How to use a piece of my mom's needlework

[Betty J.]

Hi all. In the course of reorganizing my work spaces, I recently unearthed this wonderful piece of unfinished needlework my Mom crocheted. She died in 1999 and I inherited several wonderful partially finished needlework pieces I would like to use in quilts.

One piece shown above is about 11" x 55" and one is 11" square. I put a couple of ideas on my personal blog and invite your comments:

http://blog.bjfabricartist.com/

I would love your ideas on how to use this in a quilt. It is so wonderful it deserves to be "finished" in some way and I haven't yet made a quilt in her memory. This would be an appropriate one, don't you think? She was a fabulous fiber artist.

[Catherine S.]

Betty Jo, I think I would sew (slip stitch crochet) the block to the strip. I think that is what your mother was doing. I would then go with the cream background, appliquing the crochet strip to the pillow area of the quilt. Of course I would not let anyone use the quilt :shock: to protect Mom's work. Just my thought on it. The crocheting is beautiful, and for it to be your mothers is priceless.

A second thought: It could be backed with a dark color and used as a table runner for your dining room. Back in the day :lol: , crocheted bedspreads and tablecloths were popular. I would guess she was planning on it to be one or the other.

[Hannelore N.]

Betty Jo, I'm sure that Margo will come up with some brilliant ideas. My first thought was to use the long piece as a centre panel (stitched by hand onto a contrasting backing fabric) and design borders around it. Maybe using pattern or colours that your Mum would have liked. The square piece could then be added to a cushion (on point) to coordinate with the quilt.

[Rita C.]

Okay here is my off the wall idea. Unpick three of the blocks off the long piece. Re-attach two of those blocks to the two that are still together to make a 4-patch. Attach it to a dark/black background. Then buy a photo frame large enough to frame it nicely (or you could have it done professionally but make sure it is a framer who has worked with fabric before so that they know how to do it) and put it in it with a little note (or you could stitch it in) to tell those who come after you who made it and who put it together. Then with the 11" square you have left you can make it the centre-piece of a quilt that also commemorates your mum.

P.S. It's lovely crochet. I would love to be able to do that kind but I can't, I have tried. The brain just can't get around the written instructions. I would need a visual tutorial or photographs. My grandmother used to do it too and apparently all the bed linen was edged with lace but none of it has survived, sadly.

[Rita C.]

BJ, these pieces are fabulous and what a treasure! I would head over to Cindy Needham's website. She is THE EXPERT on using old Linens in quilts. Her work is amazing and she also has a great book and lots of info on her site.

[Rita C.]

I think Rita has a wonderful idea. If the blocks were taken apart it would be so much easier to use in a quilt. Your mom's work is wonderful! It has been a really long time since I have done any of that--and I really like doing it with the very fine thread.

[Betty J.]

Wow what great ideas you all have. Unfortunately, the long piece is one long piece and is not blocks. I do like the idea of either framing the single block with a history or making it into a pillow with a fabric label that tells more about it, though. I also love Cindy Needham's work, and think that is one direction I could take this, placing the long piece down the middle of a quilt and working around it...it would show off my newly honed machine quilting, my new machine, and probably take me forever, but would be worth it, I think.. I could add beads to it also. I think silk dupioni or fine linen might be the right fabric to use with this, don't you think?

[Lotti D.]

linen and lace go so well together

i purchased this linen cushion (stuffed with lavender blossoms) when i was in provence about ten years ago, they used a bit of old lace, and good linen. i've washed it quite a few times and restuffed it with new lavender.

[Betty J.]

Lotti, that's beautiful. Yes, linen is definitely one good choice and it probably would quilt well too.

[Betty J.]

I'd use the fine linen rather than the dupioni silk. Dupioni is very slippery and tends to unravel if you look at it wrong. LOL The linen would be keeping with the 'feel' of the crochet in my mind.

I love the idea of the long piece as a center vertical of a quilt. Or just keep it that narrow or with just a small border and make it a like a vertical banner. It would look wonderful hanging on a narrow wall.

JMHO

[Betty J.]

Michele,
You're right about Dupioni being slippery, and you're also right about the linen. Especially if I prewash the linen, the hand of the linen should be close to the hand of the crochet and then if I ever need to wash it after that it wouldn't shrink at different rates. I think I'm leaning toward a fuller quilt rather than a thin one, as neat as that would look, with some really nice traditional machine quilting (a challenge for me, but I think I can do it, especially with my new Bernina 830). This could be exciting. So have any of you ever machine quilted on linen? Are there any things I should know that's different from cotton? Should I use a wool or cotton batting or both?

[Hannelore N.]

Betty Jo, I love the feel and look of silk, but I think that these crochet pieces need linen in order to create an authentic look.

There are so many different type of linens. I would go out, buy some and use part of it for a small project first before embarking on the family heirloom one. That way you know beforehand what you'll have to deal with. I would also (hand) pre-wash the lace and the linen.

Can't wait to see what you are going to do with it.

[Betty J.]

Betty Jo, I love the feel and look of silk, but I think that these crochet pieces need linen in order to create an authentic look.

There are so many different type of linens. I would go out, buy some and use part of it for a small project first before embarking on the family heirloom one. That way you know beforehand what you'll have to deal with. I would also (hand) pre-wash the lace and the linen.

Can't wait to see what you are going to do with it.

Great idea about getting samples first and I will prewash everything. There is a small stain on one of the pieces, but Martha Pullen was just talking about how to get stains out of antique pieces on her show the other day. It's not an antique, but it is delicate and precious.

[Hannelore N.]

Betty Jo, I have a small box full of lace pieces and edgings (most of them crochet, using a thread as fine as a sewing thread, and some hardanger work) made by my paternal grandmother. Most of them will have been made in the early 1900s. They are patiently waiting for me to decide what to do with them. Isn't it wonderful to have this link with the past?!

[Betty J.]

Betty Jo, I have a small box full of lace pieces and edgings (most of them crochet, using a thread as fine as a sewing thread, and some hardanger work) made by my paternal grandmother. Most of them will have been made in the early 1900s. They are patiently waiting for me to decide what to do with them. Isn't it wonderful to have this link with the past?!

Lorchen, How beautiful! Yes, there is something very special about these pieces. I encourage you to join me in making something of these great pieces.