I almost resisted buying the tin horse at the Pickens County flea market. Steve and I walked on down the aisle but I went back. I'm glad I did! The tin toy was super easy to take apart. It was the ideal size for this strip of an antique crazy quilt. I've got lots more "strips" from this quilt because I used the decorative center for Mandala CCLXXIX: Children on a Porcelain Plate. Perhaps I'll find the rest of the tin animals that undoubtedly were once part of a wagon cart or other horse drawn carriage.
Before attaching the horse halves and faucet, I put a piece of black netting/tulle over the antique quilt. This layer protects the fragile fabric. It is nearly invisible because I've added plenty of embroidery over the surface, blending old and new. The feather stitching was the original. I added running stitch, chain stitch, colonial knots, straight stitch, herringbone stitch and others. When stitching, I feel like I am collaborating with an anonymous woman from the distant past. The other unique thing about this piece is the use of very pretty shank buttons. In order to get them to "sit up straight", they are all stitched to a boarder of black hooks that were part of old-fashioned fur coat closures! I hope to create more of these nostalgic pieces in the future ... if the flea market provides just the right "found object(s)"!
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