The red and yellow combination is a favorite.
I found this great ca. 1880 red paisley fabric recently. One way you can tell this is not new fabric is the selvage width--this fabric has both selvedges and it is 24 inches wide. Modern fabrics are 45" and vintage fabrics (when I was a kid--yes, I am vintage, but not antique) fabrics were 36". These are general guidelines, there will be exceptions. 
The stuffed ornaments I make have a button tied in the middle, to give the look of a tiny tufted pillow. I had been using new buttons but then decided to look for some vintage buttons on ebay. Well, I found plenty. Here are some cool ones from the 1960's. These must have been the salesmen samples that stores ordered from. Check out the prices, and that's not per button, but probably per card of buttons.
Those button cards are almost too neat to pull the buttons off! And I'd be willing to bet my mom has some of those on cards, bought from stores, in her button box... The pinwheels are great and I like the red and yellow combo, too.
ReplyDeleteI am part of a long line of home sewers, so those buttons look very familiar to me. The pinwheel blocks are lovely, and the vintage paisley is so pretty. I, too, remember 36 inch wide fabric.
ReplyDeleteSandy
Love those pinwheels and the color combinations are great. Yep, I started sewing clothing around 1960 and remember the 36 inch fabric. Before that I was sewing doll clothes from Mom's scraps. Patterns and buttons were much less expensive then, too. Patterns were 50 cents and 75 cents as I remember. The button cards are really neat.
ReplyDeleteOh, please don't remove those buttons from those cards! There aren't many of those left in this world I'd bet! I have a few buttons still on cards from the 40's and 50's. I love the striking contrast of your red/yellow pinwheels! And you know I love pinwheels! ---"Love"
ReplyDeleteLove the pinwheels--especially the reds! I hate to admit that a few years ago when I decided that I wasn't making clothing any more, I threw out jars and cards of buttons. Shame on me! Wish I had them back now... Mary
ReplyDeleteOh just beautiful that red fabric, aaaahhhhh
ReplyDeletepinwheels are going to look great out of that fabric
hope you share the ornaments with us before bringing them to Doylestown!
Kathie
I love your red paisley fabric! I have some like that (ones that I like so much I cannot bear to cut them up!) Which maybe explains the size of my stash.... :) Theri
ReplyDeleteI can just see the clothes in my head that those buttons would have put on....my baby clothes have those kind of buttons on them;) Great find;)
ReplyDeleteAll your blocks look great. I still think it's really cool that you are getting your wares into the museum. Good stuff;)
Happy Quilting!!
Great colors on your perfect little pinwheels! Love the buttons too. I remember my grandma haing lots of buttons. My Mom didn't sew so I started from square one.
ReplyDeleteWhat treasures those buttons still on their original cards are. And those pinwheel and hour glass blocks, just yummy!!!!! l made a few small quilts recently using them also. Thanks for sharing.
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