Help needed with design using vintage pillowcases

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02-10-2014, 12:47 AM

#11

Anniedeb

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Join Date: Oct 2012

Location: Twin Cities, MN

Posts: 2,490

Wow!! Sounds like many of us are "sitting" on these vintage pillowcases! I too have probably 10 sets. Have to carefully look at all the suggestions. Must be something beautiful... just waiting to be made!

02-10-2014, 03:35 AM

#12

Stitchit123

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Join Date: Jul 2010

Location: Lebanon Missouri

Posts: 2,668

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nammie to 7

I've been collecting vintage pillowcases and dresser scarf sets. I want to use them in little girl's dresses and maybe as the centers in a crazy quilt. Pieces of the lace could be used in the quilt blocks also. Course that means they have to be cut up.

My Great Aunt use to make these so I had bunches in what her and my Gramma referred to as my Hope Chest. And through the years I have added to the collection I made several skirts for myself in the early 70's-which I still wear : ) I also made dresses for my 3 GDs which they all love and -even tho the oldest wears her's as tops now they are loved. I had thought about putting them in a quilt but felt they would be too girly. But my plan was to cut the case's 4 inches above the design-both layers stitched together at the cut and over lap them with a 3 inch exposure of the white. As I am writing it hit me this may even make a nice QAYG .. Well I hope you are happy - Now I have another idea for a little girls quilt to add to my list At this rate I will be here til I'm 130 yrs old LOL

02-10-2014, 03:46 AM

#13

mea12

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Join Date: Sep 2011

Location: Texas

Posts: 451

My MIL embroidered lots of sets of these but they were for standard-sized pillows so I removed the embroidered hem-parts and put them on our kings w/ a pretty band. we DO use them and i love the look. If you decide to cut it, a crazy-patch type border around a center motif would be nice...or the reverse of that with crazy-patch in the center and a plain, but scalloped border? if you use mostly white and cream for the crazy patches and keep your patches fairly good sized, the embroidery will not be lost in the design.

02-10-2014, 04:32 AM

#14

QuiltingHaven

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Join Date: Apr 2011

Location: Ohio

Posts: 952

Okay, this was the first quilt that I began working on when I retired in 2011. I had all of my grandmothers' pillowcases and wanted to make a quilt with them. It is all hand quilted after I carefully sectioned the embroidered ares off including the crochet detail on each of them. It took me almost a year to hand quilt them only because it was my first to do. Here are the pictures. Hope this might give you some ideas.

Attached Thumbnails

02-10-2014, 06:18 AM

#15

Jackie Spencer

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Join Date: Sep 2011

Location: Southern Indiana

Posts: 5,052

I have seen quilts made from vintage Hankies so there must be a way to make a quilt from these, although I don't know how. Please post again when you decide.

02-10-2014, 06:56 AM

#16

mighty

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Join Date: Jan 2011

Location: Upland CA

Posts: 18,376

I have no ideas but they really are quite lovely!

02-10-2014, 07:09 AM

#17

RugosaB

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Join Date: Mar 2010

Location: Ohio, just east of Toledo

Posts: 1,369

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nammie to 7

center of crazy quilt Hmmmm.....

02-10-2014, 07:12 AM

#18

RugosaB

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Join Date: Mar 2010

Location: Ohio, just east of Toledo

Posts: 1,369

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunster

I just finished Cindy Needham's class on Wholecloth Quilts on Craftsy. Cindy does a lot of work with vintage linens, and the class gives examples of how you might use these treasures. Don't be scared by the "wholecloth" aspect. The entire class is taught on a domestic sewing machine, not a longarm, and the techniques are not that hard. She will even show you how to use the lace at the bottom of the pillowcase in your quilt. I wish I had saved some of the lovely pillowcases and other linens from my younger years. I do have two tablecloths that I will use for wholecloth quilts, after I practice on some that I hope to find in the thrift stores. Have fun!

Craftsy was offering a free class, and I chose one taught by Cindy Needham. It was
wonderful and I thought to myself "She was so good, any other class I take, if not taught by her, could possibly be a waste." It's good to hear she's teaching another - this time I'll pay!
I forgot she did a lot with vintage linens, thanks for the reminder. I'm certainly going to check into it.

02-10-2014, 07:16 AM

#19

RugosaB

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Join Date: Mar 2010

Location: Ohio, just east of Toledo

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Grandma Bonnie

They are beautiful! I wouldn't have the heart to cut them up but I'm sure they can be made into something beautiful. The Craftsy class mentioned above sounds like it would be a great help to you.

I kind of feel the same way, about cutting them up. Then I got to thinking, they're just going to sit in a bin in my closet, and there are some that will not be cut, so I've come to the conclusion whoever made them would rather they be enjoyed. That's kind of why I want to do something 'challenging, they are worth the work and I sort of owe the maker

02-10-2014, 07:20 AM

#20

RugosaB

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Join Date: Mar 2010

Location: Ohio, just east of Toledo

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan in VA

They are so beautiful!
I once used embroidered linens like this to create curtains and valances for my very feminine Shabby Chic bedroom. I also used them to line the visual edge of shelves in an antique secretary - behind glass doors - on which rested my family photos collections.
And once I used them to make neck roll pillows for my bed.

Jan in VA

I'm trying really hard to not turn the room into too feminine a place, but since the pillowcases have a history with our house and with his Grandma, who of the brothers he was the closest, I'm sort of getting a pass to use them. Plus, Grandma made the quilt too.