Rescue Quilt Series – Old and New again

Happy Birthday, America!

You are probably at a barbecue, or park or chilling somewhere on the lake, river or ocean, and you are probably reading this after the 4th, but this quilt is all red, white and blue, so I just had to post about it today.  Enjoy your Independence day!!

Old and New again – a Rescue Quilt Series

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that from time to time I will purchase a vintage quilt top that was left unfinished by some known or unknown quilt.  Somebody’s work whose story was never told.

I’ve discussed in detail how I find these here.  And I’ve discussed how I clean them up before I begin working on them here.

But I’ve been in to them more lately.

I thought it might be fun and constructive to start purchasing only the rescue quilts that I want to replicate.  For example, what if I purchase a rescue quilt, finish it, and then create a pattern, replicating the same pattern with modern construction OR putting a twist on it.

I think this could be fun, plus it will give me some direction with the rescue quilts I bring home and future quilt patterns.

So this is the plan.  Stay tuned for it with my next rescue quilt finish.  Until that time, let me show you the rescue quilt I found, (maybe from the nineties) and recently finished.

I’ve been sitting on this one for a year.  It’s been in a pile of other rescue quilt tops waiting for me, beckoning me.  “The last maker didn’t finish me,” it says.  “Will you?”

With the 4th approaching, I felt inspired to pull it out.  I’ve put it off, because I found it kinda simple, and the fabrics weren’t that old.  I’m not really sure why I purchased it.  Maybe I got a good deal?  Maybe because of it’s mint condition?  Regardless, I found nothing special about it.  And I’m not a big fan of the cream colors.  They always feel dirty to me and they don’t pop like whites do.

But I forced myself on.  It’s almost the fourth and I should be working on something related to that.  That’s what I told myself.

But then, as always, something magical happens.  My eye catches something that it didn’t notice before.  At first all I saw were stars in Americana colors.  Once on the design wall, I saw they were simply all part of a bigger star or four bigger stars, I should say.

Do you see it?

Plus, the maker’s use of the white with the cream that makes the blue sawtooth stars pop was SUCH a great touch.

Then, of course I noticed the toile fabric features all these little scenes of the flay being driven into the ground, of horses and buggies with the flag flying.  It really is a lovely quilt.

So note to self:  don’t judge so quickly.  Take your time, take it all in, and find something beautiful about it.

I mentioned that I’m not a big fan of cream colored materials and I didn’t have much of anything for backing, except this wide minky fabric.  Which is utterly luscious!  Find it for sale here.

I binded with a check from Art Gallery fabrics.  I’m not sure if they have it available any longer.

This quilt has already sold.

Next time I discuss rescue quilts, the series begins!

a note about quilting on minky

This gets asked quite often.  I have no problem quilting on minky using my home machine as long as the minky is not embossed or it’s not minky or cuddle dotted fabric.  The kind I like is smooth, so you get the minky feel, but not the issues.  It feels like butter running through my machine.  It is however, harder on my arms.  It’s heavy, so it takes more effort to move the quilt around.

With that said, I have quilted on the minky dot fabric and I was also able to do it.  It just wasn’t as smooth.

Minky will make your quilt incredibly soft, thick and warm, and heavy.