A Quilt That Deserved to be Completed

 

I am the luckiest of quilters.  I have time to do everything I want, and I am able to fund all that I choose to do.  For years I felt like I needed to have commissions, which is why I did t-shirt quilts and “life celebration” quilts.  But I didn’t enjoy doing either of those.  Besides the constant stream of Sew Powerful purses, I am free to do exactly what I choose. But my stepdaughter asked me if I would do something for her best friend Brenda. Brenda had a family heirloom quilt - except it was never completed.  

This quilt top, 85” x 85”, was neatly and compactly folded into a small box.  Two hours of gentle pressing  got it somewhat flattish. Each butterfly as well as the big center block was hand appliquéd.  So much time by the makers was spent on this quilt!  The sashing was done by machine.  Fabrics definitely age and weaken, and these fabrics had to be treated carefully.  I have a new appreciation for the quality of today’s quilting cottons.   And here is where I must be honest.  I did not want to do this project.  But I did it because this quilt top deserved to be finished.

Since these fabrics were so old and because appliqué is handwork, wool batting would provide the additional sturdy structure this quilt needs.  Machine quilting along the sashing and hand quilting around the appliqués    was my approach.  If I’m hand quilting, I prefer an Art Gallery backing.  But in this quilt I used a pale Kona yellow - for added structure. 

I questioned Brenda about the age of this quilt.  My uneducated guess was the 50’s. But she did her research and gave me the above information for the quilt’s label. Even though this quilt doesn’t appeal to my aesthetic, I’m proud of finishing it and honoring the original makers. An added bonus was that Brenda paid me handsomely.  Even though I’m afraid of outliving my stash, I think I need more grunge and peppered shot cottons!