A lady waiting behind me for an appraisal of her own quilt overheard and
suggested that another possibility might be framing it.  Knowing that would be
a huge job, she gave me the name of an art school graduate in our town who
owned a frame shop who might be willing to undertake the task. Once in contact
with her, she was intrigued but somewhat nervous about taking on such a huge
project.  She decided to consult with a long-time friend of hers who had
graduated with her from art school and specialized in fabrics.

Together, the two of them undertook the massive project of mounting the quilt
to a foam board which required delicately stitching the quilt every couple of
inches to stabilize it so that when it was hung in a frame, not too much
stress would be placed on any one particular point.  Once it was mounted and
reinforced, it took a massive frame to hold the entire quilt (92"x80").  Glass
would have made it entirely too heavy, so a custom-ordered piece of Plexiglas
was ordered.  Once it was finally completed, she had to hire a moving company
to haul it out of her shop and deliver it to our home where it took three
hours to hang it on the wall of our formal living room.

It is just breathtaking and stunning to view. Because the quilt is now between
backing material and the Plexiglas, it has stopped any more fabric from
falling off.  Although upon close examination, one can see where the fabric
has deteriorated, it is still visually stunning.  The quilt is dated April 6,
1902, and we have since researched family records to learn that was the
wedding date of my mother-in-lawCÇÖs grandparents.  It was apparently common
practice back then that the ladies would gather to prepare a very special
quilt of fine quality to present as a wedding gift. No wonder it was so
special to the family.

As the quilt is now 113 years old, I am honored to display it in our home and
feel sure that my mother-in-law is looking down on me with a smile and
thanking me for salvaging her precious family heirloom.

Diane J. L.
6 22 2015

You can view the picture here:
https://www.facebook.com/TIASAntiques/posts/10153437411738656:0
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