Done is good! Four very old quilt tops were brought to me..
07-12-2016, 08:56 PM
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 453
Done is good! Four very old quilt tops were brought to me..
A lady I know recommended me to her friend because I am in a quilt guild. Now I don't profess to be any kind of an expert on anything, and am relatively new at quilting (I prefer to make tops and quilt by checkbook to a long armer) however I have been sewing since I was 4yrs old. I do alterations, have made 20' x 40' draperies for a theatre and leather chaps, etc. designed and made 75 matching square dance dresses all custom fitted, so I am no stranger to a challenge.
Oh, did I mention, she WASHED the quilts! When she called me to ask how to iron, front? back? I swallowed hard and said no ironing, only pressing, and I certainly wished she hadn't washed them! She trimmed strings and pressed them. She isn't sure who made them but thinks a great aunt.
She brought me four very old tops. One was hand pieced with 3" blocks, the other three pieced by machine. One was paper pieced. Every one was strip pieced on the bias. Not a square corner in the lot, not a matched point. These were definitely utility quilts. Some had thicker fabrics than I would have expected, some were in need of minor repairs. The washing made them very wavy, wonky and unsquare!
She just wanted them finished into quilts. She said she needed "a wrangler", and that is what I did. She paid me up front and was very generous.
I took them to my LQS and with lots of input, we picked out backs and binding fabric (I washed them so we wouldn't have a problem there) and I did some repair work. After much conversation with fellow quilters, it was decided that the borders on one quilt would have to be removed. It was wonky and was not going to quilt well.
After the long arm quilter finished, it was obvious that another quilt would need the borders removed as well. The borders were a good bit smaller than the sides of the quilt, so when we took them off the quilt relaxed and most of the puckers created by the long arm disappeared. They were by no means perfect, but not terrible! I was excited to see them coming to life as quilts.
I squared them up as best as possible (that hand pieced one was truly wonky and I had to cut quite a bit off the top and bottom to get it reasonably square). Across the top it starts out with a full 3" square and the row narrows into the next row quite a bit. But overall it looks wonderful. I finished the binding and am rather proud of them! She hasn't seen them yet.
Over all, this was a great learning experience. Some of my friends said I was crazy, a lot of responsibility and they wouldn't do it. But this lady isn't a quilter so the imperfections won't be glaring to her. She doesn't even think her kids will appreciate the quilts, but wanted them finished and didn't know where to start. They have been sitting in a cupboard for 40 plus years. Now they can truly be used and loved (if not abused, they should last 40 more years).
Oh, did I mention, she WASHED the quilts! When she called me to ask how to iron, front? back? I swallowed hard and said no ironing, only pressing, and I certainly wished she hadn't washed them! She trimmed strings and pressed them. She isn't sure who made them but thinks a great aunt.
She brought me four very old tops. One was hand pieced with 3" blocks, the other three pieced by machine. One was paper pieced. Every one was strip pieced on the bias. Not a square corner in the lot, not a matched point. These were definitely utility quilts. Some had thicker fabrics than I would have expected, some were in need of minor repairs. The washing made them very wavy, wonky and unsquare!
She just wanted them finished into quilts. She said she needed "a wrangler", and that is what I did. She paid me up front and was very generous.
I took them to my LQS and with lots of input, we picked out backs and binding fabric (I washed them so we wouldn't have a problem there) and I did some repair work. After much conversation with fellow quilters, it was decided that the borders on one quilt would have to be removed. It was wonky and was not going to quilt well.
After the long arm quilter finished, it was obvious that another quilt would need the borders removed as well. The borders were a good bit smaller than the sides of the quilt, so when we took them off the quilt relaxed and most of the puckers created by the long arm disappeared. They were by no means perfect, but not terrible! I was excited to see them coming to life as quilts.
I squared them up as best as possible (that hand pieced one was truly wonky and I had to cut quite a bit off the top and bottom to get it reasonably square). Across the top it starts out with a full 3" square and the row narrows into the next row quite a bit. But overall it looks wonderful. I finished the binding and am rather proud of them! She hasn't seen them yet.
Over all, this was a great learning experience. Some of my friends said I was crazy, a lot of responsibility and they wouldn't do it. But this lady isn't a quilter so the imperfections won't be glaring to her. She doesn't even think her kids will appreciate the quilts, but wanted them finished and didn't know where to start. They have been sitting in a cupboard for 40 plus years. Now they can truly be used and loved (if not abused, they should last 40 more years).
07-12-2016, 09:13 PM
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Vancouver Island, Beautiful BC
Posts: 2,090
What you did was quite wonderful. I too would love to see photos of the finished quilts.
I admit everyday use quilts do not get squared in my house and I am unlikely at this point of my life to do a show stopper.
Actually my seams often do not meet and points get chopped off, but I hope that my quilts will be used to make forts, take on picnics, lay on at the beach, not be kept in perfect condition and never used.
I admit everyday use quilts do not get squared in my house and I am unlikely at this point of my life to do a show stopper.
Actually my seams often do not meet and points get chopped off, but I hope that my quilts will be used to make forts, take on picnics, lay on at the beach, not be kept in perfect condition and never used.
07-13-2016, 02:37 AM
#7
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Maryland
Posts: 2,576
Originally Posted by Tothill
What you did was quite wonderful. I too would love to see photos of the finished quilts.
I admit everyday use quilts do not get squared in my house and I am unlikely at this point of my life to do a show stopper.
Actually my seams often do not meet and points get chopped off, but I hope that my quilts will be used to make forts, take on picnics, lay on at the beach, not be kept in perfect condition and never used.
I admit everyday use quilts do not get squared in my house and I am unlikely at this point of my life to do a show stopper.
Actually my seams often do not meet and points get chopped off, but I hope that my quilts will be used to make forts, take on picnics, lay on at the beach, not be kept in perfect condition and never used.
07-13-2016, 10:30 PM
#8
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: kansas
Posts: 6,407
what an undertaking! Sure hope that your friend appreciates all the hard work! I recently was given a hand pieced g-ma's flower garden made out of all 70's mishmash of fabrics (included some nylon knit nightgown fabric!) and I was so relieved that she said to anything you want--even throw it away! Talk about "unsquare"! I put it on the long on with muslin backing and no bat and did a fairly tight meander and plan to cut up for stuff animals--hoping it works!
07-18-2016, 03:40 PM
#9
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 453
Done is good...pictures of the finished product
For those of you that wanted to see the antique quilts that I "wrangled", pictures here. She came by, ran in and was ready to just carry them out. I said "Nope, you have to look at each and every one!" I was very proud of what I had accomplished! She did like them, but does not know what bias means, or machine attached binding, etc. I gave her a mini education, told her they can be washed but I would be very careful in handling them wet. Also said some of the very few puckers would blend in very well once washed. She seemed pleased, loaded them up and left! I am a little deflated!
07-18-2016, 04:20 PM
#10
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,604
Well, those of us on this quilting board appreciate what you did. They all look lovely. You worked so very hard on each & they turned out beautifully. You have to realize the lady did not understand what it took to accomplish the task so did not know how to enjoy the process with you. You went way beyond what most would have done.
Congratulations on a job well done.
Congratulations on a job well done.
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