Vintage Tablecloth Quilts: Kitchen Kitsch to Bedroom Chic

By Rose Sheifer and Liz Aneloski

Preserve memories and create new family heirlooms—by transforming gorgeous vintage tablecloths into beautiful quilts! 
 
Dig into grandma’s attic, visit a flea market, buy new reproduction panels…even old tablecloths with holes or stains can become part of a lovely quilt. 
 
With clear guidance and photos, learn how to convert the best parts of each cloth into quilt blocks and appliqué elements that can be combined with commercial fabrics for extra vibrancy. Customize your design to get the most out of any tablecloth—parcel out a single cloth for multiple projects, or combine pieces of different cloths into one quilt. 
 
“Blue roses in rows, red cherries in bunches, brown pots and pans in golden squares—anyone who has ever been enticed by the colors and styles of vintage tablecloths, like ones produced in the 1920s by Wilendur, will be further delighted by the thought of quilting them…[The authors] cite fabric requirements, measurements, colors, and they clearly describe blocks, construction, and borders with clean graphics for finishing these beauties.”—Publishers Weekly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781607054702

Book preview

Dedication

From Rose:

To the four most significant people in my life: my wonderful mother, Millie Schiafone; my second mother, Marion Quinn; my very supportive husband, Bruce; and my dear son, Will.

From Liz:

To my husband, Mark. Thank you for three decades of love, laughter, challenges, and support—the things that make life worth living.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost I am eternally grateful for my co-author and longtime colleague, Liz Aneloski. Without her participation this book simply would not be. Thank you so much, Liz. I learned a heck of a lot!

Thank you to my dear friend Sharyn Amoroso…for all the walk and talks where you are always my sounding board helping me sort things out.

The encouragement from Dena Fishbein of Dena Designs gave me the confidence to move forward with my idea. Thank you for also providing your gorgeous fabric for the combination quilt (Dena’s Delight).

Thank you to David and Sandy Ogden for loaning your incredible Bauer pottery pieces that worked so perfectly with the quilts.

I could not have sewn twelve quilts without a place to do it. I am still awestruck by the conversion of my garage into an amazing sewing studio by two very talented individuals, Larry and Brent Russell, the contractors who made it happen.

And last but not least, I am so grateful to everyone at C&T for giving me this opportunity. Special thanks to those incredible photo gals, Diane Pedersen and Christina Carty-Francis, for all the beautiful shots, and for the exquisite design skills of April Mostek.

Thank you also to the following companies for providing us with wonderful fabrics and supplies:

Moda Home

Moda Fabrics

P&B Textiles

Quilters Dream Batting

RJR Fabrics

Robert Kaufman Fabrics

Timeless Treasures Fabrics

Westminster Fibers / FreeSpirit Fabrics

Introduction

By Rose Sheifer

Vintage tablecloths! Most people have at least one (or more) stored away in the back of a linen closet or drawer. Those vibrantly colored, oddly shaped, and slightly stained or torn tablecloths handed down to you by your mother or grandmother are waiting to serve a purpose once again.

My stash of vintage tablecloths consisted of about ten, in a variety of sizes, colors, and patterns. I sometimes used them to cover tables for outdoor parties, set with mismatched vintage plates and vases filled with garden flowers. When not in use, the tablecloths were ironed and folded neatly on a shelf for display. They were too beautiful to be tucked away in the back of the closet.

One day while having coffee surrounded by my gorgeous tablecloths, it came to me: These are amazing works of art! The stains and holes were a problem, but what if I used the pieces of them to build quilts? This was the birth of Vintage Tablecloth Quilts. Having designed more than 200 books on quilting and crafts over many years as a graphic designer, I was always looking at the creative work of artists from across the country. Now it was my turn.

As a graphic artist, I have learned to master software programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Using my digital camera and technical skills, I began to create designs with fabric swatches from the Internet. This process allowed me the ease and flexibility to create designs quickly. The finished quilts are almost identical to my original digital designs.

I called on my friend and longtime colleague Liz Aneloski, developmental editor for C&T Publishing, with the hope that she would be my co-author. With her extraordinary technical skills and keen eye for style and color, I felt we could bring this concept to life. Liz carefully reviewed my designs to make sure the recipes would work. Adjustments were made when needed, and in the end twelve unique quilts were made, each using a vintage or reproduction tablecloth as the starting point. Watching these tablecloths take on a new life has been extraordinary. They are now out of the closet!

Vintage Tablecloths

A Little Background Information

If you look into the history of the manufacturing of household textiles beginning in the 1920s, you will inevitably come across the name of Weil and Durrse. The company, run by two brothers in the Garment District of New York City, produced the famous Wilendur brand of tablecloths. What made Wilendur products stand out were the bold, vibrant colors, the shading and highlighting, and the use of gray shadows. They also are recognized by the beautiful artwork, mostly of florals and fruit. These richly colored and exquisitely designed tablecloths became the benchmark for all other manufacturers to follow.

Originally, the tablecloths were printed on imported linen. However, during World War II the linen became difficult to acquire, so the tablecloths were then made of domestic cotton sailcloth,