Asking for advice
 

My Mom passed away last week and I plan to make it my mission to finish her quilt tops and get them passed on to family members. I have helped her with many of them so have an some idea about approximately when or where she got the material. I plan to look through her patterns and books and try to find the name of the pattern then make a heart label with the name of the quilt and that it was pieced by Mom and quilted by me. Should I give an approximate year or just put 5-14-18 - 2-20-12 (Mom's dates).

I now realized the importance of labels as we have 3 old quilts in her cedar chest. I know one was made by my great grandmother but no history on the other two. One has several old stains that I assume are blood does anyone have a good idea how to clean the quilt. Also there are a couple of torn quilts that I remember playing with as a child. (If we wanted a blanket to lay on the grass or make a tent over the clothes line we grabbed one of the "old blankets".)

50 years later I now know how much work goes into them and that they are not just "serviceable blankets" and would probably kill anyone I saw spreading one of my quilt on the ground for a picnic.

Any advice or ideas would be appreciated.

I am so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you.

I think I would put an approximation as to start date and then the end date. It is wonderful to include your mother as the quilt top maker... she deserves a lot of credit for making them. And you deserve the honor of taking the credit for quilting them.

Whatever you do, I wish you well.

Anita

Last week I finished a double wedding ring that my mom started a little over 20 years ago. My mom has been gone since 2004 so it has taken me a few years to complete this project. I am glad you mentioned labels because I had forgotten all about making one. I certainly will remember do to one now. I am sorry for you lose but I am sure you will feel some comfort working on her quilts.

I am so sorry for your loss. The spots on the old quilt might be caused by dead bugs or dye migration. This article has good information on cleaning an old quilt. http://www.quilthistory.com/cleaning.htm

As far as mishandling those old quilts - don't worry about it. Not every quilt is meant to last for generations. The ones that served a purpose as lawn blankets have probably been loved more than those that spent all their time in a cedar chest.

After my Mom passed away I found 15 redwork blocks she had done. The patterns had been mailed in an envelope that was with the blocks and had a date of 1955 on it. I made three wall hangings from the blocks; one for each of my brothers and one for me. On the label I put "Embroidery Circa 1955 by and my Mom's name and then "Quilted by" and my name with the date I did the quilting.

I brought an almost-finished Dresden Plate home with me when my Mom passed in 2003...and I'm ashamed to say it's not finished yet. But...it will be, this year, and will go to a cousin who really wanted one of Mom's quilts. And it will go complete with a label...

I am so sorry for your loss. No one ever truly gets over losing one's mother. You have my empathy.

If you can, get in touch with someone who does textile restoration and get their evaluation. If you ruin one of these tops, they aren't replaceable. If you can't, get a good book on quilt top restoration, or Heirloom quilt restoration. There are a couple of really good ones out there. Remember that the fabrics used by your Mother are not the modern fabrics we have today. The older fabrics didn't go though the fancy processes that helps retain colors so they bleed more easily. I know. I lost a quilt top my Great Grandmother made when I soaked it in COLD water with a special quilt soap (Restore) and the greens ran dreadfully. The green patches were faded, and every other patch was stained green! Plus the old thread holding the patches together just disintegrated in the water in places, and I was removing the quilt top in pieces. I was devastated! This was after I was told by the Textile restoration person this would be a safe process for this particular quilt top. When I told the Textile Restoration Person about what happened, she was upset and said she wished she'd told me to used Retayne first. What is that? Retayne is a color fixative for commercially dyed cotton, linen and rayon fabrics that bleed. Use in the washing machine or treat by hand washing with hot water. Always test fabric before washing it for the first time. Only one application is necessary. That would have fixed the colors, prevented the bleeding, and anything else that happened could have been repaired. I've got some now, and am using it when I pre-wash my fabrics.

So my advice is yes, go ahead and do it, but educate yourself first, in all aspects of restoration, and know what you're dealing with. Losing a quilt top like that is heartbreaking. I am only fortunate I had two left.

Kindest Wishes,

As for the labels, I would put the name of the quilt, made by your mom est start date and finished by you on what date, then I would put "In Memory of Mother" her birthdate and resorection date.

What a great tribute to your mom and a wonderful way to extend her love to family. I know every stitch you make will be a stitch of love. Blessings.

Seeking advice
 

My Mom passed away recently and I'm planning on finishing her quilt tops and getting them handed out to family members. I want to make labels for all of them. Should I look thru her quilt books trying to find the name of the pattern as should I just make a label that says "pieced by ______________- and quilted by ___________ in memory of Dorothy 1918-2012" or should I give an approximate year. They have all been made within the last 35 years.
We also found some old quilts (with no labels or info) and I need to know the best way to clean them. One has some stains that I think might be blood. I'd appreciate any advice.
Thank you in advance.