Inspirations from the Past

I've been having fun making pinwheels lately.  Here is a little sneak peek of one of my large pinwheel blocks that have been keeping me busy ~ I'll show you the whole quilt sometime soon when I'm allowed :)

My modern day pinwheels that I've been making are inspired by an heirloom quilt top that I own.  I came across this antique feedsack quilt top literally in a pile in an old shop one day, and I decided it needed to come home to my house with me. 

The maker never finished this top into a quilt.  Perhaps life got in the way, and she put it aside...never getting back to finishing it, or maybe the fact that it doesn't lay completely flat discouraged her from tackling the quilting.  Both things that I can relate to, and feel a little connected to this quilter from the past.  At any rate, besides the really nice colors in this quilt, I like that it's a bit wonky, and very un-pretentious...

I like how the triangle prints are pieced to get the most out of every scrap of fabric (you can click on the picture for a more close up view). 

And on many of the heavy weight background pieces, you can still see the printing from the sacks that were cut up to become pieces of the quilt.  If it was finished, I wouldn't have the great view of this on the back side of the blocks.  I don't know if this was someone's first attempt at quilting ~ and perhaps even her last, or if this was just one insignificant piece in the body of one person's work.  But something made her hold on to it, and not toss it out.  Somehow it was kept to be passed down for someone else to appreciate.  True treasures are not always prestine and perfect...sometimes it's just about the simple art of the pieced quilt. 

Enjoy the day,
~ Dawn