Sunday, September 2, 2012

36 Patch in Double-Knit Polyester


Yesterday, this 36 Patch quilt arrived on my doorstep. It came from an eBay seller in Texas, and it's all double-knit polyester. I believe it was made in the 1970s, but it appears to have some earlier fabrics from the 60s and even the 50s.




The quilt is tied and includes 16 blocks with 36 patches, plus four additional half-blocks along the top edge. It has a nice variety of prints and solids, strong colors and soft. There are floral prints, geometrics,  plaids, and even some paisley. Very groovy! My friend Siobhan noticed that the quilt seems to have a 3-D / woven effect because of the stretchy, double-knit polyester fabric. A very cool piece, indeed!

7 comments:

  1. Oh dear! Stop!!! You make me want to go out and purchase some polyester knit :)

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    1. I would love to see what you could do with double-knit! Maybe try making an AAQI size quilt. :)

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    2. That's a nice thought! Something small would be good.

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  2. I was so happy when most clothing polyester dbl knit went away that I can't imagine collecting quilts made of it. Why?

    Jo

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    1. I collect them because they come from the period when I grew up; they are bright, colorful, and cheerful; the fabric is durable, fade resistant, and won't require much conservation, if any; they are experimental; they were made during a very interesting period in quilt history and American history; they directly preceded the art quilt movement; and they are terribly undervalued.

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  3. I'm Sew excited I finally found you! I was given a huge tube of fabrics from 1975 and it was full of all kinds, of polyester. I'm new to quilting and want to give these a shot. Any thing I need to know before I try?

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    1. it's stretchy, and you probably should avoid ironing it. :)

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