One of my fondest memories is laying it out in the living room when we were supposed to go on a picnic. I think I was about 7 or 8. We had planned on taking our picnic to the park, but it ended up raining so we had to bring our picnic indoors. My sister and I gathered up some toy trees and animals to make our living room more park like. We spread them all around the quilt. Or there's the times we draped it over the folding table and chairs and made it into a tent. I was covered with it when I laid on the couch sick. It warmed me when I fell asleep on the couch. My children have made it into a tent too and it is now Cheesehead's favorite blanket.
Look at the detail, it was lovingly made by someone. The squares on one side are all exactly the same size. The other side is solid but each square is stitched through so the artistry shines through even on the plain side. It looks like it's hand stitched too. Whoever made it did a terrific job.
I'd love to figure out who made it. I asked Mom a couple of times, but she didn't know who made it. I guess it doesn't matter, but I'd love to add more to the story of the quilt by figuring out who put so much love into it.
After 3 decades of use it is rather care worn. There are large patches with holes and much of the squares on the patchwork side are wearing through. Is there a way I can salvage it? I am thinking about folding it in half to show the solid side(which would be easier for an untalented hack like me to fix) and edging it with some pretty ribbon or something. I know I would loose the wonderful pattern I love so much in doing that, but I don't know how else to fix it. The squares are about 2 inches square and I am not a very talented seamstress. Any ideas?
Thank you for stopping by. Please leave me a message and a backlink. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Cindy
4 comments:
Not sure how to salvage it, but to prevent further wearing I would clean it gently in a bathtub by hand washing, let it air dry, then store in a pillowcase in a safe dry area. This is how I store my quilts.
Hi Cinj! Of course you want to restore your precious quilt! Here's what I suggest, and trust me, you can do it: Head to a fabric store and buy some fabric that matches the worn-out squares as closely as you can. Then simply tack the new fabric on top of the shredded squares. No, it's not a perfect "fix," but it is a time-honored technique, and it works. I collect antique quilts, and a number of mine have patches of newer fabric over the old, adding even more to their historical interest. Go for it, and good luck!
Thanks for posting this I have an equally loved quilt that needed to be repaired! We have loved them so well! Thanks Our Friend Ben, too!
Gail
I love old quilts, good luck on your fix! What ever happens it's still yours to cherish.
Hugs,
Kathi :)
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