A Quilt's Story in Stitches.

 

Every quilt has a story 

These quilts above are ones that I found from several sources last year and if you are a regular reader I was on the hunt and truffling around for a quilt to do a project with and I reported on actually finding one, or in my case four of them were candidates for what I had in mind.  Life got in the way as you know and it had been shelved.

Now I have chosen the one for this project that I feel most suitable with subtle colours and this beautiful quilt is very worn in places, weathered and full of history.  You can see it has been used, and loved for generations. Now to mend and add to its story I think.

So what to do? I have been pondering this enigma for days now....

Tiny little stitches with antique threads, plus some patching with old linen carefully sutured in place; more little anecdotes for the quilt to tell its future custodians.

I can just imagine if it could talk, the life story of this beautiful Canadian double quilt would be a wonderful tale spanning maybe 150 years.

To think of what it has seen in that time; wars, revolutions, poverty, peace and untold riches that we can only dream of.  And love, a lot of love when the quilt was first made, and through the years of keeping people cosy.  I would love to cosy up with a warm drink and listen to the stories it could impart on me and I would sit so quietly and listen to every word!

The chance to add another chapter to this history is an opportunity too great to pass.  Adding a little footprint from the here and now, flowing from one century to another.

Hopefully, this is only the next piece of its journey, and not the epilogue for its life story, so that future generations can continue enjoying its beauty, and purpose, and revel in the same wonder as I have in its rich history.

I don't think it is appropriate to try and 'improve' the quilt, because that cannot happen

in my humble opinion, but more like continue its history, perhaps a new chapter from my heart to the heart of this magnificent quilt.

Who knows in a hundred years from now someone else may come across this fabulous thing, lay it out on a dining room table and marvel over it as I have done for so many hours with such joy and wonder.

The project, I have decided to do, will be a labour of love and I intend to enjoy every morsel of it.

The quest to find it, to laying it out, to mapping every little mark, loose thread, hole and frayed piece, to planning and implementing of every new stitch sewn and every little patch with words and embroidery ... will bring me such joy and I hope it will do the same for you.  

Welcome dear readers to the journey of ' A Quilt's Story in Stitches.

Believe, and you can accomplish is my motto to live by.  Making fabric art or indeed adding to something with some hand sewing is artisic.

I had an email from a lady the other day who wants to start to slow stitch but does not want to make a mess of it, her words, not mine.  Well there is no mess, nothing is wrong or right in this most peaceful of pastimes  You could stitch an outline of a moon or a flower ... or indeed just stitch running stitches here and there.  Add some French

knots or don't it really does not matter

I urge anyone who has never hand stitched like this before to give it a try.  Simple little stitches and you have something of beauty.

Don't just dream it, sew it!

Your creative work will tell your story ...

So today in preparation I have gently washed the quilt and it is happily drying nicely so that it is fresh and clean.

I am designing some patches to to stitch.  I have some really beautiful French linen and am cutting out some pieces upon which I will stitch some things and then I will be attaching these to the quilt.  This is my starting point .  

Only adding some bits here and there and not taking away the natural beauty or its story just adding to it as I said above.

I hope you have enjoyed  my ramble today and that you will return in a just over a week to see some progress of the story of this exquisite Canadian quilt.