Extra Special Repair Job

This has been under wraps for a while but now that it is finished and delivered I can reveal something that has been quite a challenge. I try to present each new baby that arrives in my extended family with a hand woven blanket. This one started life as a rather complex weave in two types of soft cotton, one smooth and one very textured. Sadly the baby boy did not survive beyond six months and did not even get to go home from the hospital. For that reason the blanket was one of the very few keepsakes the parents had that related to their child.

After some years, and several house moves, the blanket was damaged while in storage, causing heartbreak and distress. I was asked if there was any way I could do some sort of repair or minimise the damage. I won't show the "before" picture but here are some of the "after".  I am happy to say that the parents are delighted. 

I had some expert help and want to acknowledge my friend Yvonne who took the design I sent her and turned it into the delightful applique with a perfect choice of fabrics and perfect machine stitching. I attached the "patch" and finished if off with some hand stitching. The tatted "stars" and hearts were first used to cover some small holes and then more added to complete the picture. A happy result to lift at least some of the distress.