A story... (in proper thread form)
— Shannon “Badass Cross Stitch” Downey (@ShannonDowney) October 23, 2019
I go estate sale shopping regularly and whenever I find an unfinished embroidery project I buy it and finish it bc there’s no way that soul is resting with an unfinished project left behind. One day I found this stunner for $5. The I walked pic.twitter.com/2zIzTsRuSI
Shannon Downey never knew the deceased woman who had spent years toiling over this embroidered quilt of the United States—all she knew was that she had to finish it.
A 41-year-old artist, Shannon often visits estate sales so she can find unfinished craft projects that she can complete and then donate to charity. She had been browsing through one particular Chicago estate sale back in October when the patchwork masterpiece revealed itself.
Each piece of the quilt had been carefully planned to divide the country into 100 different hexagonal sections, but the stitching was only half-done. Downey could tell that it had been crafted by an expert needleworker—and it was on sale for just $6.
“I walked into the bedroom and found a box full of fabric. I opened it up and discovered it was a massive quilting project that was just begun. Every bit of the project mapped out and in this plastic tub,” Downey recalled on Twitter. “I sat on the floor and almost cried because I knew I had to buy it and finish it, but it was a massive … undertaking and while I embroider, I don’t quilt.”
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After purchasing the project, Downey did some digging and found that it had belonged to a retired nurse named Rita Smith who passed away at the age of 99 back in August.
“That woman STARTED a massive quilting project at 99,” emphasized Downey. “Now I really had to finish this thing.”
Despite her determination, finishing the quilt would take Downey years to do on her own—so she reached out to her Instagram followers and asked for help.
Within 24 hours, more than 1,000 people volunteered to help take on the project.
I made a massive spreadsheet and collected mailing addresses. I started preparing the squares to ship out to my new team. As I did, I discover Rita had stitched 2 of the states already! What a grand surprise. I’m not saying I cried but I’m not saying I didn’t. pic.twitter.com/YfkzPZ25NO
— Shannon “Badass Cross Stitch” Downey (@ShannonDowney) October 23, 2019
Downey soon assembled a team of 50 needleworkers from across the country and assign each of them a portion of the quilt to complete. Since Smith had completed two hexagons of the quilt, along with its border, prior to her passing, Downey and her team are doing their best to mimic Smith’s embroidery style.
The crafters have become friends now—and hope to finish stitching the quilt designs sometime next year. After that, Downey has arranged for a team of Chicago-based quilters to take over the project and put the final pieces together.
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Once the quilt is stitched together, it is set to go on display at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky—and Downey is thrilled.
“I’ve been living with goosebumps for like two weeks. It’s so cool,” Downey told CBS News. “It’s overwhelming. Humans are awesome.”
(WATCH the news coverage below *NOTE: International viewers can check out the footage on the CBS website)
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