Okay so I watched this video this afternoon, and was kinda FLOORED and how this woman quilted. Mind you this film was done back in 1979.

But it was interesting watching her cut out her fabric with SCISSORS with a homeade template, and then sew it with her Coats & Clark thread, and then quilt it by hand on her homemade frame.

To me it was really nice to see what someone could do without all of the gadgets and gizmos, and she turned out BEAUTIFUL quilts!

Give it a watch if you think it will interest you.

http://www.folkstreams.net/film,104

thanks for the link - I am certainly interested.

Quite inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing the video. My Mom made quilts the "old fashion way". Her quilt frame was supported by four ladderback chairs and held together with C clamps. She had 7 blue ribbon quilts in 7 years. The seventh year, each child was given a "blue ribbon" quilt for Christmas. Quilts were given to the church then raffled. Her quilts were the best source to raise funds for the church. Her last quilt donated paid to have the roof replaced. She passed away in 2006. We don't used blankets on our beds, we use Mama's quilts.

My mother quilted this way, she used cardboard for templates, she didn't know any other brand of thread and she hand quilted on frames hung from the ceiling. I still have some of her beautiful quilts. I'll have to wait til I get home from work to watch the video, I am very interested, thanks

I have not been able to watch the entire thing yet...3 y.o. antics and all but one thing I have noticed is how fresh the quilts look. The first quilt that she pulled out, the lone star, looks like it could have been made today. Good design, color choices, and workmanship are timeless.

Thanks for sharing the link I look forward to finishing it.

Well, that's how I learned to do it at around that time. Since I never progressed past a few small pieces tells me that the new methods are MUCH more preferrable.

My BF's mother still cuts out her fabric with scissors. :) She recently made a wall hanging with 2.5 inch squares... it turned out lovely! I can imagine being able to cut things out correctly with scissors!! :)

Thanks for the link

Wow! Just think if we didn't think we had to have every gadget invented how much we would have for fabric LOL!
She truly is an inspiration...I don't know that I would have the patience to do that.
Recently at a garage sale I picked up a popcorn tin filled with things...inside were all the templates and blocks for a quilt. Little cardboard templates and you could tell the blocks had been cut with scissors. I just need to find something to make with all of them.
Thanks for sharing the video with us!

Brought back some good old memories.
Thank you !!

I really enjoyed the program. It was very touching and reminded me on the way grandmother cut her fabrics and hand quilted. I remembered all types of clothes when I was growing up too . :lol:

that was great. makes me want to go back to hand quilting. Why was her thread doubled. Is that the normal way to hand quilt? I have always used single thread

Wow! I didn't see a whole lot of PRESSING going on while she was sewing it, did you? She did say that the pieces had to be cut exactly. Very interesting! Thanks for the link!

I really hope she got more than the $35 she got for the crib quilt!
I have never seen the quilting frame that suspended from the ceiling before. that is a clever idea, easier to get to to sew. That's the pattern to have.
thanks for the post:)

Great video, I watched it twice! thanks

Thanks for sharing! This brought back memories of a neighbor we had when I was young. She had a quilt frame hung from the ceiling in one of the front rooms and made lots of quilts - all by hand, I think.

Thanks for sharing! This brought back memories of a neighbor we had when I was young. She had a quilt frame hung from the ceiling in one of the front rooms and made lots of quilts - all by hand, I think.

That's the way I learned...and did until a few years ago. I was
way behind everybody else in using a rotary cutter. Thanks
tho for the link.

I first started quilting in the early 80's. The teacher I had was very old school. First we had to learn how to hand piece everything. No sewing machine. After a few years and a lot of complaints the teacher caved in and let us piece by machine. No rotary cutters in those days. We made cardboard templates. I am amazed by all the gadgets we have today. I love making quilts faster and better. I especially appreciate check book quilting. Thank you to the wonderful long arm quilters.

The only quilting I did prior to the current era was back in HS home ec when I assembled a state flower quilt started by my mom and her sister in the 1930's. For the sashing I was instructed to tear all the strips to be sure they were straight and on the straight grain of the the fabric. I used the standard 5/8" seam too. We sent it out to an elderly lady to be hand quilted.
By the way I decided making quilts was not something I wanted to do!

that was so interesting! Thanks for sharing it with us.

That's the way I did it, but I did the hand quilting in a small hoop on my lap. Of course, I didn't do too much stitching!LOL

Thank you for sharing this link with us :D:D:D

That's the way my grandmother and mother did it. It was us girls who used to get to cut out the squares with the cardboard templates and scissors....lol

This is exactly how I first learned to quilt "back in the day." thanks for the memories!

Thanks will more later but sure would like to know how to make stars in strips

That video could have been about something completely non-relevant to my life and it still would have brought back tons of memories. I grew up in that part of the country and that woman strongly resembled one of my grandmothers. Got a little sad thinking about my childhood and how fast life flies by.

But back on topic, her quilting and methods were amazing. I didn't notice her using pins at all and she just whipped those mitered borders on like it was nothing. I hope someday quilting is that natural and easy for me!

That is the way I did it till a few years ago. I now do most with a rotary cutter and sewing machine but I always have 1 that I am working on that has been cut out from templates and hand sewn.
Although I haven't worked on that quilt since Feb but one day I will pick it back up and it will be right there

Thanks a lot for that! Can't believe just $150 and such beautiful work!

I didn't watch the video, because that was the only way to make quilts in the 60s and 70s. That is reason I took about 10yrs off, new methods and tools came along and off I went. Progress is a wondeful thing in the quilting world.

Loved the film, brought back so many memories, my mom had the same kind of frame, I learned on it also. Cooked every meal from the garden. Only she pieced hers by hand till later years, then started piecing on her featherweight. To quilt one by hand for someone, she only charged $25. But that was in the 60's. Think I will watch it again.. That was such a beautiful Star Quilt..

Thanks a lot! But to me back in 79 ain't been that long ago.That is the way my grandmother done 85% of her tops she past at the age of only 56 back in 1977.I remember this time period very well I just wish I had one of her home made Quilts.

WOW WOW WOW. Did you notice the callous on her thumb? Thanks for sharing.

Thanks a lot! But to me back in 79 ain't been that long ago.That is the way my grandmother done 85% of her tops she past at the age of only 56 back in 1977.I remember this time period very well I just wish I had one of her home made Quilts.

Thank you so much for sharing this video!

the way you are all amazed at "old school quilting", I am amazed that people pay $40 for a "Die" to cut out an 8" square on an Accuquilt!!Fer cryin' out loud, it's a square!! and a big one!! How hard is that to cut out? I would rather have the $40 for fabric. I manage to quilt without all the gadgets.


Edited to add - to me, hand quilting is the best part of quiltmaking - I get to sit back in a comfy chair with my lap frame, watch TV or listen to music. Machine sewing is not my idea of a good time and I don't think I would like machine quilting.

This is how I taught myself to quilt, and if I still do it today, except I usually use printer paper as the template, I take a copy of the pattern and use the pieces with scissors. If it is just squares or strips I will use the rotary cutter. lol

my mother cut with scissors. Don't think she knew about rotary cutters.LOL good job love your stories.

The (ole fashion way, was REALLY quilting) I can't say that I'
like quilts that are done on a machine. They are too stiff, too
flat, but beautiful. But Grandmas way was the real thing.