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Good Morning Sewists. Meet the first of the Attic Quilts! You may be aware that I am in the process of clearing out MIL's house preparing for an estate sale in a few weeks. I thought I had unearthed just about everything in the last 4 months but I was wrong. We had not investigated the attic yet because she had told us that it was already "cleared out." Nooooooooooooooooo, not even close. By the time we quit the other day we had cleared most of it but not all. In a large cedar chest I found a little treasure trove of quilts.
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This beauty, essentially a two color only quilt, was last to be brought down. It had never been washed, never used. Growing up in the Great Depression meant using every scrap of fabric, Husbands Grandmother was the quilter. She raised her three daughters alone and struggled every day. To my MIL, quilts translated as poverty. Not a quilter, she never understood the joy of creating a quilt and the comfort it provided. To her it was poor-mans-bedding. As a result, many of the quilts gifted to her by her Mother and unmarried Sister were tossed aside.
This one was likely made in the 1970's long after the Great Depression. I say this because in the colored blocks the colors popular during that time are featured.
Machine pieced and hand quilted, this is a very happy quilt. Interestingly, it has the scent of Vinegar. MIL packed little pieces of fabric soaked in vinegar in the chest to deter insects. I haven't washed it, the scent is fading but my entire second story smells like a salad drenched with vinegarette!
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| I knew these ladies well. For many years they were my inspiration to lead a focused and simple life. It was their influence that kept me sewing, quilting and crafting. |
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Their method of layering included a full size muslin backing, a heavy cotton flannel blanket as batting. They used the backing, wrapped to the front, folded over and applied as the binding. The most kind and caring ladies I have ever known and every stitch in every quilt reminds me of that and how blessed I was to know them. Yes, there are Angels in that Attic.
- More quilts to come, and yes, they all smell like vinegar.
- Husband wanted to include the quilts in the sale. We are close to divorce.
- Spring is here, my Forsythia is starting to bloom, a few surviving daffodils are blooming, the deer are starting to bed down. I know babies are on the way.
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