In reality, this is an ugly little crazy quilt. The fabrics are scraps of old (1960s) silky drapery fabrics. The colors and prints are ugly. Polka dot draperies - really? The batting shrunk more than the top, so the top is very wrinkly. The back is an equally ugly pink silky drapery fabric, and it's bound with wide black bias tape.
But - it has it's good points too. The fabrics all came from my aunt's custom drapery business. She shared leftovers with my mom from the custom drapes and slipcovers she made, and my mom used them in quilts and even clothes. Waste not, want not!! And I spent lots of summers living with that aunt, babysitting or being her fetch and carry girl when she installed draperies. She was my favorite aunt.
Like any good crazy quilt, this one has hand embroidery over all of the seams. The thread is kind of pink, but that is OK. And best yet, my mom helped me make this quilt in 1969, when I was in 8th or 9th grade. I had totally forgotten this little quilt until I found it in the bottom of a packing box recently. Actually I had no idea that my mother had even kept this. But it was carefully folded up in a box with some other "family treasures" that has been unopened - since 1991 when my mother died.
Since this probably qualifies as my first quilt, I have a whole new appreciation for it. It's still ugly, but I like it anyway.
That's a lovely keepsake. My aunt once made a hand sewn (in its entirety) quilt out of cast off fabrics most of which were slippery. She isn't a quilt maker but wanted to do something useful during a period of downtime. How she ever worked with the slippery fabric I'll never know. I know she used the quilt but sadly I don't think she kept it.
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely you have kept yours and have lovely memories associated with the making of it.
What a treasure! I'm sure seeing and feeling it brings back a flood of memories. I love that you prepared a label for it before labels were commonplace.
ReplyDeleteThat aunt was my mama! I remember some of those fabrics on bolts in her basement "factory". How cool that you discovered this so many years later. It sure does unleash a lot of memories, does't it?
ReplyDeleteYour 1st (and best) cuzzin, ~ Julie