My Grandmother passed away in1993. I have her roll-a-way bed. I didn't use it much, so I put it out in a storage building until I needed it. My brother wanted to borrow it. My husband and I got it out and took the mattress off and there IT was. When I shook it out (it had been folded in half) there were rust stains all over it, parts and gotten caught in some of the springs, it was totally destroyed. I just can't imagine this!! I was sick. I'm afraid to try to wash it, even soak it in the bathtub. It's already starting to come apart. Oh, just airing a quilt tragedy.

Yes, it is a tragedy but you can probably save parts of it. Maybe you could make Christmas stockings or even cut parts out of it and frame them. Lots of great ideas that you could use it for and still have the memory.

So Sorry {{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}} It is heartbreaking when something like that happens

I suppose so. Right now all I could think about was the destruction of a beautiful quilt. Thanks!

I am so sorry you did not know it was stored there so you could get out and take care of it!!! I too found several (3-4) quilts stored between the mattress and box springs of my grandparent's bed. This bed was kept inside though - so no damage!! That must have been "the place" to store quilts during their era.

Several years after my Grandpa passed away, Grandma had a stroke and had to go to a nursing home. She was a seamstress all her life, making clothes and quilts for the family, and even taking in sewing jobs and alterations for the public. She even made bridesmaid and prom dresses, and cheerleader uniforms. All on a treadle sewing machine! Anyway, when she went to the nursing home and her house was "dismantled", a quilt was found between her mattress & box spring. It was a large foundation-string-pieced lone star. My dad (born in 1921) said he remebered playing by her sewing machine as a small boy while she sewed quilts using newspaper as the foundation. An appraiser told me the fabrics were from the late 1800s & early 1900s, so I'm sure it was made when she was a young housewife. The old quilt was faded and worn, with quite a few rust spots, but was still lovely.

So, at our next family reunion that quilt plus about 4 other smaller ones were given away in a drawing amongst her granddaughters and my name was drawn for the star! I was thrilled. However, Grandma was very angry! She just couldn't see why we were all so excited over that old, worn-out quilt that wasn't good for anything except keeping the mattress from getting poked by the springs! She wanted us to throw it away!!!

That is such a tragedy. Very very sad. But once you are over the initial shock some of those ideas for saving bits will be great (not as great as a whole quilt - of course)

What a lovely family story!

Maybe you can salvage pieces of it and make throw pillows or something?

I found a quilt in my grandmother's attic - shoved up next to the chimney. It had burned spots on it!!!! Why the house didn't burn down, I'll never know! Well, the quilt was pretty much ruined except for 2 squares. The quilt was given to my great-grandfather, a minister, by the women in the church. They had embroidered their names and dates in the center of the star (?) blocks... it was dated 1902! I was able to salvage the 2 squares, framed one with the information on a little label. It hangs here in my sewing room.