Sunday, August 1, 2010

Clarke Co. Fair- Part 9


The Un-Wanted Quilt by Darlene H. - When Darlene’s 97 year old mother in law had to give up her home and possessions to enter a health care facility, her two daughters began to sort and distribute her treasures among the relatives. When it came my turn to choose a quilt, this top appeared in the bottom of a storage box. It was just a top, unfinished, no identification of who or when. No one in the family ever remembered seeing it before. Why? We wondered? Grandma had shown her quilts to many of us, many times. Was it not important because it wasn’t a completed quilt.? Was it not finished because they thought it insignificant to not be pieced or quilted? But -- it did intrique me! I asked if I could have it since on other had wished to claim it. I became the owner of the “un-wanted” quilt top. I admired it for a couple of years just as it was. Sometimes I folded it, displayed it on my wall quilt rack.
I believe (in my heart) the top was made by my husband’s grandmother. She died in 1965 when she was 68 years old. The top had to be made prior to her death. She loved to crochet, embroider and quilt. There was a Workbasket booklet full of patterns and ideas and recipes. I recall the book having embroidery patterns stapled in the centerfold. The flower designs embroidered on this quilt were part of an “on-going series” There is no proof of this. Just a memorable intuitive feeling of what I remember about her. Her granddaughters(who are my sister- in laws) agree with the assessment of this “un-wanted” quilt top.
Sometimes later, I decided to finish the top with quilting.
I purchased muslin for the back in keeping with the embroidered blocks. Some of the green blocks aren’t exact square….and that means some of the others probably aren’t either. The setting of the blocks with the middle row of flowers appearing straight up and down while 3 rows on each side are turned sideways, to appear upright when displayed on the bed. This was the traditional method of setting quilt blocks used in yesteryear or vintage quilt making. The top was quilted in 2006 by my friends of the Bethel Community church. The un-wanted quilt is now a very cherished quilt.

2 comments:

  1. Beautiful quilt! I just love old quilts! I have just opened a new business called the Farmer's Dotter. I have a retreat in my home, just published my 1st quilt pattern and I do trunk shows! Please check out my website at www.farmersdotter.com. I just had a group from the Osceola area a couple weeks ago! Thanks for taking the time to look!
    Brenda Weed--the Farmer's Dotter

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  2. What a fantastic find! And how wonderful to see it so lovingly restored and finished.

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