Anyone here sew with vintage fabrics? I went through a period where I bought a lot of vintage barkcloth and chenille bedspreads, mostly from eBay. They made such pretty quilts when cut into squares. Come Fall, I think I may try again. Most of the barkcloths were florals, which were very pretty and I had some western theme barkcloth I combined with tea stained chenille to make cute quilts for boys and vintage themed rooms. Just came across these fabrics while going through my sewing room and made me itch to try it again.

I have some that I have picked up...not sure when or if I will use them... they are pretty just to look at. :D:D:D

I love the look but have not actually done any. Hummmmm may be a new venture in my future.

Isn't that the truth. I enjoy just touching and looking at them. Hubby so does not get this. He thinks they just take up space. I think they ADD to the space.

I'm collecting retro prints to go with my sorta vintage (early 70's) box of scraps that I was given.
I'm thinking it will have to be a crazy quilt because of all the varied shapes and sizes.
Have gotten some bright aqua solid to sorta tie it all together, most likely as sashing.
Considering maybe letting this be my one to experiment with QAYG.

I have a lot of scraps that are 40 or more yrs old. I do mean a lot, a laundry basket full. I am slowly making a crazy quilt from them.

I have a few pieces too. Too pretty to use right now, maybe when I get really good at quilting I will !

I have a little barkcloth problem myself. (Like a room of barkcloth) I have used it in quilts. And as quilt backing. And as curtains in my 1956 house.(the original purpose). And for cushions in my car. And and and.... Oh, and the one and only bag that I have made so far is made out of 1950's curtain fabric.(not barkcloth, but barkcloth era)

I love it all. I have two partial bolts of hawaiian barkcloth, one grey with pink and green fronds, and one yellow, with green and pink and grey. Also lots of still life and landscape, and of course, atomic.

Check out retrorenovations.com if you haven't yet. It's amazing. All things mid-mod.

I find this to be an interesting topic. Namely because I have a great DIL who love Raggety Ann and Andy. So for a surprise quilt I had planned on making her a quilt within these fabrics. BUT... I found a website that is strictly for anything vintage for ann and andy. And they several pieces of fabrics from the origingal period of time. I did order several pieces and also ordered a double panel that could be made into pillow cases. EXCEPT...this fabric is so old and so stiff that I am afriad to wash it for fear that I will actually lose it. And it's not doing me any good just sitting there as a home decoration. Not exactly something you can just throw over the back of your chair. This fabric is extremely old and if anyone has any suggestions pertaining to using it, I would deeply appreciate it. I have accumulated some very nice ann and andy fabric that will be enough to make a quilt as a gift, but I really wanted to find a way to incorportate this antique fabric into the gift.

Thanks much, Blue

Okay, Blue- this is my deal with very old cotton. It seems to depend how it has been stored. Some of it, when it seems to just crumble when you touch it, I would not put in a quilt- it will just make the entire quilt less sturdy, as it's going to fall apart the fastest.

What you might do is hand wash it, carefully, and back it with a stabilizer and then make a throw pillow with it- something usable, but perhaps without so much stress as a quilt? Make sure you stabilize it first- I think that might help it last a bit longer.

Good luck-

Maggie

Okay, Blue- this is my deal with very old cotton. It seems to depend how it has been stored. Some of it, when it seems to just crumble when you touch it, I would not put in a quilt- it will just make the entire quilt less sturdy, as it's going to fall apart the fastest.

What you might do is hand wash it, carefully, and back it with a stabilizer and then make a throw pillow with it- something usable, but perhaps without so much stress as a quilt? Make sure you stabilize it first- I think that might help it last a bit longer.

Good luck-

Maggie

thank you... I think I will do that this afternoon.. with the hand washing and rinsing. But with no twisting. I think I remember someone telling me if it's difficult to wash and rinse, lay it in a towel and then slowly roll the towel so get as much water out of as possible. Thinking of placing it in a nylon bag and letting it air dry in the dryer to eliminate winkles. I would really hate to hit it with an iron for a longer time then necessary.

So here geos,
Thanks, Blue