Story of a sad little quilt...

About a year ago my brother was doing an estate sale in Grand Rapids.  This house was in terrible shape, but needed to be emptied.  In a pile of sheets and blankets I saw an edge that I recognized as a quilt.

 It was in terrible shape.   It had large rough stitches holding the back together.

 It was a full size quilt that had been folded in half and the edges sewn together with large running stitches with the thread that was heavy like crochet cotton.  It had lots of hand quilting, triangle shapes with 4 rows of quilting and it was well done with small stitches.

 

So I was hooked. I had to know what was inside.  So I bought it for $5 and brought it home.  I decided I couldn't hurt it any worse than it had been and it was filthy.  So in the washing machine it went for 3 washes.  Then I hung it over a couple of lines in the basement to dry.  It has hung there for about a month.  Got busy with other things.  But I finally I decided to take it with me to quilt appraisals.  I figured I would have time between morning and afternoon appointments and could have a look.  It had a very worn indigo polka dot binding, good clue.  Once I pulled the stitching out, this is what I found.

A circa 1880's strippy quilt.  Little 3.5 inch nine patch blocks set with polka dot indigo fabrics with muslin strips between.  Although the indigo held up wonderfully all but about 2 nine patches are complete gone.  But even in this state it is pretty graphic.  Here are a couple of closeups.

I think it has a little more to tell me with closer inspection, and I think I would like to reproduce this quilt.  Once reproduced I will probably cut it up and just save one section of it after all there is only so much I can keep.

So here is another quilt rescues from the trash.  I'm glad to have has a close look at it and find myself thinking of the woman who made it.  It would be great to find a name quilted in or written on although if it was on any of the white, almost all of that is gone.

Your in stitches,
 Jackie