The string pieced quilt top, seen above, actually looks better in the photo as I have cropped the edges so they are straight. I don’t remember where I got this, nor do I know, for the life of me, why I bought it. Perhaps, I was intrigued at the time by its large prints. Or, alternately, I was fascinated by the haphazard, Crazy-Quilt-like way in which the strips were put together, or the cattywhampus edges that bend this way or that.
Quilt tops have been difficult to find to purchase, for a while now. Collectors know that they take up less space than a quilt with batting, and so, are easier to store. However, any of us who teach or lecture can tell you that if we all were given a time for the number of times we’ve been asked whether or not to finish an old quilt top, we’d all have retired to Tahiti by now!
Yes, quilt tops are fun. They tell their own story. Sometimes, they are pieced over old newspapers or magazine pages. At times, the remnants of those pages can help to give an idea of when the top was made. The nicest part about viewing the backs of quilt tops is to be able to see the stitches used to piece the top, if it is, indeed, pieced.
There is a greater story than the obvious. Why was the textile left unfinished? Did the quilter lose interest, run out of time, have more pressing things to do? Was she old, or did she get sick and die at an early age? Or, like the old woman in the shoe, did she have so many children, she didn’t know what to do?
When we collect a textile that is old, we never really know where it’s been. For all we know, it could have been used in a bordello. Don’t worry. Most likely that is not the case. My point is this: textiles have a life of their own, and like most material objects, they outlive one generation, and sometimes survive for many others.
Why did I collect the quilt top above? Besides the obvious fact that I saw it and felt that I must have it, at that time, I really don’t remember. As I’ve become more savvy as a collector and more discriminating, I wish I had kept a journal as to my thoughts about some of the items I have acquired, because now, only the question, “Why?”, remains.
Happy Collecting!
Patricia Cummings
