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Tuesday, August 09, 2011

More from Auntie Irene!


There was MORE to be dug out of the boxes that were hiding under the bed in Auntie Joy’s guestroom!

Some of the items were simply tied flannel baby quilts that were not finished, a few bits and pieces of this and that. Mom took home one really fun dresden plate wall hanging piece, and Joy kept a couple of quilts that could be washed and washed until they didn’t smell anymore, and they were machine quilted so they cold be USED.

The baby quilts and other things that we just simply did not need will find their way to organizations who CAN put them to good use and finish and donate them. ((But off the top of my head I’m thinking of how much they need to be washed to get the smell out before they can be donated to anyone….give a smoky quilt to a baby? Uuhhhh…no.))

But THIS ONE…LOOK!

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It’s a wooly dresden made out of old suits, skirts, pants and jackets! There is even some cordoroy in here, and something that feels like gabardine---but it could be wool gabardine at that, couldn't it?

This is one I’d love to finish and I love how folksy it looks! She used yarn to do the buttonhole stitch around all the seams.

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I love how Auntie Irene’s mind worked! See that pin? the paper says ROW 3!! In Auntie Irene’s own handwriting. THIS is special to me!

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I also love how she plopped the plates down on the background, but didn’t pay attention to how the center circle was tilted. TOO FUN!! Look at the pic of the full quilt above and you will see what I mean. Several of them are straight, and some, like this one..tilt with a mind all it’s own! Weeeeeeee! This one also has a piece pinned to it stating which row it is. There was some forethought that went into the placement of these blocks. :cD

So what am I thinking of for this one? Ummmm…big fans in big stitch quilting with black pearl cotton? What do you think? Wool batting?

For now, it will stay as is. It is also being aired out, and when I can’t smell it anymore, I’ll probably fold it and display it where I can enjoy its quirkiness every day!

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I am also the lucky recipient of some of Auntie Irene’s crochet and embroidery. These pieces are fairly yellowed with age. Isn’t there a linen or vintage textile soak/cleaner that can help me with these? Something to soak them in? I’d sure like to know what it is and where I can get some, so leave a comment to let me know!

I’m just loving this woolie quilt top!! OH dear, do I feel a trip to the goodwill clearance center coming on, simply to find more sources of WOOL!? As if I don’t have enough cotton stash, now I have to add something else to my addiction hobby?! :cD

38 comments:

  1. I love this quilt top, and all that it represents! Lucky you~

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  2. How big are the blocks? They are really cool!

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  3. What a beautiful treasure you found, good memories.

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  4. Vintage Soak is the name of a product to use on aged linens. My local quilt shop carries it. Let us know how it, or whatever you use, works for you.

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  5. Oh, I love that wool quilt! How lucky you are to have such a rich quilting heritage and to have these pieces to remember it by (hopefully soon without the odor)!

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  6. I love the wool quilt. I think wool batting would be too much, hot. I was thinking something lighter like silk.

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  7. Hi Bonnie, love your Auntie's work! I have a family christening gown that was hand made for my big sister's baptism. All the girls in my generation were baptised in this gauzy gown, as was my niece and my daughter. My daughter wanted to use it for her daughter's (my grandaughter's) baptism, but at almost 70 years old, it was pretty yellowed. I used a little Oxywhite and Woolite to hand wash it and was amazed at how beautifully it cleaned up!! Waiting for more grands to use it!

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  8. That is one gorgeous quilt! I love how she put it together, it is amazing. I bet it weighs a lot, too. Your idea for finishing is sounds great.

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  9. Bonnie, use an OxiClean soak. Works great, Kathleen swears by it and I have seen yellowed vintage works rejuvenated after a 24-hour soak. Easy-peasy!

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  10. The yellowing also comes from the smoke in the house. So if you just give them a good soak in liquid cascade dishwashing soap with a little bit of borax and vinegar, it should come clean too.

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  11. Anonymous9:36 AM EDT

    Bonnie..there is a product out there called Vintage Soak that will absolutely remove yellowing and stains from old stuff. When my daughter married she inherited an old quilt top and blocks for a quilter to finish someday..that would be me! Everything had yellow stains from gas heat in the 40s. Followed directions and it came right out.
    Look online or in quilt stores. Diann Smith
    kyquiltymama@hotmail.com

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  12. Anonymous9:45 AM EDT

    I would be careful of the liquid dishwashing detergents like cascade, they contain bleach.

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  13. Anonymous9:57 AM EDT

    I used Orvis on a 190 year-old sampler from my family. It had been sewn onto cardboard and framed tight to the glass, then hung over the coal stove for years. I freed it from it's trappings and wrapped it in acid free paper, then left it for several years before I had the nerve to wash it. It turned out beautifully. Do find some way to support the quilt when it is wet -- but you know that!

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  14. Anonymous9:59 AM EDT

    for removing unwanted smells...I use OdoBan. I get it at Sam's Club and you just have to use a little in your wash or rinse water. It will remove the smoke odor. May have to wash it a couple of times.

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  15. that Dresden is gorgeous. love the colors and vibrancy. That one says "tie me" to me.

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  16. What an awesome quilt!

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  17. Love the quilt and it's quirky placement of the blocks - just consider them your Auntie's contribution to 'art'.

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  18. I love this quilt! I have never seen anything like it. My suggestion would be to quilt circles. Go around the center of each Dresden Plate and one more circle in the plates and then in between the Dresdens do the same radiating circle and half circles in the half spaces. And I would use RED thread!

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  19. I soaked an oldie in OxiClean and it took the yellow out....soaked for several days.

    The wool quilt is priceless. MAKE SURE you put names on it when you're done so history can be carried on.

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  20. Family heirloom quilts! What a treasure. My friend who does a lot of wool quilts buys her "fabric" from Goodwill and says that ladies large size skirts are the best value. More fabric with less work involved than men's jackets, etc.

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  21. Here's a website with ideas on how to get your vintage linens clean. A lot of them are vintage ideas! http://tipnut.com/cleaning-vintage-linens-soak/
    Good luck!

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  22. I have had great luck with vintage linens (some quite brown) by soaking them in a solution of Oxiclean and Biz (equal amounts of both) in hot water. Let them soak for a day, you may need to rinse and repeat - but it works.

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  23. OxyClean is a miracle worker on stuff like those linens! My mom cleaned boxes and boxes of old yellowed linens from her parents. Most came out GREAT! That dresden quilt top is a WINNER! Love love love it! can't wait to see what you do with it!!!

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  24. I too, have been sucessful with an Oxyclean soak. Warm tap water to dissolve then let it sit for a few hours, rinse and resoak if needed. Worked great on things from DH's grandmother and mother.

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  25. Hi, Bonnie -
    Try this website - I remember Mark Lipinski talking about the buttermilk & lemon juice treatment. Maybe it will work ;-) And, you might try putting the "smelly" quilts (wrapped in tissue) in a bag with charcoal.

    Best,
    Ila

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  26. OK - I don't think the link went through. *sigh* Not a good computing day? Try this -

    http://www.quilthistory.com/cleaning.htm

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  27. What an awesome quilt! I am now on a wool kick too and can't wait to get to some Goodwill stores to see if I can find some fun wool for my growing wool stash. Fun!

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  28. Bonnie, this post is representing why i love your blog and have a daily look ! This post is just about quilts, life and happiness . Again thank you to share everyday you thoughts and discoveries to us every day.
    Sophie from France in Paris ( you have a place to stay at my home if you want to visit Paris one day)
    Xxx Sophie
    My recommendation si to wash it and repair if needed but i do not know what soaps you have in the US, in France the best is manual with Savon de Marseille, do u want e to send u one?

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  29. Anonymous3:49 PM EDT

    Beautiful quuilt! Check Martha Pullen's site for cleaning heirloom fabrics.

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  30. I love the quilt top. It is so colorful.

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  31. This one is fab, and her stitch work is great I am sure the wonkiness was planned:-)

    You are very lucky

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  32. Anonymous7:05 PM EDT

    Bonnie, it is not difficult to see that the "scrappy" apple did not fall far from the "quilter" tree in your family. Auntie Irene's quilt looks so "Bonnie" to me. You have a treasure, enjoy!!
    Faye Bushey, Maine

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  33. Warning Warning WARNING!!!

    I have the wool collecting disease and I hear
    there is no cure! AHHHHHHHHH.
    But what fun it is to make wool crazy quilts with embroidery and applique too.

    good luck staying away from the pox!
    Happy Sewing :0)

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  34. You found a real gem! lucky you!

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  35. I have also found putting the offending object in baking soda ( ry) in a ziploc bag and letting the powder absorb the smell for a few days/week, then washing is effective as well.

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  36. too much fun Bonnie! I also love the wool dresdan!!! Too bad it smells of smoke.- really hope you can get the smell out. wonderful quilt!

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  37. LOVE the quirky wool quilt! Its funny that you should bring up the subject of wool. Last week I went thrift shopping with my sister, who was looking for some wing-back chairs she could recover. While poking around I found two wool sweaters, a woman's wool suit and a wool coat, and bought them. Don't know why, I just did. Brought 'em home and washed each one (individually) in the washing machine in hot water and then dried them on high heat. They shrank up into lovely, felted wool and I am very happy with the outcome. What will I do with all that felted wool? No clue...yet. But it was fun!

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  38. I have had very good results by using Vintage Textile Soak. The tag on the package gives this website: www.VintageTextileSoak.com. The company name is The Star Spangled Sampler & Co. PO Box 172307, Arlington, TX 76003-2307. Each package is approximately one pound. Email address of starspangledsampler@yahoo.com.

    Fun seeing the treasures you found.

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