How to Tie a Quilt

Today I bring to you the quick and dirty way to finish a "quilt" - which is in quotes because technically this is not a quilt because of the way it is finished. Perhaps you have seen these crazy t-shirt quilts before. This one I put together back in middle school in my mom's life skills class, so the shirts are from elementary and early middle school. I find it comical that 5 sports are represented considering I did not participate in any of them in high school. :-)

Anyway, it has been sitting around unfinished for a very very long time. Which is ridiculous, because finishing it only took me one episode of Pretty Little Liars! Why didn't I do this a long time ago?

So here is how it's done.

All you need is some yarn - just a couple yards is all it takes, and a giant needle. Mostly it just needs to have a big enough eye so that you can pull the yarn through.

This is what it should look like from the back:

After you have the needle threaded with the yarn you just stick it through the quilt (from the front to the back, then back up to the front again). Cut it so that each tail is about 2 inches long. Then tie in a knot. THAT IS ALL. SO EASY! Just do it over and over and over again. I chose to put ties in every corner between the t-shirts and around the edges between shirts. Special thanks to mom's hands for first teaching me, then demonstrating for the blog!

 Also - happy birthday to you mom! This quilt tying experience happened to fall on the weekend we were celebrating her birthday.

Vintage Fabric

While unpacking some linens in the new house I came across this bright quilt. My grandmother gave it to me quite a few years ago, and I think it is amazing. I can't believe I did not appreciate it before now. I guess there are some things that are just not appreciated until one is old enough to know what it is worth.

My grandmother's grandmother, so my great-great-grandma, pieced together this quilt before 1940. That means this fabric is all vintage from the 1930's (and possibly 20's). I can remember my grandmother telling me she had a few dresses made from pieces of this fabric when she was a little girl. I just can't get over how cool I think that is now. What I would give to have a few yards of just one of these scraps!

My grandmother finished the quilt (a.k.a. added batting and actually quilted the front and back of the quilt together) in 1997 but as the tag describes, the piecing together of the vintage fabric was done before 1940. I can only guess that 1940 was when her grandmother died... so she must have done it before then.

The pink and green triangle is one of my favorites. I can just imagine it sewn into a 1930's style dress.
This quilt is worth more to me than any store bought or new. I guess that is the beauty of things that are old. :-)