Monday, August 7, 2017

Vintage Quilt Blocks, New Quilts

Who can resist old unused quilt blocks or pieces of quilts when looking around at a tag sale or thrift store?  Not me if the price is within my budget.  I buy them and then can't decide what to do with them.  Twisted: Modern Quilts with a Vintage Twist to the rescue. 

Twisted: Modern Quilts with a Vintage Twist book cover
I happened upon this book at the library and borrowed it not knowing what I might find inside.  Turns out it's about using those few spare vintage blocks in a quilt.  The author, Mary W. Kerr, makes modern quilts with her blocks but I could see her ideas as jumping off points for anyone who wants to make more traditional quilts, too.

She shows 21 quilts in which she has incorporated previously unused vintage quilt blocks and unfinished pieces into new quilts.  There's a great variety of blocks including string, applique, postage stamp, hexagons, wedding ring, log cabins, snowballs, flying geese, Dresden plates, and more.  She introduces each quilt with information about the blocks she used including the condition in which they came to her; their age, if she knows it; and sometimes a bit of history about the quilt block pattern.

I suppose some might consider it an awful thing to do what she's done but in my opinion it's better to use the pieces than let them linger in an old box to be found by someone who won't appreciate them and who will throw them away.

Here are two examples of pieces she found and the quilts they became.  First a strip of one-patch blocks,




















and next a strip of flying geese.



It's likely that each quilter will choose her own way to use vintage blocks but I appreciated the encouragement to not let them lie around gathering dust. 

The author included a chapter on working with vintage fabrics in which she discusses washing, removing smoke smell (with a bar of white Safeguard soap), dissecting a block (if you think it necessary), and tips for using and incorporating them into quilts and other textile projects even when they may be fragile.  She cautions that many unused quilt pieces were not used because they are imperfect -- poorly cut, inaccurate stitching, and/or poor quality fabric.  She offers suggestions to address these situations.

I have several old blocks and while I will probably not choose to put them in a modern quilt I appreciate the encouragement to use them instead of letting them molder on a shelf.  Maybe you will enjoy Twisted:  Modern Quilts with a Vintage Twist?

--Nancy.
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10 comments:

  1. This seems like a great way to use those old pieces.

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    1. Oh, I agree, Michelle. What a way to showcase old fabrics and maybe some great quilt blocks.

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  2. What a great idea! I'm going to have to search for this book. I like books that offer new and different ideas. A great way to use up blocks instead of letting them sit unappreciated

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    1. Hi, Susan. Yes, I thought the author's ideas were innovative. I like the idea of showcasing those old fabrics and some other quilter's handiwork.

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  3. I have some vintage blocks that I haven't found a way to incorporate into a quilt. I'll have to keep an eye out for this book.
    Thanks for the Heads up, Nancy!

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    1. Hi, Janet. Most of the quilts in this book tended toward modern with the old blocks being the focus and lots of plain fabric (beautifully machine-quilted) around them. I probably wouldn't use old blocks the way she did but I appreciated the encouragement to use old blocks and could see her ideas as jumping-off points for other ways to use old blocks. Maybe your local library will have a copy.

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  4. Seems like a good thing to take the vintage and showcase them so they can be seen.

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    1. I agree, Kate. Now I'm on the lookout for old blocks!

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  5. I am all for using those old quilt tops and pieces. It seems to me that the quilters of the past were much like us and didn't always follow through with their good intentions. I have to believe they would be delighted to know that someone today valued them enough to finish them. I am not a modern quilt kind of gal, but I adore that first pink quilt.

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    1. I agree with everything you wrote, Jennie. I think they would be thrilled to see their work put into a quilt. I like the pink quilt, too, but generally tend away from modern quilts.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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