What a lovely way to end my evening. Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. It’s good to hear from so many people with experience. I might invest in those books. I quilt myself (not well, btw), but I also find so many sewing supplies and fabric in thrift stores that I can’t bear to leave behind. I think the info would be really helpful. Ironically enough, I posted another thread under vintage machine parts and after that, I decided I also needed to know more about buttons. So I ordered a book about buttons!
And good common sense rule about the “youngest” fabric. If I get a chance, I will post pix of another quilt I “rescued” years ago. Another random find, but I love it because the seamstress used basically what looked like every bit of old clothing etc they had. It taught me that you really need to use what you have sometimes. These were the original up-cyclers!