Crazy Quilt With Velvet Rabbit

Years ago, I was given an undated, unsigned quilt that is in a very sad state, It spent years in an attic. The house caught on fire, the quilt was slightly burned, then soaked by fire hoses, but saved. To the family, it was a burden. I was thrilled to become its caretaker. I love everything about it. There is a beauty to the way the water spread unintentional colors onto other blocks. The silks are shredded but the flowers, animals and fanciful embroidery stitches are glorious. The rabbit is one of my favorites. Did the maker’s children carefully pet that rabbit? Who was that woman? Who were her friends who surely contributed a fancy patch, a pattern for a bird, an afternoon of shared time embroidering blocks? We will never know. I think of her often, as I go about my own stitching.