BettyGee

My neighbor, who is a paraplegic, asked me to repair a flannel quilt that he uses in the winter. It has seen many many winters and has been washed many times. I've never worked with flannel in a quilt, that's my first stumbling block. The pattern is a Lone Star, which is still beautiful even though it is showing its age. The portion of the quilt that needs repair are the seams that form the points of the star. The fabric has worn through and pulled away leaving a frayed edge.

I have thought of making new pieces to replace the worn one and then appliqueing them to the quilt. I will try to keep the colors the same and not make it obvious that there has been repair work done, however I don't see how it is possible to not have evidence of repair. This is a utilitarian quilt, not for a show or display, but I still want it to look as close to its original beauty as I can.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to proceed? We've had an unusually warm October, but the cold is coming so I need to get this done. My DH says "..just sew over it." He means well, but that is not a solution. Many thanks to any ideas.

Tartan

If it is flannel then I bet it has faded quite a bit. Try to find a flannel that is fairly close but use the back of it for a more faded look perhaps. Appliqueing new slightly larger points would be my solution also.

susie-susie-susie

I have a very old baby quilt that my GGM made for me when I was born. We used it all the time and some of the fabric has split. I took it to a guild meeting to ask for ideas to repair it. The majority of the suggestions were not to try to hide the repairs, just stop further damage. We don't use the quilt anymore (don't want any more damage). The fabric she used was the kind of cotton fabric you could buy in the dime store and is very thin and fragile looking. Some is print and some is solid color. I haven't done anything with it just refolding once in awhile. I think I would make your friend another quilt with cotton and not the flannel. Flannel is hard to work with and doesn't wear well. Good luck.
Sue

JustAbitCrazy

I think your friend should get a new quilt and retire this one. If you choose, you can measure the size of this one and make him a new one (in a different pattern, not Lone Star!) in the same size.

toverly

Perhaps a new quilt is in order. Some flannels separate and divide when they get worn, they simply wear out.

Prism99

I wouldn't take anything apart. I would hand applique new points over the frayed ones. Flannel is not that hard to work with, but I would wash and dry any new flannel several times to make sure it is through shrinking before cutting out and appliqueing the points. If you can't find flannel fabrics that match the points, perhaps look for good contrasting flannel and simply applique over all the points of the star to make them symmetrical. If you are covering up any hand quilting, I would do a little hand stitching over the quilting (perhaps working from the back).

If you are ambitious, you could make him a new flannel quilt too so that next year he can leave this one displayed over the back of a couch to preserve it a little longer.

suern3

I think you have the right idea. I would cut pieces to the size of the worn ones and applique them in place. I would make a freezer paper or plastic template. Add a seam allowance around it when you cut out the fabric and iron the edges under. I frequently use flannel in my quilts and don't have any problems with it, so don't let it scare you. Just treat it like any cotton fabric. Wash it first, iron it, use starch won't if you want, glue the edges if that works for you. Your friend will be so happy and surely not examine your work. One thing I would not do with out asking him first would be to make him a new quilt instead. He may find the feel of that quilt to be very comfortable or he may have sentimental attachments, who knows. You are a very nice neighbor to do this for him!

Krisb

I received an old and beloved Lemoyne star that my DN and DNIL wanted repaired. It was in bad shape after 50 years and 4 years in a storage unit. Used the appliqué method; even appliquéd partial stars over the worst sections of the border. Some smaller holes in the border were darned; they do show a little. Took out and redid the hand quilting (the thread had disintegrated). Oh, and cut off and replaced all of the binding. Here is some of the result:

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They loved it.

Barb in Louisiana

Another thought is to add a layer of netting to the top. Use a fine thread that won't really show up very much and add quilting, especially around the frayed edges of the stars and leave the top as is. http://www.annquilts.com/quiltrepair.html

momsbusy

I would appliqué over the worn spots. Be sure to prewash your flannel. Good luck!