The quiltmaker's name was Jeanette Cooper. She was the second wife of the owner's great-grandfather, Herbert Dudley. His first wife had died in childbirth and Jeanette was employed as the housekeeper. She then married Herbert, and the owner's grandmother was their only child. Jeanette died just two weeks before the owner's mother was born, in July 1933.
An additional family story tells that Jeanette's stepmother had tried to poison her when she was a child! She certainly added some interesting tales to the family "story book."
In step with the unusual events of the life, the quilt has a unique setting. Perhaps those green bars are meant to represent the ground. Maybe the three trees represent her family of three.
The quilt is very well pieced and quilted. The scalloped edges add interest to balance out the large areas of solid white. Instead of batting, there is a layer of white cotton between the top and back. Perhaps this was made as a summer quilt.
There was one large hole through all 3 layers. I patched the front and back, inserting a third layer of fabric between them, and re-quilted. I shaped the patch (on the front) to meet piecing and quilting lines to help disguise the new fabric. I'm usually not so fussy about patches on the backs.
No one knows how the hole came about. I've seen holes like this before that were caused by someone using bleach or some strong cleaner to remove a stain. (A word to the wise - beware of strong spot removers!)
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