Black specks in vintage quilt find ?
10-06-2020, 07:56 PM
#11
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Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by ptquilts
Sounds like it was not well made, and will continue to give you problems. How about reproducing the pattern yourself, using good fabrics and batting? Would that be possible?
Great encouragement you give but the pattern is not something I can reproduce myself because it is a one piece top with a printed pattern on it. It is not pieced together at all. Therefore, it would be quite useless to try to recreate a printed, not meant to appear pieced, pattern.
I really wish I was able to attach the pictures I have because it would explain everything! But I was not able to figure out how to attach the pics. Maybe I need to be on a computer in order to attach pictures, rather than not an iPad? Albeit my iPad is as “Pro” as they get. Lol.
I have another post explaining another quilt I found that is very similar to this one in the way that it is a printed top, repeated on both sides with fabrics wearing away quite a lot. My question about that quilt is, is it the same quilt I see on the TV series, “The Walton’s”. I’m not talking about the show they did called “The Quilt”. I’m talking about a quilt I have that is exactly like the quilt seen on their show, episode after episode!
this leads me to question that maybe these printed quilts I have ARE replicas of much earlier quilts? I can’t find the answers to this anywhere! It’s driving me crazy for over 10 years not knowing the answer to the question, is my quilt the same as the quilt on the Walton’s show, and therefore is the quilt I have very old?
The similar quilt I found at my grandmother’s house, still brand new in the plastic wrapping, tells me that these blankets/quilts printed on both sides cheaply made quilts can’t be very old. Or maybe they are two completely differently made quilts. ?? Ugh.
thank you again.
10-06-2020, 08:33 PM
#12
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Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by quiltingshorttimer
I have a Grandmother's Flower Garden hand made by my grandmother in the 1920's. I the dark spots problem and was really worried it was mildew. Had it appraised and was told that the bats in the early part of century were likely either cotton or wool and the cotton was not needle punched or had resin in it so needed to be closely quilted. And that my dark spots were pieces of cotton seed and not to worry--helped date the quilt as authentic.
I hear what you are saying about the cotton pieces being stuck in these older quilts, but this quilt I have just found at my late grandmother’s house has thousands of specks in it. I never noticed them when the quilt was first taken out of the plastic packaging at all. I even spent about an hour spray treating the quilt for spots that appeared where there was some exposure on the open end of the bag. It wasn’t until I went to take it out of the washing machine that I noticed tons of black and brown specks all throughout! I was scared! I had no idea what this was! I still don’t which is why I’m hoping for some help in this forum. But as I said in my post, I picked many of them out through the cross fibers of the fabric (which was not easy at all!) and over and over the specks seemed very attached to the cotton, not with the cotton. But this many pieces? And why didn’t I see them before the quilt got wet? It’s mainly white, so I should have seen something! And all that stain spray treatment? You’d think wetting the quilt with the spray would have revealed this more than it did. ??
it’s all very frustrating and I think I still have to actually throw this quilt away.
thank you!
10-06-2020, 08:49 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by Peckish
Welcome to the board.
Sorry you had such a bad experience. I've never heard of the Colonial Quilt Company. If all their products were made as shoddily as it sounds your quilt was, it's no wonder it's no longer in business.
Sorry you had such a bad experience. I've never heard of the Colonial Quilt Company. If all their products were made as shoddily as it sounds your quilt was, it's no wonder it's no longer in business.
I agree with you that this company may have not been very good, I don’t know. It’s very frustrating and rather unusual to find NOTHING about them at all! You’d think google can find anything nowadays. But wether the specks were due to a factory mistake, then the quilts sold in an outlet stores, would be good to know! It would make sense since my grandmother often shopped outlet places due to her fears from the Great Depression.
If I could find some information on this company, maybe I could find an ad that states a factory mishap whereby the cotton was greatly compromised and had bits in it. ? That would certainly help me to know what the specks are! If they are bits of cotton and are harmless I’d still want to replace the batting, but atleast I would know they are harmless.
thank you!
10-06-2020, 09:04 PM
#14
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Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by juliasb
Welcome to the QB from SE Michigan! I am so sorry that this keepsake had this devastating problem. One reason to use a good bat. And the stitching so sad. It sounds like you are an experienced quilter and know to well when something has these problems it was in the quality of the product and not by any fault of a loved one. As Tartan said you could still put it on display after taking it apart and putting a new bat and backing on it. I am glad you jumped right in and I hope to see a lot of you here. Again welcome to the QB.
I will probably take the pieces apart and replace the batting, redo the machine quilting, but I really need to know exactly what the specks are before I can feel comfortable about any further handling or even keep, what I thought was, an incredible find.
I really wish I could attach the pics.
again, thank you for your wonderful, warm, welcome.
10-06-2020, 09:26 PM
#15
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Originally Posted by Tartan
Welcome from Ontario, Canada. It could be natural handmade quilt batting. In vintage quilts before manufactured batt were available, you had to card your own cotton and lay it out in a solid layer and then quilt. The bits that you see may be part of the cotton ball husk. As for fixing it, you could take it apart and reuse the top with a new back and batting. If that isn’t something you want to do, it can still be folded and put on display.
Do you think the fact that this quilt was made by a company, probably a factory, could still have this problem?
Also, this is a one piece front and back, both with the same printed design on the front and back cloth.
You’re probably very good at finding your way around this forum and could easily find the other post I made about the quilt I have that is exactly like the quilt I’ve seen on the TV series, “The Walton’s”. I’d love some answers there as well. I only wish I was able to attach the pictures because the pics tell it all!
Thank you so much! I hope to see your comments again.
10-07-2020, 08:00 AM
#16
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
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Adding my welcomes and that the black particles are just probably part of the natural process of cotton production and nothing to worry about.
Many of us have some difficulties adding photos here, but we do love them! If you haven't already, check out our help page, photo stuff is stickied to the top.
https://www.quiltingboard.com/qb-help-center-f27/
For me, the combination of a older digital camera with limited options/software and not a phone means my file sizes are too large and must be compressed. I go to this site here, no affiliation other than it is quick, easy, and does not set of my virus scanners:
https://www.reduceimages.com/
I drag the picture there, use their defaults and click once to reduce, and once to upload there, and then I come here, make my pounce and download. When you get to the screen where you have selected the photos, the other big trip up is that it is shaped wrong (to the old board format). You need to stretch out the window long and to the right to click the actual button.
Many of us have some difficulties adding photos here, but we do love them! If you haven't already, check out our help page, photo stuff is stickied to the top.
https://www.quiltingboard.com/qb-help-center-f27/
For me, the combination of a older digital camera with limited options/software and not a phone means my file sizes are too large and must be compressed. I go to this site here, no affiliation other than it is quick, easy, and does not set of my virus scanners:
https://www.reduceimages.com/
I drag the picture there, use their defaults and click once to reduce, and once to upload there, and then I come here, make my pounce and download. When you get to the screen where you have selected the photos, the other big trip up is that it is shaped wrong (to the old board format). You need to stretch out the window long and to the right to click the actual button.
10-23-2020, 06:41 AM
#18
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Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Massachusetts
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Yes!!!! Exactly!! All the bits I struggled and said bad words trying to pull out between thread counts using two needles look exactly like these! Thank you SO much!! Phew! I feel so much better! I was scared it was full of something terrible, but the bits never looked like living things. Atleast now I really know because the bits I pulled out are exactly these. Thank you a million times.
but I still, have a mess on my hands and a cheaply made quilt. I have it in the donate pile but it’s breaking my heart to toss it away. I will warn you, I have really awesome projects to get to that would be far more rewarding than re-doing this quilt. Like, the most gorgeous Grandmother’s Garden Patch quilt TOP, all original and hand sewn, main background color is green which I think is gorgeous and really looks like a garden patch. I also have a Cathedral Window Quilt that needs repair. It’s all reds on white. TO DIE FOR! Could win show! But wore on the folds again.
I’m still confused why this would have such old batting. ? Or such lousy batting. ? This is not an old quilt as far as I know.
-It was brand new in a plastic package.
-Was from The Colonial Quilt Factory in Connecticut. I researched the co. to see if I could get any info on wether they were junky or at one time had a problem with batting but I found nothing. A woman has one for sale on EBay, not exact but the tag is almost identical. And I believe I have another like this, much different pattern, (let’s call it the yellow one) which I posted about too, but that one has great batting.
-It’s a full size bed quilt, one piece top and one piece back, both printed with the same lovely print, main color green. So it is a quilt in that it’s quilted, but it’s not a pieced together one. My guess is, it’s from the 1960s? Maybe 70s since The Walton’s resorted to using one on their show if I’m right about the maker.
-Fabric quality isn’t great. Very thin cotton fabric, so the white parts of the quilt really show the specks. And what feels like plastic thread is coming out by the droves, esp around the outside of the quilt. AND (sorry to go on about this) every time I wash it, the batting must be coming through the thin fabric because there’s so much lint everywhere. 😢😭 I wouldn’t even know who made it if I hadn’t have found it brand new and read the tag because after one wash, the tag was unreadable. That tells me, the ppl who do have them have no idea what company made them.
I even tried looking up old Sears catalogs to see if they sell them but catalogs cost a lot of money on EBay etc.
Any who....
I just don’t know what I’ll do with it but I’m grateful to know that the bits really are cotton seed pieces.
If you are still interested to read my blab...
about the yellow Walton’s quilt... I believe it could be from the same company too, or from an era when cheaper, factory made blankets were still being made with semi-raw American cotton batting. I posted about the Walton’s quilt on the wrong forum 🤭. My quilt is EXACLTY like the quilt on the TV show except their’s is in red and mine is in turquoise and yellow. My yellow one doesn’t have batting problems but wore out very badly where folded. But it’s gorgeous and I really love it. I know I can fold it and look at it but I want to fix it and use it! Another big job I’ll have to tuck away for now.
Seeing one of my quilt finds on The Walton’s really threw me off as far as dating it because One Cloth quilts with printed patterns on them do exist! But again, I can’t find anyone who actually owns one, and have never seen another on EBay in 15 years! I guess the Walton’s set ppl aren’t always true to using every prop true to date. :/
Well, than you again. I can’t thank you enough. You solved the first part of my dilemma. Lol. Now it’s up to me wether I want another project to get to when I have others piled up too.
bless you!!
Woo hoo!! 😁 I figured out how to make a link of my pics! I hope it works. If it does, the yellow quilt is the Walton-like one, you’ll see pics from Walton’s show of theirs too, a pic of the tag from my green quilt that has bad batting, and a pic of a pink quilt but Colonial that is for sale on EBay.
Ugh!! It’s still sayin, “a security code is missing” when I try to upload photos using the advanced reply. I’ve written moderators about it but I don’t have any messages back to me that I know how to find,
Forums seem to be hard to learn and take too much time. Maybe I can post the link here. ?? No. It won’t show up.
but I still, have a mess on my hands and a cheaply made quilt. I have it in the donate pile but it’s breaking my heart to toss it away. I will warn you, I have really awesome projects to get to that would be far more rewarding than re-doing this quilt. Like, the most gorgeous Grandmother’s Garden Patch quilt TOP, all original and hand sewn, main background color is green which I think is gorgeous and really looks like a garden patch. I also have a Cathedral Window Quilt that needs repair. It’s all reds on white. TO DIE FOR! Could win show! But wore on the folds again.
I’m still confused why this would have such old batting. ? Or such lousy batting. ? This is not an old quilt as far as I know.
-It was brand new in a plastic package.
-Was from The Colonial Quilt Factory in Connecticut. I researched the co. to see if I could get any info on wether they were junky or at one time had a problem with batting but I found nothing. A woman has one for sale on EBay, not exact but the tag is almost identical. And I believe I have another like this, much different pattern, (let’s call it the yellow one) which I posted about too, but that one has great batting.
-It’s a full size bed quilt, one piece top and one piece back, both printed with the same lovely print, main color green. So it is a quilt in that it’s quilted, but it’s not a pieced together one. My guess is, it’s from the 1960s? Maybe 70s since The Walton’s resorted to using one on their show if I’m right about the maker.
-Fabric quality isn’t great. Very thin cotton fabric, so the white parts of the quilt really show the specks.
And what feels like plastic thread is coming out by the droves, esp around the outside of the quilt. AND (sorry to go on about this) every time I wash it, the batting must be coming through the thin fabric because there’s so much lint everywhere. 😢😭 I wouldn’t even know who made it if I hadn’t have found it brand new and read the tag because after one wash, the tag was unreadable. That tells me, the ppl who do have them have no idea what company made them.I even tried looking up old Sears catalogs to see if they sell them but catalogs cost a lot of money on EBay etc.
Any who....
I just don’t know what I’ll do with it but I’m grateful to know that the bits really are cotton seed pieces.
If you are still interested to read my blab...
about the yellow Walton’s quilt... I believe it could be from the same company too, or from an era when cheaper, factory made blankets were still being made with semi-raw American cotton batting. I posted about the Walton’s quilt on the wrong forum 🤭. My quilt is EXACLTY like the quilt on the TV show except their’s is in red and mine is in turquoise and yellow. My yellow one doesn’t have batting problems but wore out very badly where folded. But it’s gorgeous and I really love it. I know I can fold it and look at it but I want to fix it and use it! Another big job I’ll have to tuck away for now.
Seeing one of my quilt finds on The Walton’s really threw me off as far as dating it because One Cloth quilts with printed patterns on them do exist! But again, I can’t find anyone who actually owns one, and have never seen another on EBay in 15 years! I guess the Walton’s set ppl aren’t always true to using every prop true to date. :/
Well, than you again. I can’t thank you enough. You solved the first part of my dilemma. Lol. Now it’s up to me wether I want another project to get to when I have others piled up too.
bless you!!
Woo hoo!! 😁 I figured out how to make a link of my pics! I hope it works. If it does, the yellow quilt is the Walton-like one, you’ll see pics from Walton’s show of theirs too, a pic of the tag from my green quilt that has bad batting, and a pic of a pink quilt but Colonial that is for sale on EBay.
Ugh!! It’s still sayin, “a security code is missing” when I try to upload photos using the advanced reply. I’ve written moderators about it but I don’t have any messages back to me that I know how to find,
Forums seem to be hard to learn and take too much time. Maybe I can post the link here. ?? No. It won’t show up.
