Vintage Quilt Redux

This past year, I was commissioned to fix a filthy, torn, tattered quilt top and asked to "repair" it. I'm not sure if the owner even knew it was only an unfinished quilt top, and not a finished quilt until I told her. It was in bad shape.
I consulted my friends, quilty experts and contacts, including art restorers, wardrobe experts, people who market professional textile cleaning products. And then I dug in to the mess. I had to hand wash it 4 times in Soak textile wash just to get it clean enough to work on. 

Then I bought vintage feedsack scraps on eBay and made little patches for the really bad holes. 

There was lots of hand sewing to be done and much going back as I'd see more holes, ripped seams and tears, but slowly it began to come together.
I fell in love with the fabrics the more I worked with them, and found little gems and favorite spots throughout the quilt.

The more I worked with it, the more I wished I could speak to the woman who made it... The whole process felt like a conversation I was having with her. There was a distinct primitive beauty about it... I can't help but wonder if this was the only quilt this sewist ever made. So many quilter rules were broken (which reminded me a lot of the natural beauty in the quilts of Gees Bend) and I just loved the innocence of it all. As I finished the quilt, I didn't square it up, I left the edges all wobbly and dealt with the wrinkles that were there as part of the design. I told the customer that these were beautiful and should be preserved as the voice of the original artist.
What a joy it was to finish it. I quilted it really tightly and backed it with Denyse Schmidt's Greenfield Hill line, a vintage inspired line that matched really well.... When it was finally finished, it was strong and safe enough to wash thoroughly with some of my favorite handmade laundry detergent... And what came out of my dryer at the end was gorgeous. It was an absolute delight to work on.

Picnic blanket therapy

Yesterday was a tough one. We "almost" got to pick up an abandoned newborn at the hospital and the high and low emotions that we rode between the first call and the final one which said, "nope, the hospital's paperwork got messed up, we are so sorry, not your baby this time" - well, it's almost inexplicable.

I texted J after the final news... "I'll be sewing tonight" ... And this is what I used to process my confusion and clear my head...

These were a bunch of fabrics given to me by my mother in law and my hubby's two grandmothers (excluding the back) many years ago. I made the 5x5 grid as a practice piece when i was learning to sew and dreaming about quilting years ago and recently found it, neglected. I pieced it into this 60x60 picnic quilt with the other vintage fabrics and used the whole project as "stippling practice." it had been sitting, pieced and pinned until now, waiting for the next step. Last night I cranked it out and sewed and sewed... I finished the self-binding today just as I learned some great news... My much blogged about pal, Christy, gave birth to Cade around midnight last night. (remember his quilt?)
Happy news, sewing, prayer and time are all some of my greatest, brightest ways to cope with this crazy crazy ride.

New vintage pants for Mimi

The Design Director got these pants when she woke up this morning. Tori is moving across country and downsizing her vintage fabric stash, so we've been gifted with yards and yards of new inspiration... The Design Director loves yellow, and claimed this fabric instantly, so I was happy to oblige-complete with ric-rac trim. I love seeing her in this style.

Oh happy day. (scrap skirt #4)

After weeks of not being able to sew due to back pain, I was able to sew last night.
(I recommend not having a 40lb 2 year old... 2 year olds still need to be held, and I'm starting to think I need a weight trainer just to advise me on how to do this. Believe me, I still use my sling when I can, because it's the only thing that helps.)

Anyhow, back to the happiness...
Dear reader Catherine, commissioned me to make a little girl spinny skirt for her darlin' to match her momma's new CLASSIC patterned skirt, and here it is!!! I'm so pleased with how much easier it was to make this time and I think it turned out even better than the first 3!
And the vintage yoyo was just for happy kicks. Tori, of Tori Higa stationery, sent me a batch of vintage yoyos she boughtfor me at Estate of Grace- which I also need to blog about...
I just had to pass on the sharefest and this morning's happy project.
Now I'm off to preschool orientation...

A matter of taste

I grew up in a home with ultra-modern design. My dad loves clean lines and mid-century modern and Italian designers. Though my parents' love for the whimsical and ecletic definitely was passed down to me, it makes me laugh to think of how much I love old quilts, mismatched wood furniture, glass doorknobs, and many forms of recycled "junk"... Another thing of beauty to me...

beauty in the cabinet

one of the happiest things to me about my new (it's very old) house is the view of the inside of my bathroom cabinets.
I know, it sounds strange, but I love it.
There are layers and layers of torn contact paper and other coverings that have been exposed in the most lovely way... the way that only about 40-50 years of aging can do and I love it.

Every time I look at it, all I can think about is how honored I feel to live in a place that has this much history.
Part of the pain for me of moving back to LA after 5 years in Chicago was the thought of not getting to live in a home/city/place with history. When we discovered our current neighborhood, we were amazed - "you mean in the heart of LA is a district with historic homes, just like the one we left in Chicago?"

yup - complete with crooked floors, original bathrooms and kitchens, huge front porches and remnants of hiding wallpaper - just hinting at years and years of history.

right up my alley.

Garage sale find

we found this at a garage sale years ago in Chicago... but it still is one of my happiest possessions.
hand-painted, heavy board - it now occupies a prize corner in our dining room