Seminole Patchwork

Occasionally,  I get requests to mend things other than quilts.  This is Seminole patchwork, a technique developed among the Seminole peoples in Florida.  Traditionally and continuing today, these patchwork strips are used to make clothing.  This wall hanging was likely made for sale to tourists.  I think the colors of the fabrics date it to the 1940s.  It measures 51" x 64".

Antique Wedding Dress, 1872

This dress was worn by Margaret Jane McCornack at her wedding to Myron Gage on May 14, 1872. The dress has been passed down in her family, and is now in the possession of her great-granddaughter.  She told me that the McCornack family came from Scotland to the Elgin, IL, area in 1835 for religious reasons.  Margaret’s father Alexander McCornack was born in St. Luce parish south of Glascow.  The Gage family came to the US in the 17th century.

The dress is now headed to the Elgin History Museum.  Margaret's great-granddaughter brought it to me for mending before it goes to the museum.

To add to the fun, here's a family portrait taken the day after the wedding.  Margaret is sitting on the far left side in the second row.  Her father and mother are seated on the right of the second row.  

The dress is a textured silk, in one of those colors that just won't stay put in any one category.  Is it an olive-greeny grey?  Or is it a greyed olive green?  We shall never know for sure!  It is lined with a medium brown polished cotton.

Two Family Quilts

Here are two heirloom quilts that came to me in need of some TLC.

   

At some point, someone affixed typed labels that identify the quiltmakers and the quilts' histories.  This is what's called "provenance" in the antiques biz, and is always a good thing!

Quilt #1

Treasured Family Heirloom, part 1

There are many different ways to put a value on a quilt.  Sometimes, like with this one, it's the artistry and the family history that makes it a treasure.  This poor quilt has definitely seen better days.  The silks are pretty much totally shredded.  But even so, the spirit, variety, and skill in the embroideries are notable.  Add to that a wonderful family history, and the quilt becomes something to honor and stabilize as much as possible.

Heirloom Cross Stitch Quilt

Isn't this a lovely quilt?  Sometimes the simplicity of a two-color design can create the most impact of all.

This cross stitch quilt is a family heirloom, made by the grandmother of the current owner.  She was living in Columbus, OH, at the time she made the quilt in the 1970s.

100-Year-Old Christening Gown

      

This christening gown is a family heirloom with a full pedigree.  The left photo is the front, right photo is the back, third photo is the matching slip.  Here's what the current caretaker knows about the gown:

Lovely Victorian Log Cabin

 

This quilt exemplifies why people are drawn to the silk and velvet quilts of the Victorian era, don't you think?  Rich glowing colors and shiny fabrics.  It's all about the fabrics!

The counterpoint of the black vs. color makes the strong visual impact that quilt collectors love to see.

The logs are mostly silks.  They are about 1/2" wide, though you can see that it's not precision piecing - they do wobble a bit.  This makes me happy.  It says to me that a quilter doesn't need to lose the fun of fabric and color by stressing over precision (unless precision makes her happy) and can still make a stunning quilt.

Redwork

This redwork embroidered quilt needed a bit of repair and a vacuuming after many years on display.

The binding had torn away at the bottom.

I mended that by patching on the back, and then reattaching the binding with a herringbone stitch that went through to the new patching fabric.

A Little Bit of Hawaii to Warm Up Your January

This bright and cheery quilt was made by the owner's great-grandmother.  It is tied with thread to the back, which is pieced mostly of large solid turquoise and tan rectangles, with a few more Hawaiian print pieces in the mix as well.  There is no batting.

Several of the seams have ripped open over time, and been stitched back together.  In most cases, there wasn't enough fabric to actually recreate the seams, so the fabrics had just been stitched to the backing.  The stitching was done with white thread, and with higgledy-piggledy stitches.  Some of that stitching caught the back fabric in such a way that some large puckers were created.  This photo shows one of the most damaged areas (and one of the smaller puckers).