Last week I worked on the Sunbonnet Sue repair, and it is finished!! Here is where I started and what the finished repair looks like.
I almost said "no!" to this project, but the customer was so adamant about having it restored, I gave in.
The Sues are made from double knit polyester from the 60s and 70s. One was AWOL!
Most had pieces missing or falling off, plus there were holes everywhere.
The edge was finished by folding the back to the front and was loose or torn in many places.
The backing also showed wear, with holes and tons of missing hand quilting.
Ta-Da! First, I repaired all the holes with patches. Next, I made the missing block and all the missing arms, feet and hats out of tee shirt scraps and then sewed down everything on the quilt with a small buttonhole stitch using twelve different colors of thread to match. I cut down the excess fabric that made the edge and made double fold binding from the trimmings. I attached it and hand sewed it to the back. Then, I sat for two evenings and one day hand quilting the whole shebang.
The backing was a bit baggy, but looks like it did before the quilting disintegrated. The original maker used an all purpose thread, which didn't hold up to constant hard use. I used glazed quilting thread and I hope it will last 100 years! I gave the quilt a much needed wash, and it fluffed up nicely!
The big events of my week were a quilt show in Seneca, SC and my second class for my Handi Quilter in Franklin, NC. Lots of travel, but well worth it.
Here are my favorites from the show.
I love the graphic, colorful look of this.
Cabin in the woods. Up close, the fabrics are all Liberty of London! That was an unexpected fabric choice.
This Suit and Tie quilt is made of wool and the tiny inserted lines are from men's ties!
The way she used the stripe on the tie in the tiny strings of color was exciting to me.
Oh, the color combination here. Be still my heart.
This doesn't look like much until you get closer and see the wonderful 'seed' big stitch quilting and numerous French knots.
The quilting is confined to circular shapes. I think it would have benefitted from some straight line big stitch in the back ground to control the bagginess in the wide open spaces.
Wow!! Just , Wow! this Sue Spargo wool appliqué and embroidered piece is a work of art. All hand appliquéd with decorative stitches, and the wool background is expertly machine quilted.
The small black and white bits in the background added more whimsy to an already fun quilt.
The plethora of decorative stitch combinations is remarkable and beautiful. Plus, she has used rick-rack here and there...my absolute favorite embellishment.
The colors are bright and well distributed, and the whole effect makes the quilt a big winner.
I didn't cotton to this quilt up close, but from across the aisle, it is stunning.
This quilt has cleverly used fabric crumbs to construct the quarter circles in different color families. The end result moves the eye around and keeps the design from being boring.
I love it!
This small art quilt has a design drawn and painted with Intense Water Color Pencils, then highlighted with black marker.
Oh my, this is so lovely. Bluebirds of Paradise. Machine appliquéd with a teensy buttonhole stitch and beautifully hand guided longarm quilted.
Another big stitch triumph, this bandana themed quilt shows the maker's mastery of the big stitch technique. It won for best handwork.
I really like the quilted motifs in the open spaces.
My pick for Viewer's Choice was this chicken quilt. I have the pattern, but haven't made it yet.
Now it's time to go to the studio and get busy! I learned cropping and inserting blocks and different patterns into quilts at my class, and I am anxious to see if I can do it at home...Why is it we can master something in class and forget half of it when we get home?! You know it's true, don't you? ha ha, let's go see what I can do.
