I spent some time this week working on repairing a friend’s antique quilt. It’s a slow process as the fabrics are quite fragile.
The first step was separating all the layers, one stitch at a time. Thankfully it came apart with no further damage in spite of the batting being stuck in places.
The next step was to prep the replacement pieces. Some are made with older shirts that are repurposed and some are made with quilting cottons.
Most blocks will only need one set of replacement logs, but there are a couple that need two.
I’ve measured and turned edges in prep of hand appliquéing these in place.
Next up was to tackle the holes left where the quilt blocks were tied. Whoever made this used a big needle and thick yarn.
I decided to use fusible interfacing to stabilize each center red square.
So now it’s prepped for the hand stitching. As we’re predicted to have another snow day on Friday, that’s when I’ll start tackling the applique.
Until then, this project, while challenging, is proving to be quite satisfying to work on.
And I have been doing some machine sewing and longarming in between this project and work.
But for now, it’s a weekday and work is calling.
Happy sewing!!!!!!
Wow!! Quite a challenge..have done this in the past too.. Good for you !!
Thanks Susan!!!
I have a crazy quilt that my great grandmother made a very long time ago. I had it restored by a woman at the Colorado Quilt Museum more than 30 years ago. She used something she called “moling.” It looks like netting over some of the silks that were originally made with tin in the warp and were then disintegrating. I can take some photo if you want to see it 🙂 I hung it on a wall for many years, and about 15 years ago I had it museum-quality framed.
I would love to see pictures of the repair!!!!