lbaillie

sorry if this is a duplication

I recently received a bunch of vintage blocks with newspaper backing. One of the newspapers is dated 1929. The fabric is suprisingly in great condition but the newspaper is pretty brittle. I'm in a quandary as to what to do with them. I would love to sew them together but I'm not sure if I should leave the newspaper in tack. Anyone have any suggestions?

Kelsie

Are you thinking of just sewing them together to make a flimsy or of completing the process and actually making a quilt? If the former it would be interesting to leave them intact but if the latter then the paper will crinkle at first and break up and if you wash it I think if would be a lumpy mess. Lucky you. I picked up a bag at the thrift store that had only about 4 pieces of paper from the 30's with car advertisements for $575.00. Have you thought of taking a few pictures of the backs first? Keep us posted on how things go.

Iceblossom

I would help if we could see the blocks. Paper is typically removed, it was used as a foundation for strings, log cabins, and other things such as hexagons.

There have been time periods when the papers were left in, typically it meant times were bad and even a sheet of paper helped keep out the drafts.

As quilters, we didn't have the tools we have today, patterns were often made from folding paper and if you had pieces of fabric large enough to use as foundation blocks, you'd probably be using it for something else anyway.

For me, I'd be worrying about what the printers used for ink and if I used the blocks, I'd take the paper out. As an historical artifact/curiosity, I'd leave the papers intact until and when you actually use the blocks.

LAF2019

What a fun find!

sewbizgirl

Oooh... we wanna seee!

toverly

I would pull the paper at the seams and save a little. Maybe put it in a clear photo sleeve just for fun.

mindless

1929 was a particularly bad time in the USA
Not sure there is a way to preserve the paper as an historical item, but would be cool if you could.

And yes, we would love to see.

juliasb

This is a quandary that so many of us would love to have! What a find!! Myself, I would be saving them for the historical value or even offer them to a local museum. They may find this of great public value since the 1929 was when the great stock market crash was and then the great depression. Oh well, that is my thought. To put them together would be great but the loss of the paper might be greater.

eparys

I agree - What a find!!

I also agree with Iceblossom - if you make a complete quilt I would remove the paper. Who knows what chemicals are in the paper and or ink. Until then - I would leave them as is.

What might be cool is to scan each of the blocks front and back to keep a history file on the quilt. Or at the minimum - take them to a good copy machine and keep a paper copy. Then after you have removed the paper you can still "tell" the story of the quilt and the times it was pieced. If you did a paper copy of front and back of the blocks - you could bind them together and keep it with the quilt !! Just thinking out loud here. Can not wait to see it!!

retrogirl02

As others have said, I'd treat it like paper piecing and remove it if you're making a quilt. If not, I'd display and leave it in if it's not ruining the textiles. It is quite the find, congratulations!!