opinions, please hand-stitched quilt top
 

When my former in-laws passed away 40 years ago, we found a hand-stitched quilt top that we have no idea who the creator was but assume it might have been one of my husband's grandmothers. It is at least queen size and postage-stamps that finish at 1". A number of the pieces have now come loose but I'd like to divide this to pass to our 2 daughters. I'm not so interested in restoration as I am in preservation. I will hand quilt this. I'm debating--should I use cotton batting because of the age? (I usually use polyester batting in the new quilts I make.) Should I leave the loose/frayed blocks and simply quilt them down? This is big enough that, even using 1/2 of it, I could cut the top down and harvest usable blocks to fix the ones that are damaged. And then comes the thing about adding borders simply to make the piece less fragile in handling. Will appreciate all thoughts.

I'm new to these forums and a relatively inexperienced quilter, so I can't comment really on your specific techniques. But I do love vintage quilts, especially when they've been lovingly repaired/preserved. My opinion on the batting would be to keep with whatever materials are used in the top. Are the materials mostly cotton? I think I would keep with cotton then. If they're a mix of both cotton and other materials, I would use whatever you normally use and are comfortable working with. Also, if it were me, I would repair or replace the loose/frayed blocks if possible since once the quilt is out of your hands, you don't really know how it will be used/treated in the future. Making it as stable as possible will help to ensure it's longevity.

And I would LOVE to see a photo!

I agree with jencarter, I would do the same, good suggestions!

Great advice jencarter...and welcome to the Quilting Board!

I agree with all of the above and use cotton batting to retain the 'vintage' feel of the original. Plus, I just like cotton and/or natural fibers for quilts. A loving gesture, no doubt. Good luck and welcome from NJ.

What a great piece of family history! Sounds like you have this all figured out.

I would use cotton batting. I'm afraid polyester will ruin the look.
I also would repair/replace those blocks.

What a great find!!

I don't see any problem with using poly batting with a cotton top - we do it all the time with new quilts. I use mostly cotton because I have a lot of it on hand, but either works well. I would instruct the daughters in care of the quilt, and try to make it as stable as possible. Hand quilting will not hold up as well as machine stitching, but it is more in keeping with the original piece. I have rescued a few vintage tops and machine quilted them on the longarm. The closer stitching keeps the fraying edges in check. Since you're hand quilting I would definitely replace any blocks that are damaged.

Some battings are much more difficult to hand quilt than others. Wool and polyester are among the easiest to hand needle. Many cotton battings are harder to hand needle. If you really want cotton, I would look for one that is easier to hand needle, such as Quilter's Dream Request; however, you will get very little loft from that batting. Wool is really the nicest.

I would definitely repair any frayed or loose pieces before quilting, and also use harvested blocks to replace damaged blocks. All of this will add length-of-life to the quilt.

An interesting comment about hand quilting today. Quilts have been hand quilted for AGES and they are still around. They seem to hold up well if treated well. I love hand quilted items and they seem to hold up well. I prefer hand quilted to such dense quilting by machine; the hand quilted items seem softer, IMHO.