1960s American Eagle

Here's an heirloom quilt that came to me for a bit of repair.  It had one small hole and quite a bit of missing quilting.  Also, the owner asked that I put a sleeve on the back for hanging.

He told me that his mother made this quilt for him in the 1960s, after he got out of the service.  She also made a quilt for each of her other three children.

The central eagle is made from black velvet, and so is very strong against the red background.  The patches are all machine-made, embroidered eagle heads on shields.  Both are stitched on with an overcast stitch.

  All the little blue stars are hand appliquéd, quite an amazing feat!

And the owner tells this sweet story:

"I do remember her quilting in her lap. Then she took in ironing and made enough to buy a quilting frame. That was like a kid getting an iPhone today."

I do love that!