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Friday, July 20, 2018

Vintage Pink II


As I shared in a previous post, the original pink quilt came to me via Louise/@imfeelincrafty, who had acquired several bags of vintage quilts in various stages of disrepair. Here is what the quilt looked like when I received it - overall quite sweet, but on closer inspection, it had ragged binding, holes in the sashing where it had once been tied, and its batting was bunched up inside.


It was near-impossible to free those patchwork blocks from their sashing, and when I did release a few, they were odd-shaped and extremely faded. That led me to reworking the quilt rather than simply repairing. I trimmed off the binding and literally cut the patchwork out of the quilt. There was definitely some point-trimming and wonkiness that resulted in that process, but I felt the character of the blocks was still kept intact.


The blocks were set in a new setting, separated by squares of Kona Pink. Though I would have loved to have reused the quilt's original filler - two layers of flannel plaid blanket - there were too many holes in it. So I used my typical Warm & Natural and quilted a free-hand orange-peel design. Though in retrospect, I wish I'd marked all the curves for a little more perfection. Oh well....


The backing was pieced with more solid pink, a couple of Aunt Gracie prints that coordinated well, and white-on-pink polka dots. I rounded the corners just for fun.


The quilt measured 42" x 55" when I got it, and 36" x 42" in its new form. I'm not sure I did it total justice, but considering it was my first time working with vintage fabrics and quilt blocks, I think it's ok. At any rate, it's sweet, and can now be enjoyed for years to come.

12 comments:

  1. Looks like you've done an amazing job reconstructing this gem. What a lot of work! I've taken apart an older quilt before, and it's amazing how much fading occurs. And simple degeneration of the fabrics and batting. Good job!

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  2. Wow, you did a fabulous job working with this, Debbie! I like the touch of the rounded corners.

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  3. Your reworked quilt is so sweet! Great job, and those rounded corners add just the right finishing touch.

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  4. The reworked quilt is very sweet. I love how it turned out!

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  5. You totally did it justice Debbie! It will be loved for another hundred years due to your work. I can’t imagine how long it would have lasted in its original form? Gorgeous!

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  6. I think you kept the overall vibe of the original quilt, but made it even better. I'm sure many of us would have given up! Fantastic added touch with the rounded corners!

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  7. That is impressive! Beautiful work.

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  8. I agree, great reconstruction!
    And yes, you kept the character of the blocks.
    Nice backing and quilting.
    Your effort paid off big.

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  9. I think this is wonderful that you have rescued this treasure and given it new life for a new generation to appreciate. Thank you for sharing your process.

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  10. You saved this quilt, thus totally doing it justice and honestly it is as cute as can be!

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  11. You really put the love back into this quilt! I love the new setting and how you preserved so much of the original design and feel.

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