eBay -- part 1

I don't have The Right Stuff for eBay auctions. They require patience, determination & a skill that I just don't have. I have a won few auctions, but mostly they go like this:

• I see a newly listed item I like. I bid the seller's minimum, put in my maximum & wait.
•  In the next few days, I am the only bidder. I start congratulating myself for being a smart eBay buyer -- not only will get this thing, but I will get it for a bargain price!
• A few more days & I am still the only bidder. I convince myself that I am the only person who wants this thing. I also convince myself that I want this thing more than anything in the world.
• At the last minute -- & I mean The. Very. Last. Minute. -- someone sweeps in & out-bids me. *My* beloved treasure will be going to live with someone else. I am heartbroken.

So, as a rule, I stay away from eBay. But sometimes I need to look at quilts & eBay is a good place to see a wide spectrum of quilts. Recently, I was scrolling through the listings & came across one that really grabbed me: a simple double 4-patch top set with a variety of solids. It was nearing the end of its auction period & no one had bid on it. So I did, but with little expectations. In the remaining days, no one else did bid, so I actually won it! A few days later, it arrived in the mail.

I am delighted! It is so charming! I would guess it to have been made in the late 20s to early 30s. Such a variety of prints, plaids, stripes & solids! As usual, I wish it could tell me its story. In those days when money was so tight, why didn't the maker finish it? Some of the tiny 4-patch squares are pieced! And where did the maker get all those different fabrics? A garment factory that sold scraps, maybe? Anyway, it is keeping its secrets & I am left to wonder & fall in love.