AROUND THE FRAME

WWGD?

(What Would Grandma Do?)

I find myself asking the question every time I start a new restoration project. Channeling grandma to have her ghost whisper in my ear rarely works, so I examine the quilt at-hand to determine “What Did Grandma Do?” Was grandma a meticulous hand-stitcher, or a wide-space knotter leaving the quilt susceptible to batting wads? Did she choose a palate of fabrics to create a controlled color scheme or did she dig into the scrap bag to make do? Did she apply binding strips, or simply tuck in the raw edges and whip-stitch them down?

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Often I am not the first person to do the restoration work on a quilt. Over the course of a quilt’s life Grandma or a descendent may have already left their restoration mark. How did they “restore” it? Did they conceal their restoration work or did they slap on a patch to get it back on the bed ASAP?

Examining a quilt closely to determine its past leads the way to its future restoration.

Introducing Lois Eubank

Hello! I’m Lois Eubank, and I love quilts. I’m also a fabriholic. I love the feel of fabric, the hunt for that special piece of fabric that makes the quilt, the relaxation of hand quilting, but most of all…I love to restore and reinvent hard-knock quilts giving them a new life.

In this new column we’re going to explore the world of quilts, quilt making and restoration. I welcome your comments and questions as we share “Around the Frame.” You may contact me at bornagainquilts@verizon.net or news@waynedalenews.com.