Quiltingboard Forums

Quiltingboard Forums (https://www.quiltingboard.com/)
-   Main (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/)
-   -   Super cool find today in my stash! (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/super-cool-find-today-my-stash-t221132.html)

DeneK 05-09-2013 04:17 PM

Super cool find today in my stash!
 
My SIL gave me some of her deceased mother's stash which included some pre-cut fabric for a dresden plate with around 10 blocks finished, batting, and quite an assortment of muslin of various colors and weights.

I thought it would be nice to finish the dresden plate blocks and make a quilt out of them and return to my SIL. That was not as easy as it sounds as her mother was trying to put 18 22.5 degree wedges into each plate circle. This was probably her mother's last quilt -- maybe her age, health or her eyes -- because she did some really beautiful work when she was younger/healthier.

I took her blocks apart and put back together with 16 blades and made enough new blocks for a 6x7 block setting. I finished putting all the dresden circles together in the last few days and decided I wanted to use some of her mother's muslin as base to applique them to. I washed, starched and today ironed them. Her mother had stitched together a number of these approx. 33" squares -- probably intended as a backing for this quilt. I ripped those apart to make them easier to cut into 15" squares. During the pressing of those pieces, I found one with a very faint blue lettering. Upon closer inspection I found that the lettering was this:

100 lb bag
Granulated Sugar
(company name here which I don't remember)
Havana, CUBA

These 33" squares were from old (very old ) bags that were imported from Cuba with sugar in them.

When did we quit buying sugar from Cuba? In the 50's?

The fabric is very strong. No weakness of the threads from being stored so long. There are some age spots and a few stains, but I am still going to use them as background for the plates. I think that only adds to the final project. And I am going to cut that segment with the blue lettering and use for the back.

I just think this is super cool!

Emma S 05-09-2013 04:26 PM

A real piece of history. Would love to see some pictures.

auntpiggylpn 05-09-2013 04:26 PM

Where are the pictures????? Cool finds for sure!

Jan in VA 05-09-2013 04:36 PM

Isn't that just FUN!!! How cool!

Jan in VA

cherisews 05-10-2013 04:40 AM

I just love finding pieces of history! I checked on when we stopped getting sugar from Cuba. I copied this from this website http://www.coldwarstudies.com/2010/1...can-sanctions/

"In retaliation, in July 1960, Cuba’s sugar quota was cut from the US market when Eisenhower cut Cuban sugar imports by 700,000 tons, the balance of the quota for 1960. He then fixed any future quota at zero. This move was devastating because, under normal circumstances, Cuba sold an average of 3,000,000 tons of sugar each year to the United States, at “prices that had been kept artificially high by laws designed to protect the high – cost US producer.”"

ube quilting 05-10-2013 04:51 AM

This is just an awesome thing to do. I love the idea of making sure the label on the fabric show and the history of the quilt is present right there.
Wonderful. Can you post Pics'? Please!
peace

Nammie to 7 05-10-2013 11:32 AM

That is a fun find!! I've never run across anything that nice! At one time I was looking for some handkerchief fabric - no one in town had any. I was not a happy camper. Later I was looking for something in my stash and ran across 3 yards of handkerchief fabric!

ArtsyOne 05-10-2013 11:36 AM

How exciting to find something like this and what a great idea to incorporate it into the project. Good for you!

cowgirlquilter 05-10-2013 11:39 AM

Wow! Cant wait to see you post the finished masterpiece!

Boston1954 05-10-2013 01:36 PM

First, that is very sweet of you to do this for her. Second, it is so nice to have a bit of history involved with the project. I wonder if you could include an extra label with some of this info. It will be very interesting to the future generation.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 07:42 PM.