My mother (86) has a dear neighbor, Lorraine (75). Lorraine had this piece of REDWORK and asked if I thought it was worth saving. Could not believe my luck that today's topic is redwork. Never heard of it before, but suspect that this is made up of "penny squares". Very thin, delicate muslin. Done in about 5 different tones of deep pink/red/burgundy thread. Size is 7 x 9 blocks ... appox 56"x 72".
Lorraine's mother (Marie) obviously worked on this in 1910. A friend (Niada) helped with the squares.
NEED HELP to quilt and preserve this beautiful piece of work. My plan ....
1) spray glue top to unbleached muslin to re-enforce it.
2) hand launder to remove dirt and stains.
3) dry flat on floor so that red thread (if not colorfast) will not run.
4) back with either unbleached muslin or flour sacks.
5) machine quilt with off-white thread around the blocks which are NOT sewn in straight rows. So I'll have to work this as best I can. Do not want to tie this... would distract from embroidery.
NEED YOUR SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS. This is much too precious not to preserve it.
See other new posting "5 Treasures from Grandma".

Even if I were hand washing this, I think I would put a color catcher in the water just in case. Color catchers work well and are inexpensive insurance against bleeding.

It's so beautiful, a real treasure. I can't recomend how to treat it, I just don't know enough. Perhaps there is a textile conservator on the forum or near you. I'd tend to not do anything without expert advise.

I have no advise for you but just wanted to say that it is beautiful!

Man O Man what a treasure.. I have no idea what to do with this but yu are a LUCKY woman to have it in your possession!

wow that is a treasure, its beautful, sorry I cant help you

wow that is so interesting what a treasure

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! That is beautiful

I have no advise for you but just wanted to say that it is beautiful!

that is so wonderful. What size are the blocks.

I'm with Lisa on the colour catcher. Hand washing is a good idea too. Not sure I would use spray glue, but then it's hard to see how fragile the material is...maybe hand basting on a white muslin back with a largish stitch?

Well done on taking up the challenge, this is a really beautiful piece of work. Keep us posted.

Personally, I wouldn't finish it - I'd have it blocked and framed and put it on the biggest wall I could find..what a piece of artwork that is.....and in it's original condition...

That's beautiful too!
What treasures you are getting!
I'd clean it as delicately as possible and then maybe take it to a framing place and have it framed. Too pretty to finish and let it be used.

I would suggest NOT to use spray glue. I don't think its been in use long enough to know exactly what it will do to fabric especially very delicate ones

I would not wash it until you finish it. I would use a layer of white flannel (wash the flannel) between the batting and the backing. I would use muslin for the backing too. It is a beautiful piece of work.

Such a beautiful redwork piece!!! It is stunning :D:D:D
I would hesitate to use basting spray, it could make the color run, and possibly set it. I would be more tempted to quilt it as is, and then gently wash it using color catchers and maybe Retayne or another product. If the seams are off now, they could further distort and quilting may help keep them in line. Just my 2 cents worth :wink:

Lordy isn't that an awesome gift!! I've no suggestions except that I hoped You immediately thanked God for such a precious gift. Love the pictures, please allow us to see it once again once you've completed it.

That is very beautiful and what a precious family heirloom. Maybe you could find an antique quilt dealer/preservationist on line or in the phone book that could advise you this endeavor. it would be a shame to harm it instead of preserving it.

Think I would have to frame it behind dust protecting glass, and hang as is. If I were going to finish, would have to lightly hand quilt it, to stay with the age of it. Beautiful work.

Oh My Goodness!!! How nice!

Yes, please let us see it however you finish it.

This is gorgeous! The HOURS of work in this thing- wow! I am jealous. I can see that you treasure it, though, so I won't be tooooo jealous. ;0)

I agree with the others- I don't think I would use spray baste and I would probably hand quilt it, too. It would be something to do in front of the tv and it could take as long as you want. It's such a treasure and the hand quilting would add to it.

I've heard of people framing with plexiglass with an open muslin backing. I agree that some museum people could probably give you the best advice.
It is truly wonderful.

That is my thought, too. I would be afraid of doing something wrong. But if you go to an outsider, make sure that they are reputable. Ask for references and check them out.

What a treasure to have. It sound like you have a good plan to preserve it.

I have heard many discussions on pros and cons of washing vintage quilts. Here is a link that gives you some good advise I hope.
http://www.quilthistory.com/cleaning.htm
Would you ever consider separating the blocks and working them individually into a new block such as a snowball with a red and white print? That would result in stabilizing a fragile fabric and providing square corners. Also new machine piecing would be stronger. Then you could test color fastness of each block. It is entirely possible that some of the redwork is colorfast and other pieces are not. You could then use also use a very fine fusable to attach the red work to a preshrunk muslin or use a very lightweight fusable interfacing before re-piecing.

I can't remember whether it was in the column about redwork or not but somewhere I read it is important to soak piece in water with some white vinegar. The white vinegar sets the dye.

Even so, when washing I would still use a color catcher.

I am in love with redwork and am so happy this wonderful piece found a home where it will be preserved, loved and appreciated. It is just gorgeous!

Wow! What a treasure!
I think I would agree with others- consult an expert on how to preserve this. The last thing you'd want to happen is something to bleed, or weaken (from chemicals not used in 1910), or....? Who knows. Good luck!

I also veto the idea of using spray baste on the squares. As delicate as the fabric is, looks like batiste, the spray may damage and stain the blocks.

I agree, I'm not so sure I would quilt it either, BUT, if you must, please use muslin as this would fit the time period of the fabric and redwork. Back in those days, the popular quilting pattern would be cross hatch. Also, I would only use 100% cotton thread with it. YLI puts out a nice cotton thread for quilting.

I'd ask a professional. You'd hate to ruin it with chemical(s) & the glue would prob be a bad idea. Older fabrics were meant to breathe...they didn't have air conditioning back in the day. I'd love to see it donated to a State Museum, along with the history of your Mother & her friend, plus I'd get your Mom on tape (if she will agree to tape the story) to go with the quilt. Whatever you do, you have a valuable treasure, esp with the date.

That is beautiful. I would never use glue on something this delicate. I would get professional advice on how to wash it.

I with those who say to get professional help. The link Sparky gave you has some great advice. Perhaps the following will give you some additional help. Before doing anything, please be sure to read the articles about cleaning. The second link is for a museum site and information about asking a question. I'm not sure if they can help but I think it is worth a shot. It is a beautiful quilt. Good luck.

http://antiques.about.com/library/weekly/aa101199.htm

http://nequiltmuseum.org/museum/library_questions.html

I absolutely adore Redwork. That is definitely a good find. It richly deserves to be preserved for posterity. I can't wait to see it when you get it finished.

What a treasure!! Boy, did you luck out! I don't know if I would even attempt to wash the quilt. Sometimes the material will just discolor with age. How bad is it? Could spot washing do the trick? If necessary, I probably would make sure that I used a color fastener in the water. Still very risky.

Personally, I would batt and bind and call it good and show if off proudly.

I would think about hand quilting instead of machine quilting, just a thought. What a beautiful quilt. It looks to be in great shape also.

What a prize. I wouldn't use "spray glue" only because of the age of the quilt.I'd be afraid to ruin something. I think a cold water wash won't hurt anything because It's be laundered before I'm certain.Good luck let us see to finished work.

what a beautiful treasure!

THANKS everyone for your advice. I've decided to cross hatch by machine. I have 2 trigger fingers on right hand, 1 on left ... so I just can't handle much hand quilting.

If I cross hatch in the corners, and then connect with a straight line between them (top to bottom and side to side), then it will give the impression of a soft picture frame around each one. I'll use tread that will blend in with background so it won't detract from the embroidery.
Also, my machine has a "quilting" stitch, and by increasing the length, it will give a softer appearance.

Will hold off laundering until after completed. And no, it's not that bad. Probably some dead bug residue (brown spots). Will post pictures in a few days. Recovering from surgery so have to go at a slower pace now.

Thanks again.... and stay tuned .....

Can't wait to see it. Now that you have a plan things will go faster. Hope your hands recover quickly.

Can't wait to see it. I have to add my 2 cents worth...no glue! Also, washing kind of rejuvenates older, stale fabrics. It gets years of dust, debris, etc. out of the fibers, and brightens them back up. Just gentle hand agitating in your washing machine's tub will do it, then you can spin the water out on gentle. All the advice about dye catchers is good. Yes, I would advise quilting this with batting and backing, because as fabric ages, the threads can become weak and start to pull apart. this piece needs to be fully supported by quilting. It is indeed beautiful, and should be displayed to be enjoyed.