So I bought this quilt at an estate sale last weekend. I am feeling completely and utterly burnt out on life right now, I've been with Jack by myself all week and last weekend around 1 in the afternoon I was just feeling so fried that I decided to pop into the estate sale even though it was really late in the day.Underneath a table in the basement were two quilts wadded up in a pile. No prices.
Scoop them up, find lady in charge and ask for the price. $15 for them both? Sold.
Except that in my totally fried state I didn't really look at this one. I was just totally smitten with the lavender and the green together and the 1930's prints in the plates.
And this part of her sashings. Such a sweet touch.
I've tried washing it with my baby swimming pool method. I had to take the bleach pen to a section that had some mildew. And what do I have left?Still a hot mess.
Stains everywhere, quilting half ripped out, and it is leaking bits of cotton wadding (batting, except at this point it is all just wadded up) EVERYWHERE. As in all over my stinkin filthy house, lol.
These are the decisions that I HATE to make on my best of days...what to do with it?In my mind the best case scenario would be that I am able to take it apart, salvage the top as a quilt top, get rid of the cotton wadding mess and try and salvage most of the backing fabric for other projects. It's possible that once it is apart I can do something about the stains more effectively.
In my worst case scenario I take the whole darn thing apart, discover I can't do a damn thing about the stains and end up only being able to cut out the plate sections for use in other projects.
Ladies, I *might* have bitten off more than I can chew...
What would you do?
Cutting out the good parts might be the answer and then turning it into a table topper would look great
ReplyDeleteAlison
I LOVE it too. I wouldn't have been able to leave it. But I always have a thing for the worn out and well loved! It would be just folded in my closet with the other hot messes I have brought home.
ReplyDelete*Can you believe how HOT it is again? Maybe we can get together sometime next week?
I love it too! You can do it! Just set it aside until you feel ready to tackle it!
ReplyDeleteWell, besides the mess part they are pretty. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely of the put it away for a month (or more) and see how you're feeling about it. Honestly (and you know how I feel about slicing into things)all of the work to take it apart, and with all of the stains yet to deal with, I wouldn't feel too bad about just rescuing the circles and maybe reusing them.
ReplyDeleteI love worn out things, too- same with Gail. lol @ 'hot mess,' hadn't heard that before. You guys need our weather- 50's most of the summer and straight rain. I'm still drooling over your other finds last week!
ReplyDeleteEither way, you still got 2 vintage quilts for $15.00. That's a steal. So, if there's any part of that one you can use, you're ahead by a mile, in my opinion (which is based on me never having found such a great deal).
ReplyDeleteYou could always use the not-so-great quilt as an outside table covering or a cover for a chair.
It is so pretty. I might try to repair it or cut it up and use it to make pillows. I love seeing a pile of quilts together too and you could just fold it so that the good parts show. I love almost any quilt. I say almost because my hubby has one his grandma made that is soooo ugly.
ReplyDeleteI like it a lot, I'd definitely try save the top. Perhaps if that looks like too much work you could make some cushion covers with the better panels.
ReplyDeleteHope you get some time to relax soon, maybe hire a college or high school student for a few hours babysitting to take a break? It's been a real tough year for so many people.
The quilt is great with that unusual sashing...salvage what you can!
ReplyDeleteI take vintage quilts and linens that I have bought with stains and soak them in the bathtub with a large scoop of Oxyclean mixed in the warm water for about 24+ hours. Ocasionally I will go in and swish it around a bit. So far everything I have ever done has come completely clean. I then launder it on the extremely gentle cycle in my washer. It helps if you also have the front loading kind as they are not as rough on the fabric. Then hang dry. It's worth a try!
ReplyDeleteI would fold that sucker up and put it in the quilt cabinet! Maybe you should just think on it for a week or so. No need to be hasty!
ReplyDeleteLovely quilt, but all that sounds like a LOT of work with no guarantee of success! But I am guilty of crazier things than that!
ReplyDeleteAre there a few good squares adjacent to each other that would allow you to make a window valance?
Some years ago I saw something in a magazine. Three Dresden plate blocks (similar to yours) framed and hung behind a headboard.
Whatever you decide, post it! I'd love to see!
I think I would rather keep it a quilt, mainly because I had changing things and it is so lovely. I guess I would try to keep it as a top and maybe replace the back and batting. But then you are going to loose all the quilting right? Is it hand quilted? I would so hate to undo that. I did like the idea of framing it, but cutting it up would kill me. Unless there’s nothing else that you could do. Waiting might be the best answer. With that said, I can’t wait to see what you do!
ReplyDeleteI see some great possibilities....you could cut a four block section and make a baby quilt. Or each little block could be a seat cushion. I'd salvage what i could. I'd love to find something like that. My dream is to find a grandmother's garden cutter. I scour ebay for it and every estate sale i've ever been to.
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