Five days with no power, centralized heat, or running water and ten days with no land line phone, Internet, or television means I had some old-fashioned time on my hands after Ice Storm 2014 and all the snow that followed . (Verizon FiOs finally got to us yesterday.)

Anyway, I had picked up this vintage handmade lap quilt at the Smithfield Barn but hadn’t had time to re-band and repair it. I had all these cool remnants of fabric from the barn as well. I also have yards of this cotton lace I had picked up a few years ago at St. David’s Fair.

I love hand made and vintage pieced and patchwork quilts, but I am not a quilter. But I have repaired quite a few vintage quilts now, adding my own touches. Sometimes some ribbon, or fabric, or lace, or even a little embroidery. I do hand stitching because I am not really adept at using a sewing machine the way my mother is.

I bought the lap quilt because it is a great size in addition to liking the fabric squares in it. It is a little over five feet and is square in shape and it is very heavy and warm. The quilt was a little beat up so I have been stitching away. I am on the last piece of re-banding. I sewed a few hours straight today and wow my hands are sore!

Once I finish the basic re-banding I will then finish any patching left in the body of the quilt and then I will do the corners and layer on some other touches. When it’s done it will make a great quilt to curl up on the sofa with. Will it be perfect? No. I am experimenting to see if I like it, but it will once again be usable. And cheerful.

Some people collect vintage quilts for display but I like to use them.

To me a vintage quilt is home. My mother has a couple that came from my grandmother’s people in Lancaster. I have her crocheted afghans. All of that to me is home. And that is the great thing about making and creating your own home: to have your home carry the happy reminders of past lives forward.

Home + Vintage = creating new memories in your home