Prickly Pear Bloom

So, I have a thing about blankets. I have a collection of them. I love them. I love to make them, and I love old vintage ones that someone else’s hands made. I love to cuddle underneath them, and curl up with them, and look at them, and pet them fondly. There’s little that’s better than a nice blanket, in my book.

So when The Husband returned from an excursion to his grandmother’s home to move some things, he walked in holding a vintage blue and white floral quilt and asked if I wanted it. Of course I said yes. I’m so happy to have something beautiful of hers in my home.

I’ve also been a manic garage saler in the last couple of weeks. You know how it is, with all the researching and trying to get there early to find the good stuff that goes into serious garage saling. It’s more work than I usually put in to it. I have come home with a few cool things, including that polaroid spectra, some fabric, a vintage fan to join one that we’ve owned for a few years, and some doilies that I have some ideas for. What I’ve really been looking for, though, is vintage quilts. I took last Friday off, for various reasons, and went out hunting, thinking since it was Friday, I might have better luck finding those things that usually get snatched up immediately. Well, one that I went to started on THURSDAY, and he’d sold the quilt he’d advertised, of course. Man, the working folk don’t get many chances to score the cool early stuff.

I went to visit my mom on mothers day, and she and my grandmother and I took a bit of mamma-daughter time together at a really cool antique store in my hometown. I bet my mom never thought I’d be the one suggesting we go antiquing together. I remember going in there with her when I was little and being so bored. But now? Oh my, I wanted to just sit down, put down roots and live in that place. So many vintage jars and mixing bowls and red wing crocks and glassware. Yum. Have I ever told you I have a soft spot for jars? That’s probably a whole other story though. It drives The Husband insane.

Anyway, a couple of beauties came home with me. My grandmother purchased the lightweight yellow X pattern quilt as a housewarming gift for us. There are a couple of blocks that need small pieces of fabric replaced, and probably a binding to help with a torn edge, which I plan to do by hand as carefully and mindfully as possible with some fabric from my stash that hopefully will blend well with the beautiful vintage fabrics already in the quilt. I’m a little hesitant to add a binding, only because I hate to add something major that the original maker didn’t include, but if I don’t, the edge that is torn will just get worse. How do you all feel about mending/adjusting vintage quilts like that?

I’m usually not partial to loud quilts, and this one is a little busy, but oh my, the vintage fabrics in it are just delicious. I wish I could show you all of the lovely bits, but that would end up being a ridiculous wall of pictures. This lovely thing totally reminded me of Erin when I picked it up, who happens to be making this pattern right now, and I kind of feel even more connected to her now that I have a vintage version of this quilt. Hey, girl, how’s that X quilt going, anyhow?

The graphic red and white quilt is just. so. cool. A bit smaller, lightweight, and in such great condition, I think it’s going to be an addition to our growing collection of cuddle-on-the-couch blankets. In fact, I hung out with it on the porch last night. Perfect for spring snuggling. It’s all hand stitched and hand quilted, and I can just feel the creativity and love in every one of those minute stitches. The pattern of it is so contemporary, it reminds me of watermelon seeds, or Memorial Union terrace chairs. It just makes sense in our home, in every way.

So, now I think my search for vintage quilts is at an end, for now, at least.