VINTAGE QUILTS

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Comment by handstitcher/IL on October 26, 2019 at 5:04pm

Jan, I know I commented elsewhere, but I just love this quilt and it’s story. If you’re interested, the book Remember Me by Linda Otto Lipsett is a fascinating look into signature quilts. She traced the family histories of 8 signature quilts she acquired and wrote their stories. The book was published in the 1980s, but is still available online or in used bookstores. Truly a lovely book. 

Comment by Pam/NY on October 24, 2019 at 8:38am

What a wonderful story, PQ! You are so right that... it found a home with the correct family. It is a gorgeous quilt and so many stories! I see them on Ebay and wonder how something so personal gets lost! 

Comment by Prairie Quilter Jan/NE on October 24, 2019 at 7:59am

Vintage quilt with a story.  (I'm having trouble loading the picture, so I hope it is able to be seen.)

In June of 2016, we had our annual maternal family reunion on the ranch where Mom was raised.  My cousin had just remodeled the original ranch house and was sharing her mother's things with the family.  There was a quilt she wanted me to see - a signature quilt that her mother had.  One of the signatures was a distant relative on her mother's side.  The quilt didn't hold any meaning to my cousin, but she knew I appreciated vintage quilts.  It is in near-mint condition, outside of obvious storage creases.  The quilt originated in Weld County, CO.  

I contacted the historical museum to see if they would be interested in a donation, or if they knew of descendants in the area who would appreciate having the quilt.  I certainly didn't mind treasuring it, but I thought it might have meaning to a family member.  The museum had a hold on textiles and were not accepting any new donations.  

This past summer, again at our family reunion, we were joined by some distant relatives from the Weld County area.  One of the women recognized some of the names on the quilt and was more than willing to see if a smaller museum would want it, or if there were family members still in the area who might be interested.

This past week, I received an e-mail from her saying she'd taken the quilt to church, and one of the women who had family from the original community took one look and said, "Oh, look!  That's my grandma.  And that's my great-grandmother.  And there's my aunt!"  This women was very close to her grandmother and cousins, so she was thrilled to receive the quilt.  She called herself a novice quilter.  She couldn't wait to show the quilt to her mother and the rest of the family.  

I couldn't have hoped for a better ending to the story of this well-traveled quilt.  It seems to have come full circle.  She said her grandmother's signature block was in her maiden name, so we know the quilt predates 1932 when her grandmother was married.  

Comment by handstitcher/IL on July 22, 2018 at 2:02pm

Bless the Internet, which helped me fill in the gaps! A &P stores closed in 2015. I do remember one at my grandmother's in NY and we even had one in northwest Indiana where I grew up. Both closed many years ago. I couldn't find my exact bag online, but did find some larger sizes. I've been learning a lot about feedsacks this summer, so this was really fun for me to discover last night. I thought the light blue I saw was dye that had run from the embroidery floss, until I started seeing words. 

Comment by Pam/NY on July 22, 2018 at 1:22pm

A and P groceries were popular on the East coast. Most are gone in our area. Great find!!!

Comment by Prairie Quilter Jan/NE on July 22, 2018 at 1:13pm

I love those kinds of surprises, handstitcher!  To me, that kind of history only adds to the sentimental value of the quilt.  

Comment by handstitcher/IL on July 22, 2018 at 12:55pm

Made a fun discovery with my baby quilt. The donkey 9 block on the bottom row is actually sewn on a piece of a bleached flour sack. I can barely make out the words, but the flour is from the Sunnyfield Family, which made flour for the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, later known as the A&P grocery stores. It's the only block that has printing on it. It didn't show up until I soaked and hand washed the top. It's very faint so it won't detract from the quilt, but what an awesome piece of fabric history! 

Comment by Pam/NY on July 8, 2018 at 1:46pm

I love those finds! Beautiful condition! Can’t wait to see what you do with it. 

Comment by Prairie Quilter Jan/NE on July 8, 2018 at 12:00pm

What a great find!  I'm always so tickled with those kinds of purchases.  I'm sure the original maker would be thrilled to have them set into a quilt.  

Comment by handstitcher/IL on July 8, 2018 at 11:55am

Went to the fair at the historical society today. I usually find great stuff at their flea market! Today I bought an embroidered quilt top for a few dollars. I'll probably reset the embroidered blocks to make a baby quilt. They're nicely stitched.

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