Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Little Vintage Goes A Long Way
 I love certain things about bedtime: cool cotton sheets, white cotton pillowcases, and old quilts. The softness of textiles that have been washed, cut, quilted and loved for years is something I just can't resist.
In recent years, we've been fortunate enough to receive a few quilts as gifts - some new, and some old. The kitty cat quilt was given to me shortly after Spunky was born by my Aunt Venita. She's my father's older sister, my grandmother's first born of 8, and when she got married, my grandmother made this cat quilt for her first grandchild. My aunt used the quilt for both of her sons, but does not have any grandchildren, and so passed the quilt on to me. I was and am still so touched.
My grandmother died shortly before I was born, and I love being able to connect to her handiwork, tucking my little girl in bed every night with a quilt made by her hands.
When I learned I was pregnant with BananaMuffin, I set about making a quilt for her of brightly coloured fabrics. It was the second quilt I had made, and leaps and bounds above the first I made, but I have to admit that as my pregnancy was winding down, I began to rush and the quilt is not as detailed as I would have liked.
Three weekends ago we found ourselves in Canning, Nova Scotia, and I was able to visit my favourite Nova Scotia vintage shop - Well-worn and Re-born Uniquities - and found a whole bin of vintage quilts up for grabs at incredible prices. I jumped at the chance and came home with two more very funky 70s quilts that remind me of a quilt my mom made when she learned she was pregnant for the first time.
I had no definitive plans for these quilts, only that they would come in very handy this winter as Spunky had just moved to a "big boy" bed and we are now running woefully short on bedding. As I was putting the quilts in the car, Spunky climbed on top of one of the blankets shouting "blanket on, blanket on". Despite the heat of the day, we covered him and his car seat with the blanket and he dozed off immediately. Bringing the quilt in from the car to be washed, I placed it on the kitchen floor where again Spunky climbed on top, covered himself with a corner and sighed, "ahh, blanket". He obviously feels a connection to this quilt, and it now has a permanent home on his bed.
The second quilt is a crazy mishmash of 70s polyester dresses, some with metallic threads, and floral cottons. I suspect this one will end up on BananaMuffin's bed this winter, but if she objects in any way (which is entirely possible, she's a girl of her own mind), it will have a welcomed home on my bed. I just love the asymmetry and crazy colour combinations.
I will probably continue to accumulate quilts as I come across them, they lend such a homey touch to our house, they're utilitarian while being interesting and full of history, and they provide us with a connection to our past. What could be finer?
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