Pat_sews

I was given a box full of quilt blocks and Feed sack fabrics. My nieice husband found them in his mother and grand mothers attic. He remembered them making quilts with them. His mother was in a nursing home from an early age because of an anurism so never finished a quilt . His son and dd are both married and would like a small quilt make with the blocks and fabrics. The problem is the blocks are not square at all. Do i even them up? Take them apart and re do them? Maybe sash each block and use them in the quilt. Also do I have to stick with the blocks started already? I know there is no rules but I want them to be nice. Any help will be appreciated..
Pat_sews

MawMaw B

I would sash with a dominate color and square them up as best as you can and use the blocks as is, unless the seams are coming apart. This is how she made them and seems that the family would appreciate her efforts. Just my 2 bits. By the way, my mom would take me shopping for fabric at the feed store when I was a kid. Telling my age....Some of those fabrics look familiar.

cabbagepatchkid

Those are awesome!!

I think I would leave them sewn the way they are, for sentimental reasons, and put sashings on them to even them out. If you are familiar with the "Dear Jane" quilt, that is what she did to make her blocks all the same size.

fayzer

I agree. It would be a shame to change them since it was their mothers handiwork.

fabric_fancy

ditto, don't change their mother's work just add to them to square them up

Enchanted Quilter

I worked last year on 4 quilt tops from feed sacks. Then I had about 40 blocks I took those & sashes them they were uneven to but hand sewn I made the sashes larger than I wanted so I cut square up the block when finished the way they are squared it looks like the blocked is straight . Just an illusion to the normal eye. Worked quite well. Play around with uneven ones . Try different ways maybe to thin sashes will help. Good Luck I felt so humble sew mine they were so old and the hand stitches were beautiful they were done by my family .

Barb44

Definitely leave them the way they are and add sashing. I believe it is important to honor the original piecer. I bought some Dresden plate blocks once and none were the same size. I just added sashing, restitched some pieces that were loose, hand quilted it and won a Best of Show ribbon at the county fair. (I did not enter it, a friend did, and told me later.)

It will mean much more to family members if used 'as is'.

debcavan

We are in an age of "perfect". When those were made, they were not. It is part of the character of some of the old quilts.

QuiltE

The ones you have shown look pretty even, just that the edges are a little ragged. I'd probably press them well with spray starch/size then trim them up as close to square and the size you want.

If block sizes are different, but not too much, you might be able to equal them out by some seams being slightly wider/narrower. Watch though, where you have points and would cut them off.

As the others have suggested, sashing will help you get things further squared up, though I'd start first with what I have suggested.

Of course, depending on how many blocks you have and what size of quilt you are trying to get to ... I'd consider doing groups of blocks, rather than sashing with every block, as the ones you have shown don't look like they are too big.

Pat_sews

Thank you ALL for your help. The blocks are about 8 x 8 and I have 70 of them and a pile of feed sack fabric to use.. There is every color in the rainbow in these blocks. So I will keep it like that.. I will devide the blocks and fabric for 2 quilts. They wont be big but they will be a wonderful rememberance of the grand mother and great grand mother. Another question about Feed sacks. I dont think these have been washed, or if they have they were starched very stiff. Should i wash them first? The block fabric doesn't seem stiff at all. Thank you all sooo much for help with this.. I will try to keep you posted when I do get started...I will have to think on this for awhile before I start on them.
Where else could I be asking quilting questions at 11 at night.. What a great group....
Pat_sews