*Posts may contain affiliate links.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Bringing New Life to an Old Quilt


I'm sure you've seen images like this all over Facebook recently.
I hate to admit it, but this was me last weekend.
I like to refer, to my latest cleaning frenzy as a deep  "Covid" clean.
All this time in quarantine has given many of us time to "dump the junk".
It was an amazing thing, digging thru all the things that had been stuffed
 in the storage room for years and years.
Amongst all the junk that went away,
 there were a few treasurers that were un-buried.
A box of my boys old baby things was one of them.
This rag tag little quilt, was one of the special things that melted my heart.
I made it 38 years ago and I had absolutely no idea how to quilt at that point.
I hand appliqued the top (heaven knows I have never done that since)
 LOL!
It was layered with batting and backing, stitched, 
then zig-zagged around and turned. 
DONE!
Not a stitch of quilting to hold it all together. What did I know???
 The batting was "yucky" to say the least and had pulled away from the quilt.
Much of the color has long faded away, but it was a treasure no less.
Thankfully the front of the quilt was in  much better shape than that back, so
my youngest who also enjoyed it as a kid,
 talked me into bringing it back to life, for my new
granddaughter, who should be here in just weeks.
I went through the painstaking task of picking out all the zig zag stitching.
That, wasn't without a few choice words that should never be repeated again!
hahahaha
Apparently with my lack of knowledge, 
I felt that if I stitched a seam over and over again, it would make it much better. 
A quilters dream when it comes to taking things apart!
The top amazingly, came through it all in good shape
 and I was able to load it on my long arm
 with a new batting and backing.
It's all ready for the next generation to enjoy!

It was made when my oldest boy was born and now his daughter will get to enjoy it.
That's what quilting is all about.


May you find time to unearth your treasurers!

til next time...
Keep on Stitchin'

19 comments:

  1. I thought most places were not accepting donations of unwanted items at this time. A good idea. I have a small pile ready to go. I try to keep up with getting rid of unwanted items throughout the year so it does not become overwhelming.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The rescued baby quilt is adorable! So sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How special that it can be passed on to the newest generation!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful story! And even better that two generations will be enjoying it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful family treasure to keep, well done on the repair.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is so terrific! I love that you rescued this quilt for the next generation. It is truly a work of love - then and now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, you go girl & a job well done! Terrific that your first quilt could be repurposed. Looks terrific - again!!! And it will be well loved to no end! Such a Covid project - Love It!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is awesome! A lovely little treasure brought to life for another generation is terrific.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a fantastic job in renewing the life of the cute quilt!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, I heard a big name quilter say that the quilting is the soul of the quilt. I can see how the quilting really made this one so much better.

    ReplyDelete
  11. How awesome to find that treasure and give it new life for the next generation. Sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow! That baby quilt was transformed into a new treasure for the next generations! It is so sweet and will be loved again!

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a beautiful job on rescuing your son's quilt. It will be treasured I am sure!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fortuitous! A rescue just in time to welcome the newest member of your family. We went to the recycling center yesterday to drop off electronics (part of my cleanout) and a box of textiles (batting scraps, quilt trimmings, etc.) We dumped the electronics into one of many bins but the textile bin was locked shut with a sign saying "no textiles due to Covid-19."

    ReplyDelete
  15. We've come a long way in our quilting life, haven't we, Joan?! Love the little quilt and that it will have a new life and person to love it!! This is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I sure hope you preshrunk that backing first! What a treasure to treasure for many more years to come.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am thrilled to bits that you were able to save this darling quilt, and that your son was keen to keep it too. That is so special. Well done on the great job you have done repairing it. A real treasure!!
    Now i had a good laugh at the picture you had at the top of the post. I think a lot of people have done the same with all this extra time.
    In our district our council has a hard rubbish collection twice a year. We are given dates for a set week and anything we need to get rid of that doesn't fit in a rubbish bin or be donated can go out. So on the given dates people pile up items on their front lawns ready for pick up. Fridges, washing machines, mattresses, sofas, furniture, toys - you get the picture. Well this year has been hilarious because I have never seen such huge piles in front of houses as this time. It is going to take a huge effort to collect it all. I think just about every home has had a clean out.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow, what a great story behind this quilt! So glad you were able to repair it and give it a new life!

    ReplyDelete
  19. The new look with the quilting is so very pretty! It will be so loved for many more years now.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by today. Your comments really do make me day!
;-)