Friday, August 8, 2014

Vintage Friday

   Not mine, but DD's find!  She has been searching for an older machine that has a good straight stitch and that would sew through multiple layers of heavier fabrics like denim.  She was over the top when she ran across this machine.....an older New Home---with the running greyhound logo---in almost like new condition.  It also does a zig-zag stitch, and we think it is from the early 1950's.  I believe it is a 3/4 size machine.  Hopefully, she will get a chance to stitch on it and give me a full report.
   I went to lunch yesterday with a friend, who is jumping back into quilting and having a lot of fun discovering our wonderful world.  Jennifer brought along a couple of vintage quilts to show me.  These belong to a friend who asked her to attach hanging sleeves to them.

  A wonderful/ delightful/greatly loved feedsack quilt is such a joy to see.   A quick photo of some of the fabrics.....dots, stripes, prints, flowers, birds....just the whole array of those wonderful vintage prints.
   Now look at the pattern the maker used.....just a larger square surrounded by a single row of logs.  Simple, yet so effective to use every bit and piece of fabric.  Looking closer I see the effect created by using high contrast in some blocks, and low contrast fabrics in others.  It gives the quilt movement, and lets the eye  dance around the quilt to find a resting spot.
 

   Number 2 vintage quilt......wow!  This is just one of those rare beauties.  Hand-quilted with the tiniest of stitches, and beautiful applique now faded to that delicious tomato soup color, finished off with the triangle border that has a scalloped edge.  I was in awe.  
   Both quilts have been greatly used, laundered, and loved.  The batting is almost non existent, the binding are frayed.  Some people might say "that old thing", yet as a quilt maker I see the lavish of time and love that went into both of these.  I appreciate the history they represent.....covering a bed on a cold winter night,  wrapping a sick child, used as a table cloth for a family picnic, or draped over chairs and becoming a boy's fort.    Used and loved.....that is why I quilt.

Back to the present and what I quilt.  This is the last Faux Braid done in batiks.   I am quilting a stylized vine of leaves through the diagonal areas along with some feathers in part of the border area.  I should be able to finish this up over the weekend.

Happy stitching.    

7 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

What great quilts and what a pleasure to get to see them! Lovely machine your DD picked up.

Janet O. said...

Very cool machine. Great find! Hope it works well.
Love those vintage quilts. I love to see well loved quilts, too. I don't want them to merely be draped over racks somewhere. It is okay to display what is not in use, but I like to rotate between what is on my bed and what is on the racks.
Your quilting is lovely, as usual, Debbie. Isn't it fun to have the throat space to work on these larger quilts?

Mary said...

Wow! That machine was a real find and I love the vintage applique quilt. And, thanks for sharing pics of your quilting.

Cheree @ The Morning Latte said...

How fun! All of it! Laying under a feedsack quilt at the moment--not authentic, but I do have several vintage quilts from back then. (Unfortunately, I can only guess which family member made them--I think my great aunt, born in the 1880's and lived to 103...well, that's the story I like best so I stick to it.) I like to see that these are well-loved rather than in perfect condition. I'm sure they brought lots of warmth and happiness through the years!

liniecat said...

Wonderful vintage fabrics!
those old New Homes were solid and reliable machines, a great find worth maybe having its electrics rejuvenated too. Ive never seen a black one before and it looks way smarter in that design!

Dana Gaffney said...

Beautiful quilts, that's exactly how I look at quilts, so much love. That vine is beautiful, I think I like it better than feathers, maybe.

Karen said...

I like seeing vintage sewing machines being put to use. New Home is a good brand. I did have a New Home fancy treadle machine but sold it in down sizing our home.

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