I inherited a quilt top that is about 70 years old from my mil that was hand sewn by her grandmother. It was never quilted. I intend to hand quilt it but I need suggestions on what kind of batting to use, and what fabric to use on the back. It has to be all cotton because of its age but don't know if it has ever been washed. Should I hand wash it first? Should I add a border? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Lovely! Does it have any odors or stains? My after it is quilted. I would quilt it with cotton. It is a great treasure to have. Lucky you!!! I have a 46 year old quilt top that I am still working on. Maybe I might pass it on?!

Sorry I can't offer any advice -- but the quilt top is just lovely! What a treasure!

Wow what a super treasure you have there!!!! I love the design/pattern. I would use a nice cotton batting like Quilters Dream cotton, plus I would use muslin on the back so it looks more like the timeframe in which it was pieced. Good question about washing it - I can see pros and cons on that one.

Good luck and please post a picture after you finish it,
Sherryl
Candlequilter

beautiful, but don't have any advise for you

I'm afraid if you washed it now, it would ravel, even if you hand washed it and that would be a tragedy! I agree with the cotton batting and a muslin back. That is my kind of quilt!

Unless it is offensive to work on, I wouldn't wash until it is quilted and bound. It will be stronger then. I wash my 50 year old ones in the washer on gentle with a long soak and a short agitation cycle. An Oxyclean soak didn't seem to hurt the colors any and it brightened the whites.

Yours is lovely. It could have been made by my grandmother. I posted two of hers last week.

What a beautiful quilt. Think how long it would have taken
to hand sew every stitch. I cannot even imagine. Treasure it forever.

I want to chime in on the admiration of it. The colors are still wonderfully fresh. I wonder if the woman who made it cherished the hope that someone would finish it one day and that it would stay in her family. I hope that when you do it, you will include a label that gives names and dates for both you and the maker of the top.

What a treasure you have. I don't believe I would wash until it is quilted due to the fact it may very well ravel a lot and mess up the quilt. It's too beautiful to take a chance on.