Erica's Heirloom Quilts

08/29/2026

So after taking off the prairie point border and undoing the quilting, I washed the quilt top by hand in the bath tub - it was astonishingly filthy. Once that was done, I began a hunt for appropriate fabrics. Problem was matching the colors as best as possible, but also avoiding modern lycra-filled fabrics. First one - clothing ordered off eBay - was way too dark. Second (a pillow case from eBay was too shiny). Third seemed more approbriate. But after beginning to mend some of the gaping holes, I realized I needed to turn the fabrics around and use the BACK of the fabric (from a vintage robe). Here's some pics:

08/29/2026

I have been busy! Crazy project trying to reno a family's treasured quilt (great grandma made). Many lessons - deteriorating fabrics (rayons and polyesters from the 1950s), lumpy mess for batting, poor prior patch job, very dirty, and where the heck will i find fabrics to use for repairing?!!

I will show some before pics:

04/13/2026

https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/the-different-drummer

An estate sale listing last fall showed two needlepoint works that I found intriguing, and, while one was unfamiliar to me, I recognized this one as based on the artwork of Peter Max. I dashed to the sale and found them in a basement storage area, framed and remarkably underpriced. The other piece h

03/30/2026

https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/a-i-and-the-dreaded-y-seam

I learned today that A.I. has no clue how to sew; design, yes – sew, nope. I concluded this after visiting with a dear quilting friend. She showed me a project she was completing for her 21 year old granddaughter who had used A.I. to design a tee shirt quilt layout. The graphically appealing patte...

03/29/2026

https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/winnie-goes-to-college

A dear friend recently asked if she could send me her childhood lovie for repair. I remembered the bear, a 1960s Winnie the Pooh, because my friend had it with her at college. Of course I said I would fix it up, but when Winnie arrived, I was rather horrified. Winnie had not aged quite as w

03/29/2026

https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/something-rich-and-strange

LOVE the 1970s!

I found this hand-done needlepoint art at an estate sale a few months ago, along with another work, spending $70 for both. The other piece was immediately recognizable as Peter Max’s ‘Geometric Man’ done in needlepoint and set in an elaborate gold frame. This piece was not easily identified, s...

03/27/2026

Catching up on old blogs I neglected to post!

There are times when a piece at an estate sale seems to speak to me. This chair is a case in point. The sale was a distance away in Wisconsin, but the house had a stunning quilt studio and a great deal of art so I had to go. Kay Sorenson, the owner, had been an early pioneer in quilting back in the

03/26/2026

https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/hankie-panky

Awhile back I was asked to give a talk about my vintage finds and quilting projects. It morphed into a show and tell of the wonderful treasures I have found thrifting, and how I use them in quilt and sewing projects. I have a quilted table runner made from family heirloom antique hankies but it wasn

01/26/2026

https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/sprucin-up

My husband says I have no shame as I surreptitiously snip buttons off clothing while thrifting at the ‘Bins’. I even have a tiny pair of (pink) scissors in my bag for such behavior. The truth is much of the clothing at the Bins is damaged, often already missing a button, stained, or torn. But if...

01/12/2026

https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/miss-e-paddington

Paddington Bear’s birthday is October 13,1958. He was created by the British author Michael Bond (1926-2017) in a child’s book A Bear Called Paddington . The story of Paddington is a well-loved one, though the back story may not be as well known. Miss E. is a tribute to that story, and a gift ma...