Friday, January 11, 2008

Show & Tell Friday for January 11


For Show & Tell Friday today, I’m sharing a special treasure from my husband’s family. This marvelous crazy quilt was made by my husband’s great-grandmother many years ago. I really have no idea of exactly when it was made, but sometime in the late 1800s would be my best guess. It even has a title -- “Dreams of the Forest”. The fabric is mostly wool, perhaps all wool.

I’m afraid I may be bending a Show & Tell rule here, for this quilt is not actually in my possession at this time. It has, however, been in our home on numerous occasions to be shared with relatives who wished to look at it and photograph it. These photos were taken in 1979 on just such an occasion. All of us in the family consider that this quilt “belongs” to all of us, but we are hoping that eventually it will go to a museum where it can be properly stored and displayed for others to enjoy.

This picture shows the lefthand part of the quilt...

And this one shows the righthand part of the quilt...

And here is a picture showing a small part of the detail in the quilt. I think it is a truly amazing piece of work.

I thought this was too nice not to share. Hope it was OK to bend that rule, Kelli...

To see Show & Tell items shared by others, visit Kelli's blog, There is No Place Like Home.

18 comments:

  1. It's beautiful and what a wonderful family heirloom! Great share!

    Cathy :)

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  2. This is a wonderful treasure. Can you only imagine how long this took to make. If only those little bits of material could talk what beautiful storie there would be. Thank you for sharing this lovely piece. Linda

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  3. What an amazing work of art! As a needlewoman I am impressed with the level of care and skill this must have taken to create. It was a privilege just to view the pictures... thank you so much for sharing:-)

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  4. It always thrills me to see one of these very old quilts. Don't you know it could tell stories of people it kept warm? !!!!
    Susan

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  5. Anonymous2:21 PM

    It's lovely! Just beautiful. I love the craftsmanship, and having something like that from a family member is such a treasure.

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  6. What a treasure! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  7. Anonymous2:58 PM

    If only this quilt could talk. It's amazing! Quilting is something I've always wanted to learn. Have you read the book the Persian Pickle Club - it's about a Quilting group and it talks about the social relationships behind the craft. I, too, bent the rule about Show and Tell because I was showing off something in my mom's house...that was sort of mine....All my cool treasures are in storage!

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  8. It is beautiful! And I think it's wonderful and amazing how your family shares this treasure.

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  9. I expect that, as a crazy quilt in those days, the pieces were made from articles of clothing made LONG before, making it an heirloom from even FURTHER back into history. That's what amazes me. I find that I wish I could touch it, see what it feels like. :)
    A very good S&T.
    Nancy

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  10. gorgeous---quilts are such an amazing work of art!!

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  11. What a beauty~ I hope you have it in one of those archival boxes with acid free papers... it would be a shame to let it get damaged.

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  12. Oh, I absolutely adore crazy quilts! Sometimes I like to search on ebay to see what is available. Many of them have neat little stories to go along with them. The quilt is beautiful, what a special treasure! Learning how to crazy quilt is one of my new year goals. I was thinking about starting with a teacozy. Thank you for a great show and tell!
    Hugs,
    Kelli

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  13. Anonymous4:28 AM

    What a beautiful treasure and how wonderful that your family share it. A real heirloom.
    ☆*´Sarah`*☆

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  14. What a wonderful quilt. Much better planned than the square I did. A lot of work went into making that and it's wonderful that it's still treasured. Jennie

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  15. This is a very special quilt. I like items that tells stories!

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  16. Wow!!! I am just *amazed* at how many ladies have stopped by to visit at my kitchen table to see this quilt. I appreciate each and every one of your sweet, thoughtful comments.

    Kelli -- I too would love to learn to crazy quilt.

    Jennie -- it's so nice to see you here! Does this mean you are going to start blogging?

    Lisa -- no, I haven't read the book you mentioned, but it sounds very interesting.

    Nancy -- you are right! Do you know, I never even thought about this before, but *of course* it was made from old woolen clothing, making it even older and even more interesting. The lady who made this also made hooked rugs from old woolens.

    Please stop by and visit again any time!

    God bless,
    Mrs.T

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  17. Your crazy quilt is just beautiful!!!

    Julieann

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  18. Anonymous8:31 PM

    Dear Mrs. T., I am so glad that you "bent the rules". How delightful to see your quilt.
    -Cookie

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