Help the rabbit’s got my quilt.
As each of our 3 children approached their 21st birthday I started making them a quilt. I don’t think any of them actually received their quilt on their 21st but that is my MO, start late, finish late.
Our daughter is a Marine Biologist, so her quilt was an under the sea scene. Our youngest son was in the Army loading and unloading aircraft and doing a bit of jumping out of aircraft too so his quilt was called “Props” as it depicted propellors. Our middle child, another boy, was heavily into downhill mountain bike and dirt bike riding so his depicted hills, sky and sandy soil.
I am getting to the rabbit don’t worry. So as they each went their separate ways in life they took their quilts with them, all good they were made to be used. Our middle child partnered, bought a house and yes a rabbit, Storm, and then had a child of his own. So what did the rabbit do you ask. Well the rabbit died when their son was about 18 months old, very sad. Months later I noticed my son’s 21st birthday quilt in his son’s room, I was so happy to see it being used. When I commented on this fact my son and daughter-in-law both went very quiet and looked at the floor. Alarm bells started going off in my head, what have I said to evoke this response, what is wrong with the quilt?
Son finally made eye contact and told me that Storm, the rabbit, had eaten a hole in the quilt. Ok breathe Margaret breathe, it will be fixable, difficult to do considering the design but doable. “How big is the hole” I asked. Again son’s eyes went to the floor “pretty big, it goes all the way through”. I took a deep breath and decided now was not the time to take a look, I needed to get my head around the fact that I may not be able to repair it or if I can it might be very intricate and very time consuming.
So here I am 6 months down the track from that awkward conversation and confession. I have asked for a photo of the quilt damage as we are still in a COVID lockdown and I cannot go and see it in person.
Well the photo arrived. Is it as bad as I had imagined, yes and no. Is it fixable, yes it is but how it will look I don’t really know. I will have to introduce new fabrics as I don’t have any of the fabrics anymore I don’t think. How am I to attack this repair job. How did one cute, fluffy bunny do so much damage.
With son number two getting married April next year I am busy making a Wedding Ring quilt and I am determined to have it finished for the wedding, I will not be following my usual MO. The repair job might just have to wait until after April, it could be my Winter project.
The lesson to be learnt is; quilts are made to be used and when you use something there is always the potential for damage. So I will take that deep breath and come to terms with the fact that this might be the first but it will not be the last quilt that I will need to repair.
I will always look at this quilt and think of my son aged 21 on his mountain bike with his mates having the time of their lives but I will also think of Storm, the rabbit, and the love she gave my family and the headache, of a repair job, she has given me.
Wish me luck and patience.
Happy sewing and stay healthy
Margaret
