Anna & G on the Road: What is Vintage? What is Antique?

When we settled down in Sedona for a few days,I made my way over to a shop that carries collectibles. I think quilters are inherently collectors, and a shop filled with "collectibles" seemed a great way to pass a few hours. Unfortunately, it was closed and had a hand written note on the door that they were sorry but had to close at 1:00. Boo Hoo!!! That didn't stop me fromleaving my nose print on the window as I stretched to look at the quilts that werehanging or lying around and taking photos. I loved all of them.

As I walked back to the campground my quilting brain started to wander, and I wondered... "What makes a quilt vintage as opposed to antique???" After a little bit of research, I feel confident in saying that an antique quilt is usually considered antique if it is over 100 years old. Although collectors will accept the notion that quilts made in the 1920's are antiques. Today it seems the word antique is used for anything that is no longer available...dial phones, cassette tape player...you know...the iPhone 3, LOL. As for vintage...well, those are things that, including quilts, are from the 1930's to the 1960's.

And so my quilter's mind wandered some more... "When is a stash considered antique as opposed to vintage?" I think there needs to be a different standard when it comes to the current day stashes..especially mine. Since I started quilting in 1993, I have decided that any fabric or kit in my closet from 1993 to 1999 is antique, and any purchased after 2000 to 2010 is vintage, LOL. Maybe I can make some money online offering my antique or vintage stash so I can freshen up my "Necessary Accumulation!" What kind of quilter are you? Is your stash made up of the latest and greatest or do you have one filled with Antique and Vintage pieces???

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Comments

#5 Reets 2017-05-11 15:57

But what if I am somewhat of an antique myself . . that seems to complicate the question somehow. I don't like to think that hard but vintage or antique . . love them all. And thank you for the wonderful nose print photos.

#4 Melinda Capozza 2017-05-11 14:29

Anna's comments made me laugh so much. Couple of years ago, I was making a Log Cabin quilt for someone,in "country" colors,when I came across a blue print from VIP Cranston, dated 1982 on the selvage. :lol:

oh my

#3 Bee Boyd 2017-05-10 17:01

Antique vs Vintage: as a quick rule of thumb, I use Vintage as within one lifespan (less than 50-100 years) depending on the object. For objects which are fads, trend, meme's, the time is shorter, i.e. fashion trends. From Poodle skirts, Grunge, High-Low hems are all vintage. For objects which have a long history, like hand weaving, I use the longest time span. Weaving dates back 4,500 years so a woven coverlet from 1870's is antique. Some objects like cars have a legal definition of vintage vs antique. The history of cars is about 100+ years old. Vintage is legally defined as less than 25 years. Antique is more than 25 years. Hope this thumbnail rule helps.

#2 Terry 2017-05-10 11:20

Dear Anna, I have pieces of fabric in my stash that are leftovers from clothing I made for my self in high school more than 50 years ago. I doubt I will ever see them when they are really antiques, but they sure are vintage!

#1 Jane 2017-05-10 07:52

This makes me smile! I like to state the age of a vintage quilt just by looking at the fabric. However, many times it is difficult when the condition is good, and all of the fabrics are solids. Have fun!

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