Antique Charm

While I was in Indiana last week for a workshop, I stopped in Zionsville, IN, on the way home. It's a charming town with cobblestone streets and lots of little shops.

One store had a nice variety of beautiful hooked rugs, made by a local craftsperson (I didn't really want to call her a  "hooker").

As we walked along the streets, I lamented to my husband that it would be nice to be able to drop $500- $1000 for some of the  things I see at antique shops (one rug I adored cost $1200), but we both know that right now that's a little frivolous with 2 kids in college.

I am often asked if I collect antique quilts and most are shocked when I say that I do not. What! A quilt designer who loves antique quilts and you don't have a stack of them?! Again, it would be nice to buy old quilts on a whim anytime I wanted to, but I justify it by saying I don't really ever see that many antique quilts that speak to me strongly or that don't cost an arm and a leg, quilts that I love and have to have and cannot live without. Usually, when I see one I like I just end up reproducing a small quilt based on it and that suits me just fine.

As soon as I said that, we walked into another shop and didn't get far past the door when I pulled this blue and white one out from under a stack of nothing-special quilts. Lesson: ALWAYS look under piles of textiles . . .

For some reason, it spoke to me -  "Oh, look at my indigoes and shirtings!"  But I was pretty sure I couldn't afford it. So I asked the price and then walked away and forgot about it.

We went to a few other shops, saw a few more quilts,

Nothing struck me.

 We ate lunch, stopped at a gallery -

And, wouldn't you know it, all the while I couldn't stop thinking about my blue and white quilt. MY blue and white quilt, she said . . . LOL.

So I went back because by now I know how it goes - I will probably never see a blue and white quilt quite like this one again and if I didn't grab it now while I was here, I would regret it. I'm getting much better at jumping on impulses. The clerk smiled. I offered her a little less than she was asking and SHE SAID YES! Granted, I still think I probably paid way too much and don't even know how old it is - probably more vintage than antique -  or if it was worth what I paid, but I felt okay with that because I really didn't care. I didn't buy it for the investment - I fell in love with it and that's all that matters. Now if only I had a nice place to display it . . . away from prying puppy paws.

Reminds me of Spring!

*  * Another REMINDER *  *

If you are making the small baskets quilt for this month's challenge, your pieces are cut, right? You should put them together this week/weekend. Take it piece by piece and you'll get there. If you don't have time for 12 baskets, make 4, make one, whatever. Still counts as a quilt for this month.