I just love seeing something old and worn transformed with a little imagination (and luck!) into something new and beautiful! Ann Wood is a darling textile artist, dreamer and all around creative soul who does just that for a living. She collects vintage textiles from garments and quilts from all over the world and uses the bits and pieces left between the tears and holes to create whimsical fabric owls, birds, sail boats and spiders! Her work is truly too dreamy for words.
When I saw this beautiful old quilt that she posted on her blog, I just had to see what she would do with it! I have always seen pretty vintage quilt tops at garage sales, flea markets and estate sales but never considered taking one home...I may rethink that next time.
How sweet is this little owl fella? And those fabric sails are too cute. I love the idea of hanging several of those little sail boats above a crib or in a young one's bedroom! Ann even has a tutorial for creating a paper mache version of her lovely sail boats, complete with fabric sail so you could totally do it yourself! Lots of us have old quilt tops that family members worked on that have maybe been sitting around collecting dust for years! Why not give your family heritage a new life by transforming it into something completely different?
Create a pillow with some of the larger areas of unscathed fabric and hand-sew patches from some of the smaller swatches for interest. You could use a strip of fabric to embellish a pair of denim cutoffs for fun Summer shorts. Try whipping up a quick fabric flower or yo-yo (or several) to pin to your favorite blazer or cardigan. And how about fussy cutting an intricate quilt block for texture or pattern for an applique project? I really am getting tickled just daydreaming about this, there really are endless ways you can breath new life into a family heirloom that might not currently be enjoyed on a daily basis! What are things good for if they are not enjoyed, right?
Have you ever reworked a damaged quilt? What did you create? We'd love to hear your ideas!
Happy Creating!
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