What would you do...?
 

Just need some ideas and input from ya'll.
I spent all day yesterday, working my butt off digging through a shed full of boxes at a friends. My payment for this deed was being able to keep any fabric I came across that I wanted. Fair pay for a hard days work, imho. So, a 1-ton truckload of boxes and boxes of fabric is what is now in my shed and dining room. My problem is this...
95% of this fabric is from the early 60s to late 70s. It ranges from extremely vivid to ... muddy(?) prints. Everything has tags and receipts with dates but only a handful of these receipts are still legible and have dates from 1962 to 1974. I am really wanting to take my time and use the fabric in a way that showcases the vintage-ness(is that even a word or just my own?) of some of the prints. So if it was you, would you use patterns from that period or use them in modern "things". Maybe create your own? I am talking Scooby-doo Mystery Machine colors on a lot of these, talk about overpowering the pattern in a quilt! I totally love them all though, even the muddy green/brown/hot pink/in-your-face orange mix prints. LOL!! Tons of B-I-G flowers and colors, man, lots of colors. ^_^
Oh, and enough yardage is not a problem as most of the cuts are atleast 4yds each. One piece is 11 yds and only cost 77 CENTS!!! That is just... well, sickening! What I would give to be able to buy even 1 yd for 77 cents.

So, what do you think? Any and all ideas welcome, and thanks!

Well, my first thought for the large-scale prints is a Florentine Fantasy/Stack-n-Whack type of quilt.

What fun you will have! I don't know what kind of quilting you normally do, but I think I would showcase some of the bold patterns in simple designs. Maybe tone down a bit with some solids. But big and bold is the way I would go. Kids love that kind of thing, so even if you don't want to do a lot of projects for yourself out of this haul, you have a gold mine in supplies for children and teenage quilts. If you find it overwhelming and some of the prints not attractive to you, donate them to your local Project Linus chapter.

Also, there may be some trademarked fabrics in the stash that may be worthwhile to sell on Ebay if they are out of print and hard to find.

Enjoy!!

Dayle

So I am not crazy for wanting to use these then? LOL! Some people have told me not to touch them or it will ruin the "value" (It's FABRIC.. how can I NOT touch it?) and the fabric. That's why I ask here, ya'll are addicts too so I am not alone. ^_^

I do all kinds of quilting so I can stay out of the box and not get bored. I do have a book on big print quilts, maybe I will look into that again.

That was my first thought on quite a few of these! The repeats are very distinct so I think even I could do maybe a OBW out of those.

Use it if you want to - not many people - including yourself - are going to get any pleasure from it being in a box somewhere.

And if it has 'value' - then whatever you make of it will have more value also, if only to yourself!

Oh, I WISH you had received this treasure and posted here 4 months ago!!! I had to recreate a blue and white 1970s log cabin for an elderly couple whose niece had made the first one for them and they had literally worn it out. The navy blue had faded to mauve!! I had to take apart a seam to prove that to them, LOL! I had a devil of a time trying to find "calicoes" from the period, or look-a-likes when quilting buddies didn't have enough oldies.

Oh well, it's done now and delivered and I was well paid for it. But how fun it would have been to "buy" from you. :):)

What a great treat for you!! Make some log cabins and think of me, LOL!

Jan in VA

"I am really wanting to take my time and use the fabric in a way that showcases the vintage-ness(is that even a word or just my own?) of some of the prints. So if it was you, would you use patterns from that period or use them in modern "things". Maybe create your own? " I say..all of the above, starting with take your time. If that fabric has waited this long it can wait a few more months. But wow, what a deal you got. Was neat you could get it and nicer still if you have room to store it all until you get to it. Just jump right in and make something and the rest will come easy and ideas will start flowing. Sorry I can't be more help.

If you want to sell some of the fabric, put them on Ebay for sale in lots. Japanese loves American vintage fabric and show their love with $.

Go play with your fabric, make quilts that make you and others happy. That's the value of the fabric. Use some for OBW, and do a few wild & out of the box ones --- have fun with it! Make a few for charity, too -- so that others will enjoy the fruits of your labor.