Need Inspiration for Vintage Fabric
 

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for vintage cat fabric. I just bought this print c. 1940's:

http://i.imgur.com/0MZlvvel.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/O9VSXmTl.jpg

I'm thinking of making a throw quilt (for myself of course..heheh) with it. Per the listing, the fabric is about 35" wide and about 4 yards. Instead of just a plain half inch or so binding, does anyone have any ideas of what I could do to make this even cuter? I'm thinking it would look great tied but apparently the dotted type lines are where you are supposed to quilt as well.

Cute fabric!!! I don't have any binding suggestions but I like your idea of tying it. If you hadn't said anything about the lines I wouldn't have known they were for quilting.

thats the cutest fabric ! I love the colors too. Have fun, whatever you make will be cute

i am thinking it is tooooooo cute to cut up .....i would put a small white or yellow border maybe 2'' then a larger 5'' to 8''blue [in my case] or pink border ....then i would just fmq around the stuff ....love your fabric ..great find

I love the fabric from my childhood! Perhaps a piano key border to make it wider?

Thanks all, I definitely fell in love with i right away! I wish I would come across such things at estate sales, etc.

I definitely won't cut the pattern up, it will be a "cheater quilt" in that sense. Some good ideas about borders here!

Love it....I would quilt it, but that's just me. Whatever you do it will be fantastic.

I am seeing a pieced border that looks like a picket fence using the blue or green for background and white for the fence, then a small outer border.

Prairie points!
Just pick 5 or more solid colors from the print and have fun.

Cute fabric...lots of good ideas.

I almost thought that was feedsack in the beginning. But, see that it isn't. D9P would be one. Or you could make kitties in the window by cutting and sashing. Its beautiful fabric and what ever you do with it, I'm sure will work. Be sure and let us see the results.

Cute cat fabric. I would just treat it as a panel. So many colors to pick from for making borders if you need to make the quilt a little larger.

That is darling fabric! Those dotted lines were also printed to use to outline or emphasize with hand embroidery stitches. I remember my grandmother had some similar items that were of the same vintage (40's) that were used as dresser runners, etc.

Too cute to cut. I would use it as a back. (double sided quilt) I would quilt rather than tie and use a design and thread that would compliment the beautiful fabric.

I would make a center panel of say, 35x50. Use the rest of the fabric along with white fabric to make Disappearing 4Patch blocks to go all around the center panel. Any fabric that's left would go on the back. Darling fabric. Whatever you do, please share pictures.

I'm liking this idea

Cute fabric.

Ruffles...Rick racks...checkered fabric for binding?

Ball fringe?

I would hand quilt along the quilting lines. Use what is already there.

I like this idea....will be very cute. Vintage look.

Cute fabric! I like the above ideas for borders to make it bigger. Tying it or simple fmq bits would work~

It's adorable fabric, and the 35" width reminds me of how wide fabrics were when I first started sewing. I love cat fabric, in fact, one year I went to 2 quilt shows and wound up with an abundance of various cat fabrics. I haven't used them all yet, but I'm making lots of cute quilts with the fabric. I would use the fabric as if it were a panel, then add 2 or 3 borders going from smaller to wider to make a lap quilt.

I love cat fabric. That is adorable..

If it were mine, I think I would cut strips, yardage wise maybe 28 or so inches about 2 1/2" wide across the whole width of fabric and off set, maybe a inch upward; every other one(with or without another strip of contrasting fabric)then sew the strips back.This would keep the pictures of the cats somewhat the focus and give the quilt top some dimension.I hope my thought is clear. I can see it, but I type so slow on the computer sometimes I lose that complete thought. Or maybe a fire side snuggle quilt with a bigger center panel. Good luck with your project. Cute cat fabric.

It's so cute! I would certainly add borders. It would be fun to find a few "vintage" prints to coordinate with the kitty clothes of the bright blue, yellows and reds without creating a distraction from the print. I also think it needs to be quilted to accentuate the print.Lucky you! Be sure to share your final masterpiece!

No suggestions on binding - all that have been suggested are great, especially yel's post #4.

But that has to be the cutest fabric ever for cat lover's! I am so envious but so glad you have it!

Cute fabric! 4 yards is very long for a throw. I would cut it 4 or 5' long, add a 2" border in one of the solids in the print - a darker one would be my preference. Then I would use some of the remaining fabric to add a 2nd 4 - 6" border to that, and bind with the dark color you chose for the first border.

If my math is right, 4' + 8" all around would make a 64 " long x 52 wide. 5' x 36 + 8" all around would be 76" long. by 52" wide. If you want it wider, then you could cut the width of the fabric 3 x and add 2" sashing in the darker color - that would add 4" in width. Or just make the second border wider.

Thanks for asking; I had fun laying it out in my head! Can't wait to see what you actually do!

Cute fabric
Perhaps the dotted lines are for embroidery work.

Jill M

I forgot...please, please, show us what you come up with.....we love looking at the quilts that are created with wonderful fabrics like these...

You could quilt the dotted lines and also tie it. The dotted lines leaves alot of open spaces to tie;it would fit the time period. I'd find a blue close to what's in the quilt or the green since they are the dominent colors for the border and then do a prairie points for the outside instead of binding or do the scallop edges to accent the trees. I like your fabric and think it'll be pretty. Hope you show a picture when you figure out what you are doing.

If you did use it as a panel and cut it then I'd take the cut part and make a matching pillow case or cover with it. I wouldn't cut it small enough to distort the design or them; that would be a shame for a vintage fabric.

Wow, so many great ideas here - the fabric isn't even in my hot little hands yet but I couldn't wait to start planning. Since I'm still newer to this, there aren't as many ideas/techniques I'm aware of! I will be sure to keep everyone updated with what I do. It's almost too cute too use (I admit I can be a fabric collector - as someone pointed out - might have been on this board - do you ask stamp collectors to use their stamps? :p ) but this is also too cute to /not/ use!

OH...I love that fabric! My kitties need a couple of kitty beds, so if it were me, I'd make a cute, pieced top out of that fabric and coordinate it with some other solid fabrics for the sides and bottom of the beds. In this case, I'd quilt the top. However, if I were going to make a blanket quilt out of it, I'd just tie it. I love tied quilts and I don't think that those dotted lines would have any bearing. They just look like part of the artwork. Have fun with that!

~ Cindy