Vintage and reproduction fabric

9 comments
I sometimes I call myself a fabric snob. I don't like buying fabric from all one line to make a quilt and I like to have vintage fabric in every project I make. I don't want my quilts looking like everyone else's quilts, most of the time. I like vintage fabric so much that my fantasy is that I could time travel back to fabric shopping with my mom in the 60s and buy fabric that I remember or dream of having. I guess that is one reason why I like feedsack fabric so much. Not only is it vintage but there's a story behind it. Feedsacks were made in fabric to package flour, sugar or other commodoties. Women depended upon feedsacks to make things for their home and clothes for their families many years ago. Darlene Zimmerman wrote a lovely book called Chicken Linen all about feedsacks. I have a small collection of feedsacks and have made several quilts mainly using feedsacks. Even the border fabric in this quilt is vintage fabric.For Christmas Natalie gave me several feedsacks she got at an antique store in Salt Lake. They are cheerful and bright and even still have the stitching lines in them. I think the are so beautiful. I hate to even cut them because they are in such pristine shape. I also love reproduction novelty fabric. I can't post the pictures from their website but Superbuzzy has some new ones that I am really wanting. One of my goals for this year was to use my stash more and buy less fabric. One blog I saw has a count down to how many days the blogger has gone without bringing new fabric into her home and is on a 2008 fabric diet. So needed. My compromise is to tell myself to only buy a fat quarter or the smallest amount they sell on line when I simply have to have something. I'm pretty sure that is reasonable.
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9 comments

Mary said...

I absolutely hear you about not liking quilts all out of one line. I get increasingly frustrated that many magazines are showcasing those quilts above all others.

In less crabby news: I love your vintage fabrics.

Jana Nielson said...

Superbuzy is great! Thanks for introducing me to it! I LOVE that quilt on your site.
I get so bored of quilts from the same line...no character!

Purple and Paisley said...

absolutely beautiful...i love feed sacks and the stories behind them...my hubby's mom was the next to youngest of 12 children and her mother died very young...she remembers the older sisters making her school skirts out of pretty feed sacks...=)...almost got snowed in at son's house...20 minute drive home took and hour and a half...my head is throbbing and then i see the pretty fabrics and i smile...thanks...

Thimbleanna said...

Gosh Freda (teehee!) that snowball quilt is adorable. Is it pieced in the traditional way, i.e. are there seams in the red blocks, 'cause it doesn't look like it from the picture. LOVE those colors!

Anonymous said...

I love your feedsack quilt. I found a stack of 36 feedsacks at an estate sale last year for $1 each.I almost fainted. There is something wonderful about making a quilt with these pieces of "herstory".

Susan said...

Hi, I'm not sure how I got here..I think from someone's side bar. I just wanted to comment on your feedsack post. I'm much older than you, and when I was small my Mama made almost all of my playclothes and some of my dresses from feed sacks. If I went with her to the feed store we just got whatever, but if I went with Daddy...he'd let me pick out exactly which sacks I wanted. Much to the dismay of the guy at the feedstore who had to move all the other sacks to get to them. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

Anonymous said...

I love feedsacks too. I loved your post about them, and I too love the stories behind them. The history.

Jodi Nelson said...

I think I should be careful about visiting your site! So many beautiful quilts and fabric and.... Love this quilt!

Anonymous said...

I love your quilt! I have always been drawn to feedsack fabric and just today learned that it was called "feedsack". Now, I want to find some! Any ideas where I can find it?