When I spotted this fabric recently I immediately thought “vintage” and then just as quickly I began to have second thoughts. The muted colors, especially the brownish green, and the old-fashioned motif put me in mind of a fabric from the early 1960s, but something was not quite right. That something was the “hand” or the way the fabric feels. A dressmaker cotton from the early 60s would usually have a very smooth texture, but this fabric felt more like a quilting cotton.
It wasn’t until I checked the selvage that I knew with certainty that this fabric is recent. Printed there I found “Jinny Beyer for Mr. R.J.R. Fashion Fabrics.” I’m not familiar with Jinny Beyer, but just the way it was worded let me know that this is a modern designer quilting fabric.
Still I bought it as I like the print and there is over two yards of it. One can never have too much good novelty print, even if it was made yesterday.
Call me old fashioned, but I do not have a smart phone. But for you who do, I hope you are using your phones when shopping. This is a perfect example of how useful a smart phone can be. Use it to google names on labels and on fabric selvages. I even know of a group that twitters their thrift store finds using #thriftbreak as a hash tag.
I use my iPhone to look up the makers on vintage labels, and often I look up what things are selling for on Ebay or Etsy as well. We sometimes sell neat finds, so it’s nice to be able to check the value of something before investing in it. Also, I photograph things that I want to research more extensively at home. It’s nice to be able to put the phone to some practical use.
Jinny Beyer is quite well known in the quilting world. She is famous for her lap quilting and her color training. As a fabric collector, I would have been tempted by this piece, too.
It’s gorgeous! I don’t mind buying modern either, so long as it’s a quality item like this
Back when I was quilting a lot I had that exact fabric, it that color (Great minds…). I would have bought mine in the mid-nighties.
Jenny Beyer is a big deal in quilting as Gay said. And many of her fabric were/are sophisticated with subtle colors. I like her fabrics and used them often.
Such pretty fabric – and it will be ‘vintage’ one day!
It is pretty, and I’m sure I will use it. Thanks for explaining that Jinny Beyer is an important figure in the quilting world!