Sunday, November 20, 2011

Five Polyester Crib Quilts

Five Polyester crib quilts arrived last week. Three are tied, and all are made from square patches of multicolor double-knit. So far, I've found ten crib or baby sized quilts from the 70s, and I'm wondering if they were more often made than crib quilts of other periods. Here are pictures of all five new ones.





I can only imagine these quilts are like a bad flashback for some quilters, who may remember working with double-knit polyester. Apparently, it wasn't the easiest material to use. It is stretchy and dense making it tricky to piece and difficult to quilt. That's why so many of them are tied.


In a way, it's like a love hate relationship. Since I'm the guy who can't thread a needle, I think of these quilts more in terms of quilt history and art history, and they certainly hold a unique place in both fields of study. The 70s quilts intrigue me because of the way quilters were using color. Even the pastels were technicolor! The fabrics are also a lot of fun. Check out the detail of the double-knit clown fabric. Now, how can you look at that and not smile?

6 comments:

  1. I'm starting to feel like the fabric lovers in the crowd are going to start enjoying things like the clown fabric. Very charming in its own quirky way. :)

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  2. I love that top one in particular. How do the quilts feel? I remember double-knit as not particularly soft or inviting. seems an odd choice for a baby quilt, except that there wasn't much else available AND it could withstand so many washings.

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  3. Tonya - Most of them are backed in a soft fabric like flannel, so the tops are "wash and wear" and the backs are soft and cozy.

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  4. So definitely quilts to lie under, not upon!

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