what ways we are different (in terms of quilting).

Well... I just received a package in the mail from my Aunt! She and her husband had gone to a yard sale after I left. She came across an old (vintage, I think - but I'm honestly not sure the exact meaning of "vintage" when it is quilt related) quilt top - and she bought it for me! The top is beautiful! )

The quilt was pieced by hand, and I made a promise to my Aunt that I would repair it (see below) and then quilt it - both by hand.


Yes, I said "repair." You see, this is very very old, so it is in need of some TLC. There are several fabrics that have holes, some which are almost completely disintegrated. I need to make the repairs, and I would love to use vintage fabrics to do so. Only I have NO IDEA how to find vintage fabrics.....????? Do YOU know? (feel free to leave a comment!)

Anyway, I just feel so honored that my Aunt would do this for me. And then she sent a note telling me that I have inspired her to get her quilting out and get back to work on it (she is a die-hard knitter, so the quilting has been put away for a number of years, I believe)! We have inspired each other, and that is just such a neat feeling!

Thank you, Aunt J..... Thank you SO very much!

1 comment:

Edna said...

Vintage fabric can be hard to find but sometimes antique dealers will carry some items of clothing that could be used. You might also check in your local charity used clothing stores. You may be able to find some cotton men's shirts, aprons or blouses that could be used to cut patches. Check estate sales and garage sales too. Alternatively, there are many wonderful reproduction fabrics on the market now that you might consider checking out. Hope this helps.
Edna