Blue Bow-tie

Am I rescuing this antique or is it rescuing me?

Covid 19 concerns have me on edge.
My mother is 93 and lives in a building with hundreds of others and care takers who go in and out of her apartment. My son lives in Brooklyn quickly becoming a hotspot. I am calming myself by working on an antique quilt top. At a time like these, I am sensing a need for comfort. I enjoy the meditation of hand stitching and the rhythm. I enjoy the feel of the aged cotton in my hands and covering my lap.
I suppose that both the circumstances and the activity are making me feel more of a kinship to my mother and grandmothers, who survived the Great Depression, war and the make-do times. 

ready to quilt

8" bow tie block. Lower left patch replaced with new fabric

I bought this blue and white shirting print top at a quilt show in Lancaster, PA about 20 years ago. It dates somewhere from the 1860's to 1910. (http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2013/03/shirting-prints-as-neutral.html) 

A few patches have holes, are weak or stained and need to be replaced.  The patch in the lower left above was purple like its mate.  There is a photo of it below with the other damaged pieces. It was cut on the bias. which was not correct, so I cut the new patch on the straight of grain to prevent stretching. I tried three times to make it fit into the space and decided to cut it on the same bias grain of the original and it sewed in easily. Lesson learned. Don't try to teach an old dog new tricks. Accept things as they are. 

Border removed from quilt on a white table.

                                                

                                                                                                                                                         



The border was applied like most of us do it on our first try. A long strip is cut and it is sewn onto the quilt until you get to the other end and then its trimmed off. The problem is that the new strip is generally longer than it should be so it creates a ruffle instead of a flat border. This quilt has three consecutive borders so each row becomes exponentially more ruffled. Since it wasn't made properly  I am taking out thousands of tiny hand stitches in order to resew the borders so it lays flat. 

As I do so, I  feel even more connected to this woman. Sometimes her stitches are perfectly uniform and tiny and other times they are in a group of larger stitches and then some smaller ones. I know she wasn't watching tv! And radios weren't purchased for private use until the 20's but maybe she was  distracted by a child or maybe in an argument. Maybe she was just alone with her thoughts. 

I think someone may have helped her because that someone had a habit of stitching 4 to 5 stitches and then back stitching to forever lock it in place. This appears on only one strip of the border.

I could shoot this person! LOL. I picture an uptight relative who offers unwanted advice while "helping" to make the quilt, maybe a visiting mother-in-law. Or maybe a mother admonishing her to make it well and make it last.

I wonder why the top was never layered with a batting and a back and quilted? Old age? Failing eyesight? Death? More pressing life issues? Maybe she just couldn't face having those stressful memories follow her to the bedroom at night. 

stained, thin or torn original parts that were replaced.

The new fabrics used for patches and backing. Thanks to Linda Syverson Guild for giving me just the right fabrics!

 I wonder what she would think if she knew that someone 120 years later admired her work for its honesty and simplicity and was lovingly finishing it to share with her own family; that the  care that she put into this is giving comfort now? Oh how I wish she had given me her name. Thank you lady. Thank you to all the successive owners who cared to pass it on instead of throwing it away.