I think it turned out very nicely! It's still hard to believe that a fabric company recently reprinted the panel that Mark's mother had quilted during the summer of 1946 when she was pregnant with his older brother. I was so surprised to see the familiar design again that I just had to buy it.
Here's the original quilt! It was quite worn on the edges when my sister-in-law was expecting her first child so she added fabric to the sides and turned the quilt into a cover for the playpen pad. Her two boys used it and then our two children used it. A couple of years after I had returned the playpen, she gave me back the quilt thinking I might like to cut it up and make stuffed animals from it--very popular at the time. I didn't think the printed designs were quite the look I might want for a stuffed animal so I left the quilt alone. Of course I kept it, especially since Mark's mother said he used to carry it around with him when he was little--in fact she embroidered his name on the back in case he misplaced it. His name is still there today.
I found the backing fabric at Sew Inspired Quilt Shop in Simsbury, and the helpful ladies who work there helped me pick out the binding fabric. I was looking for a stripe and this one works perfectly. Tomorrow we'll go shopping for a narrow curtain rod with brackets so that our nephew and his wife can use this new quilt as a wall hanging if they want. (I added a "hanging sleeve" to the back just in case.)
When their little girl arrives, she'll have a quilt just like the one her great-grandmother made for her grandfather!
Oh my gosh, Mary, I didn't hear the whole story about this quilt until now! It's so sweet. You new version looks great, too :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like it! Finding the new fabric sure was lucky.
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