The Threads That Bind

We are all connected to things out there in the world that are of little consequence to most but offer solace and a feeling of belonging to others…

I am a vintage and antique textile appraiser located in the Niagara Peninsula rich in history  and bountiful for antique textiles. There are quilts, rugs, coverlets, show towels to name just a few wrought by the hands from the past, cared for, preserved and handed down from one generation to the next…

Sometimes I have the unique opportunity of reuniting  lost treasures with descendants of their makers.

 

Such was the case this weekend… the local weaver from the 1800’s that lived in Humberstone, Ontario Edward Graf’s woven coverlet was purchased at auction by his great great great grand daughter. Though the bed linen was not made for a family member but once owned by the Swayze family early settlers to the area,  the fibers were carded, the threads touched and threaded onto a huge, jacquard loom on which Edward worked. Applying his trade and providing the area’s families with much needed warmth.

Edward Graf’s works are held at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Port Colbourne Museum and several private collections throughout Canada and the US…

Finally this one is in the arms of his great great great grandfather, not only connected by blood but by the threads that bind…

It certainly made my day with tears all around...

Photos courtesy of Jill, Jackie and Plato Auctions.