Collecting and using vintage fabrics for various projects fascinate many quilters and fabric artists, as well as multi-media artists.  By “vintage” fabrics, we mean those of more than 50 years ago.
Sometimes you find them simply as pieces of fabric.  More commonly, vintage fabric comes from clothing, coverlets, and even quilts.
According to Mary Engelbreit’s book, Winter, you’re most likely to find these vintage treasures in small pieces.  So…what kind of small projects would you use them for?
Mary Engelbreit suggests “Fancy Pockets” made into cases for eyeglasses, limpstick tubes or combs.  In the book, there are directions for these.
What about other vintage …read more

What a marvelous idea Noreen Crone-Findlay had to begin the festivities for her daughter Chloe…a bridal tea.  Noreen blogs at Hankering for Yarn and Chloe at Tangled Thread.
Since I enjoy tea myself and often write about it in “one of my other lives” as a newspaper columnist of the Country Kitchen column, I thought the idea of a bridal tea simply a delightful one.  This could be adapted for a quilter who’s getting married by using patchwork placemats or appliqued table cloth.  Perhaps there would be napkins to carry out the theme.
Would there be some type of quilted or patchwork …read more

Beth continues to make “inchies” for herself and for trading in her group.  In addition to being fascinating little pieces of art, they’re a way to experiment with new techniques without wasting a great deal of fabric and art materials.
These are inchies she made to send as trades.

A friend was looking at these and suggested Beth make some into necklaces.  She has adorned inchies with handmade fabric and paper buttons, then attached pin backs.
More about inchies at her Meandering Threads blog.  Here are some inchie pins.

Previously I wrote about “inchies” in the post, Discovering “Inchies” in the Quilting World.  These are the little one inch embellished squares (or slightly larger for “plus size inchies”) that quilters have discovered and are trading, using as decorations, and purely having fun making.
My daughter decided they are the right size for pins so converted two into something to wear by attaching a pin back.  She also used as embellishments beads she had created from fabric.

Why don’t you give “inchies” a try!
(These “inchie” pins appear on Meandering Threads.)

“Inchies” and “Plus Size Inchies” have become one of my daughter Beth’s latest fabric art projects.  These are 1-inch or 1 1/4-inch squares that you embellish.
Beth has been using some of her dyed fabric and embellishing with stitching, beads, fabric and other items.  You can give your imagination free reign and create very interesting tiny pieces of art.
An online fiber arts group Beth recently joined trades the “inchies” and “plus size inchies.’
Sometimes they make these tiny items all of one color; other times they’re multi-colored.
Beth posted this blue collection on her Meandering Threads blog.