Vintage Quilts Find a New Purpose

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COURTESY SANDY MAGNER
Sandy Magner takes vintage quilts and repurposes them into one-of-a-kind coats.

By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez

Sandy Magner may have never owned a sewing machine before last year, but nowadays her Singer is humming for hours each day. Magner uncovered a market for trendy, unique coats made from vintage quilts and she discovered she had a talent for creating them. Last year Magner, who lives in Middletown, started making and donating masks to protect cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and bought her first sewing machine. “I wound up making 1,500,” she said. Word of her prowess got out and she was invited to do a mask-making demonstration on “CBS Sunday Morning” with Jane Pauley.

Inspired by her newfound talent, she turned her attention to quilts and repurposing them into coats. A much-loved but often forgotten item, she said, vintage quilts frequently wind up in someone’s attic or in a landfill. “I’ve made quilts, so I know how much blood, sweat and tears go into each quilt,” Magner said. She star ted creating coats made out of the quilts as gifts for family. “I found I had this weird knack for it,” she said. Magner spends time scouring thrift shops and websites, such as Etsy, for the quilts and purchases many from “quilt pickers.” “There’s a whole community of quilt pickers,” she explained. “Mothers, fathers, entire families who go to estate sales, antique sales and find them.” Magner purchases the quilts for about $150 to $200. “If it’s $200, it has to be stunning,” she said. “Then each quilt I buy, I soak it and wash it and turn it into wearable art.” The price she charges, she said, is not “astronomical. I try to make it affordable. I want everyone to be able to wear them.” She takes the price she paid for the quilt and adds labor costs, selling the coats for $350 to $450 (including shipping).

Since she star ted By Sandy Creations in January, she has made over 200 coats. Her creations come in varied lengths and the whimsical, traditional and colorful patterns stand out in any crowd. Her coats can now be found in many cities, and as far away as Paris. “I never know what I’m going to do with a quilt until I see it laid out in front of me,” she said. She spends time appreciating the work and creativity that went into each quilt. “I like to marvel at them. It’s like artwork.” Magner estimates each coat takes about five hours of work: locating the quilt, washing, designing and creating the product. “Each one… just speaks to me. Each quilt has its own personality,” she said. Her children are grown and out of the house, she said, but her husband, who has been somewhat amused by this new endeavor, will help with the task of cutting. Her sister and friends have modeled her wares for photos.

Magner relishes the trend of up cycling, or creatively reusing by-products. “Vintage is becoming really cool, especially textiles,” she said. According to Magner, vintage, in regards to quilts, is considered 20 years or older. The reaction she has gotten from customers has been positive as people remark that they enjoy sporting a one-of-a-kind item. “I feel it’s not just wearable art,” she said, “but I’m giving new life to the quilts.” For more details, visit bysandycreations.com.

The article originally appeared in the October 14 – 20, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.