That is a great quilt. I prefer these types of quilts over the overly pieced and machine quilted that seems popular today. I appreciate the handwork that went into these old quilts.
I totally agree! Through this process of making these videos, I have learned so much and each quilt gives me a greater appreciation for this craft, the creativity, and the ingenuity. So happy you enjoyed looking at it with me.
I love how you honor the quilt maker by bringing their work back to life. As quilters we sometimes make design choices that are a bit odd, but each quilt is art and they are unique
Thank you so much! I have been making these videos for a little over a year now and I can honestly say I am gaining more and more respect for these quilts and their makers each time I review one. I don't think, when I started, I really understood that "rules" are arbitrary and creativity makes the quilt a work of art.
Really love that quilt x must of taken a long time to make, I know I could afford to buy loads of material. Gives me hope to use clothes that are too gone to donate x thank you x
About 26 years ago an elderly woman i worked with brought in a quilt her grandmother made when she was young. It was a crazy quilt using evev one inch pieces. There was cotton, wool, even velvet. The most beautiful decorative stitches i have seen. I didnt quilt at that time, but i knew the workmanship was extraordinary. I wanted that quilt so bad! Lol!
I love that! A friend of mind has a crazy quilt like that! I want her to let me interview her about it. It is AMAZING! I completely understand wanting that quilt. LOL!
Somewhere, deep inside n the dark places of our storage unit (SIL’s garage), I have some wool scraps, carefully sealed, to make a crazy quilt. I hope I can start on it soon! Also, my sister has an all polyester quilt made from an old (really old) tablecloth and clothing scraps.it was made by our grandmother, decades ago. It provides an excellently warm and cozy hug on cool nights. 🤗
Great suggestion to use what we have! I have inherited poly cottons and “ugly” prints that I could use for foundations when string piecing or foundation piecing. Thank you!
Isn’t it a great quilt? I think it was made in the 1940s or 50s, and I don’t think it was that unusual for that time period, so probably not something featured in the news. I did do some research to find out more about him, Googling the town, etc. and nothing came up. I would think if it were in the newspaper it would have shown up in a search, but who knows. I’ll keep asking about it.
He used what he had. That’s a lesson we all should do. I love the old quilts. I love your channel!! Thank you!! Get that quilt fixed and wash it for your dog!!!
There's something about crazy quilts. They always look so nice no matter what you make them from. I think these days with all our extra things, like stabiliser, if I were to mix fabrics like silk with thicker fabrics I might stabilise the silk pieces first. Might help to stop the fabrics pulling away from one another do you think Kris?
Absolutely! I think that would help a lot. Also, if you widen the seams and shorten the stitch length, that can also help. We just have some many great products, tools, and machines now. I just love this quilt, too!
What an amazing quilt. I really enjoy this series because I love to see how people used their creativity and made-do with the materials and skills they had. They didn't worry about "the rules" and just came up with ways to make these quilts. I always find these videos informative and inspiring, and they get my creativity going. (And I'm not even really a quilter! I have dabbled a bit the last few years, but am definitely new to it.) Thanks so much for sharing this great find. (Also, would you maybe consider doing a tutorial for a small placemat or tabletopper inspired by this quilt? I think that would be so pretty for autumn.)
So true! I love that you love this series! I have made several videos featuring projects using this method but am certainly up for making more in the future! Here are a few, if you want to check them out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-31SakWxxSd0.htmlsi=0gnZvYWzVEC7Kede ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Qbejuw1wMe0.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Mm_SS9GmmFU.html Hope this helps!
I will soon be making a quilt from old fabric for my daughter. The material comes from old shirts of her grandfather who passed away last year at 93. My daughter is 25 and will treat the quilt with respect. Some of the shirts were cotton and some cotton-poly, and some of the fabric is a bit thinner from many washings. I found a very fine interfacing to stabilize the fabric a bit and make it easier to cut into pieces. Is there anything else I should be doing so the quilt will last? Also, I’m planning to use his thicker cotton (?) work clothes (matching pants and tops) as the backing.
I love this! I am sure your daughter will treasure it. As for advice, interfacing is the best way to stabilize and help those thinner fabrics hold up, but you could also consider making the seam allowance a bit wider. I think that would have helped this quilt some. Also, with the lighter weight fabrics, maybe shorten the stitch length. That could help, too. I hope this helps! I am so happy you are creating such a wonder gift for your daughter!
This is fascinating. I agree we should throw out the rules. Rules give us guidelines sometimes but just pulling fabrics together and making a quilt for the purpose keeping us warm is so personally rewarding. Have you ever read about Grace Snyder? After I read “No Time on My Hands”, it’s been in the back of my mind to use small pieces and a cross stitch pattern to make a quilt. Thanks for another great episode. Gail K.
Well, that is such a great question. A few weeks ago I reviewed a quilt in an episode of Lessons from an Old Quilt. It's called the tattered quilt. In my opinion, that one is beyond repair, unfortunately. I have been looking for ways to repurpose what I can save into other items. Hopefully I will have a video up on that soon. In the meantime, if you search "Vintage Upcycled Quilts," you can get some ideas. Thank you so much for watching and commenting! I hope this helps!
I have a quilt from the late 1800’s that, much as I wish it were not true, is too far gone. I’m going to make a Christmas stocking out of part of it:-) From other old quilts I’ve made needle books and pincushions (thank you Pinterest lol).
Kris, I have heard that this type of single-fold binding technique is not as durable as traditional double-fold binding. This quilt's binding looks fine. Do you have an opinion on this?
Binding is an interesting eliminated, isn't it? Back when I was learning to sew and quilt (25+ years ago), one of my wonderful mentors told me to always expect to replace the binding and that is the first to go. So, which that always in mind, I don't really worry if it is single or double fold. As for gifts, however, I try to use bias binding because, in my opinion, it wears better because it moves with the quilt. I am sure there are many opinions on this! And, of course, this quilt was bound with the backing and it is in excellent condition! LOL! I really think it is a matter of personal preference and remembering that bindings can be easily replaced. I hope this helps!
Oh, I would love to see that sometime! I think it could be done on a quilt! I will be featuring an album quilt in a few weeks that would work beautifully for this. Thank you for supporting me though this endeavor. You are so special to our family.
Great question! The simple answer is that you don’t wash wool quilts. You can air them out outside, you can shake them, vacuum them, and even (possibly-depending on the age and other factors) spot clean them. With old quilts, I would be nervous about dry cleaning them, too. Hope this helps.