During his childhood, Tyler Redden goes to his grandmother Rae Elizabeth Kellgreen’s house and sees a cross-stitch photo of the United States hanging in her living room. Redden said it’s a picture you can not miss, not only because it was so beautiful, but also because it was clear how much work had been done on it.
Kellgreen has been in the picture for more than a year from 1989 to 1990. It was complex and included each state, icons representing each state and each state capital.
“Everyone who does cross-stitch knows that you start at one corner, and if you make a mistake, you have to start again. That’s why she started this three-foot, two-foot stretch from the East Coast, because she knew it was going to “The hardest part is if it’s going to go awry, it’s going to be there.
Kellgren planned to present the picture, which was her best work of art, at the Minnesota State Fair. But only after completing the portrait did she realize that she had forgotten to include the capital of Kansas, Topeka.
Because she was the perfectionist she was, Kellgren never submitted the photo to the fair. Instead, it hung in her home for three decades and was a story that made the family laugh a lot.
Kellgren passed away in August 2020. The family held an estate sale in October. Somehow, the picture was accidentally placed in the “sell” stack instead of the “save” stack. Redden said the whole family was sad to find out what sold their grandmother’s most precious work of art for only $ 10.
“This cross stitch is so important to my family. It was the piece you were the centerpiece of her living room for the three decades before she passed after she made it,” he said.
They believe a woman in her 50s with a short, blonde pixie cut may have bought it. If you know where the artwork is or who may have it, ask Redden to contact him. He can be reached at 651-497-1611 or [email protected].
The family hopes to get the picture back before the funeral of Fort Snelling in Kellgren, which is in a few months.