Fresh Vintage

One of the questions I get asked the most often is, “What is Fresh Vintage?” If you’ve looked at our website or ever heard me lecture or do a workshop, you’ll know that I call the look and feel of the palette I use for Fig Tree, “Fresh Vintage”. I’ve been calling it that for so long, I don’t even know how it started except that I can tell you that is is very descriptive of what the style actually is.

It is “VINTAGE” in that we work hard to reproduce colors and designs from yesteryear, using the tones that were used so much in days gone by. Now, mind you, these are not pastels or “cottage” colors or primary colors as we think of today, not that I have anything against any of those palettes. The colors used back then- in vintage childrens illustrations, food packagaing and advertising posters [just to name a few] were vibrant and strong, fully saturated. They were different from the colors we use today in that they were softer, created on a warm base.
I once heard a interior designer refer to these colors as the “forgotten colors” and I thought that was the perfect description.
Fortunately for us, these colors are coming back into vogue- colors such as aqua blue, chocolate brown, pumpkin orange, buttercream yellow, chartreuse green, plum, celadon, tomato red….. I could go on forever.
These are the colors that represent “fresh vintage” for me. They are warm, soft and vibrant at the same time and they evoke feelings of nostalgia, and times past.
And yet our interpretations are “FRESH” in that we are adding patterns or creating palettes for today. To use for the modern, chic home. To wear. To make a handbag. For a throw for the couch or pillows for the kids rooms. This style is a mix of yesterday and today. It is meant to bridge a more classic “country” home and a the more simple, clean colors of todays fresh styles. Hence “Fresh Vintage.”

When used for quilting, I often pair the fabrics with traditional quilt blocks or am inspired by entire vintage quilts I come upon at a flea Market or quilt show. To mimic the feel of quilts from the bygone era, I always start with cream [instead of white] and use plenty of those “forgotten colors” mixed together for a scrappy, bohemian look, or just a few at a time for a more traditional feel.
Hope you are inspired to create some Fresh Vintage projects of your own.