Vintage Quilt Find
 

Went to an estate sale last week. The lady that owned the house was a secretary at the school when I was in school. Her daughter had hired a company to do the sale. There were three or four quilts for sale and I wondered if Geraldine had made them. Thought it would be fun to have a vintage quilt made by someone I knew. They were asking $35 for the quilt. Daughter tells me that her mother did not sew, that it was made by her grandmother, or possibly her great-grandmother. The quilt is in great shape, only one of the fabrics has deteriorated. It needs cleaned, you can see the fold marks where it is darker. I got some of that Vintage Clean product and am going to try to clean it. Thought I would do it in the bathtub and lay it on towels to dry so as not to cause any damage. Anyway, here are some pictures. I am so very happy with this purchase. I am thinking 1930's due to the fabric used. Anyone with help on dating or any other information would be appreciated. I really like anything sewing related/vintage and this is my first quilt. Thanks for looking.

It is beautiful! You wonder how they even had time to work on quilts with all the other work they had to do, and probably without electric. Everything by hand. The workmanship seems to be so perfect. What a great find.

That's a lovely quilt and it's great that you will be taking good care of it. So glad you got it!

Awesome, great find!!!!

Great find and beautiful quilt! Enjoy loving it!

Makes it extra special that you had a connection with the family. Great find.

Your quilt is a real treasure and I think you are correct as to the approx date. Too bad about the one fabric that has worn out. When cleaning you might want to temporarily baste a piece of fabric over the areas that are open so the batting doesn't come out. There are many reproduction fabrics of that era if you choose to repair the worn areas but I wouldn't do so if you are only going to display the quilt. Appraisers will point out that repairing with fabrics of a later date than the original quilt changes the dating of the quilt. If you choose to repair you could search for vintage fabrics of that time period-they are available. I have vintage quilts that I display that I have not repaired any of the damaged areas simply because I don't "use" the quilts and like seeing that the quilts were well used when they were made.

Beautiful, you were lucky to get it.

it looks like it is in good shape

If it goes all the way back to her grandmother, then I would say it probably is from the 30s. I couldn't have parted with it. It's beautiful!

How pretty! And what a great find.

A lovely treasure and a shame the family didn't keep it, but meaninful to you having known the daughter of the quilter.

The pieces are hand appliqued, so the fabric under the bad piece is in good shape so the batting is not a problem.

That was me, when I saw it and found out it was her grand or great grand mothers. I would never have let it out of my sight. But then, I get sentimental over everything! LOL

I love the dog.

$35!?!?!? what a fantastic find! if the stains don't come out, i wouldn't worry about it, it's a great quilt the way it is

Lovely find!

Lovely quilt. My guess is that its from the depression era. They used a lot of bright colors (it said, was to cheer them up) and also the Dresden Plate pattern was very popular then. If you plan to wash it in the bathtub, I have read to lay a sheet in the bottom then the quilt, let it soak, empty the water and rinse til clear, then get your DH or someone to help you and each one get on an end and pick up two corners of the sheet and lift it out like a hammock and lay it out to dry. This way there is absolutely no pull or tension on the quilt itself. Glad you got a great deal on it. I love old quilts!

It could also date to the late 20's. I've got quilts and pieces of fabric that I sewed with that could date to the late 20's.

What an awesome quilt find! It's beautiful! :thumbup:

This is a real beauty!

This is a typical Dresden Plate pattern. Possibility some of the fabrics may be from dresses, aprons, shirts. Can you tell if there is batting in the sandwich or a flannel sheet? One repair hint is to use something like bridal veil to protect the damaged areas by carefully stitching it over the area in question. It is not obvious but helps to protect.

Beautiful quilt and how lucky you were to find it.

Love that dog. We had a Bassett ?German Shorthair that looked just like that. Nice quilt too!

Lovely quilt and your "helper" looks like a real sweetie. In my opinion things like this are priceless....,$35.00 seems such a bargain. Hope all goes well with the cleaning and thanks for sharing with us.

What a great find, it definitely looks old.

Always great to see quilts saved and appreciated!

What a wonderful find.

oh I`m jealous...I love your quilt!

What a beautiful quilt. I hope that you can get the stains out, but even if you can't, it's still a beautiful quilt.

It's going to a home where it will loved and appreciated.

Beautiful. You were indeed fortunate,

Great find!

Love your quilts, let us know how it turns out...my sister has one that our grandmother made which has the same deterioration issues.. BTW, love you quilt inspector! Is he a basset? Very unusual markings, but he/she is a cutie!

You are right about the date. It was made from feed sacks that feed was put in during the 1930's and 40's. A lot of quilts and clothes were made from those sacks. I have several of the ones that are in your quilt. It is certainly a nice vintage quilt. Handle with care. You can machine wash if you place it inside a super large cloth bag like a big pillow case. That way, you can let it soak awhile. I use Shout on any stains and then let it sit in some oxiclean for a while before washing.

The stains will probably come out with the product you've already bought. If not, I can tell you I just got 30 year old coffee stains out of a handworked tablecloth. It had been washed and dried several times. It also took other stains out of some other items. The name of the product is RetroClean.

What a wonderful find, your puppy thinks so too!

Beautiful quilt. If my Grandma or Great Grandma had made it, it would NOT be in an estate sale!

Great that you were able to get it! I'm a little sad though when the family doesn't treasure the quilts in their family :-(

What a marvelous find, especially since it came from a family that you know.