mimiknoxtaylor

I have some from my grandmother - just scraps that she'd made things for us grandkids. Maybe from the early 50's or 40's. But I also have a wonderful book from my great-grandmother that she compiled for teaching sewing back in the late 1800's. She was a teacher & also taught needlework. The book has the instructions for the stitches & then a sample piece on the page. It's in very fragile condition but I love it.

moonrise

I've got some scraps and 9-patch blocks I inherited from my great-grandmother, who passed away in 1979. She was in her mid-70's. I have no idea how old the fabric is, but she quilted her entire life, so it could be as old as 80-90 years.

I'd love to do something with the blocks, but it looks like she didn't use a pattern when she made them, because they're all over the place, as far as sizes. Some may not be usable anyway, as they've become stained over the years ... but I don't have the heart to throw them out. :)

There are also some blocks to a wedding ring (double wedding ring?) quilt that she'd started. They're more consistent and appear to be in good condition, but I've never made one of those quilts before, so I'd want to practice first. :)

Lady Crafter

Wow ... I love all the answers and "wannadoes" in this topic. For those that have some fabric from their ancestors, be it mother, grandmother or whatever .... use it! Decide on what to do to honor that person ... make a quilt, a wallhanging, a tabletopper .... but use it! It will make you feel so much closer to that person.

Now to figure out what to do with that 40 year old flannel .... :P

Flying_V_Goddess

I only started quilting three years ago so I don't have much of a stash to speak of. But I do have some creme faux suede fabric from four years ago that I was going to make for a cosplay costume (Gum from Jet Set Radio). I never used it and now that I think about it I wonder why in the world I chose suede.

Quilt Mom

:lol: We can ALL look at our stashes and say the same thing about at least a few of the pieces! I definitely have some, purchased a few years back, that I can't understand where my head was when I bought the piece!! :lol:

dreamboat

I have a few pieces that was in some of my Mom's stuff when me and my sister went through her stuff when she passed away in 2000. The fabric probably is 40 or 50 years old.

Annya

I stll have fabric I bought to make myself clothes. that was before I found out about quilting. I did buy different pieces of about 3 yards. That was at least 30 years ago. I still have the best which I will not cut YET ANY WAY! I do have rick rack that is from the 50's a lot of it

Annya

Why don't you neaten up the edges and add strips to make them all the same size then make them into a quilt with the history of how your great grandmother made them. That way you are honoring her memory and what she loved to do.

quilting cat

My favorite is the cut pieces whose newspaper pattern has a joke that goes something like "The way to get Al Capone is for him to be the target of a drive-by shooting". That HAS to be from the 30's! That bag of pieces has small fans and 3/4" hexagons of assorted 30's (and/or 20's?)prints.

Pastor_Ruth

I have some lace that came with my great grandmother from Ireland when she immigrated. It was made for her wedding dress and then passed down. I am thinking that I can trace it back to the late 1800's. I have it carefully stored. Hoping that someday I will have Black Fox make a frame that it can be sealed in to protect it. Or perhaps donate it to a museum.