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99-Year-Old Woman Dies Leaving Her Massive Quilt Project Unfinished So This Woman Organizes Help To Finish It
The craft community has come together in heartwarming fashion to honor the memory of a recently-passed 99-year-old – by finishing her last stitching project. Shannon Downey is a craft enthusiast who often visits estate sales near her home in Chicago. She has a basic principle when attending these sales – to complete what was started. “Whenever I find an unfinished embroidery project I buy it and finish it because there’s no way that soul is resting with an unfinished project left behind,” she wrote in a tweet.
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Image credits: ShannonDowney
So began the story of Rita’s quilt, and it’s fair to say that it is a powerful example of community, respect and wholesome goodness. People are amazing at coming together to volunteer their time for a common purpose!
You gotta love Rita’s optimism in starting such a huge project so late in life! While she wasn’t able to see her grand idea come to fruition, you can just imagine her happiness and pride in it becoming such an item of interest and bringing so many people together. In many ways, it is the perfect tribute to a fellow crafter.
Image credits: leafandneedle_
You can follow much of the process on Instagram, where Shannon gathered people round to help with the huge task. “You know my love of estate sales and the fact that I cannot handle stumbling upon unfinished projects,” she wrote. “I just know that the person who passed can’t possibly rest easy with an unfinished project out there.”
Image credits: megtff
“I buy them and finish them as a tribute.”
Image credits: sarahtafelsky
“Well yesterday, fate brought me to Mount Prospect Illinois to the home of Rita Smith. Rita was clearly an astounding stitcher with a love for the US and state flowers. She was 99 when she passed according to my online research.”
Image credits: vintagerefashioned
“I bought this AMAZING completed embroidery map with state flowers. It’s breathtaking. I went upstairs and came across a box full of fabric. What I discovered is that Rita had just begun an epic quilting project (I mentioned she was 99 right?!)”
Image credits: bewitchery_stitchery
“Well I went through the box and Rita had prepped, cut, all the squares and started transferring the designs onto the squares. She started stitching New Jersey.”
Image credits: megtff
“Obviously I bought the whole box. I cannot possibly stitch all this myself with all the rest of my stuff but I’m wondering if we can crowd stitch/ crowd finish this project for Rita?!”
Image credits: mutuallyassureddeconstruction
“Like if I mail you a square will you stitch it and send it back to me and then I will host a quilting bee to finish the thing? Anyone interested in helping me help Rita rest in craft peace?!”
Image credits: vintagerefashioned
The response has been astounding, as over 1000 people quickly volunteered to help. Shannon chose 100 people from all over the U.S and Canada to make the hexagons, 50 for the states and 50 to each stitch a star.
She mailed them all envelopes and asked for their finished work to come back by November 15th.
Image credits: susanpm
“We’ve got over 30 Chicago quilters lined up to handle the quilting phase of the project once we get all of the hand-stitched hexagons back,” Shannon told the BBC.
“A local quilting studio has also offered its space.”
Image credits: sarahtafelsky
Image credits: bewitchery_stitchery
When the quilt is finished, Shannon plans to donate it to a quilting museum as an example of a beautiful collaborative project. She believes the whole story has showcased the very best of what a community can do, as well as the positive side of social media.
“Humans are amazing,” Shannon says. “Community can be built anywhere.”
Image credits: bikingmustard
Image credits: ShannonDowney
Here’s what people had to say about the wholesome project
What do you think ?
Thomas brennan 5 years ago
Now this is a nice interesting post, more of this and less disney princesses reimagined as x, someone claps back to y and incinsiderate troll says z, please!
Demi Zwaan 5 years ago
It's amazing, but this needs to be posted when it's done, not now. Now I'm left with an empty feeling and the suspicion we're never going to see an update on BP :(
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
You can always follow Shannon’s Instagram where she will likely post updates on the quilt: badasscrossstich. She also has a link to her website on her Instagram and has created a hashtag “Ritasquilt”. Also, BP is usually very good at following up on stories.
Load More Replies... ArchiBookworm 5 years ago
Update from her Twitter: they connected with Rita's son. The quilt projects was more like 20 years old. It is still in progress, but when completed, it will go on display at the National Quilt Museum.
Parmeisan 5 years ago
It did seem quite an assumption that she had just started it. I do projects of a different type (writing, making video games) but I'm starting new things *all the time*. Getting close to completion of one I began 8 years ago. Whenever I die, it's pretty much guaranteed there will be something left unfinished. Are there people who work linearly, and never start something new until their last project is complete?? If so, I feel like there must be something screwy with their brains...! ;)
Load More Replies...
Samantha Ashley Kricker 5 years ago
I love this! My grandmother made me a blanket with squares cut from all the jeans I wore as a kid. It is the most awesome blanket in the world. She died 17 years ago.I still sleep with it to this day.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
Truly beautiful - Rita would be proud. Cannot wait to see the finished product.
Angela Robinson 5 years ago
This is the same quilt my friend Rose finished just before she died at 96.
libraryKAT 7 months ago
Do you have a picture of the finished quilt posted anywhere? Thank you!
Viv Hart 5 years ago
So interesting. I'm also busy with various projects, at 77, still a baby! I'm just hoping that my big ambition gets completed while I still can do it, digitising my thousands of photographic slides of my travels, PLUS writing out all my travel memories. so glad that I traveled in the '60s & '70s, not as crowded as these days! Good luck to the quilters & stitchers.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
This is deeply touching. I'm sending this article to a friend who bought a house 20 years ago with gorgeous "stars" quilted from clothes -- we're supposing of loved ones. Some stars look patchworks of children's clothes, others of grandma's with patches from her apron with "Thanksgiving 1966" embroidered over a stain. She has held onto the box for this long, because she raised kids and didn't know where to go with it.
Daniel Garcia 5 years ago
What a lovely way to honor this woman, blessings to all who participated. I live in Nevada and would be honored to be a part of completing this project.
Barbara Berg 5 years ago
Nicely done but I would go a step further and some stumpwork on the animals ie. the birds.
Thomas brennan 5 years ago
Now this is a nice interesting post, more of this and less disney princesses reimagined as x, someone claps back to y and incinsiderate troll says z, please!
Demi Zwaan 5 years ago
It's amazing, but this needs to be posted when it's done, not now. Now I'm left with an empty feeling and the suspicion we're never going to see an update on BP :(
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
You can always follow Shannon’s Instagram where she will likely post updates on the quilt: badasscrossstich. She also has a link to her website on her Instagram and has created a hashtag “Ritasquilt”. Also, BP is usually very good at following up on stories.
Load More Replies... ArchiBookworm 5 years ago
Update from her Twitter: they connected with Rita's son. The quilt projects was more like 20 years old. It is still in progress, but when completed, it will go on display at the National Quilt Museum.
Parmeisan 5 years ago
It did seem quite an assumption that she had just started it. I do projects of a different type (writing, making video games) but I'm starting new things *all the time*. Getting close to completion of one I began 8 years ago. Whenever I die, it's pretty much guaranteed there will be something left unfinished. Are there people who work linearly, and never start something new until their last project is complete?? If so, I feel like there must be something screwy with their brains...! ;)
Load More Replies... Samantha Ashley Kricker 5 years ago
I love this! My grandmother made me a blanket with squares cut from all the jeans I wore as a kid. It is the most awesome blanket in the world. She died 17 years ago.I still sleep with it to this day.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
Truly beautiful - Rita would be proud. Cannot wait to see the finished product.
Angela Robinson 5 years ago
This is the same quilt my friend Rose finished just before she died at 96.
libraryKAT 7 months ago
Do you have a picture of the finished quilt posted anywhere? Thank you!
Viv Hart 5 years ago
So interesting. I'm also busy with various projects, at 77, still a baby! I'm just hoping that my big ambition gets completed while I still can do it, digitising my thousands of photographic slides of my travels, PLUS writing out all my travel memories. so glad that I traveled in the '60s & '70s, not as crowded as these days! Good luck to the quilters & stitchers.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
This is deeply touching. I'm sending this article to a friend who bought a house 20 years ago with gorgeous "stars" quilted from clothes -- we're supposing of loved ones. Some stars look patchworks of children's clothes, others of grandma's with patches from her apron with "Thanksgiving 1966" embroidered over a stain. She has held onto the box for this long, because she raised kids and didn't know where to go with it.
Daniel Garcia 5 years ago
What a lovely way to honor this woman, blessings to all who participated. I live in Nevada and would be honored to be a part of completing this project.
Barbara Berg 5 years ago
Nicely done but I would go a step further and some stumpwork on the animals ie. the birds.
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