I had some old quilts that my g'ma made and they were tattered and torn because they had been used.

Knowing why she wants it repaired is important info. If it is just to salvage something gma made, options are different.

I bought a pattern for a stuffed bear and i cut up the old quilts from my grandma and gave the bears to my mom and each of her brothers (4 of them). Each bear has a tag on it w/ the story and the request to pass the bear down to future generations. Actually, the tattered quilts worked really well in the stuffed bears.

If you live near the border perhaps you could have it shipped to a Post office box and then go pick it up. Bringing it across the border personally is a lot cheaper than having it shipped over.

I have repaired several old quilts that were deteriorating or had mouse holes clean through them. Just lovingly handle each area and don't be in a rush.

The most important thing I would recommend to you is that you use old, soft fabrics to do the repairs... fabrics from old clothing. New fabrics would be ghastly on a quilt like this and would stand out like a sore thumb. If you can't find old fabrics that would work, at least use something like cotton lawn which is thinner and softer than regular quilting cottons.

It's definitely worth saving, but I wouldn't plan to ever wash this quilt again. It should be on display only... bed, wall or hanging draped over something.

First, I would use a fusible web (wonder under lite, etc) to bring as many tears together as you can...won't be perfect, but the idea is to get the quilt to lay as flat & nice as you can (pressing will help, doing it as you repair/fuse the tears). Then... Tule ...I get tule in an eggshell or ecru color...spray baste the top of the quilt (hold can at least 2 feet away from the quilt..Lay the tule (netting) onto the quilt...letting the spray baste hold it in place and quilt over the tule. I used a simple meander, about 2-4" apart. The spray baste will disappear...so be aware of that. This can be done on a quilt frame & without the spray baste, but you have to be very careful to not snag the tule. Once the tule is on the quilt...you will only see it if you look closely...if hung on a wall, or just laid out on an unused bed...this holds up fine. I have also used organza ...but it leaves a sheen and does show slightly.

I was asked to repair a very old quilt too; luckily the gentleman just wanted me to "sew patches over the bad areas". I could not do that. I picked out the bad places and got a jelly roll of 30's reproductions and stitched them in. Then hand quilted over the areas I had to tear out. He was thrilled with it. It did take time, yes, but I felt better doing it that way than patching it. I didn't rush to do it and he wasn't in a hurry. He loved the outcome. Good luck.

Wishing you good luck and be sure and show us a picture when you finish! Is a treasure!!

I have repaired several antique quilts with tulle. I merely put it over the quilt and then quilt it down. Lay another strip to butt up to the one you first down. Lightly that one down. Honestly, you can hardly see the tulle, the original design shows through, and she will have the quilt to keep.

Well I've read through this whole posting... IMHO quilts are made to be used even to the point of using up. There is too much work for me to consider repairing something that could only be looked at. I get that it is interesting to have something very old made by someone maybe very precious to you ...
Mom kept two quilts made by her mother all through her marriage and never used them. They were given to me when mom passed... I kept looking at them and finally figured that grandma made them to be used and that she didn't put that much work into something to be looked at. One was a log cabin and the other a double wedding ring - both from scraps. I'm proud to say I used them up and thought of grandma everyday.

Perhaps this story will help you come up with your own solution. My DD approached me with her hand tied quilt made by my grandmother...it was a very simple flannel quilt made with squares, no batting and a flannel backing. It showed years of treasured wear and tear from the time she got it as a very little girl. She also took it to college and used it as a "TV quilt." Some seams had come apart and some squares were literally in shreds. The backing was very thin and tattered.

I purchased a flannel fabric with a wintery forest print, loaded it on my midarm frame, put down a very soft batting, gently put the tattered quilt on the backing, arranged the pieces together as well as I could, and layered the softest tulle on top of it. Small meandering was done through all the layers before I bound the quilt with the same flannel as the backing. This way, the sweet character of the quilt was preserved on the front. My daughter continues to treasure the quilt. It was a labor of love to remember the loving connection between my grandmother and my daughter.

As a footnote, my son also had a quilt from my grandmother and he asked me to fix it, too, smile. It was worn a little differently, and I was able to repair the squares, put the quilt on a new backing and quilt it. It continues to be a treasure, too.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

So far, I have used fusible web under all the sticky-uppy edges and that has already made a huge difference. The two places where whole blocks have almost come away, I will habd stitch down and the 3 blocks that are beyond either of those I will use the tulle.
Or do you use the tulle over the entire thing? And can you machine quilt over it?

Here's a block I've repaired so far. I'll still do a serpentine quilt over the seams.
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