Tuesday Tip - Lost Quilt found a Home

Last week I received a call from my quilty friend, Bernice.  She asked if she could stop by on the way to the grocery store to show me a quilt top she bought.  A short time later, Bernice knocked at my door with a bag in hand and started telling me her story.  Bernice had visited the local second hand store.  She had found a quilt top for sale and when she unfolded the top there was the additional fabric.  There was enough fabric for the binding and possibly to complete a pieced backing.  The top was very nicely piece and square.  It laid flat and was really quite the find!

The greatest thing was the label was also in the bundle of fabric. 

 

This label told us that the quilt was a round robin project with six guild members from the Marshall-Putnam Quilters Guild in 1994-95.

 

Bernice felt that this quilt needed to go home and that she wanted my help in finding out what happened that it ended up in a second hand store.  I made a color copy of the label.  Silly me, I didn't take a picture of the quilt.  It was a square lap size quilt approximately 50" x 50".  The center block was a quarter of a Dresden plate.  In other words the Dresden plate was in the lower left hand corner of the block.  The colors in the quilt were primarily blues, yellows, white, cream and a soft brown floral border.  There was cream lace framing the center block and the outer edge of the Dresden plate.

 

Bernice took the quilt with her and I headed straight to my computer to try to unravel the mystery.  First, I searched for the name, Mary Magnuson, who made the center block.  I found that she passed away on January 27, 2013.  Next, I started searching for a website for the Marshall-Putnam Quilter's Guild, but they don't have a website.  I eventually found a name and phone number of the Program Director of the guild and called her.  A message was left and I waited hoping to hear back quickly.

I left Bernice a message about my findings and that I was waiting for a call back.

 

I didn't wait too long.  About 5:30 pm I received a call from the Program Director.  She listened to the story and said she knew the ladies on the list.  She would make a call to one of them and see if they were interested in having the quilt.  I explained that if they didn't want the quilt, Bernice would go ahead with quilting the top and finishing it.  Bernice really had a feeling that this quilt needed to go home.

 

The next day, Bernice received a call from a lady on the label and sure enough she was so excited about finding this quilt top.  She was a new quilter back when the Round Robin project was starting.  The ladies had asked her to join their group and she was apprehensive because she was a beginner but she participated.  She was excited to have the quilt, so Bernice packed the quilt up and mailed it off to this new owner.

 

So today's lessons or tips are:

1.  Label your quilts with as much identifying information as possible. 

a.  The above label helped me search the internet and get clues on how to reach someone who could help me find this quilt's next home.

b.  In Washington, IL tornado zone, they are finding quilts that aren't labeled and having trouble finding who they belong to.  Labels should give names, towns, etc. that would help clue people where to look for owners. 

c.  Labels also provide the history of the quilt and add value.  For example:  why it was made (t-shirt quilt, baby quilt, wedding quilt, etc.), the inspiration, the quiltmaker, the quilter, the town and states of those involved.

 

2.  Tell your family what you want done with your quilts when you pass away.  You may want to include a list in your will on how the quilts are to distributed.  If your family has enough quilts, maybe you could donate your quilts to an organization to be auctioned off for a good cause.

Most of us would not want our quilts ending up in a second hand store.

 

Its so  much fun that this story had a happy ending.  Have a terrific Tuesday!!

 

Today I am linking up with Connie at Freemotion by the River, Fabric Tuesday-A Quilt Story,

Sew Cute Tuesday-Blossom Heart Quilts,  Show and Tell Tuesday-Freshly SqueezedFabrics and

Kathy with an E.  (Today 2/9/14- I have added an additional link to Confessions of a Fabric Addict.)

 

Yours in quilting,

Terry