My husband's mother and grandmother quilted and sewed clothes. I learned a lot about quilting from them. My husband's mom, Rosemary, was a wonderful woman and mother who left us too soon at 66, younger than I am at 68. Very sobering. She used to make improv quilts before anyone claimed them. She used polyester double knits left over from sewing clothes (six kids) to create lap quilts and hand sewed the pieces using the herringbone stitch and perle cotton. These quilt wear like iron, never fade, are warm and have a certain charm that many dismiss.
Victoria Findlay Wolfe had a grandmother, Edna, who made them and shared some of them on her site a while back. I have only two. One Rosemary made during our infamous Blizzard of 77 that uses black and orange featuring a palm tree. Sometime, I will find that one and dig it out to photo and share. The other quilt we have used in our family room for over 40 years. It shows no wear or fading. It has been used by my kids and now my grandkids for play and covering. What has given up the ghost is the perle cotton- totally disintegrating. I could not bear to not use it anymore, so I am slowly restitching the pieces back on with perle cotton even though I hate hand stitching. Using the machine would diminish its charm to me.
7 comments:
It's amazing to me how adventurous that generation of quilters was with their scrappy polyester leftovers. I've enjoyed reading about Victoria Findley Wolfe's grandmother in her book 15 Minutes of Play. It is scary to think what will happen to the big stitch quilts we make now. Easier on aging eyes for hand quilting, but I doubt that 12 wt. thread will last 100 years, or even 50.
Your quilt is wonderful - all of that hand stitching really makes it special. I agree - using the machine to restitch it would diminish its charm. Your U/D quilt is going to be lovely - I love the blues - ;))
The blue fabrics are wonderful. That is going to be an exciting quilt.
WOW, definitely an improv quilt made by your husband's Mom and I think hand stitching using perle cotton is a winner!
That is an amazing quilt. I see it as art, much like the Gee's Bend quilts. My Grandmother handsewed many quilts. Hers were much more simple designs. I have two or three of them....and they are all mostly cotton.
If you could find a polyester version of "perle cotton" that quilt would last forever.
An absolute winner...both of them xo
That must be a treasured quilt full of memories if you are repairing and don't like to do hand stitching. My dad was born in a small Iowa town where my great grandparents homesteaded. Everyone was related to or knew everyone else. They had a nursing home there where most of the lap/wheelchair quilts were made out of polyester (probably leisure suits or women's pant suits). I kind of thought it strange back then but my grandmother and her generation grew up making quilts from leftovers of any fabric so it made sense. I've heard tell that some folks collect those polyester quilts now.
Oh, I like those fabrics in the TATW.
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