Hello friends. Just popping in to journal my treasure find.
I came across a yard sale today at the end of my street. The man who lived there died this summer, and the house has now sold. The people who bought the house also got all contents of whatever was left in the house and sheds.
I walked up to a tarp lying on the ground, scattered with what looked like quilt piecing. Turned out they were quilt tops, hand-pieced (tucks and all), and the lady said that they were priced at $5. each. I chose this one with black blocks as it's piecing seemed to be the best of the lot, and I was intrigued with what could be a somewhat more masculine colorway.....the others were pretty bright, or very pastel/girly.
When another shopper saw me looking at these, she told me that there were more in one of the sheds. I went through those also, and then chose this one with string blocks. I'd like to copy the design if I don't actually finish this top into a quilt. I mean it's a simple block that I see everywhere, but perhaps having this where I can see it often, I'll be more inspired to actually make one.
It's mostly hand-pieced, but I can see where someone took some of the quarter blocks and machine-sewed them into the final block size. There are bits of newpaper stuck in some of the seams as well. I sprayed them both down with my waterhose, and the fabrics in this one dried VERY stiff. They don't seem to be thicker, so I don't know what that's about, but I wouldn't want to try hand-quilting through THEM !
Oh what treasures. I have found two completed quilts, a paper pieced quilt top made on newspaper (Texas, 1945-even older than me) and my mom found a shoe box crammed full of pieces, half finished blocks and cardboard templates from the '30's. I almost don't want to finish the paper pieced top, I love the newspaper inside! I always think of the quilt's story...how did it end up in my life, do you?
ReplyDeleteYes, Jan, I do ! I slightly knew the man who had owned the house. He sold plants and seed at a little store, and I bought tomato plants from him on Saturday, at which time I exchanged a few words with him pleasantly. On Monday or Tuesday I heard that he had passed away. I was so surprised ! I never knew his wife, but these people who bought his house seem to think that she had pieced all these tops. They are roughly done, but SO MANY ! She obviously loved the work, or else I would think that they would have been finished, if they had been made out of necessity. I kept thinking of how little value this woman now placed on them at $5 apiece, but I've been wanting to pare down my own belongings, so I limited myself to what I thought that I would use.
DeleteBy the way, I love your little visits here at my blog. Thank you for coming again and commenting.
I love that you found these and that you plan on quilting the blue one . . . that is if I understood this correctly, or maybe it dried stiff too? I think it is wonderful when an old quilt pieced by a past quilter and then finished by another is completed. There is a blessing to both women in this process and a connection of the heart. Fore no one pieces a quilt or quilts one without a piece of their heart going into the work.
ReplyDeleteNo, you are right Maggie, I do hope to quilt the black/blue one. And yes, my heart just went out to the fact that all of this ones work was being sold for practically nothing. I do want to finish that one, and it will be special in that it has curved piecing which I don't do very much of.
ReplyDelete