Originally Posted by
Garden Gnome
I too think it is well worth finishing, and will be a great heirloom when finished. How do you feel about using a bright contrasting print binding? A 40s look. The fabric would mostly pass for 30s/40s repro, I think.
Along the lines of frugality, my FIL was a drycleaner , and of necessity learned to sew, in order to repair, hem, take in and let out the suits he cleaned. He used old and "abandoned" suits to make very heavy quilts. They are not attractive, and are too heavy to be practical, but they were welcome on a few nights that the power went out, I can tell you.
Not repro. I'm pretty sure this is old, as in about 50 60 years or more. Some of the types of fabrics in it are very much like things I remember from my childhood, and they're not quilter's cottons, for the most part, but things that would have been used in garments of the time (before double knits). Some of the fabrics almost certainly date to a decade or two before it was assembled. If I had to guess who made it, I'd say it was probably the aunt who later made prettier quilts. Maybe she wasn't all that fond of this one herself. She was a younger sister of my SIL's mom, both part of that great generation that lived through the Depression and WW2.
I agree with Donna that we should include some information with our UFO's because otherwise they won't get due respect and people forget who started them. I'm sure my SIL's dad, who was the last survivor of that generation of their family, probably kept it for a reason and knew who made it, but he passed on before anyone could ask him what he knew. Even without the full story, the scrappy fabrics leftover from sewing clothes for the family, and in some cases maybe even cut from discarded garments or curtains, have a story about frugality that anyone can notice and appreciate, even without knowing the who, what, when and where behind it. But wouldn't it be good to know!