This is an appliqued piece--can't remember where I got it. It may have been in somebody's mother's attic, or I might have bought it for a song at a secondhand shop. It has been in the "someday I'll do something with that" pile in my fabric closet for a long time. Needing a project that did not involve putting things in boxes, I decided to layer and hand quilt this cloth. I was happy to see that WalMart had a decent cotton in the right orange for backing. It's single-bed size, and I'm quilting with black thread around the motifs, doing a little fixing as I go along. The applique work is somewhat crude, so I catch the points with my quilting thread and anchor them down as I quilt. When I see these orphans I think that all that handwork should be honored somehow, not thrown away. It will make a nice colorful display when completed, months from now. Rescue III detail Here's a detail photo of one of the squares. A lot of bits are chopped off, and there are frayed edges and incomplete seams in several places. Stitches are uneven and threads don't always match--but somebody put a lot of hours into this! It's one of those instances where the work was probably done for tourists, would never win awards in a show, would not hold up well under heavy usage. Vibrant, cheerful, full of life. Well worth the effort, I think. I love witnessing the hand of the maker on the work.
1 Comment
marisarox
1/7/2013 08:24:00 am
I agree with honoring the hours of handwork than someone put into making something, whether it was ever finished and actually used and needs repair or creative additions, or simply needs finishing. I have a much used quilt that Dave and I found when going thru his late mom's things. We never saw it out, it was simple, didn't look too used, but I can sure tell you that I've used and machine washed the heck out of it and it now needs to be in the "someday repair" pile, ha! Keep up the happy stitching! marisa
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AuthorBobbe Shapiro Nolan, Fiber Artist in Eagle Lake, TX. Trying to learn to call the sewing room my studio, and myself an artist. I retired after 15 years in hospice nursing--so now I have the time!. Archives
July 2021
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