Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Vintage Dresdens

Hello Everyone,

Just last week I was cruising eBay and found a beautiful vintage top. It was nearing the end of the bidding and the bidding was quite low. So I thought, what the heck and placed a bid within the last few minutes. Guess what, I won the auction!! And the best part is I received a beautiful top for only $57, a steal!!

Drum roll please...


Aren't these beautiful Dresdens? I believe they are either 30s or 40s. The item description said 20s. If anyone out there can tell for sure, I would love your opinion. They almost look like feedsack prints.


A beautiful "ice cream cone" border. It is a little flared, so I may need to make some adjustments prior to quilting it. But all in all this quilt top is in fantastic shape.


The only other thing that I might consider doing is adding a solid color fabric circle to the middle of the dresdens. What do you think, leave as is or add an appliqued circle?


Here is the entire quilt top in all its glory!! Isn't it just wonderful! I plan on quilting it and then putting it on the bed in the guest room. Very quaint and vintage. Love it!!

Business wrap up... City Scapes and Tempest Quilt Kits are now back in stock!! Find them here. Also, a brand new designer from Australia has some wonderful quilt patterns. You can find them here on my site!!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Until Next Time...

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51 comments:

Unknown said...

Wonderful purchase! Well Done you.
I agree that a darker colour on the middle will lift it up.
Stunning. Enjoy your old/new quilt.
Gina

Bec said...

Love the Ice cream sone border!! Looks great! xx

Pat said...

I'm no help as I'd leave it as close to original as possible......so you can really call it an OLD quilt top....and that would mean NO adding any circles to it and leaving it the way the original quilter envisioned it.

Anonymous said...

wow what a find. enjoy!

Abby and Stephanie said...

What a treasure! Absolutely love the border. At first I thought add a color center but the more I looked at it the more I like it as is. Whatever you do will be beautiful.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe said...

WOWZA! YOU did strike it lucky on that!! love that border!

Janet said...

Congratulations, what a fabulous quilt and the price was great. I do love the icecream border.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I think most of us automatically think 30's (me included) because that is when the majority of that type print was made, but they could easily have come from the 20's and didn't get made into quilts until the 30's. I would leave the centers the way they are. the softness of the prints against white is spectacular and it seems to me a dark center would draw your eye to it instead.

Unknown said...

Ohhh my, that was beautiful! Love the fabrics

Béa said...

Wonderful purchase at great price. Congrats !

Chartreuse Moose said...

Charming...what a lucky treasure to find! I believe many would say authentic is best, but I always follow my heart. Audition a few circles and look at it for a bit before you decide! Happy Quilting!

Cathi said...

What a great find!! It is gorgeous as is. I'd leave the centres as they are as the eye is drawn right now to all the prints in the plates.

Meredith said...

I would cut a few circles in color and put it on the quilt and take a few photos. Then make a decision. I think i would prefer colored centers, but I usually do take photos or depending on teh size or your design wall. It is a beautiful quilt.

Christine said...

Wow. What a wonderful purchase. Think I'd leave it as is. Love quilts with lots of white.

Kim Walus said...

I'd say that was a definite find and you were sooo lucky to win it for such a great price.

If it were me I would most likely applique red centers for the dresdens but either way it's a beauty. I will look forward to seeing it when your done quilting it.

Simone de Klerk said...

Beautiful! Love the border. I've never seen something like that before!

Unknown said...

wow!! that is fantastic! I love the border especially!

karen @ badlandsquilts said...

Great find Jackie, it is gorgeous! I think I would leave it as is!

Needled Mom said...

Beautiful find, Jackie. I would leave it as it is with the white centers. I can't wait to see it finished.

Anonymous said...

Love the Dresden quilt - you got a steal. How big is it? Quilt - block? Don't think I'd do anything with it to take away the original work. Enjoy it. Robert Kent, in northern Iowa. (dl11man at yahoo dot com)

Helen said...

Lovely Dresden quilt. Awesome. Love the fabrics used. Keep on showing those quilts.

Terriaw said...

Wow, what a wonderful find on ebay! I'm so jealous! I think a solid color in the centers of the dresdens would really make them pop out more, but it's pretty with the white centers too. Just not as dramatic. Have fun with it!

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

I love the border! I guess I'd leave the centers, but either way, it's beautiful. Great find:)

Terry said...

What a great deal you got on that Jackie! It's beautiful! I might just have to start cruising ebay late at night! LOL

wishes, true and kind said...

I bought old quilt blocks and tops on eBay several years ago after seeing some of Kaffe Fassett's work with them in Passionate Patchwork. I would not be afraid to make changes, so audition away. Even circles in a print might work well. I bought an old top of pieced/appliqued baskets, unpicked them from their muslins backgrounds, and restitched them onto printed fabric (go look in Kaffe's book -- I'm sure you have it :). It's a fabulous look -- honoring the old, but with a new twist. There are so many possibilities, and you will have fun thinking and dreaming about what you can do with this wonderful quilt top. I will be waiting to see :).

joan

Karen said...

Lucky you Jackie! The quilt has so much charm. And the border is fabulous.

Nanette Merrill said...

Wow. What a find. Yippe for you! The border makes it super unusual. It is beautiful whatever you do with it. I can't wait to see it quilted.

Scrapycandy said...

I really like this. I am wondering..can the sides/edging be left as is, and the inner quilting squares be backed somehow? Just a thought. I would leave the topper as is to preserve its authenticity. Maybe quilt or tie inside the circles. Wonderful!

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts said...

Oh Jackie, what a deal!! It is so beautiful. If it were me, I would leave it as it is, so beautiful.

Sherri said...

What an amazing gorgeous find. Are the inner edges "finished?" If not, I'd add a circle...if they are I might leave it as is.

Fleurette said...

Jackie you were so lucky, its lovely!

Donna~~ said...

Great find, and an incredible buy! So much work for $57. I think it looks good as it, but if you wanted to emphasize the dresdens more, a colored center would do it--perhaps a red from that time period? Thanks for sharing (though I'm jealous!) ;)

Cardygirl said...

gorgeous find! love it how it is or audition circles...it is lovely!

Rumi said...

What a fabulous deal! I would not add center circles. I like it how it is.

Teresa said...

It is quite lovely and I like it just as is, but then, I have not seen it with the color circles added.That border does look a little wonky, but could be the way it is lying. Do you thing you could take some small darts in the prints and even it up that way?
It is a great find!

Em said...

That is mind boggling to me how you did that border and the fabrics are so dang cute and whimsical!!!! WOW!!!!

Betsy said...

Jackie, it is beautiful and such a great buy. Someone definetly put alot of work into it. I would add the dark circle but research what colors were popular during that era.

Nedra said...

What a find on e-bay! Good for you! Love those dresdens and fabrics. You couldn't have found a more perfect match.

pratima said...

It is so beautiful! Love the icecream cone border and cheerful prints. I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful quilt to cherish forever once it is adorned with your beautiful quilting!

Shari said...

What a great quilt - too bad the story is lost - but you create your own new one with it. To change it or not change it is always an interesting question - in the end one would hope the quiltmaker wanted it used and loved, so you need to do what you want with it - your excellent taste and skill will ensure that if you do add the circles it will be perfect... and the technical challenges involved in a wavy border are certainly not beyond you... I'm so pleased this quilt went to you. It will become what it was meant to be and be loved and cherished... I look forward to seeing it in a future post in all it's re-newed glory...

Hugs - Shari

Sarah said...

Hi Jackie,
Even though it might be really beautiful with circles appliqued to the centres, I wouldn't, because I like to keep things original. But that's just me! I'm really glad you're quilting it though, because such a beautiful top deserves a bottom!
Cheers
Sarah

Lori said...

That quilt top is gorgeous! And I'd say you got quite a bargain.

Vesuviusmama said...

Oh my! What a find! Can I come stay in your guest room when it is done?

Carol from Panama said...

I don't know - I'm torn - I think it would look good with the appliqued circles in the center. But... then it's not original - not what the maker intended. Whatever you decide to do it's a pretty quilt.

Shirleyquilts said...

Absolutely gorgeous. What a find!

I think you should leave the center as is. I love the border, too.

Anonymous said...

def leave as is. and. what can you do to keep the "ruffle" on the ice cream border? I think it adds to the charm.

you got quite the find!

Anonymous said...

def leave as is. and. what can you do to keep the "ruffle" on the ice cream border? I think it adds to the charm.

you got quite the find!

Jean said...

You are so lucky! what a find! I would leave it as is, though colored centers would be nice too. Is it hand stitched? Are you going to hand or machine quilt it?

Quilts on Bastings said...

Wow, what a wonderful purchase. I must keep an eye out on ebay for vintage quilts. Can't wait to see it quilted.

eva said...

The dresden is beautiful!!
out of curiosity are center circles sewn on TOP of the plates? and are the backs cut out of them (after the plate is finished)?

lovely!!
xo
eva

Rose Marie said...

A light peach or aqua would give it added sparkle .... but what a treasure you have!

When you fix the cone border ... can you show us what adjustments you will make?

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