Hi friends! I'm glad to be back amongst you all again! Rich had his Christmas break planned out with some things he wanted to get done. That was fine and dandy with me because I told him I had a plan too... catch up on my blog reading. So I spent the past two weeks reading about 500 posts and catching up with you all. I have never, ever seen my Google Reader so bare! Now I enjoy blogging again. =]
Before I get into what this post is about, I just want to say that you all have turned into some of my most treasured and loyal friends. I appreciate you and love you all! I'm thankful that I can come here happy and you are happy with me, sad and you are sad for me, asking for prayer and you are there. THANK YOU for being that kind of friend to me these past couple of years. What a joy and a blessing it is to share life with you all!
Now that the sappy stuff is outta the way, let's get down to quilting, hehe. I am not a quilter. But my friend Katie over at Willow Creek Homestead and I went to an outside sale that her dad was having. Katie's dad holds these sales for charity. All the money is donated to wildfire victims in his area. We had an outburst of wildfires last year and many lost their homes. Jim was blessed to not lose anything although the fires came up to his place and burned most of his land. Now he is helping his neighbors that lost everything. One of the things that we picked up was a huge box of quilt pieces and squares. We sat down and went through it piece by piece, splitting the whole box. Here is my stash:
Even splitting it up, I ended up with almost 70 squares of various sizes plus 2 full quilt tops!
My favorite are these smaller 7.5" squares that are going to make some adorable little pillows. One of Rich's buddy at work is bringing him a bag of sawdust for me tonight, yippee!
Just look at this stack!
There were about 4 different sizes of squares, lots of blues.
These are the 2 full quilt tops. Not sure what I am going to do with these yet. I have a friend that has a long arm quilting machine so I'll probably be visiting her. =]
I'm not sure of the age but the squares are definitely hand stitched and made out of old clothes. You can tell that most of them were made from men's shirts.
Oh, and I forgot to count how many diamonds there were because I already had them in the sink getting a bath.
Now I'm asking advice from you. I probably did this wrong so PLEASE correct me if I did. I'll take all the critique and advice you want to give. =] To clean these pieces, I put them a sink of hot water with Dawn dish soap. I stirred it occasionally, soaking for an hour. Then I soaked them in hot water to rinse. That's what the above picture is from (you can even see the steam in some areas). They were very, very dingy. Then I'm going to put them in the dryer on delicate for a bit. I'm wondering if maybe they should be washed and rinsed in cold water? What do you all do? Please help! =/
Thanks for stopping in for a visit. I appreciate you coming by.
Have a delightful week~
32 comments:
Hi Angie,
Love all those quilt squares you got! Lots of quilters will be jealous of you!! tee hee
As for cleaning them, I think you're pretty much on the right track, maybe just do a cold rinse, since you already washed/dried them. I use Dawn on my cross stitched pieces cuz so it won't show the oils from my hands, so I'm thinking that should work fine. I know my MIL who is a quilter hangs her quilts out on the line to air dry in warmer weather after washing hers in the bathtub.
Hugs,
Tanya
Hi Angie - You certainly hit the motherlode with the quilt squares! I took a quilting class once and learned a lot, however I haven't taken it up again lately. My sister loves to quilt. It is nothing like in my mother's day (by hand).
Post pics please when you complete your projects!
Blessings,
becki
Hi Angie,
Oh, I'm just drooling over all of your quilt squares and things. they're beautiful...what a treasure :) :)
Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)
WOW! I'm just drooling over all those old blues that I'm seeing in your stash. I don't have any washing advice for you - sorry. Please show us your finished product. ~Ann
Hi Angie.. My, what a lovely find..
I love old quilt pieces.. I make cushions but not with sawdust..
They must be so prim.. Will you tea dye them?
Not sure about the washing... I think you are doing fine..
I am so glad that we met, too..
smile..
Evening Angie,
Now if you don't have the envy of all the quilters out there. Goodness they are just beautiful...love how the colors were put together.
I must say I LOOOOVE THE VERY LAST QUILT IN THE LAST PICTURE...on the bottom...JUST GORGEOUS. It caught my eye and I'm drooling.
Blessings and HAPPY NEW YEAR.
I'm so happy to call you my friend...and probably one of the most FAITHFUL blog visitors out there.
Hugs,
Karen
Hi Angie, You have some wonderful quilt squares. Sorry I can't help with the cleaning process. And I am wondering about the sawdust stuffing. Mr. P. has a wood shop and there is alway an abundant amount of sawdust on the floor. I have read where some have used it on CCS pinkeeps, etc. Will it not come thru as it is so fine? Would love to hear from someone who has stuffed with this before. Sounds interesting. Can't wait to see what you create with these wonderful pieces. Such a good deed Your friends Dad is doing. We see on T.V. often about wildfires and they are so scary. Have a wonderful evening.
Angela
Beautiful!!! Very green with envy!!!
I have just one thing to say about sawdust. It does sift through and cause "dust". I stuffed a few things with it and found a trail of dust behind after sitting on a shelf. I personally like to use birch shavings that you can get from Petco to line cages.
Gettin' all sappy on us. hehe. You're a good person, and the people who show they care are reflecting back onto you what you give out to us! Wow, did that even make sense? LOL
Great quilty finds. I love that Jim is trying to help his neighbors with the charity sales, how awesome!
I don't know anything about quilt washing. But I was reading your other blog about the homemade soap, and that version looks easy compared to the version I've seen where you have to turn it to liquid. Has that soap you made been good so far? I know, I got off subject. :-p
Glad to see you blogging again!
Prim Blessings,
Jessica
Angie, you are always there with an encouraging word - I am blessed to call you my friend.
Wow, you hit the jackpot! I LOVE your quilt tops and squares. Can't wait to see what you do with them.
Blessings,
Sue
Ooooh, la la! What a score!
I think sawdust is messy, but I could be wrong. I can't wait to see how your projects turn out!
L
Hi Angie,
I started out as a quilter and you just got yourself a treasuretrove!! Gorgeous blocks! About the sawdust--if you use it I would line the entire piece with muslin to try to control the dust. I would, however be a little afraid of using it because sawdust contains a lot of acid and could really ruin the fabric of the blocks.The birch shavings idea may be a better choice---or cotton rag stuffing.
Jan-Life on Buttermilk Hill
Holy cow, girl! You hit the jackpot! I am looking forward to seeing what you do with it all.
Bear Hugs & Blessings~Karen
Hi Ang, I love the quilt squares and the colors. I can't wait to see the quilt put together. You are going to have a ball.
Happy quilting my friend,
Hugs,
Tricia
Oh wow you lucky thing , i love the colours to , i have all of my mums quilting things and half finished quilts that i want to finish off but im not really a quilter but im willing to learn , i sew so i think i might get the hang of it maby with a lesson or ten lol
Heidi!!
WOW...You are one lucky lady to have all those pieces..Love them and can't wait to see what you do with them! You know I am thinking some of them would look great mounted on some old windows...just sayin'.... :)
~~Patti~~
Hi Angie,
Love all your quilt squares! It's one of my goals to learn to quilt. Can't wait to see what you make with them :)
I've just started knitting again and am really enjoying it. I haven't knit since I was a teenager but it's slowly coming back to me.
I'm very glad we met too and thank you for always taking the time to comment on my scattered posts. I hope to get more time for posting this year....another one of my goals.
Hugs,
Connie
Hi Angie!
You hit the quilt block jackpot! I bet you will have tons of fun making things out of those :D
I am so glad to be back into somewhat of a blogging routine. I've also made some very special friendships and you all mean the world to me!!
Kim
Eureka - TREASURE!
Wow Angie. What an amazing array of quilt squares. I am so jelous. Hope they all come out clean in the wash. I love my blogging friends too. Happy to have you. -Steph-
Hi Angie,
Thanks for coming over to my blog and leaving me a note.
First I love your family photo on your profile page-Wonderful!!
Second as you know I am not a quilter so I cannot help you there. (Needle and thread are my enemy). But I so admire folks that can stitch and sew!
Looking forward to see what you will be up to in this new year!
Enjoy your day and treasures!
Barb
I don't quilt but love quilts and you surely found a treasure trove of beautiful quilt pieces! Have a wonderful weekend.
hugs,
Nadine
I can tell by the comments that many of us feel the love right back from you, sweet Angie! You are blessed with the gift of encouragement, and you serve the Lord well with it to those of us that are happy to hug you, and call you a friend right back!
What a marvelous find, yes, I'm one of those quilters who is jealous right now! Your completed projects are going to be beautiful, I'm sure. How could you go wrong? The sawdust idea is new to me, again showing my low "primm" knowledge. But, I've made pincushions with sand filling, so it doesn't seem too far fetched, really. I think I would do as was suggested by someone else to line your pillow with muslin. That would help on the wear the pillow would receive, as you do not yet know the strength of your fabrics, and filling them too much may stress the fabrics and stitching.
As far as the washing, I'm sure I'm too late to suggest laying them out flat on a folded towel to air dry, much as you would a delicate sweater. When you press them later, be sure to press down, and not do too much pushing/pulling on the pieces, as they will distort very easily. I would also use spray starch to help give them shape and body. Gee, am I telling you things you already know? Sorry if that's the case!
I close this "book" of a comment by saying, I L.O.V.E. your quilty background on the blog. I may have to try Shabby Blogs on for a size on my blog, (think of copying being the sincerest form of flattery!!)
hugs, pokey
How lucky you are! They are beautiful. Now you can learn to quilt!
Hi Angie, thanks for shopping by and visiting my blog Vintage Mixed Media. Your commented on my old sewing machine and cabinet. I did not buy them together. I had the machine head in my sewing/craft room and when I saw this cabinet so lovey with all the woodwork on it I knew it was just what I wanted. It was already painted shabby. I do have lots of quilt blocks that I have brought through the years! I clean mine and with oxy clean. I let them soak and they come out like new. I usually soak them over night. I do stir them around every once in awhile when soaking them. I am always surprise how good they look after the soak so pretty colors so bright like new. Some of mine date back to early 1930/40's. You are blessed to have these great blocks and quilt tops. My favorite quilt is the old feed sack material! You have a great time looking at the fabric. I find myself looking at my pieces and wonder what they were before they were turned in to blocks/quilts. ((hugs)) Judy
Sorry I can't help you but I think Dawn is a great product and shouldn't hurt anyway.
I love and admire those who sew - i'm more of a glue gun gal:) Although I've been thinking about resurrecting my sewing mcahine.
Can't wait to see how everything turns out. Great idea for raising money too!
Enjoy and have fun!
Leann
Those are great looking quilt squares. You will have some fun with those.
Janet
Hi Angie. What a lucky girl you are! You found a treasure from a good cause how wonderful. I know something about quilting that old quilts have to be washed in I cold water. I did read that if you lay them out in the sun to dry that does take stains out.I dont think it would be wise to use the saw dust. I did see in one of my mags that a new trend is to use them in a frame in a art theme. I just cant wait to see what you do with them.Thanks again for leaving a loving comment on my snowman and ragdoll.
The last time I put any fabric in my dryer with raw edges or old and fragile it was a BIG mess.. It Frayed so bad that I had to cut them apart. I would lay them wherever I could to let them air dry. They are sooo beautiful that it would be a shame to have anything happen to them. I also agree that you did get the Mother load..I would LOVE to find some treasures like that :)
Hugs
Nancy
Love the quilt squares. This reminds me of a Double Axehead I "started" years ago for Matthew and haven't touched since. I have some sewed together making the squares but not near enough. Beautiful!
Angie: Thanks for sharing your awesome find...only now we all want to find "already made" quilt squares as the list of what can be done is endless. I had pads made for two wood chairs from a blue & white quilt top I found at a flea market. Love it! (Soon to be shown on my blog: theoldefarmhouse.blogspot.com Come see!
Will be back as a regular reader.
{{HUGS}} Joy
These really are wonderful! Sounds like you did the right thing to clean them! Can't wait to see what you do next! ♥
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