Silk, Satin,Velvet & Salt!

I gave a couple glimpses of things that I saw on my one Antique Mall stop on my way to New York…..

There were a few really INTERESTING things that I haven’t had a chance to share yet! I’ve got time to share ONE this morning --- I’ll get to the others later.

Have you ever been more intrigued by the BACK of a quilt than the front?

I rounded the corner and came face to face with an antique silk and velvet log cabin. These are so beautiful --- in such a TRAGIC way, because who KNEW that these fabrics would shred and shatter years down the road?

It makes me wonder what is going to happen to the fabric in the quilts that I've made over the years. I know some of those 1990s and other earlier ones have a bad habit of fading over time. What was once a deep navy is now a very pale grey-blue. It's the life of fabric I guess!

This quilt was pieced on salt sacks and other bits of found “foundation” fabric with advertising on it! THAT is the cool part!

Here’s a glimpse of the quilt as I saw it first:

It was just HANGING there, not even displayed to its best advantage, but the color and the sheen drew me right in.

I noticed right off that the strips varied in width and this gave many of the blocks a more “curved” appearance.

Sadly, this antique mall was rather crowded and there was no place to lay this OUT to get a view of the whole quilt. The fabrics are deteriorating though, so I felt it best to be gentle with it and not cause further damage to it.

Were those blacks from the clothing of someone in mourning? Each stitch was made by hand, and being as it is pieced on a fabric foundation, it is not quilted or bound…maybe they planned on finishing it in another way?

It made me think of my friend Karen Eckmeier and her lecture at VCQ last weekend –entitled --- “Ooops! My Edges Are Showing!!” She does wonderful raw edge work….

This is what I find so interesting!

Salt is not Salt! The Worcester Brand Salt :cD Salt, like flour and chicken feed and many other things also came in cloth bags. The maker of this quilt saved the salt bags for use in piecing her quilt. They must have gone through LOADS of salt! But if you think of it, salt was used for everything including curing meat --

Here’s another advertisement on a cloth bag of some sort.

It sounds like they are describing my quilting space –can you read it?

Basement – Every Space Crowded with Goods! LOL

Believing what I was told as a young girl going to Campfire Girls --- leave each space better than you found it ---- I gently folded the quilt so someone else could view it a bit better. Seemed a shame to hide those cool salt and advertising sacks, though! I didn’t know whether to fold it right side or wrong side out!

There are more quilts to show, but they will have to wait – I’ve gotta get my self in gear and get over to where our Cathedral Stars workshop is for today!

But before I go – heheeh! You have to know what did NOT come home with me, right? You know you are waiting for that one weird thing, aren’t you? And it wasn’t the diving helmet!

How about a life sized Frankenstein?!? LOL!

I actually considered adopting him …..wondering if I put him in the front passenger seat of Shamu --- could I get by in the HOV lane as I drive?!

Have a great Thursday, everyone!