QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
I’ve heard of several quilters recently who have been recycling men’s shirts into quilts. 
*These might be shirts from a family member and thus evoke memories.
*They could be shirts you’ve acquired at a second hand store and thought would make a colorful quilt.
*You might have some colorful shirts with Hawaiian prints that would be very striking in a quilt.
*They may be shirts you were going to get rid of and then had an “Ah! Ha!” moment when you decided they’d make good fabric for a quilt.
Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom at Design*Sponge created an interesting quilt from some of Derek’s shirts and …read more

                 As I browsed around the Revival Fabrics web site, I came across the vintage tablecloths category.  Pictured there was a tablecloth and napkins in blue and white with floral and ribbon design.  I’d say it dates to the 1950’s or early ’60’s.
They reminded me of a wedding shower gift from my husband’s aunt!  She had given me a set of placemats and napkins…white background with blue flowers and green leaves.  No swirls, but the tablecloth design at Revival Fabrics immediately reminded me of this gift, which I’d kept in pristine condition all these years. 
Jim and I were married …read more

           A love of fabric, whether a particular type or simply fabric in general, can lead to an interesting business or sideline.  Most quilters, fabric artists, or accessory designers share a love of fabric and need to justify the urge constantly to add to their “stash.”
Laurie Maier, a collector of vintage fabrics, found that Fabrics Are Her Bag.  After purchasing one at a craft fair and discovering it wasn’t well made, Laurie decided to make one herself.   She began making them for family and friends.  Before long, her business, Blue Indigo, was launched.  (Don’t you love the name?)
This story …read more

In my recent explorations
 I discovered fascinating wall art with the artist using some of her grandmother’s vintage fabrics at How about orange…..  The framed hangings of vintage fabric flower petals are bold and colorful and created without stitching. 
Graphic designer, Jessica Jones also provides a tutorial for the hangings and book marks, actually relatively simple to create, yet stunning.  Her fabrics also took me back to the years when I sat beside my grandmother and stitched quilts.  (Does that make me vintage?!!)

Cyndi Lavin collects old fabrics, something I discussed in a previous post.  So I asked Cyndi what she did with these old fabrics and found she has some interesting ways to utilize them, whether in quilts or mixed media art work. 
Cyndi also writes a b5media blog about multi media art, Layers Upon Layers (www.layersuponlayers.com)  She says she’s not a traditional quilter, although she’s done traditional quilting. 
MEA:  Cyndi, would you tell us something about you, your art, and your blog?
CYNDI:  I’m a mixed media artist who mostly makes jewelry, but I also play around with all different forms of collage, from purely …read more

In addition to, or instead of old quilts, some quilters collect antique or vintage fabrics.  These can be very interesting to accumulate, whether you use them to make quilts, repair old quilts, or incorporate into fiber art.  I’ve had two readers write me about their fasconation in collecting old fabrics.  This got me thinking about the few I’ve accumulated.
I found my vintage fabrics stored among old quilt blocks in my childhood home, fabric scraps from sewing projects of my childhood (I may not consider myself vintage but perhaps my grandchildren and their friends do!), and some fabrics my daughter and I have …read more