As promised in my last post, here’s an update on the peach quilt rework!
I say “rework”, because restoration was beyond my patience or skill set. Three of the squares were badly worn, so I patched them with gorgeous needle-turned applique chicken panels that I picked up for $1 each at The Sewing Basket Newington last year. Additionally, I added pink linen patches, cut from storage bags given to me by Diana (“I’m sure you’ll think of something to do with them”, she said)…
The chooks are completely adorable and add a touch of whimsy…
I’ve been sharing progress pics with my quilter friend Amanda. She thinks the quilt could have been made in a beginner’s class in the 1980s, back when templates were traced and cut out of cardboard, and scissors were used to cut the fabric pieces. These days, quilting is far more sophisticated, with roller cutters, premade templates, and colour matched fabric kits.
Our old quilt looks to be entirely hand pieced, then machine bound and quilted. Some sections appear to have been repaired before. We pondered on why the maker chose to use invisible thread for the topstitching – did her teacher tell her to do that? Or was it the trend at the time? Or was this her first attempt at quilting and she wasn’t confident about colour matching?
“I feel such a connection with the original maker through your stories and observations while you work”, Amanda commented. I felt the same way, and was grateful to have her advice in understanding the history of the quilt…
I dug out a matching skein of embroidery thread from my stash, purchased for 50c from The Sewing Basket…
I do love a bit of hand darning…
The back had a single small hole to repair…
There were a few smaller sections where the fabric was too fragile to mend by hand, so I patched them with the pink linen, trying to keep the pattern intact where possible…
I’ve had the most wonderful few days reworking and repairing this old treasure. As the brilliant Kresse Wesling often says, things deserve a second life! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
The quilt looks beautiful! The chickens fit in perfectly.
Somewhere in the future a person is going to pick up one of those quilts at a thrift shop and wonder about the person who sewed the patches and added the chickens. Maybe you should write a note to the future person on fabric and sew it on the back.
Beautiful. Nothing looks out of place or that it doesn’t entirely belong. Your patience and dedication are amazing.
my first Towhee, what a stately looking bird,, good morning!
i am so impressed by what you’ve done with both quilts. you do beautiful work.
Beautiful! Reworking is a great idea.
For a beginner, that would be quite a challenging set of blocks. I really like your repairs, which quite apart from looking good, signal to the future that this quilt was valued and cherished.
You have worked magic ♡
It’s now a work of art with a story to tell, I adore the chickens. How and where are you going to use it? I live the idea of putting some history on a patch on the back.
It is my favourite and now with the chooks ever more so! great job :)
Celia,
I was re-reading my old blog posts, the blog I keep alive , although I don’t post, and came across the one where I am using the the gloves! It just sent me to look for you, and here you are, still blogging—well done!
Hope you are well—will spend the next hour or two catching up here.
Barb (Babette of Babette Feasts at babfeasts.com)
The chickens and delightful and look perfect. What a splendid reworking to save this beautiful quilt. I cannot sew! I was put off it at school when tryinf to make hideous apron and though I love to watch ‘Sewing Bee’ and love look at handmade quilts and other textiles, I’ve never been tempted to try again myself.