Flea market blocks
 

A few weeks ago, i bought about 80 blocks at a flea market in Hillsville, VA. They are scissors cut and hand stitched. I have no idea of their age..the ginghams and plaids have color all the way thru ...no right sides. There are a lot of indigo colors as well as a lot of pink ticking looking fabric. Anyway, it looks like blocks for two different quilts so i don,t even know if they came from the same maker. There are two groups that already have four blocks joined together. They are a star pattern but the fabrics really aren't very pretty...and they don't lay flat. But you know what? They were calling to me...i had to have them. I've squared them the best i can and am going to put them together as they are without sashing. I think if i quilt the heck of it, the puffy parts won't show so much. Theres something about the idea of someone working on them and not finishing that makes me sad. I want to give them a home and cheer them up. Sorry but i can't post pics from my ipad. Anywho, just cheer this little orphan on!

You have a real prize! Show us what you make with them!

Can't wait to see what they look like when you have finished putting them together!

Good for you for rescuing the blocks.

I found a partially worked rag quilt made of plaids. There are red and black, blue and black and yellow and black squares. The yellow and black do not really work with the other colours, but I think I will make pet quilts out of the blocks. I can donate them to the local cat rescue or SPCA.

I wish I'd find something like that. Hope they bring along good karma. Please keep us advised of your progress.

They vaguely sound like they might be blocks from 1890-1920, so you may have rescued something quite fun. is there a way to send us a picture of them as is?

Jan in VA

Here are one group of them...i hope. There are other with the pink ticking i'll post tomorrow.

What a wonderful find. They will be something special when you have finished quilting them.

What fun! You will have a great quilt- or two- when they are together! :)

Heres another from the group that has a lot of the ticking looking stuff.

good rescue!

Okay, no, these are not at all from the period I first thought they might be. They're much, much later than turn of the century, they're almost 'contemporary'. Enjoy playing with them, I'm sure you'll finish with something you'll quite enjoy. :)

Jan in VA

Thanks Jan! No matter what their age is, i'm still glad they have a home!

I once found 4 quilt tops at a dime and dollar store. I offered to take them home and finish them up. They wanted me to pay for them, but I said No, I would just like to finish the quilts so you can sell them. They let me take them home, and I had them back a few months later.

Just last year, we had a member pass away whose family donated all his fabric. Truck loads! After offering the fabric for about 6 months to the club members and then at the quilt show (we sold tons of it there for very cheap), it was heading for the dumpster. I said, "Oh, no. I'll find a home for it." There were about three boxes left. I found fabric to use for cat pillows, wheel chair and walker bags, upholstery, and a set of 20 beautiful blocks made by 20 different people. They had their names embroidered or written in pen on all the blocks. One had embroidered "1989" in here block. There was even extra fabric to match what each member had in their block. I was going to put them together with sashing, but they fit together so nicely without; squares with light outsides fit next to squares with dark outsides. I knew one person whose name was on a square, so I asked her about it. Now I found out who all these people are. Only one has passed away. I'm keeping this one. After all, if one of the makers has a grandson who becomes president or something, think how valuable it will be! ! ! ! LOL

A great find! I think it would be pretty to sash them.

I'll be a cheerleader! I, too, have rescued blocks. I just think about the person who worked on them and wonder what the rest of her life might have been like.

WOW! The first blocks you posted are beautiful with the exception of the one with the plaid blocked one. I'm actually preparing to quilt one just like those for a woman that found 4 quilts in her MILs chest after the MIL died. I don't know the name either....but haven't looked for it. I say, go for it, use the blocks you like, toss the ones you don't like. Sure made me stop and think about the pile of blocks I made that don't match ANYTHING and are "play" blocks -- -actually was testing the block pattern. I have about 25 blocks....and they would make such an UGLY quilt!!! Wonder what my descendents will do with them...LOL LOL

What a wonderful find. The orphan blocks have found a home. These blocks were meant to be put into a quilt that would be used to keep someone warm. So few of these beauties remain as they were used until they were tattered. Our museums show the quilts that were made to be put away, or just displayed. Blocks like the ones you rescued are the "quilt backbone" of america.

A great flea market. Over the years, I've bought several quilt tops there and gave them a home. Nice treasure.

I am a vintage nut. So far I have finished about 10 quilts that have been handsewn tops. I have bought over 300 blocks so far, and that might be an gross understatement. I just bought 10 of them 2 days ago. The most important thing I can suggest to you is to wash them. They are really dirty even though they do not look it. Be careful of the reds, they do bleed easily. I will soak them in laundry soap in my kitchen sink one by one to see if they bleed. Then I let them sit in a bucket of oxyclean/laundry soap for a day or so. Sometimes I have to change the water several times. I have always done this and I have never been unhappy with the results, the blocks come out so much brighter without all that dirt and it is easier to block them afterward. Right now I have about 25 blocks in my freezer because I didn't have time to iron them when done. I usually put them all in a dryer and dry them until almost done and then I iron them. I absolutely have a 'thing' about these vintage blocks, I always thank the maker who is unknown. Good luck with whatever you make. I have found that when I put these blocks together, I usually use solid colors and they have turned out great.

???? Why are they in your freezer? Did you put them in there wet? ~:confused:

Poor babies! I am so glad you rescued them and will be giving them a new start in life!

I'm sure they will know how much they are loved and will behave while you "quilt the heck out of them." Post when you finish.

Those are great blocks. Enjoy.

Thanks everyone! I did wash them, press them and square them up before the photos. I'll post pics when i finish them. It won't be a pretty quilt, but it will be loved.

I also have a big postage stamp quilt that my my mom made in the 70s. My daughter has had it for about 20 years. Its tied, no batting, just muslin and a sheet for backing. She recently asked if i could repair it. When i looked at the front, its fine, but oh boy, the back! That sheet is shredded! I think she must be using that quilt outside a lot. I'm going to take the back off, add batting, new back and machine quilt. She asked if i could save a little piece of th old sheet backing and incorporate into the new back.

Whohoo what fun!!! Looks good. have fun

Are you planning on machine or hand quilting? Hand quilting already gives a kinda puffy look...

Hi everybody,
Say, what's the name of the pattern of that block made of the red gingham, purple floral triangles with the square block in the middle? Kinda unusual, don't think I've seen it before. I'm sittin' here already thinkin' about how to pp this one. Anybody got any ideas?