I bought a vintage quilt off of eBay in 2022. I’m not really sure why I did such a thing (it’s not like I was short on projects) except that I wanted to find a quilt to work on that didn’t need to be completed from start to finish. One that I could work on in front of the fire when the nights are dark and cold in the winter. One that I didn’t need to plan out or piece together myself. One that just needed a little fixing to make it useful again. Something felt more meaningful to me to work on a quilt that had already been around the block a while; that had already been loved and maybe looked like it was on it’s way to “cutter quilt” status and becoming too tattered to use regularly.
I have a deep appreciation for the work that does into quilt making. My gramma June made MANY quilts during her lifetime and I’m working on documenting that work. The quilters I have known, make quilts to be used and loved and don’t seem to expect for them to last forever. Picking up a vintage quilt and admiring it is like saying to all those quilters who have come before us “I see you. I see all this time spent in stitching; in caring for your family.”
The quilt I purchased was listed as being a 1930s/1940s feed sack fabric quilt. Some of the fabrics are indeed feed sack cottons. I have a small collection of vintage feed sack fabrics, naturally dyed cottons and other vintage fabrics that I thought would be perfect for patching and repair. The only thing I needed to find was a double-fold cotton binding that would be the right size and color to match the original.
There were a lot of squares that were so worn away and fragile I decided to cover them completely with a new fabric. Some squares just needed a little patch. I sewed all patches on with applique. Once all the squares were repaired I fixed tears by whip stitching and picked the old binding off because it was almost worn away. I hand-stitched the new binding on and then re-quilted all the areas I had repaired.
My mind could not help but reflect on this quilt as I fixed it. Who made it? Where were they living? (I have no information from the seller about it’s origins and there is no signature on the back) How long did it take them to stitch all these squares together? I wonder who’s clothes these scraps came from? I wonder how this fabric got such a particular worn pattern to it? May this was part of shirt that was worn out in the sun a lot…
Hand-stitching can be such a deep meditation. Repairing textiles is like a deep meditation but also a collaboration with the original maker(s) and user(s) of that textile.
And I thought: I see you quilter who has gone before me. I appreciate the care you put into this well loved object and I value your work so much that I’m determined to make it useful again.
If you have a quilt in need of repair, let me know! I’d be happy to work with you on making it useful again. I have also been able to finish a couple of quilts for people and am working on one now that was left unfinished in a cedar chest. Being able to finish these treasures for you, is a gift.
