Houston, We Have A Problem
To be fair, Jack Swigert actually said “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here” on 4/14/1970 aboard Apollo 13, but who’s worrying about literary misquotes at this point? The basic fact remains that I now have a serious problem. Having ventured to the ridiculous ‘Bins’ thrift store with a friend again, I acquired yet another quilt. I don’t, in fact, collect large quilts (haven’t as yet discussed my doll quilt collection stored under a bed). As I didn’t need another quilt, I was unsure about purchasing it, but my girlfriend insisted I rescue it. Based on weight, it likely cost me $10. It seems I have a fondness for charming, unloved 1970s crazy quilts.
When at the Bins, most folks are in search of specific things (clothes to resell mainly) and old quilts do not hold much appeal. There’s even one “shopper” with an online following who sets up a video space in a corner and “sells” items online before she’s even purchased them! You literally have no idea what you will come across, and while much is a tad yucky, sometimes cool things are uncovered. My friend found a vintage French gold pen (worth over $150!) inside the pocket of a sport coat she was assessing. Bought that coat! There are now a myriad of for-profit “Thrift Stores” open, some in our area, which “stock” their stores with the things culled at Bins. Mind you, not everyone washes the items before reselling so I will leave that idea for you to mull over. YUCK.
My problem is it seems women in southern Wisconsin back in the 1970s were making crazy quilts. Contemporary families, emptying out elder relatives’ homes, do not appreciate the charm of these items and the quilts are donated to thrift stores. It makes me sad that someone’s handiwork is unappreciated, and the fantastic array of vintage fabrics is off-putting to the current “everything is gray” generation. So I am stuck with yet another quilt to restore because I cannot leave these treasures behind.
Thus far my quilt finds have no notation of maker, location or date. I would love to explore who made this piece but alas that is not going to happen. Other than the fabrics dating to the 1960s and early 1970s, and being found in Wisconsin, I have little to go on. Unlike my prior Bins crazy quilt (see blog post: https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/wisconsin-crazy), these fabrics are mostly cottons and a bit more rural “farm” vibe. The quilt has a sweet “make do” vibe, and the overall sense I have is it was made c.1970. Tackling the “cleaning” of the quilt evolved into quite a project.
First up was a bathtub rinse. Yikes, the pea green water had me washing it twice. Then it dried in the sun. The interior of the quilt (what would be known as the batting) was oddly lumpy so I decided to disassemble the piece and clean up the batting. Oh dear - that was a huge mess! Turns out whatever was used (no clue!) by the quilter as “batting” basically crumbled into messy loose lumps and was all over the top and backing. And my sewing room! What a mess. I ended up taking the pieces outside and shaking them to loosen the stuffing. Hubby actually swept the patio as he thought it was some odd plant pollen. Oopps.
At this point I decided the darn thing had to go through a washer and dryer. The backing was so full of this odd stuff it was the only way to get it removed. The top also, though I confess to being a tad nervous about it surviving the machines. It seems the original maker had used “foundation” pieces of old well-worn wool blankets for constructing the blocks, and they held up remarkably well. The odd fluff was removed and the top and back were quite clean. This crazy quilt was reasonably well constructed, and I mended some of the stitching on the blocks. Thankfully not a huge number as sitting down and doing embroidery had not been on my short “to do” list! After completing the repairs, I squared up the original backing and then tacked the quilt down on the floor, laying the backing on top. Pinned in place all the way around, sewn together, flipped right side out and pressed well with an iron. Now I have a fun early 1970s crazy quilt to decide what the heck to do with!
So, Houston, how the heck am I going to manage this new craze?