I needed some inspiration for a small, quilted project this week. This led to going through my scrap books of quilts that I have made or quilted. Which led to “walking” down a memory lane of vintage quilts. Come along with me. Maybe you will get an idea or two for a quilt project.

Background for these quilts

For many years I had a hand quilting service. It was a great way to make some extra money while being home with small children. I also got to see what other quilters were doing or interested in. Probably a third of the quilts over the years were family heirlooms or just random vintage quilts. They were fun to quilt.

Goose in a Pond

This was a fun quilt to hand quilt for PB of Fiddletown, CA in 1996. The finished quilt was 54″ square. It has 146 yards of quilting in it. I did the quilting in the “Baptist Fan” design. There were 16 blocks. I love the colors.

Bow Tie Quilt

I hand quilted this one in 1994 for a woman whose grandmother had made it. The new owner wanted it to be quilted “like her grandma would have done”. It was a double size and had mostly 1940’s and 1950’s fabrics. The back was muslin and the batting poly. The quilting design was very simple and came to a total of 64 yards. The quilt belongs to AH, of Laurel, MT.

Strings

String quilt made during the Great Depression. The fabrics were feed sackings and cottons in typical Great Depression colors of bubble gum pink, poison green, etc. I added the two solid borders so the top would be a queen size the owner wanted. It was hand quilted in 1993. This was another quilt by her grandma. Owned by AH, of Laurel, MT.

Spinning Flowers

This quilt top was sent to me by a lady in Ohio to hand quilt in 1996. She had already marked the quilting design for me to follow. I thought then, and still think, this is a really unique quilt. And very pretty. All the flowers are hand appliqued. After putting in 301 yards of hand quilting, I contacted the owner who stated she was in the middle of a divorce. She would contact me in a few weeks to settle up and get her quilt back. I never heard from her again.

Spinning Flowers finished at 78″ x 94″. The backing is muslin, and the batting is wool. It quilted wonderfully. I sold it via Etsy in 2020 to a woman in Pasadena, CA. I hope she enjoys it immensely.

Embroidered Quilt

This white quilt with all yellow embroidery was done in the 1930’s to 1940’s. I hand quilted it over a few short weeks in 1995 – basically just straight lines between the blocks. Total hand quilting was 49 yards. It finished at 68″ x 79″. Owned by DR, of Cleveland, OH.

Snowball

This typical Great Depression era quilt has lots of purples, pinks, greens, and lots of little pieces of other scraps. I added the solid borders to make it a queen size. It is hand quilted in simple straight lines. This one was quilted in Sept. 1993. Owned by AH, of Laurel, MT.

Jacob’s Ladder

This vintage quilt was pieced in 1890. I guessed the fabric was from 1860-1890 based on my own research. I hand quilted it in 1995. The finished size is 70″ x 84″. It is owned by KD, of Esperance, NY.

MEMORY LANE OF VINTAGE QUILTS:

You don’t have to personally piece or quilt every quilt you possess. Buy them, trade them, receive as gifts or inherit these wonderful quilts. No matter how they come to you, enjoy them. Quilts are like hugs from a loved one.

Is it possible to have too many quilts? Probably. But do we as quilters and quilt lovers care about having too many quilts? Of course not. They are for snuggling and enjoying. Quilts make us joyful.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

FB/P/I