I purchased these vintage quilted applique hearts at a Quilt Show in their gift shop many years ago. They measure about 6.5 inches wide and 5 inches tall. I need advice for background to either put them in a large picture frame or wall hanging. Someone in my Bee suggested a cream Irish Chain background or a traditional block similiar to the Irish Chain. I am thinking of appliqueing the patchwork hearts on to a red heart so there would be maybe a 1/4 inch of red framing each heart block to define the heart on the background. Should I frame them in rows or arrange them in a circular? The background can't be busy I don't think because the patchwork heart is busy. I may be making too much of these hearts...but they are so old ....and cherish them even if I don't know the lady who made them. I love vintage things. So any ideas would be appreciated :roll:

What a small piece of beautiful quilts. Anything you do with them would be wonderful. I think a table runner or wall hanging would really set them off. Red would make them come alive. Be sure to show us what you decide:)

They are so pretty! No idea either, I love vintage stuff though!

Why not make them the cetre piece and then when have done this you can look at what would look best. I think Irish chain flowing out of the centre, picking up the colours in the hearts would look lovely.

Depending upon how many you have: make a reg: heart quilt for a big center block, Arrange your special hearts around as a boarder, hand sewed on... Then a plain boarder around as not to take away the beauty of the little hearts. Hang on Wall. If you have six, on one side turn two hearts just a little and the center heart turn the other way, just a little... The new and the old in one quilt.... Have fun no matter what you chose. They are beautiful. :)

You could get some acid free scrapbooking paper(at michaels) for the backgrounds. There are so many patterns out there.Then I went over to the fame dept and got these record album frames. I will have to take a pic next time I go north. They are hanging in a guest room.

Thank you for all your suggestions! I really do appreciate your time in posting. I will definitely post a pick when I finish whatever I do with them. I think it will either be a small wall hanging or framed.

I didn't even think about a table runner :roll:

That is a different idea! I appreciate it! It would probably make my life a little easier....lol. I was born and raised in Wisconsin!

Thank you! I will give it a try and see how that looks!

Mmmmmm......that sounds good too...!

Christmas tree ornaments. My mom did that with an old quilt of hers. She used the best parts of the quilt and made them into hearts. She then gave the hearts out as gifts to her family and friends on the Feast of Saint Nicholas.

You all got me thinking....I just thought these hearts were made individual...but maybe someone cut them from an old quilt and did a zigzag stitch around them.....

i bought some darling Cards at a quilt show, that had old heart appliques sewn on the front. They were really cute, yours look like they might be too big tho.

oh, those are soooo sweet ~ you can see the wedding-ring pattern on some of them... sorry I don't have any ideas for you, I'd be asking opinions too :) Whatever you do with them, I am sure they will be sweet and lovable.

Yes, they are probably too big. You reminded me though of a precious card that a Seller included in a fabric order I placed several years ago. And it was a precious quilted little heart on a greeting card that she made. I didn't have the heart to send it to anyone and kept it. Now I will have to find it and think I will find a little picture frame for it! Thank you for reminding me! I am on the Internet now searching for more ideas to make my hearts with before I make my decision. It will probably be a combination of the ideas I received here. Will post a pic when I get it finished!

Ahhhhh...a wedding ring pattern!
:thumbup:

How many do you have? Maybe get an old wooden window with panes and place one in each pane?

Oh my gosh...how cool would that be!!! I have six! But now where am I going to find an old wooden window.....that would be way too cool!

Do you have a local "ReStore" (run by Habitat for Humanity) ~ or check FreeCycle in your area... I am trying to get more bookshelves for my sewing room, and signed up for FreeCycle for them, and have also found lots of goodies that we've given away on there, it's a great way to keep "still usable stuffs" out of the landfills.
OR
contact a local builder, and ask them if you can have an old window they have replaced?

That sounds beautiful!

they are very precious...and do not need anything...

I love they way the dark of your countertop makes them "pop" Have you thought about using a black (or navy) background and then using a patchwork border to frame the dark?

But would like to display them somehow to share their uniqueness with others. If I don't they will maybe end up in the trash or someone's drawer for more years to come :-(

I was looking at your Avatar and thinking I might could do something like it with the hearts in a circle in the center.

If I had them, I would definitly mount them and frame them somehow because they look quite fragile, to me and would not last long as a runner or topper that would suffer from normal use.

We have some in our shed- and I wouldn't be surprised if any old local farmer with outbuildings would have some too. Or try the Re-Store or antique shed.

Looking at your hearts, it's my guess that someone was going to throw out some old quilts, and someone else said "No- I love those old quilts and I can use them" and started a project she didn't know quite how to finish with the hearts.

The more I think about it ....that is probably what happened. Maybe even did a project with their hearts and this is what was left over. I had to redo a little of the hand quilting stitches because they came out ...probably came loose when they cut the hearts out of the quilt. Maybe I should have just left it the way it was...more original but I did try to make the stitches exactly the same bigger and uneven stitching..that wasn't hard for me :0). It's exciting for me to wonder how and who did these vintage quilt projects back then. What was going through their minds. Maybe some day someone will be wondering about our projects! Going to search for one of those windows.

:roll: :roll:

I think you are exactly right...because they do seem fragile. I did hand swish them around in some soapy water for a little bit because they were really dirty...the water proved that and layed them down to dry. So I am thinking now that framing them is the better way to go. Hopefully, I can do that with a window frame mounting the little quilt on acid free board. :thumbup:

I definitly would frame them. Go to a frame shop (Hobby Lobby) let them help you with picking an acid free paper and then frame them with non glare glass. You want to preserve them not use them. Do them all in one frame or individually, depending on where you have space to hang it/them.

I would arrange them in a circular pattern on a pale blue background. Red edges would be too much.

I would machine applique them to a piece of flannel or plush and cover my knees with the piece during our cold winters in Wisconsin. What love went into them and now it is your turn to share the love.

Carol J.

I love your hearts! I recently bought a framed heart picture (would that be the right word?). Inside the frame, hearts were cut from vintage quilts and mounted on blue and white ticking. It was then framed in a vintage frame. Your hearts would be perfect for that - you can arrange them the way you want (either vertical or horizontal) and put them wherever you like! Good luck.

The blue ticking would be wonderful wouldn't it. I think that is what I will use!! Thank you for the suggestion! Would you layer and quilt the blue ticking once I place the hearts on it?

They are definitely cut from older quilts and then someone with a "modern" zig-zag machine caught the edges probably to prevent fraying... I think there's a "Wedding Ring" quilt in there by the looks of some of the curved piecing. Not sure they are very old.

If you have more hearts, then perhaps remove the zig-zag and carefully hand-applique each of them on to a matching red solid background. The shape will still show up; but better yet, a nice neutral would work as well... and look more vintage.

I'd do a small wall quilt and have it framed. (maybe 24 x 36 inches or a little larger?) It would last longer and look even more nostalgic. Good Luck.

Thank you so much for your suggestion! I think I may consider removing the modern zig zag stitch now and appliqué them on primitive red design fabric leaving a 1/4 inch or so of the red fabric around the hearts. And then appliqué the hearts with the small red border around them onto blue and white ticking! Shoot by the time I find an old window I should have the actual hearts put together from everyone's suggestions on the Board! Thank you all so much...I think it is coming together!

:thumbup: :thumbup:

If you only have a small number of them, why not arrange them in a circular pattern for the centre of a medallion quilt?
Cindy Needham restores old linens into re - vamped quilts. Perhaps you could get some ideas from the way she treats vintage stuff?
http://www.cindyneedham.com/

oh that is so pretty

I can see them appliquéd onto a crazy quilt blocks and go from there by embellishing all of the seams in each heart with ribbons and lace and beads since they already seem to be crazy quilted together. Pretty stitches to hold them on or sew them onto a block and cover the edges with old lace or crocheted lace. That way they would not have to be laundered like a regularly used quilt since they look delecate with age already, and it would really show them off as a pretty wall hanging. They really are beautiful with age and appear so soft.