Thread: Looking for advice on old quilt blocks

If you decide to stabilize, look at Pellon 101 shape flex. It is a woven fusible interfacing.

I bought a beautiful quilt top from an ebay seller but when I received it, the white background was very thin white fabric. It was dirty also. I decided to wash it first and go from there. The dirty white was actually kind of ivory color and the quilt top held up well. It had 4 appliqued butterflies in each block made from feedsack fabric and was lovely. I let it sit on my shelf for a long time, taking it down from time to time to look at it. Decided finally to let my long arm quilter have a go at it. She did a great job and I love to look at it. It has held up well but I never wash it or use it except to lay on the end of my bed. I have made many other quilts from the old blocks I get from Flea markets and many are the very thin fabric you mention. So far, I haven't stabilized any, but it is a thought.

You have gotten good advice. Batiste from yesteryear will be more stable than what we have available today, but if you can find batiste, I would use it as a backing. (Not everyone will agree with this, though.) I have restored several quilts using period fabrics, but you probably won't find fabric that old. Do let us see this treasure when you have finished it.

I too have some old quilt blocks made from used clothing around 1900. They are all hand sewn. I am not sure what to do with them. I don't believe they would hold up as a quilt. I would rather they be encased in a frame of some sort so the fine hand stitching is able to be seen. Like a two sided poster frame or even in a sort of book form, so the backs would show too.

Send me your thoughts.

Ethel