Repairing The Family Pinwheel Quilt

Elizabeth G. Delozier (July 21, 1903 – Jan 21, 1996) was my husband’s grandmother. She was  known to her family as Mamsey.  She was a strong, hard-working, devoted woman who lived in a farming community in eastern Maryland. She was very self-reliant, frugal, and lived off the land.

Mamsey had a pioneer spirit with a sprinkle of renegade in her.  I have gotten to know her through her legacy of handwork and the larger-than-life stories that my husband has shared with me.

Back in the 1950s, when her grandchildren were very small, she made Pinwheel quilts for the oldest granddaughter, Phyllis, and also for the twin grandsons, Kenneth and Steven.  These quilts were used back then — slept under, drug around, washed and rewashed. Each of these 3 Pinwheel quilts are now in their own homes, stored away to pass on to the next generation.

Mamsey’s Pinwheel Quilts (c.1955) vary slightly in size, but the quilts have all been made with many of the same cotton fabrics. The Pinwheel quilts were made for Mamsey’s grandchildren and were used when they visited and stayed overnight with Mamsey.

Evidently the kids loved to spend the night with Mamsey and PapPaw, their grandfather. They didn’t live far away, but their bare-to-the-bones hand-to-mouth lifestyle was different from the home where the grandchildren lived. The kids knew this and enjoyed the farm and old-fashioned lifestyle that their grandparents lived.  Mamsey and PapPaw raised all of their own foods, they didn’t have indoor plumbing, and there wasn’t any form of heat or cooking except for the wood cook stove and the woodstove in the main parlor area.  There were pigs and cows and chickens and outbuildings to hang out in.  There was even a tin can dump-area to toss rocks into.

When Mamsey set out to make the three Pinwheel quilts, she rummaged in her scrap basket and stash of cotton fabrics that she had collected over the years. The Pinwheel quilts were all made with cotton feedsacks and a variety of cotton fabric scraps.

Each of the Pinwheel quilts was filled with used blanket waddings rather than cotton batting because that’s what she had on hand. The quilt backs were a solid shade of denim-blue cotton. The quilt layers were all hand-tied with a white 3-twist cotton thread. The blocks were machine stitched, and the quilt top was assembled by machine. The quilt bindings were machine-stitched back-to-front.

One of the Pinwheel quilts was in very poor condition. I volunteered to restore this quilt, which meant repairing the quilt, too. The quilt layers were taken apart so that the disintegrating filler could be replaced with a thin cotton batting that might have been used at the time the quilt was originally made by Mamsey.

About 10 patchwork sections needed to be replaced so feedsack cottons of the same era were used. The triangular patchwork pieces used from these cottons were appliqued on top of the damaged patchwork pieces of fabrics, preserving the original fabrics underneath.

When the quilt top was finished and the quilt was ready to reassemble, a new quilt backing was selected, matching the original shade of denim-blue originally used. After the quilt was hand-tied, and the binding was sewn, the Pinwheel Quilt was almost finished.

A quilt label was made for this Pinwheel quilt, naming the quiltmaker, Elizabeth G. Delozier. The other 2 Pinwheel Quilts also have quilt labels now, too, preserving these family heirlooms for another generation.

A Quilt On The Line

We’ve had some warm weather recently. It’s been a nice change. In weather like this, I enjoy being outside. Yesterday I washed a pink Log Cabin quilt my Mother gave to me. She made this one back in the 1970s.

Hanging on the clothesline, the quilt appears to be almost transparent.

Sometimes the clothesline is filled with colorful cloth and it always makes the day just a bit brighter.

Sewing Flowers In Wool

I have been working on a small wool applique, sewing flowers in wool. This is a primitive design that will finish as a small piece for framing. The wool was appliqued using several basic stitches on raw edges — a technique I don’t often do.  I need to stitch down the plaid flower centers, then embroider some veining on a few leaves here and there, then I will add a border before finishing it up.

While I have been sewing flowers in wool, the real flowers are emerging outside. Several late Winter perennials are beginning to blossom, signaling that Spring is not far away. In the veggie gardens, there are green Chive shoots and Lettuces to be nibbled on. These past couple of days have been mild and quite sunny — beautiful days to linger outside just a bit longer, looking for those first signs of Spring.

As I finish sewing flowers in wool, I will start to gather some seed packets and begin sowing some seeds indoors. The sunny dining room window beckons me.

Giving Old Quilts New Life

I have been a quilter for more than 30 years and have also collected antique and vintage era quilts and quilt tops for about 20 years. Some of the quilts in my collection date back to the early 1800s. Other quilts in my collection are from the 1940s-1950s. I have collected quilts that show wear and have learned to repair them. I have also collected quilt blocks and completed quilt tops, some of which have been quilted by me.

In my past, I took a number of classes on textile history and quilt restoration and learned some of the techniques to repair and restore old quilts. I have even made repairs and restorations to quilts for others and have worked with historic quilt collections.  I love antique quilts and antique cotton fabrics and enjoy having the ability to work with these old beauties from another place and time. Quilt repair and restoration isn’t about recycling — it’s more like rebirth or rejuvenation. Giving old quilts new life is a passion that connects me to the yesteryear.

Before an old quilt is repaired and restored, I like to determine the date that the quilt was made. I study the quilt extensively, checking the sections of the quilt that need repair.  Before an antique quilt is repaired and restored, it is important to know which quilts should be repaired or restored and which quilts should be preserved as-is. This quilt, a Strippy Stars quilt from Virginia, circa 1860, is of more historical value conserved (preserved as-is) than repaired.

When examining an antique quilt in need of repair, I closely inspect borders, binding, and patchwork looking for tears and worn sections. Examining the quilt in its entirety helps to understand the amount of work involved. Often, there are areas of the quilt that are more worn than others. There may also be one particular fabric that has not performed well throughout the quilt.

Before I begin the task of giving an old quilt new life, the approximate date of the quilt needs to be determined.  Quilts can generally be dated by the fabrics, the fabric colors, the quilt design, and even the size of a quilt.  These factors all contribute in dating a quilt and once that approximate date is determined, I can start to select replacement period fabrics from my workbasket of antique cottons.

Jacob’s Ladder

One quilt that I purchased for my quilt collection was a Jacob’s Ladder quilt.  The quilt needed to be repaired, though. I loved the color play of the patchwork in this scrappy quilt and the quilt was cheerful to me. This Jacobs Ladder is dated circa 1945 and repairs to this quilt included a new binding and 12 new patches appliqued over the old, worn triangles. This twin size quilt was a pleasure to repair, and after giving this old quilt new life, I have added the quilt to my personal quilt collection.

Pinwheels

A very special quilt that I restored came from my husband’s grandmother. She made three matching scrap Pinwheel quilts for her grandchildren during the 1950s, and one needed to be repaired.

The task was a large one because the quilt needed to be disassembled to be repaired. The cotton batting used in the quilt had clumped from frequent washing and it needed to be completely removed. Since the quilt was hand-tied the job was not too difficult — but it was very messy!

Since the entire quilt had to be disassembled to its separate layers to remove the wadded-up cotton, new cotton batting was necessary. And a new quilt backing replaced the tattered, old blue cotton fabric, too. Care was taken to locate the same solid cornflower blue fabric and the old blue backing fabric became a keepsake. The old Pinwheel quilt received a new life with the repairs made and I was very happy to have “shared stitches” with their grandmother I didn’t know.

Monkey Wrench

This Monkey Wrench quilt was purchased about 20 years ago and it should be repaired because it is damaged.

The Monkey Wrench quilt has several blocks with badly worn cotton fabric. To make the repair to this block, new triangles would need to be appliqued over the old worn triangle patches. This will not only keep the quilt intact for durability, but will not disturb the original quilt’s fabric. Repairing patchwork with appliqued patchwork on top ensures integrity for the quilt being repaired.

I bought this Monkey Wrench quilt because the patchwork and design layout were simple and the overall colors are so autumnal. I especially loved how the quilter wasn’t afraid to use the double-pink (‘hot pink’) calicoes with the orange calico in this quilt.

When I began looking at the Monkey Wrench quilt to see how much repair work was involved, I discovered that there is another quilt inside this quilt. I am unsure what patchwork pattern was used in the interior quilt, but when looking into several of the block sections where fabric has worn out, it is very apparent that a double-pink geometric print has been used throughout the interior quilt. Before this quilt is repaired, a great deal of time will be spent trying to see what lies inside this quilt. Who would think that quilt repair could be filled with puzzles and mystery?

Working with antique quilts and the cottons of yesteryear are a real passion of mine. And the untold mysteries certainly add a bit of intrique. With the Monkey Wrench quilt, another quilter like me gave an old quilt new life. And how ironic it is that the Monkey Wrench quilt has earned itself a third life. Someday I will give that old quilt new life yet again.

Two Quilt Nights

Our nights have turned chilly and they have become two quilt nights for us. We don’t mind the bulk of an extra quilt if it brings warmth for us.

Besides, any quilter loves an excuse to use her own homegrown quilts.

Today was near perfect.  With a clear blue sky and an afternoon temperature sitting right at 70-degrees, I searched for reasons to stay outdoors as long as possible. Sheets were hung on the clothesline to dry.  Some old iris clumps were removed.  The Fall-planted potatoes were dug up. And the dogs and I romped around enjoying the weather.

We might have two quilt nights but with a perfect day like this, we have t-shirt days.