Repairing a Vintage Quilt and a New Cross Stitch Finish

Whew! I finally finished repairing this vintage quilt that was made by my dentist’s grandmother. I’m no expert, but judging from the fabric, I think it was made in the 30s or 40s. My dentist treasures these quilts, and so I was happy to repair this one. This is the third quilt that I have worked on for him in the last few years. This one needed a new binding and patching and mending in places. With age, some of the fabrics are simply wearing out, but I was able to stabilize those areas. The top is machine pieced, but it was hand quilted with big stitches. The threads are breaking down and the batting has shifted so that in some areas the quilt is at least an inch thick while in other areas there doesn’t seem to be any batting. The backing was still in fine condition, so I didn’t deal with the uneven batting. Besides, I would not want to cover up the original hand stitching.

This cross stitch piece is “Simply Strawberries” by designer Simona Bussiglierin of Mani di Donna. This chart appeared in the spring 2024 issue of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine. The textured red fabric is a piece of upholstery fabric. Someone in one of my quilt guilds once brought upholstery sample books to a meeting. The samples were small, but they are perfect for cross stitch finishing and other stitching projects.

 Now, let me tell you about this sweet little rocker. A friend of my aunt entrusted it to me about thirty years ago. The chair had belonged to her mother as a child, and she had always treasured it. This doll chair has to be well over a hundred years old. I remember my aunt’s friend telling me that her mother had had the seat rewoven at some point. My aunt’s friend had seen many of my various creative projects through the years, and since she didn’t want it to be thrown away when she passed, she had given it to me. I think she would be pleased that I often use it to display my cross stitch.

Finally, this was a very special weekend for our family as we had four graduates from high school: my cousin's triplets and Miss L., the older of the two ‘Ladies Lunch’ girls. The years have passed far too quickly.

Take care and have a good day. :-)