"Refurbished" Quilt - Thrift Store Find
 

I was horrified to find this adorable hand-made baby quilt at a thrift store for $5 and I rescued it. I'm going to remove all the ties, take off the bindings and replace the one or two blocks with stains, then quilt and bind it properly so I can donate it. Anyone else find projects like this?

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Found a totally unused one at goodwill store and bought for $10.00! It was for double bed and hand done. Donated it to local shelter.

I have not been able to find any but would love to.

Makes me sad to think of how little value or importance a fellow quilters work (and love) was given -- it was probably a mother who felt it didn't 'go' with the decor in a baby's room....

Wonder if the baby has fond memories of this quilt. I know my kids loved their "blankees", some are put away for their first borns.

i don't understand the (horror) or the saddness refered to when a quilt is (found & rescued) from a thrift store...do we not (donate) quilts all the time? do quilts not deserve to be passed on/shared with others who may not be able to afford them new- or know anyone who quilts and lovingly gifts them one?
i hope some of the quilts i have made & gifted over the years are (donated/passed on) when they are no longer needed/wanted by whom ever i gave them to in the first place---seems like a much better outcome than a landfill or just left in the bottom of a closet to rot away....i would much rather find them being shared.

I agree with ckcowl. I don't think that I'm throwing something away when I give it to a thrift store. Instead, I hope that someone else will be able to use it until it's all used up, or perhaps they will eventually pass it on to someone else. You (Kaelyn) have done just that, and have even taken the additional step of restoring the item to a better condition before passing it on. What more could any quilter want to have happen with her quilts?

Quilt and bind properly??? Looks good to me for a $5 quilt!

The elephant fabric in your found quilt looks like a recent design, so the quilt couldn't have been that old before it was discarded. I once found two identical "house" quilts in different colorways for only $2.50 each at a thrift shop. They looked like samples from a quilt class - never used, never washed. I snapped them up so fast because I've always wanted to make a house quilt and just thought they are so complicated.

I have bought some of my quilts to goodwill...some that I have used and replaced with others that I have made...I am glad that someone else will beable to enjoy it. Seeing quilts in the thrift shops are not bad...I have not seen many over the years.

I too agree with the posters who aren't horrified. Maybe the donated quilts will have another well-loved life after their original purpose. Maybe there are reasons why they aren't kept. I read here a lot about using quality fabrics and thread so the quilt will last as forever as possible. I don't consider that with my quilts and figure they are going to end up in a Good Will or some other place one day. Similarly, I always see old family photos in estate sales and antique/flea market places. What's up with that? Probably for some of the same reasons the quilts end up there too.

That's great that you found one that is easily fixed. I have made many quilts for my kids and some they don't use much. I've passed the older ones that we didn't particularly like to my old daycare and others to the local thrift shop. That way someone can use them. The daycare thought it was the greatest. She still has the quilts and uses them all the time. I will continue to make quilts and pass on the ones we no longer want. Our tastes change and I never have an issue making my kids any kind of quilt they want. I do have certain ones that I have stored away from when they were babies(but they were made by other people) so I can give them to each kid when they are older or they have their own children.

I'm not horrified either. Neither do I think tying is all that bad. I've given away myriads of quilts that were/are tied. Since there was a stain or two, the owner probably did use it. The pattern isn't particularly compelling to me and if I were the mom who was given the quilt and then no longer wanted it, I'd probably also just donate it.

I've seen my kids' old baby quilts on another clothes line--as I donated it to poor people around me. It made me feel good.

Good find. Glad you are happy about it. I'd probably just leave it as is and try to get the stains out and then donate it again since I have no use for baby quilts anymore. My youngest is 15.

I don't quilt. My big things go to a long armer and smaller get tacked. Or my new love---------------QAYG rag quilts

Have found several ----- got them washed/dried and then either repaired if damage was small or tore them apart and made a totally new quilt. Sure saves from having to buy fabric (expensive) and satisfies my sewing craving.

I have found baby bed sets (made by me as gifts) in thrift stores and purchased them and donated to shelters. Also, I have found crochet afgans made by aunt for the Linus project, most of those Have been redistributed among family members.

I bought a baby quilt the other day at a thrift shop for $.50 - discounted and nearing the end of its life at the thrift store .... that's when I usually rescue handmade quilts. I've rarely paid more than $5 for thrift store and garage sale quilts because I give everybody else the opportunity first ... and I'm cheap. If they're in poor condition, I remake them into other things, usually teddy bears for charity. I would hate to see them become rags or worse.

I did it once. The quilt was too cute to pass up. I had to remove all the quilting and remove the borders because the borders were cut too short. The quilt bowled in the middle because of that. I also had to replace the backing because I put a few holes in it with my seam ripper. Then I added batting, sandwiched it and quilted it.

It took a long time and a lot of work. I probably won't do it again, but it was fun to resurrect it from the junk heap.

What a cute find.
How nice to know your going to make the needed repaires & graciously donate !

I found a double sized wedding ring quilt, hand sewn in a thrift shop near me. It happened to be half off day, and I got it for $2.50! I was so thrilled. It is in pretty good shape, we (gently) use it! I do need to re tuck some seams though! the background is white, it is very pretty.

One time I found one in the back of a pick up truck. I gave them a blanket in exchange for it and I love it. These are turtles and reminds me of my MIL who loved and collected them.

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what are the odds that you'd have something to trade?! And why in the world would this cuteness have been in the *back* of their truck?! wow . .

good for you!! it is cute!

I found an old quilt at a thrift store years ago that was frayed and tattered but was interesting to me. I took it to a quilt guild meeting where we had a member who was a quilt appraiser. She told me that it dated from the 1850's and in its current condition it was valued at about $750.00! I sold it several years ago for that amount to help pay for my long arm machine.

One never knows the story as to why things end up at Goodwill. Great save. I received a beautiful Bible from my son one Christmas. He had found it at the Goodwill and felt it just didn't belong there. Interestingly, it had so many notations and intensely underlined passages that we made up a story of who might have owned it and what may have been going on in her life. So keep rescuing, whether it be quilts or Bibles!

When we were buying and selling antique quilts I picked up several that were tied, that I then hand quilted. Also many tops that I finished with hand quilting.
There was also one with "Big Stitch" quilting that I wanted to undo and re-quilt by hand. Well, what I quickly found out was that every other stitch was a back stitch!! Not so easy to undo, but I got it done!

it prob was a donated kids hospital quilt at one time, and didn't mean that much to the patient. or maybe the child later passed away. good rescue. and no, i have never ran into any good deals on quilts.

I have never been able to find anything quilting related let alone a quilt at any of my local thrift stores.I would love to find something like this and would make it into doll size quilts for a charity Christmas party that one of our lqs sponsors every year. Some little girls would love to receive a doll quilt made from recycled quilts.

I found 4 quilt tops at a local thrift store and asked if I could take them home, finish them and re-donate them. They wanted me to pay for them, but I said I couldn't do that. I would be adding batting and backing and lots of work. So they let me take them home. In a few months I had them back at the store. The tops were all new, but not fancy. Just 6 in. squares sewn together. But I hope they keep someone warm.
Another quilt top I found another time was very poorly sewn. Also 6 in. squares, but I just wanted to go to the poor lady's house and fix the tension on her machine. I had to take out whole rows and resew. I should have taken the entire thing apart. An Amish friend ended up putting the ties on it and remarked how poorly it was sewn. She hadn't seen it before I "fixed" it. It was then donated.
I think a lot of these quilts you find at thrift stores, especially the unfinished ones, were donated after the maker passed away before finishing them. The family doesn't want to/doesn't know to finish them.

The giraffe fabric was just recently in the bargain section at Joann's. So this quilt was made fairly recently........
Glad you rescued it.

I'm with you - too many times, a quilt goes to someone who definitely doesn't appreciate all the work that goes into making a quilt. It's too bad that they couldn't find a quilt guild that might be able to help you find a loving recipient for that quilt. Imagine how I felt when I got a picture in a Christmas card with my nephew and his dog, lying on the floor on top of one of the family reunion quilts that I had made. I realize the quilts have more meaning for other family members, but lying on the floor with the dog? Please. I'm glad you were there to rescue that quilt.

I made a quilt for a new GGD last year. The parents lived in a very small apartment. Her mother just loved the quilt, but didn't know what to use it for since it was fairly big. One day she used it for a rug. She wanted to display it, but didn't have anywhere to do that. It didn't hurt my feelings, I just told her not to walk on it with shoes on, and be careful. She put it up. Sometimes people just don't know how to treat things. Marge D, when I read your post, I was thinking maybe they wanted to show the quilt off, and meant no disrespect.
Sue

Any quilt I make is meant to be loved and used, not put away to "save" it. If the intended recipient can't use it for whatever reason, then I hope they will regift it or donate it where it can be loved and used. So glad you found this one and are rescuing it.
MargeD - I'm thinking your family members were wanting to show off your lovely quilt by including it in the Christmas card photo. I would be greatly honored if someone did that with one of mine.

Wish I could find one of these bargains. Years ago I went to a convention center where they were selling all sorts of handmade projects. A quilt caught my eye and on closer examination I found it had pretty huge stitches which were also uneven and not spaced with any eye for precision (as we quilters like to have them). I found out it had been done by a very elderly lady whose vision was not as good as it could have been, etc. To make a story short, I bought that quilt and it has been one of my most valued ones. I like to think that someone will not be too particular about my own stitching in the future. So hurrah for your picking up a bargain at the thrift store....someone most likely made that for a loved one....and somehow it got cast aside. But YOU found it....Bravo!

These are all grest stories and I have mine....made a "Mariner's" pattern quilt for my father for his 80th birthday (papa passed in 2000). He was a" Merchant Marine" all his working yrs. I embroidered lots of memories of his life, taking my son fishing and doing things grandfathers and grandsons do. It was one of the first quilts I had made...straight stitched it to death..
To make a story short, the last I saw of it my son (who loved this quilt ) used it to cover the fireplace brick so the baby wouldn't get hurt... too funny.

I did one time, and when I finally dug into it, it had poly batting that had completely disintegrated into dust. Had to redo the whole thing instead of refurbish, But, it was still fun because it was such an old quilt

I found a cute baby one at a resale shop. Undid what little quilting there was, added new borders, sandwiched and then quilted it. I then washed it and all the stains came out. Gifted it to a friend for her newly arrived granddaughter. Last I heard, the quilt was being used. And if not, then I hope they regifted it or donated it so someone else could have the pleasure of that quilt.
Chris

All the quilts I have that I didn`t make myself, I found at thrift stores or yard sales. I have found many lovely ones and some planner ones. I display them on a bookshelf and on my chairs and beds and they are used. I do have several that I have to do some repair work on, mostly baby quilts . One of my favorite is a beautiful detailed pattern I don`t know the name of but the workmanship is lovely. I paid less than $10 for most of them, one $25.00 and one $50.00...that one is a scrap quilt with a lot of white and it`s immaculate. I can`t believe how lucky I am finding these, and love to give them a new home where I can enjoy their beauty.

Growing up my daughter thought the Thrift store was a treasure box! We did not have a big income, and because people donated things like the quilt, she had things that would not have come from either extended family...how nice that the woman was willing to share with someone she didn't know. As for not being used, if there were stains, it certainly had been used.

One time i was browsing in an upscale 2nd hand store and found a beautiful full size quilt. Hand embroidered blocks, hand quilted, hand bound. So lovely. Like new, but a nice old patina to it. (No rips stains, missing stiches, worn areas, but washed until very soft, puckered all over, and just slightly faded.) ten bucks! Unfortunately I didn't have 10 bucks. I did take it to the owner, asked him who did his pricing. He did. I told him it was vastly underpriced. He thanked me kindly, then gave it to me. Next time I went in, he had a trunk of old quilts for $50.00 each. Said he bought all he could find, sold like hotcakes at $50.