I saw the pieces of fabric peeking out from the box on an outside table at auction this week and recognized them immediately. Quilting scraps.
In a box next to it was another project I also recognized: An unfinished quilt in what looked like yellow and white muslin. Both were very familiar to me because that was me once. Well, I was that person who quilted. I took a quilting class some years ago and then went about buying every piece of fabric I thought I liked for some eventual quilting project. I got into quilting because of its rich history among black women,and I wanted to be a part of that experience.
I had drawers of fabric scraps and large pieces, and I even started making a quilt. About halfway through the project, I realized that I really didn’t like the design. So I put it aside. I soon gave up quilting altogether. Sorry ancestors. I’ll just enjoy your wonderful creations.
I did make some potholders and gave them as Christmas gifts to my friends and female family members. I must say that they were actually nice little works of art (I actually made them for that purpose and not for kitchen use). I framed one for myself in a shadow box, and now it sits on a bookshelf in my office.
I don’t believe any of the pieces of fabric in the boxes outside the auction house were vintage (I know mine were not). But once I got inside, I found a table full of fabric that appeared to be vintage or reproduction vintage. There were about four stacks of what looked like upholstery fabric, and many more stacks of vintage – and clean – linen: doilies, placemats, napkins.
One of the neatest items was a satin twin bedspread and pillow shams. The bedspread was decorated with a woman dressed in black lace. “Vintage Lady Satin Bedspread,” someone had written on a piece of paper pinned to it.
I’ve come across vintage fabric before at auction, and someone readily snapped it up. You can find pieces at estate sales, flea markets and also on the internet, where many sites sell both authentic fabric and reproductions. You can be as creative as you want to be in how to use the fabric, including making lampshades, as this designer has done at Vintage Fabric Lamp Shade.
Want some inspiration on how to be creative with vintage fabric? Check out this article published a couple months ago in the Philadelphia Inquirer. It tells of a woman who creates lovely pillows that she sells at department stores and specialty shops. Some of her pillows can be seen in the documentary “The September issue,” about Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
So the next time you pass by some vintage fabric, stop and think about how you can transform it into art. But be selective, though, because fabric has a habit of multiplying and overtaking your best intentions.
Trust me, I know.
