I was recently given a very fragile quilt, made of hexagons in a variation of Grandmother's Flower Garden. The fabric seems to be taffetas or silk in mostly solid colors, with one small stripe forming the ring around the green flowers. This same stripe is used on the upper and lower parts of the backing, and the deterioration is much worse on the back than on the front. The wool batting can be seen clearly exposed in the picture below of a corner folded back.
The deterioration is uniform across the quilt, with the exception of the surprising black velveteen hexagons in the center of each green flower. The piecing and quilting are very skillfully executed, but now the quilt sheds tiny bits of fabric wherever it is placed. I'm sure it was a prized possession in its glory days.
7 comments:
Seeing a quilt like this one makes me wonder about its history and the lives of the people who owned it. What joys and sorrows were lived out in its presence?
What a treasure! Are you going to try to restore it in any way or just enjoy it for what it is?
I have no plans for it and am getting to the age that I realize I can't keep EVERYTHING!
So sad to see that our masterpieces may not endure forever. :-(
Thanks, Linda, Norma, and Cindy. I am happy to report that I have found a home for the quilt with someone who will appreciate it. She's a quilt history scholar, book author and lecturer. I mailed it and she has received it. Don't you love happy endings??!!
I really do love the happy ending....if you know what I mean!
Thanks, Kay! Just the right home for this beautiful old treasure. I offered it to a good home and had several takers, and gave it to the first one who wrote. It now lives in Concord, New Hampshire.
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