Happy Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving Day is one of the few days of the year that I do not get to stitch. I usually stay at my sister’s the night before and start cooking before dawn. We have fun catching up as we peel and stuff!

 I have neglected my “Bird’s Nest Soup” and all other creative projects to try and finish the repair on this treasure. It belongs to a friend of a friend who called me while visiting Maine last summer. It was made by his aunt 5 generations back. 

 An old family label was attached that stated it was thought to be made c1812. It is always so touchy when you know something about the history of quilts, and you have to gently tell the owner that you are quite sure it was made much later than that. He was very gracious and had done fabulous family research which helped us to determine that the date was closer to 1850. It is beautifully appliqued and quilted.

My job was to replace the fabric that had deteriorated. It was clearly a different fabric than the rest of the green that remained unharmed.

This happens quite often in 19^th century quilts. You can still see some of the green under the seam allowance. 

I had to remove all the old in order for the new green to lie flat. It didn't take much effort as the fabric was really rotted.

He shipped the quilt to me in early September and it took nearly 2 months to find the right green. After searching for and dying and overdying many different greens, I finally found the right one in the first place I should have looked! I just never thought to look for a solid fabric at Cyndi’s (Busy Thimble), but there it was – the (almost) perfect solution. A Bella 100% cotton solid. You can see how the color matches pretty well. The leaf is my new applique onto the original stem. 

My goal is to finish the repair by the end of the month. I hope you all get some stitching time while resting after the holiday.

 Wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!