DeneK

Has anyone else ever taken apart a king size quilt for repair? I made this one for my DIL years ago. Thankfully my skills have improved. OTOH, this is a real teaching experience on what I did wrong. 99% of the repairs involved poor construction on my part. I told her this was going to take a LONG time since I would have to completely take it apart. My initial try at the repairs just looked bad. Offered to do the icky repairs and then make her a new one, or to wait for the time it would take to fix it right. Since the pattern was one she specifically requested because it was like one her grandmother had done years ago, she opted for the correct fixes.

I really don't mind doing the work. It was, after all, my faulty product in the first place. And it really is a learning experience to show what is important after a quilt being used for a few years. I just wondered if anyone else had done this too.

Barb in Louisiana

I wish you had posted a picture of the quilt. Sometimes what one person sees as really bad doesn't appear the same to another person. These wonderful quilters on this board may have some ideas to help you which won't involve taking the whole thing apart.

dunster

Even though you think the quilt was poorly made, your DIL thinks enough of your work and loves the quilt so much that she wants it repaired. That says something nice about your work and your relationship with her. And isn't it nice to think of how much you have improved since making that quilt?

DOTTYMO

I have my first quilt to repair. I did it by hand and will watch this thread for ideas on doing the job. Just don't want to undo all of it.

QuiltnNan

my grandaughter gave me her quilt to repair. she was referring to actual holes through the quilt. but when i laid it out to mark all of the repairs, i found that this quilt [an early project also] needed additional quilting over sections where the seams are pulling apart. so, lesson learned... the quilting with the minimum required by the batting may not necessarily be enough... the piecing needs to be kept from pulling apart on a quilt that will be treated roughly

Bluebonnets

Depending on what the repairs are, I'm thinking I'd just make her a new one instead of major repairs on the first one. But then I do not relish repairs.

ManiacQuilter2

Wouldn't it be easier to make her a new one???

feline fanatic

Can you elaborate on the repairs with photos? Many of us may be able to offer you some alternative solutions to taking it all apart. Sometimes a simple whip stitch and additional quilting will fix seams coming apart.

The only reason I can think of to take a quilt entirely apart to repair is due to the batting migrating and bunching and having to replace it. Or fabric being of low quality and falling apart so you have to replace pieces of the patchwork and even then I have repaired that that with applique. Other than that it is amazing what a little hand work and additional quilting can fix.

Like Maniac said, I think it would be easier to remake the quilt than repair it. You probably won't be able to replicate the fabrics but you could come close with tone and color.

DeneK

That is what I thought at first... I fixed what I thought would be the worst, and I could have lived with that. This was an applique quilt (parasol ladies) and I had not secured the individual pieces well enough and a good many had frayed loose. I thought I could fix it by hand with overcast stitches, but as I progressed along, it looked like a sloppy fix (well, because it was a sloppy fix). I just could not take it back to her like that.

And the issue with the applique was only one of the problems. Also seams pulling apart from the sashing due to my seams being too narrow to hold. Several places where holes had worn though (not my fault but needed to be fixed) and one fairly large hole torn like it had been caught on something (also not my fault ).

If it weren't for the many problems with the applique, I would probably have tried to make the repairs without taking it apart. But in order to get the applique under the sewing machine again, the blocks would have to separated from the back and batting. Once I did all that, then didn't make any sense not to just make the whole thing right again.

I will post some pictures.

DeneK

That is what I wanted to do. I volunteered but she wanted this one. In a perverse sort of way, I should be glad that was her preference. And, boy, is this a good lesson.