Hi,
I went to an auction about a year ago, and ended up with about 25 Sunbonnet Sues, all hand done, and about 15 Dresden plates. The woman who passed away was a quilter/sewer and was 95 years old when she died, so I got lots of very cool stuff from her. My question is that since both Sue and the plates are done on plain muslin, what should I do with them? Should I just put batting below and a backing? The muslin is thin, I think I would see the batting. Another fabric, then the batting and a 4th layer?

I want to treat this correctly, but also make it beautiful and able to last. The woman put a ton of work into these and obviously no one in her large family appreciated it. :(
Thank you,
Nancy

I would just do the 3 layers and quilt. I would use the unbleached batting if the muslin is unbleached.

They are often sashed with a color that is common to the Pattern (Sue's clothing). As long as you use a neutral batting, you should be fine. You could do a square 5x5 quilt. Depending on the size of the blocks, add a color-appropriate border (or not).

The Dresden Plate would make a smaller quilt but basically with the same basic idea. You could go 3x5 and add a border.

Audition your idea. Layout both the 3-layer & the 4-layer on your coffee table, dining room table or someplace you pass a lot. Leave it there for a few days and you'll know which you like better.

Thank you! I appreciate the help. I wanted to be sure I could use batting, even if you can kind of see through it. I will add sashing, I think, and then try out different ideas!!

Best,
Nancy

I'll bet they are beautiful. Hope you post pictures of the quilts after you get them quilted.