Retro looks like modern!

Last week, a woman called about a quilt her mother made back in the 1950s. She said it had backing sewed on three sides, but no batting or quilting. That sounded like something I would love to tackle, so I asked her to bring it over. Sure enough, Mama had pieced Grandmother's flower garden blocks and appliqued them to mostly patterned backgrounds, then sewn a backing on and turned it right side out. I agreed to do the job of dismantling it and making it into a quilt for her family.
What struck me was that the fabrics look like the recent Cotton and Steel types of prints, and the mix of small prints on busy backgrounds is so Tula Pink!! This could be a retro quilt with a modern look way before it's time.
The applique made the 'flowers' pooch out and not lay flat. I even pressed them with starch, hoping they would shrink down a bit. No dice. After removing the backing from the pieced top, I carefully cut away the background from each flower block and, when they were all done, pressed again. Nice and flat! I mended a couple of holes and places where the stitching had come out, added enough fabric to the backing to make it big enough to quilt, then loaded it and started the machine quilting. I am so pleased with how it turned out! The customer came with her husband to get it and was overjoyed to have the finished quilt to use and hand on to future generations.

Loose from the backing and ready to have the background trimmed away

See what I mean about the fabrics?

All these wild fabrics were from the 40s and 50s.

2017 Cotton and Steel fabrics in a Millefiore pattern.

More modern Cotton and Steel fabrics.
These really look like the fabrics in the 50s quilt.

This is the backing fabric that came on the quilt.

Here is the finished project, quilted and bound. 

Panto: Flower Power

I had to add 8 inches of fabric in both directions to get the backing big enough to quilt.

The binding is a 40s reproduction fabric.

Mr Wazoo has been busy in the yard supervising the ramp building and generally making a pest of himself with the carpenter. They seem to be getting along quite well, however, and the project is coming along nicely.

When not outside, he did find time to quilt. He has three baby quilts for one customer, and has one done so far.

This is a nice masculine one for a boy

Panto: Autumn Oaks

I would like to say Happy Mother's day to everyone out there in Blogsville, and thank my kids for their good wishes to me today. Two of my four kids are married with children, and I wish the two mothers the best this Mothers Day.

My Daughter and her two kids

My son and his lovely wife and kids.