Started Back Quilting!

Hello Everyone! Christmas is soon

upon us - I hope you are ready!

 

While straightening up my garage a couple

of months ago - I came across 3 quilts tops

all ready to hand stitch. So I will be stitching them up!

I did not take the other 2 quilt tops out of

the bin so I do not know what condition

they are in. The first quilt I looked at

was this 9-Patch.

Believe me when I tell

you they had been in my garage for at least 13

years!  And stored an additional 7 years

before that!!! These quilts (not included

the quilts in my attic, were all

cut and sewed together back in

the early 90's when we were living in

Oklahoma.  I hope to get around to

hand stitching them as they have waited

long enough.

However, time sure does fly by fast! I sure did not realize

that it had been that long.

 

Anyway this 20 year old quilt top that you are about to

see is finally getting hand stitched. You will

see safety pins all in my quilt tops. I have never

basted a quilt to its backing. Not only have I been

lazy at that but I never wanted to waste thread.

 

With my quilts I never waste anything. When I get tired

of seeing the same ole piece of scrap around, then I

donate them to someone else. But I have not quilted in

a long time so I have not had anything to

donate. Last year I got tired of having so much

clutter so I donated to the Library 180 quilt books.

It took me many years to collect them. I only kept about

a shelf full for myself.

 

In my quilts I use anything that I can get my

hands on. The dust ruffles that you use on the beds

is one of my favorites to buy. I particularly look for

them at thrift stores. If the inside part that goes under the

mattresses is a little holy - it is okay with me!! Cause I use that

part for the foundations on all of my string quilts. On most of

these string quilts, I do not even put batting in between.

I just tie them.

Also I have always used sheets for my quilt backings.

 

Back then I was able to find sheets for 50 cents each.

It did not matter to me if it was fitted or flat. But I

did like to get as many flat sheets as possible. I always

used the fitted sheets for sashing's between blocks.

So in my attic I know there are at least a couple of big

bins full of white cotton sheets to be used as backings. 

I am what I call a 'thrifty quilter'. I have been

shopping at thrift stores since I was first married.

And I love it. I wash all the clothes very good

and the best part of this is - I do not have to

worry about anything shrinking!! Cause it has

already been shrunk by other good people.

 

I am a Traditional quilter, I think. I love the old patterns

and I never stray from white or cream colored quilting

thread. My tomato pincushion holds at least 8

threaded needles at one given time, ready for use. Time

to get the pincushion ready.

 

Anyway, as you can see my quilt top is full of safety pins. I

used to have quilting frames in the early years but the last time

that I owned a quilting frame was 1980. I got

tired of them breaking every time we moved.  So then I

decided that I should just stitch them the way women

back then stitched them. And I have hand quilted this

way ever since then. 

 

But what is new with me on this quilt that I will be

hand stitching is, this will be the first time that I have

not marked the quilt top. It has been 20 years since

I have quilted so I will be rusty!!

So I am not going to mark the top - just hand stitch!

I will be doing the cross-hatch.

 

When I checked this quilt top - I was amazed to see

that it was in surprisingly great shape!! The sheet

backing has not yellowed. The cream squares

look great! My pins did not rust or

leave any marks in my fabrics, however, there is an age

mark on one of the green squares. I will put a

safety pin here to help mark the spot to treat in

the washer once I finish quilting.  I am surprised

that there is not anything else wrong with it!!

 

I have been thinking a lot lately about women of long

ago that quilted. I am not an expert but I do

not believe that every woman owned a quilting frame.

Nor do I believe that every woman participated

in a quilting bee. I think that some women

sat in a rocker or at the kitchen table and quilted.

One of my grandmothers had 5 daughters. Her

daughters cleaned, washed clothes along with

other chores. My grandmother

cooked 3 meals a day. She also sewed clothes and

made quilts. She never had a quilting frame and with

10 children she never had time for a quilting bee.

 

I have spread this quilt out on a table. There are piles of sheets

and clothes at the back to help hold it up. I will be quilting

this way because I get hot very easy now and this way

it helps to keep the quilt off of me. For many

years I quilted while watching television on the

couch or a chair. This was when I was cold natured,

which that is not the case now.

 

I want to see how long it takes for me to hand stitch

this quilt top if I work on it every day without it being

marked. I want to see about how many weeks it

will take to stitch the entire top with the

exception of the binding.

 

 I am sure that my stitches will not all be

straight or even but this does not bother me. This will

be the first quilt that I have hand quilted that

will have cross hatch quilting on it. If cross hatch

quilting turns out to be fast then I will be stitching

many quilts with this pattern.

 

I will start my quilting tonight and take pictures

of my progress. Here is the 9-patch quilt that I

will be hand quilting.

 

A close up of one of the blocks.

 

The rose backing is already pinned to the top along the muslin

border. It was always easier for me to quilt like this.

I can tell that the batting is thin. It is still a crisp white!

How did I manage this?? It has been safety pinned

like this for 20 years.

 

I always loved this sheet that is why I pared these

two together.

 

 I know that I have another quilt top that has this

same sheet as a backing already pinned together

also. I do remember these sheets costing me 50 cents

each. Today if you can find this sheet, it will

probably cost you. But I think that I might look on the

net. Look how white it still is. The sheet has held

up better than the fabric when you think about it.

 

Thanks for visiting me!! Come again!

 

Hopblogger