Show and Tell: Handkerchief Quilt

Yesterday was my birthday. I celebrated by getting up at 4:30 to fly home in time to see Phoebe's Watch Day at ballet and then conking out on the couch about 6:30pm. I'm cool like that like. But that's the reason I didn't post yesterday, in case you were wondering. :)

When my GREAT-AUNT passed away a few years ago and the family pitched in to clean out her house, they found several (and I mean several) quilts and quilt tops my great-grandmother had made. The quilts and quilt tops were divided up among her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren (my generation). Along with a few quilts, I was given the top of an unfinished handkerchief quilt. I received it because I've been collecting (off and on) vintage handkerchiefs to make my own handkerchief quilt.

I finally finished it in time for my sister's baby shower. We used it as a table cover...more on that later. And by "I", I mean "we". My friend Liz bound it for me since I dislocated my shoulder and was worried I couldn't get it finished in time. The quilt intimidated me because what was sewn together didn't have straight sides and the other pieces she had worked on didn't fit that I could tell. This gave me a reason to have to finish it. Piecing the last little bit was hard. I mean really hard. I spent the better part of two days trying to make it all fit together. I had to rip a few seams, although I tried to rip as few as possible, and cut a few handkerchiefs to fit.

I used new fabric on the back and binding...and I don't want to hear any lectures about it either. There's a school of quilting thought that says you shouldn't use new fabric on old quilts. One should only use vintage fabric. But this isn't their quilt and if I did that, I'd never ever get it finished where one could enjoy it.

When all the quilting and binding was finished, I loved it.

This isn't the greatest photo and the quilt needs a good ironing, but you can sorta see all the different handkerchiefs.

There were so many and the prints are so pretty. When I say I love it, I mean I absolutely adore it. Every last handkerchief.

And even more than finishing a project that the great-grandmother I never knew had started, was hearing my grandmother and my great-aunt talk about the handkerchiefs they remembered their mother using. A few of them were even my grandmother's. We know because they have the letter B embroidered on the corners.

I'm not sure yet where this quilt is going to live. I want to see it everyday, but I don't want people to use it much. Some of the handkerchiefs have tiny holes or weak spots and I don't want it to fall apart. Wherever I find for its new home, I know that its beautiful because I love it and it tells a story. My two favorite things about the objects I put in my house.