Georgene Posted November 8, 2007 Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 I rescued 6 old quilt tops from an estate sale. I paid less than $2 a piece for them. Three were machine stitched and three were hand pieced. The lady quilter was born in 1918 and died in 2004. However, the daughter and granddaughter did not seem to know much about her work -- neither of them sewed. The machine pieced tops may be from the 70s, but I\'m no expert. But the hand pieced ones appear to be much older. One of the hand pieced tops is a hexagon quilt and a few hexagons needed repair (replacing actually). So as I started removing the thread around the damaged hexagons I noticed the thread was rather thick and would unravel easily. It really looks like thread that was spun on a spinning wheel. I\'m thinking that maybe these handpieced quilts might have belonged to the deceased lady\'s mother. But I have no idea when store-bought thread came into play. Any ideas. Maybe I should get someone to look at these before I quilt them on my longarm. My philosophy is quilted for use and display is better than sitting in a trunk somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgene Posted November 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 It measures about 60 x 72" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenMcManus Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Georgene, Good for you, rescuing those quilts. Quilted and used and admired is sooooo much better than packed away somewhere. I hope someone can help you with the thread issue. It does look unusual. Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizziesgirl Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Some of those fabrics look like some civil war reproductions that I have in the quilt shop. I am curious as to how old it really is myself. I love civil war fabric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doodlebug Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 i\'m not an expert by any means, but alot of the older quilts were pieced used the pull thread off the tops of feedsacks. my grandmother told me that she knew that her mother used them for garments and quilts. she also told me that her mother only used "store bought thread" for the quilting. that\'s what that thread looks like to me. it\'s just amazing how resourceful past quilters were. gotta love that...adds "charm" to the quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 I love old quilts! I have the book"Dating Fabrics - A Color Guide 1800-1960" it is a great resource when you purchase old tops. Is the one you showed the picture of (60 x 72) made with kind of brittle fabrics? The pattern reminds me of the mosaic quilts made around the turn of the century, although with the fabrics having so much brown, does look like the civil war prints. I think I would check them out before I went too far. If you want the value or the integrity to remain the old quilts, then I would leave them as they are and just display as is. Because as you know, when you add fabrics to them to finish the quilt, it dates the quilt to the lastest fabric. So even if it is a civil war era quilt - which there are not many of those around because of the war - it would become a 2007 quilt according to the fabric. Personally, I agree with you, I would much rather see a quilt finished, then to have it tucked away unfinished. However, some of them you just need to enjoy as is. It looks to me like you have a real treasure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Georgene, I think the first photo looks like feedsack material but I could be wrong. I would have the pieces professionally checked before I altered them. If they are small enough maybe you could have them framed, acid free material, for display. A few years ago I purchase a full sized quilt made from feedsack material and have been trying to figure out what would be the best thing to do with it. So far it has laid untouched. DB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Georgenne, We had a gal visit our guild a couple months ago who specialized in old quilts. I\'m trying to get her information for you and maybe she could help. I\'ll post as soon as I get it. Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgene Posted November 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Gosh, Civil War era, that would be neat. Even feedsack sounds interesting. Doodlebug...String from tops of feed sacks, I would never have thought of that. How industrious our ancestors were. Mary Beth, I need to buy that book. I love old fabric history. It\'s like trying to solve a mystery. DB, yes the entire top is 60x72". I\'m not familiar with the feedsack materials but plan to educate myself more on old fabrics. Knowing what to do with these types of quilts is a dilemma. The $$ value only counts if you plan to sell. But, of course, if it\'s REALLY valuable, then I would sell. The display idea sounds good, but most of the fabrics are in good shape, only about 4 or 5 hexagons need to be replaced for it to become a beautiful quilt. The mystery is fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Go to the AQS site and find an appraiser near you if you need more info. Or if you have a museum or university nearby with a textile expert on staff, give them a try. Definitely have it looked at before you proceed. What a treasure! I know very little about feedsacks but they were usually calico-like in design and color. These fabrics look like shirtings and dress fabrics from way before the feedsack era---though they also look like 70s polyester in some of the designs!!! Keep us posted on your quest. It is an adventure and a treasure hunt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabric007 Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 You are so lucky!!! Its almost like finding gold.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 There is a nice article on feed sacks and quilting at www.womenfolk.com/quilting_history/feedsacks. Kind of appreciate being able to pick from thousands of different fabrics for the next quilt after reading it. DB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgene Posted November 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 I had a quilt guild meeting today and the speaker was our local quilt shop owner. I had taken the quilt in a pillowcase, just in case someone might know something about it. She took one look at this quilt and said 1870 to 1880. She also said not to replace any of the blocks, but to put something behind each one (between the damaged block and the batting) and quilt as is. She thought the thread was silk. She said she would like to display it in her shop because she has several of those same reproduction fabrics for sale. I\'m still checking on info about this quilt and fabric and would appreciate any additoinal info anyone can come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanros Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Georgene, You have a treasure there, how lucky can a person get? I have a quilt that my Mother and Grandmother worked on,(Grandma\'s Flower Garden) a lot of the fabric is feed sacks, you can tell by how course the fabrics is and some are more open weave then others. Does that make sense? We are lucky enough to have a lady in town the repairs antique quilts and she does a wonderful job. If you want her telephone number please let me know. Jean Mille Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted November 10, 2007 Report Share Posted November 10, 2007 Georgene, The name of the gal that just visited our guild is Chris Driessen. Her website is www.quiltbus.com. If you email her a picture she might be able to give you a good idea of the date of the quilt. Heidi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgene Posted November 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2007 Thanks Heidi, I have just emailed Kris as well as Barbara Brackman who wrote a book on Civil War quilts (out of print). I\'m looking for a used one now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janeta Posted November 10, 2007 Report Share Posted November 10, 2007 Georgene, I went to amazon.com and typed in Brackman, Barbara and up popped her books that are available there. They included facts and fabrications: the history of quilts and slavery, quilts of the civil war and women of the civil war, and calico clues. Maybe one or more of these would help you. Janet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 Georgene - Lucky you! Looks like a really very nice quilt top - such great little stitches.... Have fun with them - and yes - use or display them, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.