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Archive for the ‘Recovered’ Category

Recovered! Sampler Quilt Top

Sep 12 2003

Sampler Quilt by Beth Kitts

Sampler Quilt by Beth Kitts

On August 18, 2003 Beth Kitts sent a Sampler Quilt Top from Ruston, Louisiana. Somehow the shipping company lost the package and could not trace it. On September 10 Beth received the good news that the package had finally arrived at its destination. The box was squashed flat and very badly damaged, but the quilt top was intact. There was no indication of where it had been or why it took almost a month to travel what usually takes three days.

Beth writes, “The [shipping company] still has no idea what happened. I have to say they were of almost no help during this entire thing, although I did learn several intersting facts. Even though I had purchased insurance on my package and was provided with a tracking number, because the insurance amount was below $100, they couldn’t track it. I was told that tracking must be purchased separately, basically meaning that the tracking number on the receipt is worthless, and my insurance was a joke.”

Beth did discover that the shipping company sends lost packages to one of three “Mail Recovery Centers” to be sorted through and auctioned off, either on-site or on Ebay. These centers are in Atlanta, St. Paul, and San Francisco and they can be contacted to ask about missing items.

The quilt top that was lost is 88″ by 72″. The hand pieced blocks include Bow Tie, Churn Dash, Flying Geese and many others. The colors are very bright and all of the blocks have white backgrounds. The sashing is sky blue. Beth estimates this quilt top was made around 1990.

Beth summed up her experience with this, “I count myself VERY lucky that mine was found, and I will certainly think twice before using the post office again to ship anything, much less my precious babies.”

 
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Recovered! Synchronized Star Dance

Jun 04 2003

Synchronized Star Dance by Vikki Favreau

Synchronized Star Dance by Vikki Favreau

On April 1, 2003 Vikki Favreau shipped her original quilt, Synchronized Star Dance, from the Thunder Bay, Ontario. The quilt was not delivered and was suspected stolen. Police and shipping company employees were not very helpful or hopeful. They just wanted her to “take my money and be quiet.”

But Vikki refused to give up. The lesson she learned was to “check up on the parcel after 3 to 4 days and above all pay the extra dollar to get the person receiving the article to sign for it.” Vikki tracked down the delivery driver to question him. It turned out he delivered it to the same address number but on the North part of the street instead of the South side. After this was all sorted out, Vikki was able to personally pick up her quilt.

Vikki writes, “It was a terrible ordeal but I strongly urge anyone with a missing parcel to scout things out for yourself. I think you will find that most stolen articles in the mail are simply delivered to the wrong person.” She goes on to suggest including phone numbers on the outside of the package along with the return address.

This quilt is a long, narrow wall runner approximately 24″ by 70″. Vikki mainly used Bali prints in greens and peaches and she added beaded accents. A detail of the fabrics and the curved piecing is shown below. This quilt is machine pieced, machine appliqued, machine quilted and hand beaded. There may be a label hand stitched to the quilt from a past show with the quilt name and Vikki’s name.

 
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Recovered! American Sampler Cross Stitch Quilt

May 09 2003

Barb Stover of Berrien Springs, Michigan needed help in solving this mystery. Her mom got a phone call from Debra Grant of North Charleston, South Carolina. Someone had driven through Debra’s neighborhood during December 2002 with a basket on top of the car. It fell off and she recovered it. She found an American Sampler Cross-Stitch quilt top along with one of Barb’s brother’s business cards. Debra called the phone number on the business card hoping to locate the owner of the quilt top but the mystery was still unsolved.

Barb went into action. She contacted her local newspaper, the Hearld Palladium, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. They printed the story and the very next day the owner of the missing quilt top, Reatha Coon, called. She had been on her way to Florida when she stopped to visit her grandson in South Carolina. When it came up missing, she thought she left it in Benton Harbor. After several months in Florida, she was dismayed to find out that the quilt was not at home like she thought. Reatha is 80 years young and now that the quilt top has been recovered she plans on finishing it.

 
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Recovered! All-American Wedding

May 07 2003

All-American Wedding by John Flynn

All-American Wedding by John Flynn

John Flynn has recovered a double wedding ring quilt called All-American Wedding.

It turned up missing on April 6, 2003 at the tennis courts during the Quilters’ Heritage Celebration Quilt Show in Lancaster, Pennslyvania. He didn’t discover it was missing until a couple weeks later when he unpacked after the show.

Happily, on May 7, 2003 the quilt was found!

This 54″ square quilt was made in 1990. It is made with shades of red and blue, which fade from dark to light around the wedding rings.

 
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Recovered! Baby Quilt for Rachel Tromley

Feb 17 2003

Baby Quilt for Rachel Tromley

Baby Quilt for Rachel Tromley

After eleven years, two quilting friends have been reunited and the quilt made for Rachel Tromley’s baby has been delivered!

In 1992, while Rachel’s husband, Lance Tromley, was stationed in Berlin, Germany with the US Air Force, some quilting friends made a baby quilt for Rachel’s third baby. While they were still working on the project, the Tromley family was transferred back to the US and her friends lost contact with her.

The women who made this quilt were Wendy Breeden, Kelly Ives, Linda Bell, and Marga Andresen-Gransow. Marga used to teach patchwork and quilting to the wives of the US soldiers stationed in Berlin at the Country Crafts Store at McNair Barracks and later at Truman’s Plaza.

Since that time, Marga moved but she kept the baby quilt in safe keeping through the years, hoping to be able to find Rachel and give it to her.

On February 16, 2003, helpful friends in the quilting community have reunited these two friends! Marga wrote, “Many, many thank yous to all the quilters who sent mails trying to help to find my friend. You are a great bunch of people — it is an honor to be a quilter with sooo many wonderful ‘friends in stitches.’” Arrangements are now being made to deliver this well-loved baby quilt.

 
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Recovered! In Remembrance of Nanny

Feb 10 2003

On December 17, 2002 Nancy Rink sent her quilt, In Remembrance of Nanny, to the Prairie Guild Quilt Show in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the shipping company delivered the quilt late so it was refused by a member of the guild (which is the guild’s policy). On the return trip, it took several more weeks before the quilt was finally returned to Nancy in mid February.

Nancy comments, “I am pleased to say it is now safely home. Even with a tracking number, all the [shipping company] could tell me was that it had not reaced its destination. Never again will I use them to send my quilts.”

The 71″ by 76″ quilt is an original design. It is a nine block quilt with floral applique on a blue/black background. The quilt uses a Nancy Crow fruit stripe, fabrics from P&B Frostings line. It is hand appliqued and machine quilted. It was featured in Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine on the “Photo Finish” page.

 
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Recovered! Family Tree Nine Patch

Dec 20 2002

Family Nine Tree Patch by Doris Polk

Family Tree Nine Patch by Doris Polk

Doris Polk participated in making a Family Tree Nine-Patch quilt which is owned by her cousin, Joan Thomas White. The queen sized quilt was made with enlarged nine patch blocks of pink and purple. Family members pictures are ironed onto the fabric. All of the pictures are of the women in the family. It is hand pieced and hand quilted.

On July 10, 2002 the quilt was sent from Houston, Texas to her cousin, Joan Thomas-White of Dayton, Ohio, but it never arrived. Doris later found out that twice during July the truck carrying the package had been “high-jacked” and she never expected to see the quilt again. The shipping company promised to trace the package, but Doris never heard from them.

Mysteriously in December 2002 the quilt showed up on the doorstep of one of the women who were pictured on the quilt. This person lives about fifteen minutes away from where the package was supposed to be delivered. Doris guesses that whoever robbed the mail truck recognized her cousin or her granddaughters and dropped it off at the house!

 
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Recovered! Leigh’s Jubilee Quilt

Dec 20 2002

Leigh's Jubilee by Dianne Edward

Leigh's Jubilee by Dianne Edward

On September 26, 2002 an original quilt, Leigh’s Jubilee Quilt, by Dianne Edwards was stolen on the eve of the Canberra Quilters’ Annual Members Exhibition. This show was being held at Rydges Lakeside, Canberra ACT, Australia.

Dianne made the quilt to celebrate her husband’s 50th birthday. It is 114″ by 100″ (290 cm by 254 cm). It is made with restrained Japanese fabrics in shades of white, off-white, navy and red. The navy is actually darker than the picture shows. The quilting was done with a mixture of hand shasiko quilting, tying and embroidery.

On December 5, 2002 the quilt was returned to Dianne at the Canberra Quilters meeting. Apparently a staff member of the Rydges Hotel had wrapped the quilt around himself to stay warm while he was waiting for his girl friend to pick him up from work and he took the quilt home with him. Then the couple went on vacation. When they came back, they found the quilt and returned it.

 
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Recovered! Antique Seven Sisters Quilt

Dec 03 2002

Seven Sisters Quilt owned by Pat Dillon

Seven Sisters Quilt owned by Pat Dillon

Pat Dillon wanted to be reunited with her antique Seven Sisters quilt. This 74″ by 85″ quilt was made in the 1880′s. The main colors are “old” green and bubble gum pink. It has twenty-five Seven Sisters blocks. It is hand pieced and hand quilted.

On January 12, 2000 Pat hired someone to appraise and repair this quilt. She was told it returned on May 10, 2002 via a shipping company, although it is unclear which company was used, and it was not insured.

Pat ended up hiring a lawyer who gave the appraiser the choice of returning the quilt by a certain deadline or face a lawsuit. On December 2, 2002 Pat reported that her quilt was finally returned!

 
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Recovered! War of 1812 Fort Edgecomb Quilt

Nov 27 2002

War of 1812 Quilt by Beth Maitland

War of 1812 Quilt by Beth Maitland

On Sunday, September 29, 2002 the War of 1812 Fort Edgecomb Quilt was stolen from the Exhibition Hall of Cumberland Fairgrounds, Cumberland, Maine. Someone picked it up a half hour before the owner arrived to collect it. This quilt had been made for a raffle for the Friends of Fort Edgecomb. The drawing was to take place on Wednesday, October 2, 2002.

About two months after the theft, the Cumberland Police returned the recovered quilt to Beth on Sunday, November 24, 2002. The case is still under investigation.

This original quilt was designed and made by Beth Maitland. It is 54″ by 70″ and depicts a waving Star Spangled Banner, Fort Edgecomb and a three-masted schooner. It is machine pieced and machine quilted. There is a label hand appliqued to the lower right hand corner of the quilt which says, “War of 1812, Fort Edgecomb, Designed and created by Beth Skillin Maitland, Cumberland, Maine, June 2002.”

 
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