Saturday, November 6, 2010

My First Vintage Quilt Top

I am afraid I may have started something which will be hard to stop...  I have been trawling ebay and the internet looking for vintage quilt tops to buy - a new addiction perhaps.  I love the look of vintage quilts.  I don't seem to find much time to piece my own quilts but would really like to quilt some quilts for myself.  Buying a vintage quilt top would solve the need to piece my own quilts. 

While I was in Adelaide recently at the AMQF, I did a class with Pam Clarke, an American Longarm Quilter and teacher, who has quilted many vintage quilt tops.  Her view is that unless it is a blue ribbon quilt top it is better to finish it than to have it sit in a cupboard and not be used.  Apparently there are so many vintage quilt tops in America that some real bargains can still be picked up.

My first vintage quilt top is a Lone Star Quilt made in solids.  I love solid quilts and I am hoping that the quilting will eventually be a real feature.  The name of the maker was Eva Stelters and the quilt top originates from Oklahoma.  The quilt was bought from Buckboard Antique Quilts.



Perhaps it is just the perfectionist in me coming out, but I have decided that the corner squares and setting triangles are too big for the quilt causing it to not quite lie flat.  I am going to remake the corners and insert new setting triangles.  It will make the quilting much easier.  So much for my time saving theory...


I have sourced matching fabrics from Kona Solids using the Kona Solids Color Chart - it is great to be able to see the actual fabrics rather than trying to match colors on a computer screen.  As usual, the fabrics arrived promptly from The Fabric Shack


I am looking forward to finishing Eva's quilt - hopefully it will become a much treasured and used quilt.

Oh, my second vintage quilt top is currently on the way from America.  I have stopped myself from looking at any more vintage quilt tops on the internet ... for now.

11 comments:

  1. This is wonderful and I am looking forward to seeing how you re-piece the top and quilt it. My husband is Welsh so I have been looking at some Welsh quilts and they are a very similar style - made almost exclusively of solids which does give them a very modern look.

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  2. Love all the solids. A gorgeous find.
    You will turn this into a QOB masterpiece, I'm sure!!

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  3. What a beautiful and colorful quilt top! I can't wait to see what magical thing you do with it.

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  4. What an interesting find and I am really looking forward to seeing how you quilt it. Happy stitching!

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  5. Such a beauty , can't wait to see it all quilted .

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  6. I must admit I much prefer making quilt tops than quilting them together. Which is why I have 5 sitting there waiting to be backed!

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  7. This is going to be amazing. It's so good that your rescuing this top and turning it into something that will be used and enjoyed.

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  8. Oh this is divine, I cannot wait to see how you will quilt this one. Great idea re-setting the corners those Kona's look perfect. xo

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  9. What a great quilt top, wonderful colors. I look forward to seeing this quilt in progress.

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  10. What a wonderful find! There are tons of Lone Star tops out there, many with "issues". Yours looks nice and flat in the center. Redoing the setting fabrics will make yours look great!
    Buying old tops is a wonderful way to get vintage quilts in mint condition.
    Maybe those corner pieces could be made into matching pillows? :)

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