Log Cabin Quilt and 1930s Reproduction Fabric

Today I received a delightful surprise in my email inbox -- a photo of this beautiful lap quilt made by one of my wonderful Etsy customers for her very lucky mum.  She utilized the reproduction 1930s fabric that I stock in my Etsy shop, in addition to some complimentary fabric she acquired for the project and backed it with warm fleece.  The log cabin pattern lends itself well to this type of project, you can make your quilt practically any size without a lot of adjustment.

Here's the beautiful quilt:

Two fabric bundles were used for this quilt, this one:

And here's the other bundle:

I'm so excited to share this work, it's terrific to see the creative process in action.  This lap quilt, using vintage inspired fabric and a traditional pattern resulted in a very lovely, warm and cozy work of art, like a hug, wrapped in love.  Sweet!

Vintage Rag Scrap Quilt

Since I'm on a quilt theme, here's another vintage quilt that's a real sweetie.  This one came into my collection through an online auction.  Although I'm not certain of it's age, it's definitely vintage and well loved.

The colors are a bit faded, especially the pink which I suspect was once actually red.

The elements that I find so attractive about this vintage rag quilt are it's scrappiness and randomness.  It reminds me of a crazy quilt but without the embroidery.  Yet it's still orderly with it's predictable pink diamonds.

Here's a good shot of the hand quilting.  Not tiny, perfect stitches but the whole quilt is lovingly covered in hand stitches.

The fabrics include a lot of plaids but also sweet prints like these.  Makes me think that maybe this was made in the 1930s or 1940s.

Considering it's size, which is twin, the use of plaids and that the pink looks like a faded red, I wonder if this sweet quilt was made by a loving mother for her son.

I just adore vintage quilts and truly admire the amount of time and effort that was put into these handmade treasures.  This vintage rag quilt is a perfect example of that.

Vintage 1930s Dresden Plate Quilt Pattern

It's been so long since these Dresden Plate quilt pieces came into my life that I really can't remember where I got them.  More than likely a rummage sale, garage sale or the like.  All I do know is that these little treasures probably were made in the 1930s considering the fabric and the popularity of the Dresden Plate pattern at the time.

Since the sun provided such wonderful light yesterday, I decided to take advantage of it and photograph these unfinished quilt pieces.

I have a warm spot in my heart for 1930s fabrics and these pretty prints are still bright and cheerful after all these years!  These Dresden Plate quilt pieces have a variety of colors and print sizes that give the overall look a balanced feeling.

The grey striped fabric on the left is intriguing with it's modern take on the leaf motif.  One of the things I love about 1930s fabric prints are how they are sweetly old-fashioned, yet new in design.

The seamstress sewed the Dresden Plate pieces by machine but turned down the edges by hand.  Here you can see the her hand basting in preparation for appliqué.

There are six of these beautiful Dresden Plate pieces waiting to be turned into a quilt, it's just a matter of time.  Fortunately, they will blend beautifully with current reproduction 1930s fabrics and a new, yet retro quilt can be made easily.  Well, time to get to work!

Vintage Girl Scout Badge Quilt

This vintage Girl Scout badge quilt was crafted using Girl Scout badges from the 1920's and the 1930's and accented with a vintage 1920's 3 star membership pin.  Some of these badges are quite interesting... The khaki badges from the 1920's include the star fill "Stargazer" and the thrifty bee "Economist" as well as the wise owl "Economist" and the all seeing eye "Observer."  The grey green square badges from the 1930's include the baseball "Athlete" badge, the tent shape "Woodcraft Scout" and the lightning bolt "Electrician"---what a cool badge!  Then there are the round badges from the 1930's including "Aviation" which must have been a pretty amazing badge to earn back in the day, and "Motorist" another awesome badge for a girl in the 30's.

My favorite badge is the GS "Rambler" badge, it just says it all -- Go Girl Scouts!