Needle workers volunteer to finish dead woman's quilt.

[aceplace57]

Both of my grandmother’s made quilts. But nothing this elaborate.

Every square requires hand embroidery and then the quilting is done.

Downey knew she needed a lot of help to finish a project of this scale. She’s turned to the internet.

I hope there is a follow up story. I’d like to see the finished quilt.

A thousand needle workers volunteer to finish dead woman's quilt

Shannon Downey was at an estate sale in Chicago where a 99-year old woman named Rita Smith used to live.

In the bedroom Downey found hundreds of pieces of fabric that had been intended for a big quilting project which Smith started before she died.

Downey, who often looks for antique and vintage textiles to work with, said she was “emotional and overwhelmed” when she came across the unfinished quilt.

“It felt so personal and intimate seeing the way she had left it. As soon as I saw the pieces I knew I had to complete it but I knew it was bigger than anything I had ever done before,” she told the BBC.

[aceplace57]

99 years old and she starts a complex project that would take one person years to complete.

I admire her optimism.