Another surprise find!

So, back to my Aunt's linen closet.
After I found the 1843 quilt I pulled out a Montgomery
Wards box that had this crazy quilt in it. The maroon
velvet border was like new and the back was a beautiful
dusty pink polished cotton in perfect condition. After
a very brief inspection I didn't see any wear on the
front so I assumed it was a reproduction bought at
Montgomery Wards. I didn't make a big deal over it,
just put in my pile and hoped my cousins wouldn't
want to inspect it further. I was so excited over the
other quilt, I barely thought of this one. Crazy Quilts
aren't really my style and I thought this one was newer.
So I left it in the box for a few months. I got it out at
Christmas and draped it over an overstuffed chair.
My bee came over one night and one of the ladies
noticed it. We examined the squares and I saw some
of the silks were disintegrating. Hmmm that means
its older than I thought. Then my friend saw a date
embroidered on it, 1886. Well it was a reproduction,
so I guess they wanted it to look old. Then she saw
the surname Hanna embroidered. OMG...that is a
loud shout OMG. Hanna is my great grandmothers
maiden name. This quilt was made by my great
grandmother Rachel Belle Hanna McCleary (and probably
many of her friends) in 1886. She is the daughter of
Margaretta Virginia Loy Hanna who signed the 1843
quilt. So of course we examined every beautiful block.

I'll show close-up photos of this one and the other one
after I figure out how to get clear shots.

Until next time...
Susie