I'm glad I asked about the drying aspect...great suggestion, thanks for the details of how to do that, nothing like a tried-and-true method.

I'd replace the backing qnd have it quilted. the quilting will make the fabric last longer than being tied. I wonder about dry cleaning.

When I hand wash, dry quilts I lay a king size sheet out on the lawn, on a nice day with a gentle breeze, lay the wet quilt out on the sheet, cover with another sheet, held at the corners with rocks. Every hour or so I go out & flip the whole thing over. Takes 3-4 hours generally for a nice, fresh, dry quilt.
The top sheet protects the quilt from sun and critter/bird damage. Never hang a wet quilt, the weight of it wet can break threads and cause damage. If you don't want to dry in dryer laying flat is best option.

When quilts are taken to our local ( dry cleaner) they Wash them in cold water and toss them in the dryer. They told me they seldom ( dry clean) anything cotton. They don't volunteer that info though and they don't mind charging dry cleaning fees.
They told me dry cleaning chemicals are pretty harsh on cotton fabrics. I found all of this out by ( mistake/ caught them) the dry cleaners is one side of building with laundry on other side... I had dropped a quilt off one day, went into laundry next day to wash some linens & saw my quilt being transfered from washer to dryer! I about had a heart attack! Long discussion happened. I've never gone back.

cold water wash using a color catcher. I'd probably throw a couple in there just to be sure. they do work wonders. I'd use the gentle cycle too just in case.

The base problem with tied quilts is the shifting between the ties that goes on.
I've inherited a number of tied quilts and it was never the fabric but the ties that damaged the quilts over time.
Tieing has it's place, utility quilts for instance, but the ties need to be close together, I'd say no more than 2" apart. Most are tied in the block corners...

Attached is a photo of my process on one of Rob's great grandmothers quilt. It was fun.

Wow, what a difference a loving restoration makes! Might I ask if, in doing repairs, you used your sewing machine to add pieces where damaged...and it looks like you also had this top quilted...was it before? Or did you add that?. I am asking as, after hearing the ties actually cause damage, I'm thinking about using my walking foot to stitch between the 8" blocks. It looks like you did the diagonal lines, and then the circular/swirly thingy in the white. Would you advise that I have this done by a longarm person, or could I do it my self with my walking foot? Or too dangerous. I have done several baby quilts with FMQ...but never had to worry about wrecking the fabric.

Between the blocks my sisters added lovely purplish/lavenderish sashing strips, and also had cotton fabric of like colorations for the borders. So the quilt is laid out typically in a grid fashing with sashing strips and borders of newer fabric (2008), not the antique shirting material. I am thinking I could use a walking foot and quilt on those newer areas....on the new fabric. Any concerns about that idea?

Again, appreciate your advice as I have never tried to restore a treasure.
mary