Workclothes Quilts

marjorie says...

One of the defining features of vintage quilts made for use (versus those made to show off) is that they usually hold a wide variety of fabric from all kinds of sources. Women used scraps of left over fabric, feedsack material and just straight up old clothes. These two quilts are made from denim and khaki work clothes. I have a number of these now, and these are probably my two favorites.



This quilt is very old. It has an older quilt on the inside, and its thick and heavy. The center strip is a very rustic burlap material. It's from a farming family in Cleveland, Tennessee.



My mother picked this up in East Texas and gave it to me (yes, the best possible gift for me...thanks mom!). I love that it has both denim and khaki work clothes. While many people think of denim as the fabric of rural America, all the pictures show that my farming great-greats wore khaki. This one has a soft flannel back and is hand-tied. It's quite heavy--I use it on the foot of my bed in the winter and it's just perfect.