Our monthly guild meeting was last night. I'm the guild recording secretary (for the next eleven months), so I could be found sitting up front with my laptop, taking minutes.
One of the ladies came up with a bundle in her hands and said that a friend of hers (who is in a nursing home) had this "cutter" quilt she wanted to sell for $30.
I didn't even need to inspect it. I figured if it was really in terrible shape, I could use it for pincushions or stuffed animals, or other smaller projects. I immediately said I'd buy it and it was tossed onto the table in front of me. Mine. All mine.
When I got home, I inspected it to see what I'd actually purchased. I was really surprised. I wouldn't call this quilt a "cutter" (meant to be cut up, rather than restored) by any stretch of the imagination. When I looked a little closer at the quilt, that row of squares above the green line of squares was missing!
See? Apparently, someone really needed those darker brown pieces for another project, because they cannibalized most of them from that entire row of the quilt. I'll be on the hunt for a fat quarter of a brown, patterned fabric to applique' into those voids.
I'm going to be watching for something appropriate to the era in which it was created. To my eye, it appears to be another quilt from the 1930s that has come my way. I can't believe my good fortune!
The zig zag border is more than a bit rough. It will need to be repaired and rebound. Most of it looks like this (or a bit worse). It will require quite a bit more work. I'm in no hurry, but I do want to repair it rather than cut it up.
I want to restore this quilt to its original beauty. It quilt really deserves it, and I'm really looking forward to it.
I remember reading in Fons and porter perhaps, that certain dyes cause the fabric to disintegrate. Do you think maybe that particular color just rotted away? It is lovely. I bet it's really soft.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad this beauty is in your capable hands. I always cringe when I see that description, 'cutter' because I would rather see them restored if possible. Twyla
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine anyone taking the time to cut out just those brown bits of fabric. Maybe it is like Carolg says...fabric dye disintegration. Joy for you to have this quilt to repair and save for future generations dear...
ReplyDeleteCannibalized the brown squares. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! That was funny! Ok, now that I have regained composure, what an awesome quilt!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, what a beauty! Lucky, lucky you!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a beautiful patterned quilt done in lovely colours and it has ended up in the right hands as am sure you will make it look perfect Donna!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lucky quilt - to be restored and not to be cut up. You will have a lot of fun finding just the right fabrics to fill in those missing pieces. Good for you, Donna. I look forward to seeing the quilt once more after you have finished repairing it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a keeper. You lucky thing.
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