Quilts and Restoration

" I count the stitches line by line

And watch the thread record the time"

Quilts and Restoration

In the past year I've had some challenging and enjoyable quilting jobs. Some customers want a restoration, others bring an unfinished job that needs completing.

Some time ago, a husband brought me a quilt that belonged to his wife. When she was a young child there was a house fire that took all their belongings, but she was able to save her quilt. Over the years it had become ragged and torn. He wanted to know, could I “fix” it, add some hearts here and there, mend it, do something.....I took it home to inspect and realized that there was not much left of the fabric to be salvaged. I would have to be inventive and see how much of it I could use to, at least, have the essence of what it used to be.

This is how the quilt arrived....

 And after saving the best pieces....

I was able to do this.....

The interesting part of this project, was that the husband brought the quilt to be restored as a gift to his wife, who, all along thought he had put it in the trash putting him in  the dog house big time until she knew what had happened....

On a touchy note, the wife came to my store later on and expressed her thankfulness for the “new” quilt, which will probably last for a very long time...

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Another lovely job came from a dear friend of mine. One of her older relatives had made a quilt that had suffered much damage during it's life. I tried to recover the least torn pieces to make a new one, trying to follow the original design... It was constructed of lovely cotton, hand quilted and appliqued... All along the process I could not help but think of all the history that fabric had known, and the many hours someone's hands spent making this heirloom....In the end, there was enough to make a lap quilt.

Paper thin flowers waiting to be restored.....

 Handstitched with so much love..

 

I was able to cut strips out of the least damaged designs...

 And make it come to life again....

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And a proud grandma arrived with two unfinished tops she had pieced with her granddaughters. She wanted to have them finished and binding applied to gift to the girls. You could sense how important this project was for her and the potential of these girls having an heirloom made with grandma. So I squared them, loaded them on my Tin Lizzie long arm and quilted away.

One of the things I offer, when making or restoring a quilt,  is a free embroidered label, that can have “whatever” the giver wants. It is interesting how important this is to my customers. That label represents so many things, their hours, their togetherness, their love in piecing and designing it. It also represents “heirloom”.... it will be there for centuries to come and it will tell the story.

 They were simple squares, but so beautifully chosen...

The labels said it all...

 

 

                                       ***

Memory quilts always warm my heart. One must treat these projects with respect and extra love as there is much emotion that goes into the process. There is the moment when the beloved possessions are put in my hands and, I KNOW, that is a tough thing to do. I also know that I will do everything I can, to do the best job I know how to do.

Some years ago I made memory quilts for my sister in law and her family, who had lost a child. In March 2012 I wrote a blog called “Scott's Quilts”.     http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=697584309813290540#editor/target=post;postID=4715847247815929189;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=17;src=postname

It tells the story of how those quilts came to be.

Another friend in town, who had previously lost a beloved child, trusted me with her son's t-shirts to make 2 quilts. She decided what went where and what was important in the design, what quotes to embroider. That is such a special and important time.  And I like my customers to have as much say as possible and that I can accommodate. I also make every effort to add little surprises...like tiny pockets holding a heart, or a saying, or a poem. Sometimes I save interesting labels that add to the whole “memory” feeling of the project. 

Designs are carefully arranged to use as many as possible and for colors to complement each other.

 Binding and sashing is added. The "map-design sash" came from a pair of pj's....it added a beautiful and happy edging.... 

In here, another pair of pj's was used to make the plaid sashing....I love how it all matched....             

 

Sometimes funny things happen...like this Blue Man Group with an added t-shirt....

 A little pocket in which to place all your sadness....and leave it there.... 

And something special and meaningful.....

Yes....Live Long and Prosper......  Thank you for trusting me with this project.....

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And from time to time I receive these happy quilts. Like “Hippos on Parade” a project pieced by another dear friend to be quilted. This was a graduation gift for her granddaughter and she had put so many hours making it perfect. This quilt made me smile each time I went to my Tin Lizzie long arm. 

 Loaded on the Tin Lizzie long arm, ready to be quilted....

Happy Hippo!

 Hippos wearing tutus...

 Zebra hippos!

And a lovely surprise on the back!

What a treat...aren't they fun?

And this is the story...for years to come....

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And other people in the family also quilt..... Eight year old granddaughter, Emily,  designed these quilts “by herself” and used her very own (built by grandpa) sewing machine. 

 Isn't she cute?

 And a lap quilt made with chenille squares.... very creative!

Enjoy the Fall leaves...

Love,

Maria