Over the past 30 years or so, I've browsed antique shops for vintage fabrics, quilt blocks and quilt tops, specifically those from the 1930s or from the turn of the century (late 1800s to early 1900s). Those that caught my attention and seemed like a "good deal" came home with me. I didn't realize how much my collection had grown until I recently started sorting.
I found more than 30 blocks that were either 4-patch or 9-patch, made from early 1900s fabrics. Since what they had in common was that they were all made from squares, I envisioned that they could all work together in a small quilt.
I first examined each block for bad stains, narrow seam allowances, holes or very thin fabric. If they had a serious "issue", they were set aside. Minor issues were not a problem. Most of the blocks had been hand pieced, and only a few of them required a bit of re-stitching. Some of the blocks have slight stains, but I did not try to wash any blocks before using. In her book, Twisted, Mary Kerr suggests waiting until a piece is quilted to take care of minor stains and discolorations. The vintage fabrics and stitching are very fragile and lots of handling will make the blocks fall apart. The blocks that I chose to use were not that dirty...had they been, I would have gently washed them before working with them.
Thirty blocks were usable: seven 9-patch blocks that measured ~10" square, thirteen 9-patch blocks that measured ~7" square, and ten 4-patch blocks that measured ~7" square, enough blocks to be set 5 x 6. To make the blocks all the same size, the smaller ones were surrounded by 2 1/2" strips of muslin, then trimmed to fit the 10" blocks.
Once I decided on my layout, I began to piece the quilt top; first the blocks into rows, then the rows together. While pressing the seams, I noticed that one of the red fabrics in a large 9-patch block was "bleeding" onto the muslin surround.
Out came the seam ripper, to remove the 9-patch block to find out what was happening.
Much to my surprise, it DID NOT bleed when immersed in the cold water. I wrung out the block and laid it flat to dry on a white towel. NO bleeding while drying!!!
Once dry, the block was placed on a pressing cloth and pressed with a hot iron. Here's the press cloth after the block was removed. Very strange, indeed!!! I have worked with red fabrics that bled upon becoming wet, but never red fabrics that reacted to the heat of an iron.
Needless to say, this block was not put back into the quilt top. I had one large block that I'd set aside because several of the squares in it had bad stains. That block was taken apart and the stained squares were replaced with squares of vintage fabric from my stash. The completed block was then inserted into the quilt top where the red block had been.
The strips of muslin where the red dye had transferred were also replaced (my seam ripper got a real workout!). What was supposed to be a quick and simple quilt top made of vintage squares became a more labor intensive project!
Here's the finished quilt top...Simply Vintage Squares. ~ 48" x 58"
There are more vintage blocks in my collection that contain red fabrics. Before I use these blocks in a project, I now know to "test" the reds before using the blocks so there will be no surprises. Lesson learned!!!
