Was upstairs just now rummaging around in what used to be my daughter's bedroom. She had called and asked me to find a grass skirt she thought was still up there (don't ask!!! I don't know why she needed it either! Not sure I really want to know!) Didn't find the grass skirt, but guess what I did find??? A small box full of authentic 1930's era fabric!!!! Mostly small pieces - some look to be feed sack fabric, some are shirting fabrics, and a few are from the 40's - But what a hoot I'm gonna have making some blocks for the 1930's challenge issued by a local quilt group! We have to use their focus fabric, but the rest is to be 1930's repros!!! Instead of repros, I'm going to use the REAL thing!!! Silly thing is, I have no idea where this box of stuff came from!!! Is there such a thing as a quilt fairy????

Nola

Wow Nola that's a wonderful find. Has your family lived in your home for a long time or several generations? I wonder what story your fabric could tell. Or perhaps you do have a quilt fairy!

Melita

Oh, you lucky, lucky dog!

Nola what an amazing find It has to be one of your relatives giving you that present She just knew you would make good use of them
Have fun with them sweetheart
Jacqui

This message has been edited. Last edited by: buggalugs,

LUCKY YOU!!! what a find

Wow ... what a great find, Nola!

Sounds like the work of a "good" quiltergeist to me!

The fabric was in the type of box that computer paper reams come in - I use lots of them for storage. Funny thing is, I have no recollection of ever seeing that fabric before, nor do I recall putting it in that box. There were a few pieces of modern double-knit fabric in there too, along with a pair of pinking scissors in their box, and a pair of skinny black scissors. I vaguely remember the black scissors.

I'm going to press the fabric later today and will try to post a pic for you all to drool over. There's some stuff that has to be turn of the century, or very early 1900's - it's that old indigo blue with tiny white flowers or other designs, and there are strips of shirting fabric.

Melita, to answer your question, no, none of my family ever lived in this house. My grandparents lived next door. This house was built by the great-grandparents of my very oldest (as in long time) childhood friend. Her great-grandmother was a sister to my grandmother's brother's first wife (did I lose you there???). My great-uncle John was married to Lillie - Lillie's sister Josephine and her husband built this house. So there is a very slight family connection.

Maybe as I press the fabric and study it more, something will jog my memory as to where it came from. I do know it wasn't my grandmother's. I have a very few little pieces of some of her dress fabric. The only plausible explanation I can come up with is that they might be from my grandmother's cousin. She did custom sewing for years, and when she died I helped her nephews clean out her house and ready it for the auction (I was working for their lawyer at that time). One of the nephews knew I liked fabric and quilts, so he gave me some quilt tops. I'm thinking maybe that's where the fabric came from. Also, this was over 35 years ago, at an extemely stressful time in my life and I've blocked a lot of things.

Actually, tho', I like the quilt fairy, or good quiltergist theory much better!!!

Nola

That is a cool find. I found a bucket of yoyos that my grandmother made when we were helping my mom move. I put them aside to ask if I can have them. She tossed them in the trash now they are gone forever. But I did get my grandads ties and made a wonderful skirt. We also have pictures of him with 5 of the ties on at different times in his life. If you want to see a picture of the skirt just let me know. Thanks Laura

Okay, this brings up an interesting ethical question. My mother started a postage stamp quilt way back in the late forties or early fifties. At some point my sister got hold of it, and began adding black squares in between the blocks of four. It really does make the fabric pop. No one knew she had the quilt until after her death, when we found a box with the pieces in them. My niece, who would rather take a beating than pick up a needle, claimed it because it was her mother's. My mother happened to be there that day and claimed it as hers, and rightfully so IMO as she started it and it needed to be finished.

My mother has had cataract surgery, which I am not sure was all that successful. She also has macular degeneration. Every time I ask if she has worked on the quilt she tells me no, because she can't see to work on the dark fabric. She can be very possessive and I don't think she will let me take the quilt to finish it for her so she can enjoy it.

Since I am the only quilter in the family, I figure I will end up with the pieces some day. So here is my dilemma, if I finish the quilt do I give it to my niece? We are talking vintage fabrics, 50, 60, maybe 70 years old. I tease my niece about being the illegitimate child of Mr. Clean; you could perform brain surgery in her house, or grow dilithium crystals, it is that clean! I am afraid if I give her the quilt, she will ignore my washing instructions and it will be in shreds within a year.

I want to see the quilt preserved, either in a private collection or in a museum. Because of the variety of of vintage fabrics in it, I think it can be a usefeul tool for studying the colors and motifs in fabric from that era.

I also think that because my mother didn't give it to my sister, my niece doesn't have any more claim to it than the rest of us. She does not remember ever seeing her mother work on it so there is not a sentimental attachment to it. I think she is more interested in its monetary value.

I have claimed so many things that are family heirlooms that someone thought was junk. I feel as though I will be in that position again, but this stuff is such touchy subject in my family that I have to tiptoe around the issue sometimes.

I have thought about making her another quilt, as a diversionary tactic, and possibly donating the postage stamp quilt to a museum. What do you think?

Meg, I think your idea of finishing the quilt and donating it to a museum would be the way to go - unless you really want to keep it for yourself. The way I see it, if your Mom didn't give it to your sister, then your niece has no claim whatsoever on it.

I do understand what you're talking about as far as claiming the heirlooms that others consider junk! I've done the same thing, only with my hubby's family. Most of them don't like me anyway so I really don't care!!! When they sorted out old pictures and papers after my mother-in-law died, they threw tons of stuff in sacks, then told me to go burn them. They even wanted to go with me to be sure I really did burn them. I managed to convince them that after they left, I'd burn the stuff (I lied!!!). The stuff might have been junk to them, but to me, being the family historian and genealogist, some of that stuff means a lot. They ordered me to burn the cards and valentines that my MIL & FIL sent each other when he was in Panama during WWII - they said we had no business reading their private thoughts. OK - if they had still been living, I'd have agreed, but they were both gone - so what would it hurt if we read them? I have them carefully preserved for my grandkids to enjoy some day. None of the stuff has any real monetary value, but from a historical standpoint, I wasn't about to burn it!!

Nola