Hello,
I inherited a quilting frame from my grandmother and I am a quilter. It's one of those that has the four 1x4 boards with the holes drilled and it's held together with clamps and rests on the the back of chairs or on saw horses. Each board still has the fabric strips tacked in place. Someone made it for her about 90 years ago.

The boards are beautiful oak but the fabric is dirty and the tacks are rusted. Would it be wrong to replace the fabric and tacks? I haven't done that because I feel like I would be eracing my grandmother's memory from it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Welcome to the board from Southern California!

I think that she would be thrilled to know someone was using it and loving it. I believe that if it was dirty and rusted when she was around, she would have replaced the parts and kept on quilting!
That is what I think. . .
Welcome from So Cal!!

Yeah, if it will improve the usefulness, by all means replace those parts! If you just can't bear to do that, maybe you could just cover it with new materials (be careful to miss the old tacks when you drive in the new ones). I would be very afraid of getting rust spots on one of your quilts. Rust does not come out easily, if at all.

Maybe you could replace the old tacks and strips, But save them and display them in a shadow box frame, an antique canning jar or something. Then you can use the frame (what a treat!) and have them to inspire you.

Maybe you could replace the old tacks and strips, But save them and display them in a shadow box frame, an antique canning jar or something. Then you can use the frame (what a treat!) and have them to inspire you.

Welcome from Kansas

Hello and welcome from Minnesota!
Your grandmother would want you to do whatever you need to do to fix it so it's usable!
I'm sure she's smiling from above!
Enjoy!

Welcome from Oklahoma!

What wonderful people on this website!! Thank you all for your helpful comments. I feel inspired now to go ahead and fix my quilting frame and put it to use!