What a wonderful family heirloom you have and how great that you want to preserve it.

When we lived in Virginia I was able to go to some of the DC area museums and see quite a few VERY old quilts. Some were missing large sections where the fabric had disintegrated. I looked at them very carefully to see what they had done to the quilts to save them from further damage.

What I noticed was tulle "netting". (I am not sure where you would buy it, but it would need to be acid free.) The netting was placed over the damaged area and then stitched around the edge and also tacked in the center if the repair area was large. You had to get VERY close to the quilt to even see the netting.

You will also need some good quality muslin for other areas.

Here are a few articles on antique quilt repair that may help you

http://www.quilthistory.com/repair.htm
http://www.annquilts.com/quiltrepair.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...sy.html?cat=24
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/a...ojid=c00480758

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I would take it apart and repair it. you can find repro fabrics of the 30' and replace what needs to be. then use muslim for the back and new batting. It is worth saving,.

I went to the LQS today and I found a 1930's repo print I like and i think will go well.
It doesn't match the one that I will be replacing but it goes well over all.

I just dont know if I can bring myself to do it.
I am a new quilter so I dont want to mess it up for one
Plus it is so discolored from age the new fabrics look funny up against it

hmm I am in quite a dilemma
any suggestions

you might try washing the new fabrics a few times,to get the new look gone from them.

Or let the new fabrics set in direct sun for several days, perhaps that will help with some fading issues.

Some of the museums and stately homes in the UK support old fabrics, curtains etc. with bridal veiling. It's finer than ordinary netting. Try a fabric shop that specialises in bridal fabrics.

I think it would be wonderful to restore it and either hang it or put it on a bed to display it. It is a treasure.

I wouldn't touch it until you talk to a quilt conservator that knows their stuff!

It is beautiful 'as it', but you don't want it to deteriorate any further...

Good luck!
Sara

What a treasure you have there.

I do not have a feed sack that matches that torn piece. But, I will tell you that I restored one that was in worse shape than that. My grandmother gave my son a quilt in 1970 that she had made long before that. He used it and an offwhite piece deteriated in several places. It was lined with feedsacks that had choo choo trains on it. I took it apart and put new pieces in and a new lining. I saved part of the back with a train on it and wrote the history of the quilt. It is now back in Italy with my son.