1936 Orange Homemakers Club - Friendship Totes

 

I love vintage signature/friendship quilts. I could easily become a collector of them.

Last December I spotted a set of gorgeous signature quilt blocks on Etsy. It was obvious the blocks came from the same quilt, but at some point the quilt had been deconstructed.

The beautiful signature blocks from the members of the Orange Homemakers Club had been separated for one reason or another and were calling out to me.

I couldn’t resist. I knew instantly when I saw them what I would make with them. The idea popped into my head and lit up just like the string being pulled on the old lightbulb in my grandma’s spare bedroom.

The fabrics, signatures, embroidery, ties, and backing made my heart swell. And that was just looking at the photos posted in the listing on Etsy. When I received them and saw them in person, my eyes may have teared up just a little.

Look at that fabric in Clara’s block; aren’t the colors scrumptious?

When I posted a picture of the blocks on my Instagram account, I was asked if I was going to put them back into a quilt. The thought did cross my mind. But every time I looked at the blocks, I went back to my original idea for them.

When I looked at the blocks, I could picture each of these women gathering together and working on their quilt blocks. I imagined them sharing stories, tips, techniques, recipes, and more.

I thought about all the wonderfully creative people I’ve met in the quilting industry and how many of them I consider friends. One of the reason’s I decided to pivot, switch gears, and revive my Pleasant Home business is because I missed all of that so much.

I missed being creative, sharing ideas and inspiration, and sitting at my sewing machine. I missed the process of building a quilt. I missed sharing recipes and home decorating tips. And did I mention I missed my quilting friends?

So I knew that these blocks wouldn’t find themselves in a quilt again. I didn’t want them in a quilt folded up on a shelf or buried under a comforter on a bed. I wanted them to be made into something that could be seen and used every day.

I pictured friends each having an Orange Homemakers Club quilt block tote to carry their most precious quilting treasures, or every day purse items, or books for book club in them.

I pictured friends with their part of a beautiful quilt on their shoulders, carrying the legacy of each quilter around with them. Sharing the work, fabric choices of the club members, and the signatures made by their own hands.

I found a purse/tote pattern on Etsy that was just the right size to incorporate the quilt blocks, and got to work. The pattern “Nine Patch Tote” is from Charise Randall of Charise Creates. It was as if the pattern had been written for these quilt blocks.

I started by cutting all the ties off the blocks and separating the block from the batting and backing. The batting was a very thin cotton blanket.

I gave them a nice soak in the tub and then hung them to dry on the line. The blocks were trimmed and fabric added to each block so the blocks were on point for the tote front. Some of the blocks had a few little tears in them. So I ironed on some fusible fleece on the back and did some zigzag stitching on the front at the tear to hopefully make them last another 90+ years!

I chose to quilt the blocks with a larger grid pattern. I didn’t want to take away from the aesthetics of the block or the embroidered signatures, but I hoped the quilting would also help keep the block a little more sturdy and lasting.

Then the totes were constructed mostly as the pattern instructed with a few little alterations by me. And I love how they turned out! They sold quickly in my Etsy shop.