My mind is already losing its ability to remember names.
I try really hard when I’m with a group to put names to people’s faces and remember who they are when I am there with them --- and I can do pretty good at recognizing their smiles, sometimes even remembering WHERE it was that I saw them last ---
And then there are times like today where --- oh, I can see that person plain as day in my mind, but their name? Whoooosh --- gone with the wind. It’s frustrating sometimes ---but I think in the plethora of “Cathy with a C” “and Sharon, Sharron, Sharyn ---and all the names that I find myself signing into books ---it’s really hard to retain the names, even after just a week away!
Back in Fairborn, I met the most fun lady! And knowing that I adore vintage quilts ---she brought in a couple family quilts and tops for showing and sharing just because of the terrific fabrics that were in them.
And I apologize once again for not writing her name down --- but I see her smile, and I hear her laugh in my memory, and I can picture her plain as day in those workshops – we sure had a great time!
As soon as she unfolded this Periwinkle Star with the solid red diamonds I was in love! I’ve loved this pattern for eons, haven’t pieced one because of all of those set in seams, but I can see myself doing this as a carry along project long after hexies are over.
There is a certain “kind” of quilt I like to think of as “Midwestern Farm Wife”. Not that all quilts like this were made on farms ---but they tend to be VERY scrappy, with most of the fabrics coming from the remnants of household sewing – dresses, blouses, aprons and the like ---
And this is the kind of quilt I think of when someone asks me during a trunk show “Aren’t you worried about your quilts not being made of all “quilt shop quality” fabrics?
No. I’m not. This quilt was made with fabrics from the 30’s, 40’s and into the 50s.
Some of the fabrics may have been ordered via the Sears catalogue. These are every day, ordinary dress making fabrics that found themselves in a fabulous quilt that has stood the test of time ---and NONE of them came from “quilt shop quality” fabrics.
I’m tired of “quilt shop quality” being passed around as a buzz phrase as the only way a quilt can be found “worthy” of praise or appeal.
I don’t want to sew with something that is crappy, crunchie, or that is going to deteriorate quickly ---I love quilt shop fabrics. But I am also tied deeply to the root of patchwork quilting ---and that was household sewing scraps ---wherever you could find, beg, trade or gather them.
Isn’t this turtle top so cute?
These are definitely household sewing scraps….many of them from the 1950s.
I loved their large size --- and look at that crazy plaid one! Just cut that piece however the template will fit on the fabric scrap and go with it.
I’m giggling to myself over the reaction some quilters may have had over this one --- we had some sweet students who were freaked out about their polka dots running off the edge of their half square triangles at a different angle than the triangle itself – it was driving them nuts ----oh yeah ---- and the one quilter who was aligning and matching her plaid so the stripes matched from star point to star point ---I’m seeing them squirm in my imagination as they view this turtle..LOL!
This one is a hoot – it’s made of vintage double wedding ring cheater cloth!
This one was my favorite --- 1950s keys! Grey and pink and white on black --- I would SO love to have some of this fabric!
Each and every one of these fabrics started out as a scrap left from making clothing. None of this fabric came from a “quilt shop”. All of them are fabulous and have not deteriorated over the past 60+ years.
My quilts are likely to long outlive me – even if I am sewing from fabric from recycled clothing, or fabric that I have picked up at such places as “gasp” Walmart, Joann, Hobby Lobby, Ben Franklin or any other number of places down-trodden by the quilt-media.
There are fabrics I would NEVER buy in those places as well --- but if the hand is good, if it feels good, if the fiber content is right – will I put those fabrics in my quilt?
No doubt. Absolutely.
60 years from now I don’t see anyone saying “It’s a pity that she didn’t make this out of quilt shop quality fabric”.
And that’s the end of what turned out to be a semi rant as I share these really fun vintage lovelies! I didn’t know this post was going to turn this way, but there you have it -----
Hi Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said ! So many of the old quilts we treasure now are made from what was available, people were glad to have the scraps and no one would think of not using them. And recently, the quality of quilt shop fabrics has deteriorated so much (especially Moda, in my opinion), that I am wondering how it will stand up over time !
Thanks for all the wonderful quilts you share
kind regards
Thank you, Bonnie -- no fabric snobbery here! Last month I quilted a top pieced by an 85-y-o man who used recycled/repurposed fabric. Some of it was pique, some might have been poly-cotton. But as I quilted it I was impressed by how cheerful it was -- it really made me smile. And the man's daughter (for whom the quilt was made) was delighted.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Well, I do draw the line at "ponte" polyester doubleknit (for clothing or quilts).
Both quilts are beautiful. Enjoyed your rant and agree wholeheartedly. Will be watching to see when you start the Periwinkle Star quilt.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Bonnie. lol I have the same problem with names.....of the kids in the school I teach at and there's only about 400 kids! lol I agree with what you said about the fabric we make out quilts with. I used poly cotton and cotton (my mum donated the cotton) on the first quilt I ever made, plus a polyester batting. It was a bereavement quilt I donated to a hospital. I used what I was making my quilts out at the time....It was what I could afford. Nothing has changed.
ReplyDeleteI get donated to a hospital! Are live you! Hug, Wanda
DeleteBonnie, thank you for voicing your opinion about "quality". Most of the people I know could not quilt if they had to pay quilt shop prices for fabric. I would not own the quantity I do if it were all purchased in quilt shops. With the price of cotton skyrocketing, even JoAnn's and Hancock's is getting up there in price. And none of my quilts are meant to be herilooms. Theyre meant to be used and I hope the recipients do!
ReplyDeleteOh. I totally agree. I have run across a few fabric snobs in a couple of swaps, and I was thinking...really??? Get over it!!! There are lots of good fabrics out there and they don't have to come from the quilt shop to be good fabric!! Loved this post Bonnie!! Loved it!!!
ReplyDeleteLove your comment!! That is the history of quilts in our world today. I totally agree with you on the hand and feel of the fabric and not necessarily where it came from. I made my oldest son a quilt from (Hancock fabrics - via 1990's). FINALLY finished it in 2007 and he is using and loving it every day on his bed. I looked at some of the scraps I have from it and they are good enough to use today. The fiber content is the key.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your comments on fabric "quality". I feel the exact same way.....I especially love using thrifted fabrics! I learned about patchwork and quilting from a grandmother who would put absolutely anything into her quilts if it was the right color or pattern. Her quilts have outlived her despite the heavy use that they have gotten over the years!
ReplyDeleteI have a periwinkle star quilt. My grandmother pieces the blocks and I put them together. She and her church friends quilted it. I'll have to get a picture and send it to you. She hand pieced the blocks as she always did and I sewed them together on the machine. Her blocks were a little different, there were little angled pieces in the corners so the block was square then when they were sewed together it formed an octagon between the blocks.
ReplyDeleteI so agree, my grandmother taught me to sew over 50 years ago, using cast off clothes and center worn sheets, we just salvaged the good bits and used them. Some of the things I made are still in use. When I bake I sometimes wear an apron that started life as my grandfathers shirt it is faded but still whole.
ReplyDeleteI was at a guild meeting once and there was a group of ladies discussing how to wash quilts. My farm girl self was rolling inside laughing when they went on and on about having them dry cleaned so the quilt would last forever. Sure I want my quilt to last as long as it can but it isn't a shrine and if it does indeed deteriorate, I'll make a new one. I would rather have a loved quilt that truly brought comfort than a shrine in a cedar chest!!!
ReplyDeleteI have heard that the chemicals used in dry cleaning can be more harmful to fabrics than soap & water. (I did not hear this from quilters, so it's not some sort of counter-quilt police.)
DeleteSnobbery is snobbery...whether it is in reference to fabric or cars, or restaurants...."I want you to know that I can afford to ... insert whatever category you please!!!" IMHO, as quilters, most often we go by what the fabric feels like...literally...and then we consider the lasting effect it would have in that quilt to be made for someone we love who will love that quilt to death. Not many of us expect our quilts to last as long as the "antiques" we view today. That isn't the reason we make quilts. We love what we do, we love what we make, we love those to whom we give the gift.
ReplyDeleteLoved the quilts you shared, Bonnie. I especially loved the "purple/yellow ring" turtle...what a pleasure to the eye.
Faye in Maine
I have a sawtooth star quilt made in doubleknit fabric by my husband's grandmother. He used it for years as a child. Then we used it on our bed for about 15 years. I know for a fact that that ugly quilt will outlive all of us! It is still as bright and gaudy as it was in the 1970's when she made it. It makes me think of her every time I put in on a bed. It is HEAVY even though there is no batting in it, and it is warm. She didn't have access to quilt shop quality fabric, so she used scraps from her pantsuits, all doubleknit fabric.
ReplyDeleteKudos! Kudos! Kudos! Bonnie, for saying what is on many quilters' minds!!! I'm also tired of hearing about "quilt shop quality fabric", and the upturn nose at using those "other" fabrics. I had an owner of a quilt shop tell me once that he can tell when his wife uses Walmart fabric vs. "quilt shop quality fabric" by the sound of how her sewing machine sounds - REALLY?? My response to him was: your wife shops at Walmart, when you sell fabric - hmmmmmm what's up with that? In any event, again thank you for speaking what's on many minds and let's remember that people do what they can afford to do, and at the end of the day what does it matter?? Enjoy quilting with whatever you can afford to quilt with. It will be fine!! Carmela in PA
ReplyDeleteI love these beautiful quilts. I have made many a quilt from my scraps of past clothes sewing projects and they seem to be holding up very well. I have learned to select quality fabric wherever I shop for my clothes projects as well as my quilting projects. Poor fabric is poor fabric and I always wash it before I begin. That will always tell the tale of whether it is worth my time to sew it.
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie... Love all the scrappy show and tell today. My definition of "quilt shop quality" has more to do with the quality of the yard goods than the location they were purchased. If it is of comparable weight, weave, and finish to fabric I can purchase at the LQS, then I will buy it. And the second thing... If you look at the first quilt in the post from a different approach, it could be done as blocks with no set-in seams by using tri-revs triangles in place of the red diamonds. Then they become kaleidoscope blocks... No ate-in seams
ReplyDeleteThe antique quilts are so special - and to be cherished for their deep history.
ReplyDeleteBy the way - I would have pulled over that chocolate truck in your last post - if only to ask if the driver had any free samples!
Happy Summer,
Katie
www.westiejulep.blogspot.com
www.katiesews4fun.blogspot.com
My first quilt made from Walmart fabric is about 12 years old and holding up just fine. ;). When I buy fabrics, Ivlimit myself to the remnant bins, unless I need a large cut. Joann's does 50% off all remnants 1 yard and under. The 50% off is taken off the sale price.so that $12.99 per yard fabric if on sale for 40% off, with an additional 50% off winds up costing $3.90 a yard. Quilting is all about keeping costs down and embracing the scrappy.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with all of you. I started quilting nearly 30 years ago when all I had was Wal-Mart. Those quilts are still being used by my children and grands. They have stood the wash of time and are still in good shape. I have often wanted to do a program at guild on chosing good quality fabric by feel, a blind taste test so to speak. The quilt snobs have always turned me down!! Toni in TN
ReplyDeleteToni, how very sad! I would love to attend a program like that. Keep trying to get them to let you do it.
DeleteI agree! I would also like to attend such a program & I think I will pass the idea onto our guild program committee.(
DeleteI think that is such a shame!! I find it interesting that the snobbish factor is rife in the modern quilt movement as well because they follow designers slavishly.
DeleteI use a fabric based on quality whether it is new or re purposed, so long as it has "the right feel", in it goes!
To be honest, it may just be me but I find Liberty fabrics are often not the right feel, so there you go.
Love the quilt.
Lush
London, UK
Toni, this is a few months after your post and I'm wondering if you have ever been able to put on this program? I'm also thinking of including it as a retreat activity. I'd love to talk about how to make it happen. Thanks!
DeleteI DO agree. When I look at some of the fabrics in my stash that have been aging since the 1970s, the quality is the same as some of the fabrics you can purchase now. I am just using up the last bit of a Debbie Mumm fabric that is a bit thinner than I would normally use but it was yardage and in the stash and just the color I needed.
ReplyDeleteI love the turtle. Is it a paper pieced pattern or just pieced?
ReplyDeleteYou have to feel sorry for those "quilt snobs". It used to be cotton only, cotton batting only, cotton thread only, the perfect thread count - now it's point of purchase? Get a life people. I've been quilting since the early 60s, long before quilt shops existed - should I toss the quilts I made then as not good enough? One of the prettiest quilts I ever made was for my mother, and I used poly knits, corduroy, silk - and cotton, with (oh no!) poly batting. and I was very pleased with it, so was she, and it's still in use
ReplyDeleteMemories! All of my clothes at an early age were made by my grandmother from feed sacks and the leftover pieces went into quilts. Still have some of those quilts that are really thread bare from age and a lot of use. Love to pull them out and remember.
ReplyDeleteThe turtle quilt is wonderful. I call my grandson 'Timmy the turtle' Just love it.
ReplyDeleteCarol at nanacox@bellsouth.net
It looks like that's a drunkard's path block adapted to include a turtle head and tail. It draws your eye to every block and makes you wonder what the original fabric was.
ReplyDeleteI. Love. You. Thanks for this post.~
ReplyDeleteLucy (in IN)
I see I am not alone in expanding my stash beyond just "quilt store quality" most of which I can't afford. Most of my stash is the cast-offs of others - they know me as the scrap quilter in the guild and share with me their ziplock bags of pieces they no longer want or will not use. I certainly don't ask if they are "quilt shop" fabrics! Thanks for sharing the lovely vintage quilts, along with your opinions.
ReplyDelete"quilt shop quality", surely I only have to rebrand my thrift store finds as "vintage" or "retro" so they become acceptable :)
ReplyDeleteAnd "quilt shop quality" is BORING (font no 48).
Love the turtle >>>>>imagining string turtles.
Thanks for the post.
As a card-carrying member of American Sewing Guild and a garment sewist as well as a quilter, my mantra has always been to use the best fabric you can afford. Believe me, I have used lots of 'less than quilt shop quality' stuff in my projects. And I have a problem with people who want things to last forever. Why??? My DIL hung the quilt I made for my grandson on the wall of his room 'so he doesn't ruin it'... totally missing the point of why I made it - for him to use and love, even to death (of the quilt)!! I can always make another one.
ReplyDeleteI love the plaid turtle... just what I would do.
Bonnie, What are your thoughts on using a fabric blend such as cotton/polyester in a quilt along with 100% cotton. I have been given scraps from a friend who does garment sewing and uses the blends. The pieces are beautiful but I've not as of yet mixed them in with the 100% cottons. Years ago I made a Trip Around the world quilt and one piece of fabric was just a bit different. It didn't want to "play" nice when it came time to put the blocks together. It had no give. Ever since then I've stayed away from anything that I wasn't sure of being 100% cotton. Would love to hear what you have done with cotton/poly fabrics.
ReplyDeleteYour semi rant has eased my feelings of guilt about using non quilt shop fabrics. THANK YOU!
I used to teach art and would tell the 4th grade students [4th grade is the year NC students learn NC History] the Cherokee Legend of how the Turtle Cracked his shell. They loved it and afterwards the students would create their own versions of turtles.
ReplyDelete[A favorite project of all of my students as the younger grades when they were promoted to 4th grade would always ask in the first week.... 'when do we get to make the turtles?'.]
Oh to have seen this quilt in those days, not only would the students have created their own turtles on paper but adding to the creative delight, a turtle quilt would have also been created to auction off for art supplies and funding for field trips.
Like I need another 'project' :) You can be certain I will be creating a turtle quilt!!! Fabric choice, who knows...as an artist thankfully I am not bound by 'rules and regulations' I LOVE the freedom of expression found when using whatever it is that captures my eye.
sowingstitches [at] yahoo [dot] com
I agree 100% . I can't imagine spending the time matching up the plaid....You can't get any quilting done that way. It is fun to look at the fabric from yesterday year and try to figure out where the fabric came from.
ReplyDeleteLove that periwinkle star!
ReplyDeleteI have a tub of my moms cotton, and cotton/polyester blouses that I want to make some quilts with for us kids. She wore button blouses all the time, but mostly in light colors. I'm searching for a pattern to use them in,and I think this might be the idea I needed. To use a solid dark background for all those light prints. Now to figure out what type quilt to make. There aren't enough for 5 full size quilts. Maybe just a throw or wall quilt..... hmmmm
Oh and I do love that comment about the quilt shop owners wife buying fabric at walmart.Good one!
I have all kinds from some that I should probably toss or donate, to too the expensive stuff (one got it on sale). I've done crafts for years but the quilting is a new venture and I hope I don't use one of those that fall apart real fast or fade.
Question, anyone? How do you tell if it's going to fade badly? I have a couple country prints table toppers that were made in the 90s. Some of the fabrics totally changed color! Faded so bad it's almost ugly in parts. Even a medium/dark golden tan/brown turned grayish. It would make me sick to have a full quilt with pieces that did that. Is there a test to check? Or is it related to how they were making the fabric then? It probably came from joanns, I think their average price range then. (I didn't make it but I recognize some of the fabrics)
I sew love the red quilt. Adorable.
ReplyDeleteMaryella
Amen, Sista!!!!! If the fabric has the right "hand" I don't care where I purchase it. I met a lady who happened to quilt and she was both a fabric and sewing machine snob. If it didn't come from a quilt shop, it was not worthy of her time and effort; if the sewing machine didn't cost over one or two thousand dollars, it was a pile of junk. She made several quilts that I was able to see and let me tell you one thing . . . I don't think I have ever seen so many headless geese in one quilt and after a while I concluded that the pattern must have called for the unmatched seams! In the same group there is a lady who is not financially able to buy a lot of fabric and she makes the most beautiful quilts from bargain basement fabric and previously loved fabric. Her quilts are treasured by family and friends. Love your posts and thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletePreach on Sister! Thanks for not being afraid to speak your mind in kindness and love! :) You open up our minds to all sorts of creative possibilities!!!
ReplyDeletePARABÉNS!!!!Mas do que nunca eu tenho que concordar em tudo que foi dito.Estou cerca de 12 anos fazendo colchas,nunca comprei tecido em lojas especializadas.Só trabalho com sucatas de confecção de vestuário,algodão,malhas,moletom,flanelas,mistos,(sedas e cetim uso para pequenas peças e mimos).As perguntas que mais ouço:Isso é feito com sucatas?Como você faz o preço?Sucata para alguns são só sucatas.Acho até que deveria cobrar mais por isso,por ser mais trabalhoso...Mas,muito mais prazeroso.Preconceito:Ontem fui na minha primeira aula de (BRAÇO-LONGO),era para levar uma peça pequena,caminho de mesa de hexágono(claro)e uma colcha mini de minha neta,feita com sucatas(claro).Uma senhora que estava lá fazendo entrevistas para saber tudo da vida da pessoa,PASME...Para colocar em sua loja as nossas peças em consignação,quando respondi que eram feitas de sucatas da rua tal(polo de confecções de vestuário),arregalou os olhos e disse alto:RUA TEREZA?????Nem pensar em minha loja umas peças dessas...Me recuso.Rasgou o papel e chamou:PRÓXimo...É isso.Beijos e Bençãos,você é maravilhosa.PPPSSS:Você quer começar as estrelas pervinca???Não vai parar mais,eu só estou te avisando....
ReplyDeleteLove those quilts - my wife always wonders when I piece this fabric with that and my plaids do not match. She's an old 4-H leader that everything had to blend and match and .... I may censor a fabric because I don't want it next to itself, but it really hasn't stopped me from mixing up a row and then getting pieces together. And a scrap quilt should be batiks, reproductions, 30's to the modern Riley Blakes to Sandy Gervis - who cares.
ReplyDeletethe bottom line? Know your fabric! Hand and weave are both so important...the rest, meh! Love the history and the stories in the fabrics of quilts too! And I can't be so uptight as to want to straighten and align fabrics with check, dots and stripes in a scrap quilt...I'm too busy and life's too short. Quilting is my "fun" time, I stress about other things - growing children, aging parents, world peace, lol! Happy sewing!
ReplyDeleteMy sister and brother-in-law have several quilts I've given them over the years that they use and love, but the one they most love is a quilt from his great-grandmother. It was one of the last quilts she made, put together from double knits and shirt scraps, tied, with a blanket for the batting and a sheet for the backing. *This* one, from all it's "not quilt shop quality" fabric, is the one they want to keep close. Some blocks are coming unstitched now, shredding a little, and I'm honored that they asked me if I could somehow fix it so they could keep using it. I too would much rather make a quilt that is loved to death in all its scrappy goodness than just about anything else.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I have been very disappointed in "quilt shop quality" fabric before. I gave my son and his bride a quilt as a wedding gift. All the fabrics were top brand "quilt shop quality". I had a small fortune invested in that quilt! In just a couple of years the border was in shreds and now resides on a shelf instead of a bed where it should be. I made another out of whatever I had on hand and it is still in use several years later. I judge fabric by the way it feels, not what it costs!
ReplyDeleteI love everything about the red "farm' quilt!!
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you Bonnie!! Every single word! :)
ReplyDeleteCan't help but wonder if some of the quilt shop quality talk is about the fact that some class attendees will appear in a class given by a quilt shop with NO fabric bought at the shop or any other quilt shop but at big box what ever shops. A way of saying, hey, we need to support LQS at least during classes they give.
ReplyDeleteIf it feels good and you like the color use it! I just bought some "quilt shop" fabric last week that came out of the washing machine feeling like sandpaper...what is with that! (love the turtles!)
ReplyDeleteI love that scrappy "midwest" quilt. What fun that would be to study.
ReplyDeleteAnd the turtles--too cute!!
I agree with Mimi here to an extent. I want to thank the quilt shops for providing us with the needs and inspiring us. It's not easy running an independent business these days.
ReplyDeleteJust please be aware that the so called copyrighted "designers" are not necessarily the ones ringing our bells.
ps Please don't stoop to pricing fabric by the .5 yard. We know how to multiply times 2.
I love the red quilt and I also have a problem with names! Love your Blog!
ReplyDeleteDiane in Texas
I've been hand-piecing a small periwinkle star quilt (called hummingbird by Fons & Porter) for several years. It's a very zen experience for me when I work on it. And I just love how these little pieces come together.
ReplyDeleteHeh heh, I am sending a link to this post to my friend Mary Beth who just made her very FIRST quilt, in a drunkard's path design - with curved piecing! What a glutton for punishment! But best of all, it's a lovely scrappy piece of art, and all the fabrics came from remnant bins and thrift stores. Cotton, cotton/poly, synthetic - if it was pretty and colourful, it went in. And you know what? It looks terrific, and it will be fine, even though my experienced quilting friends would gasp at the mixture of fabrics.
ReplyDeleteBeth in BC
Thanks so much for encouraging the use of scraps and "questionable" (by the quilt police) fabrics. I love to use scraps and old men's shirts to make quilts. They are perfect for men and boys and look great in my log cabin. More people who are quilting authorities should speak out like you just did!!!
ReplyDeleteBonnie, Yay for you. I write this before I read the other comments, because I have really been wanting to say this to you for quite a while. We are sooo lucky that we can be particular and we have the resources to pick and choose what we quilt with to make some very beautiful pieces of art. But it breaks my heart to hear a would-be quilter or newbie afraid to start a project or feeling less than happy about their quilt because it does not meet some perceived standard. Go back to the roots of the American quilt heritage, and you are right, it came from necessity--work done to keep your family warm, throwing in love in the form of extra effort and creativity to make it also pretty or clever as well as utilitarian. Kudos to those women who took the extra effort, love and respect to those women who kept their families warm, and thanks to those people who also turned this into an art form. But really, like you, I love the quilts with love and a story within their threads the very best. Keep reminding us of our true inspiration, Bonnie, and thanks for all you do for the world of quilting and all us quilters. (Stepping down from soapbox now....)
ReplyDeleteBonnie,
ReplyDeleteYOU ROCK!!
Thanks for your voice on this matter. I don't think quilters in the future will be judging quilts based on
"quilt shop quality fabrics".
Thank you for your comments on this. I just went through a big bag of scraps this morning. Trying to get organized again. Found some beautiful scraps from years of sewing. They will fill in some great spots in scrap quilts.
ReplyDeleteI love the designs you post of your quilting and others. You are great.
I just finished a quilt that has everything in it. I used a box of 4 1/2" squares I found at my mom's when we were cleaning out her sewing room. She passed away 5 years ago and was a prolific sewer/quilter. I kept that little box and last year started sewing them together with pairs of 2 1/2" squares and I now have a (giant) memory quilt. As I was sewing, I just started grabbing squares and saw pieces of maternity clothes my mom made me 28 years ago! Lots of pieces of her clothes she had made. Quilt shop quality? No way! Worth a million bucks? You better believe it!
ReplyDeleteI feel better about myself now! My stash consists of an eclectic mix of everything from Walmart, Hobby Lobby,recycle, yardsale, and some quilt shop.I'm glad your pro-scrappy and not ashamed to admit it!
ReplyDeleteI could not possibly agree more. I make quilts because I enjoy it and because it blesses other people - not to please "The Quilt Police".
ReplyDeleteMy mom made me an appliqued quilt with recycled bed sheets. It the one I always have on my bed, even though I made myself other quilts. There is no problem washing it in the washing machine; the fabric was made for that...
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your quilts,
cy from canada
My dad recently passed away and I got two quilts that was my dad's. A traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden and a diamond set hexies (I don't know the name of the pattern, they make a 3-d cube if you look at it one way, or a star if you look at it another way, or just diamonds), one is going to my sister when I see her in July, I am keeping the diamond set one. They are both scrappy and I love just sitting there and looking at the different materials used. I'm teaching my friend to make a Grandmother's Flower Garden that looks like my grandmother's, and she's having a hard time with doing the scrappy look with her flowers, I sat her down with my quilts and showed her it was okay not to be matchy-matchy. LOL
ReplyDeleteLove that periwinkle star quilt and the turtles are terrific. I have the templates for the periwinkle star and think I'll start pulling out my 30's stash to make up some kits to take with me for handpiecing. Can't wait to see what you come up with.
ReplyDeleteAnna in IL
(pansylovr at yahoo dot com)
All I can say is "Amen"! I love the turtles too! Now I know what to do with that cheater's cloth that someone else didn't want and gave to me. LOL Thanks! Sara In Al
ReplyDeleteLove that periwinkle and red quilt. Its now on my list of to do someday. I agree about "quality" fabrics because I love to use the scraps of baby clothes and things I've made over the years before I was a quilter. Life is too short to worry that things may not "last". None of us will.
ReplyDeleteAMEN - love these old quilts! They are my inspiration!
ReplyDeleteWell said! Oh, and love both quilts--off to make a turtle quilt as I have oodles of scrappy Drunkards Path blocks cut already and plently of fabric to cut heads and tails
ReplyDeleteBonnie, dear lady, please quit worrying about remembering names! Goodness, even Eisenstein couldn't do it and he came in contact with fewer people than you! People love you for who and what you are and 99 44/100% of us understand remembering the names of the thousands you come in contact with weekly is an impossibility!
ReplyDeleteRight Ladies? Reply and show Bonnie it's ok!
well said Bonnie
ReplyDelete