Quilts from home, as promised

I try to keep my promises but can sometimes be a bit slow about it! Today please feast your eyes on a few of the beautiful family textile heirlooms from my mother's collection...

You had a look at this one the other day and I wanted to tell a bit about it. The quilts are very special as each one was made by hand by someone in the family on either my mother or father's side of the family. They are such tangible links to my female anscestors. Imagine that they sat for hours on end together and alone stitching the thousands of stitches to make up the quilts. Many of the fabrics were likely first used as their clothes so these quilts are so very personal.

This quilt, known by many names, like sawtooth or delectable mounts was likely made with new fabrics, and is from the Crego side of my mother's family. There are brown spots on the quilt that I didn't really capture in the photos which mom tells me are from the iron mordent that was put on the fabric before the dye. It was a process in use in the early 20th century. This quilt was done with a high level of skill as it is intricate and extremely well-done. However, it has many rather tattered spots.

The T-quilt is quite old, also from my mother's side, by my mother's grandmother's mother's mother. My grandmother chose to inherit this quilt when my mother was an adult.

 

I am fascinated by how these quilts wear and age. This one T is completely gone whereas some other's appear to be in perfect condition. Fabrics are certainly not all made alike. The T-quilt is also faded on one whole side. Mom wonders if someone started it at one time, put it aside and later finished it later with more light fast blocks.

This quilt isn't finely quilted, more of a utilitarian quilt made with used fabrics. Mom is pointing out the stitches which as you can see aren't completely uniform or anything fancy.

I fell completely for the fabrics on this quilt and photographed quite a number of them. I won't show them all as it might be a bit much...

My mother's grandfather's mother made this beauty of a quilt. There were originally red flowers in the blocks, but when Aunt Miriam was getting married her mother redid it for her with pink flowers because Aunt Miriam had red hair and her mother thought the red hair wouldn't go with the red flowers. I stained it when I was a child. Guess what? It is mine! Mom gave it to me! I adore this quilt!

There are still more quilts, but I am out of time - Anne Katrine is coming any minute for a visit! I will be sewing or knitting while we chat but poor Anne Katrine has been in a cast for quite a few weeks now and hasn't been able to do any kind of handwork. I have been lending her crafting magazines I had brought back from the US so she can fill up on inspiration for when her cast comes off.

Comments

[Anja]

They are all beautiful, but the last one is really really amazing. Oh, you must be so happy to have it at home. Such a lovely keepsake.

[Petra]

Quiltarna är underbara, speciellt den i rosa/grönt. Lucky you! / Petra

[Jean C.]

The quilts are wonderful! What a nice Heritage you have! Nothing like family still haveing your Great, great, great grandmas's quilts to make you feel like your family is large and full.
I checked out your new doll wall hangings too. Really cute! I like how you quilted them!
Take care. More later. Jean

[alisonmc]

Family quilts are so wonderful. I can't even begin to think where they got their patience from. I tried to take up quilting last year and gave up in frustration WITH a sewing machine. What talented women you have in your history. You're so lucky to have something to beautiful to remind you of them!

[fiona]

thanks for the tour of your fantastic family treasures!They look so soft anf loved!

[kari]

Is there anything better than the feel of a worn cotton quilt? How lucky you are to have such treasures. I LOVE the pink and green one and only a mother would change it to match her daughters hair!

[Kristine]

Lucky, LUCKY you! They are so beautiful. I love the scrunchiness of old quilts. That subtle fabric you have shown in a close up on the T quilt is really pretty. Thanks for sharing - I love seeing this sort of work.

[annieb]

oh my goodness - they are so beautiful, and even moreso as you know their histories. How wonderful that they have been kept safe and loved all these years. And lucky lucky you to have Aunt Miriam's for your own now, to keep safe for the next generation. I am blown away.

[Julia]

They are such beautiful heirlooms.It must be nice to think about the members of your family who made them with such care.My favourite is the one with the pink and green appliques ...and wonderful to know the story of how the shapes started out as red.

[Lisa]

What amazing family heirlooms. You are so lucky to have such beautiful treasures to pass down through the generations. Thank you for sharing.

[Suzan]

These are treasures! You've gotta be just beside yourself

[cfp,laura]

Oh I do adore your quilts. I secretly love pink....I especially love the last.The story is always so interesting to me. I love that you didn't just show.Thanks for sharing!:)Laura

[Jennifer]

Wow! What beautiful quilts. And waht wonderful family treasures. I am feeling inspired to learn to quilt. I would love my daughters to have something like this.

[Nanette]

Vintage quilts are so beautiful. They have history behind them and it always makes me wonder what the hands looked like that sewed them and who slept under them.

[Sol Stensland]

For noen fantastiske skatter!
Hilsen Sol

[Betty @ She's Sew Pretty]

Oh! You have a beautiful blog! I am also a quilt lover. I've never seen a T quilt. I'll have to show my daughter as I her last name starts with T.

[kayellen]

The quilts are lovely.
Nice to hear am not the only one in a cast! Mine is bright pink. What color is Anne's?
Cutting off this Friday. Hope Anne Katrine gets her cast off soon too!

KayEllen

[Jennifer]

Beautiful quilts and stories that go with them! The delectable mountains and the applique quilt are my favorites. What treasures.

[Ravenhill]

Thank you to everyone for your enthusiasm for my mother's vintage family quilts! There are many more to come!

KayEllen, so sorry to hear about your cast! My friend Anne's is blue and hopefully she'll get it off tomorrow! I look forward to sewing with her. We have plans to use an entire Saturday once a month for sewing!!!

[a home far away]

Så ljuvligt vackra! Är på jakt efter ett par til min dotters rum

Kram från Singapore

[melanie]

They are some impressive heirlooms. How do you store them and do you use the? I am not a quilter so I am intrigued with such things. I would be too scared to use them but too proud to hide them away in a safe place.

[Sarah]

Hi Emily, Thanks so much for your recent comments on my blog. It's been wonderful catching up on your posts.
What beautiful quilts you have shared in this post - I especially like the one you've inherited with the flowers. I don't have anything like this in my family but I bought my first antique quilt the other day and love it.
Sarah xx

[mosey handmade]

emily,
so beautiful!!!!
your mom had showed me that last quilt before- and i love that story about the red hair~
so cool to see them all out and about!
xoxoxo

[kathie]

Beautiful quilts and thanks for pictures of the fabrics too, so nice to see. Great story about the red and green quilt...love it as pink and green !
GREAT quilt oh thank you for sharing it. Does it have a border?
Hoping you will share more in the future.
Thanks
Kathie