Vintage Quilt Rescues

 I have loved quilts for a long time and have been collecting them for a couple decades.  Both of my grandmas were excellent quilters!  They both gave me lovely quilts for my wedding.  I am especially fond of quilts from the 1930s to 1950s.  I haven't quilted much myself but have plans of doing so someday and so I have been collecting a fabric stash in preparation for that.  I love fabrics too!

I like to find quilts at thrift stores and yard sales. Antique stores always have nice quilts but they are WAY out of my price range. I really admire quilts that are hand quilted! I'm always tickled when I find one that has been hand quilted.  I always think who would ever get rid of this quilt?!!

Recently, I have had some luck finding quilts at thrift stores.  At the time I wasn't even looking for quilts and even debated whether or not to buy them thinking about where would I put them and so on.  But the hand quilting wooed me and I bought them.

This quilt (above), I found at a Goodwill Thrift store it was totally filthy and had a nasty large stain (that I lightened considerably) but it was only $6.00 dollars so I thought I would do my best to clean it.  This quilt was very sturdy and had no tears so I began by putting it in the bathtub and rinsing it with the strongest setting in my removable shower head.  I blasted it then put some shampoo on it for good measure.  Then I soaked the quilt in the bathtub in biz.  I changed the water twice.  Then I washed it twice in the washing machine. It was like a whole different quilt by the time I was done with it.  

Large quilt held by Declan and Quinton

This quilt (below) was mint and is huge king or queen size. I found it at the same Goodwill as the one above and it was $20.00.  It had never been washed and probably was a wedding quilt for some couple.  It is embroidered and quite lovely.  I was worried about the red bleeding and so I washed it with 4 color catching sheets.

McCoy holding red and blue quilt

 This quilt has amazing hand quilting and seemed little used if at all.  It is hard to see from the pictures but it is also embroidered in pale blue.  It too is a large quilt.  This quilt was $10.00.  Such a bargain!

McCoy and Zany hold this quilt

It is so fun to find a bargain at the thrift but when it is a quilt it is thrilling.  I sometimes feel that I am a quilt rescuer. Abandoned and unloved quilts are taken in and clean and sometimes simple repairs are made.  Now if I can just get Quinton to build the quilt cupboard of my dreams I can have somewhere to display more of my treasured quilts. 

Magic Quilt

 I am a gal of the opinion that you can't have too many quilts (see former post). I was at the thrift store when I found a blue quilt tossed amongst ratty blankets and sheets. I picked it up gleefully. After a quick glance over it I only saw a small hole that went all the way through the quilt and a few stains, nothing that couldn't be fixed.  I am guessing it is from the late 1980's or early 1990's.  As I held the quilt I sensed something magical about it and I could instantly picture myself taking a Sunday nap under its cozy, worn warmth. 

One worry at this particular thrift store is that it is mostly unpriced so you take your selections to the front counter to check out half holding your breath that the worker will give you nice cheap prices. Once in a while it backfires and you are taken back by your total.  (Like the time I took a screaming kid to the car and Ashlee had to check out for me and the worker charged me like five bucks for each hoodie somehow my total was thirty bucks needless to say I returned those hoodies and got my money back pretty quick.) 

I approached the counter with a friendly greeting and put a ziploc bag with three colors of felt on the counter next my quilt.  Ziploc bag of felt $3.00, way too pricey for a bag of felt so I put it back.  Nice pieced quilt $3.00.  Yippee! That was my happy purchase of the day!

Lovely Quilt

Small hole that went through all layers of quilt

After researching online the best way to repair it, I decided that zig-zagging the hole would work the best and then I could put an applique patch to hide it. Once I zig-zagged back and forth many times I decided I didn't need to hide it with an appliqued patch and so I just left it as the repair was unnoticeable.  Of course if you had an heirloom quilt or really old one you probably would want to repair with some other technique but since this quilt is just a friendly everyday type I went with a simple repair.

Zig-zagged back and forth to repair it

As to its magical abilities that I sensed when I first picked it up, 

I found it really does put one to sleep quite quickly.

 Here I am wide awake and antsy.

Magic Quilt has me under her powers

Walla, instantly I fall asleep for a lovely nap. Just to note, I usually sleep with a sweet smile on my face, I am just lucky like that. You should see my sister Ashlee sleep, not so pretty, maybe I should keep my eye out for a magic quilt for her. Ha, who I am kidding if I find another quilt I am totally keeping it for myself besides, a gal can't have too many quilts!