Back in March, I cut out about ten crib quilts and put them in boxes (WITH directions!), so in the week we've been off school, I've sewn four quilt tops!
This summer, I will be trying to balance my sewing with keeping up with books reviews, and also "tutoring" my three month old grandson. My goal is to get ten baby quilts FINISHED, so we'll see how that goes. I also have five tops that I put together over spring break, so it could happen. I give away almost all of my quilts at this point.
The most EXCITING thing (not grandson related) of the summer was the thrift find that my older daughter brought to me this morning. We are both big thrifters, and like to just browse at the stores. For the last five years, I've been trying to thrift more fabric than I buy new, which was a good plan, considering the recent, tragic loss of Joann Fabrics. So when I saw this pile of fabric that my daughter got for $10, I was thrilled.
There's easily $500 worth of fabric here, almost entirely quilting cotton. A LOT of black and white, but some fun pieces as well.
I've decided that this was Edna's collection. (I like to make up stories about my thrift purchases, including this one about a Fair Isle sweater I bought.) Edna's been quilting for a long time, because I recognized a Colonial blue flower and butterfly print that my mother and I used in 1981 to make favors for my cousin's wedding. Edna REALLY had a thing for cows, and made a lot of quilts for her grandchildren that included fabric of things that interested them; Minions, Disney princesses, SpongeBob, and Snoopy.
Edna was a master at using even the smallest pieces of fabric; two crib quilt tops were included in the haul.
In her later years, Edna's ironing wasn't quite what it could have been, but you cannot fault her thrift at using every last scrap, or her fondness for some Judie Rothermel prints.
While I have plenty of fabric, my daughter and I agreed: it would have been foolish to leave such a find on the shelf. My reaction would have been much like hers. She said she squealed, embraced the clear plastic bag, and practically ran with it to the cash register.
Considering that my design process is driven by chance finds, I have a LOT of projects that will come out of this epic find!
I keep thinking about people who can do all these creative things. I had decided it was something not real, something from a Masterpiece Theatre program or a nineteenth century novel or a Masterpiece Theatre program made from a nineteenth century novel. Then I read this. Well done.
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