BJ: so glad you asked this ? I have three quilts that look about like yours. I have been think about what to do to them. I fill like I have to do something to them, they was gifts for my boys from a great anut.

The quilt is really nice and it is worth fixing.

Oh definitely fix it. I love saving these old dears - got one at an estate sale last week - was "so bad" according to the sales person, they almost just threw it away. So, for $5 I got this nasty looking, lumpy batting, tied quilt. However, after snipping the ties, discarding the batt, and washing, I had a wonderful 30's quilt top that needed minimal mending AND a floral feedsack backing!! I've got to learn to do the pics on here!!!

I would do exactly what you have said. Replace the damaged squares, replace the backing if needed, rebind, and definately retie with red :)

Definitely try to save it. The quilt may be valuable one day for a reference to fabrics "way back when".

since it is just a tied cover I would redo it....IF the rest of the fabric are not dry rotted. You will need to do a stress test on the other fabrics or you might end up replacing more fabric than you thought...and if you are not using vintage fabrics, then the quilt will look "off"...

here is another thought...are the damaged squares all on the outer edges? If so, then perhaps you can trim the quilt off, leave the batting, backing etc...put in a NEW batting, then a new backing and get it quilted like that..another words, LEAVE the old quilt as it, just make it smaller!

NO..not always...we like to think they are..but honestly even the textile historians will tell you that there are many that simply can not be saved.

I would repair the quilt I just can't throw one away they all have a story

I had a quilt my aunt had made and I just clipped the yarn ties, replaced the squares that were missing, put new batting and back on it and re-tied it and it is going to last another 20 years! It is worth fixing.

And that is my question: When is it time to "retire" a quilt? Why would every quilt need to be "rescued"? Am I too unsentimental, with no regard to the hard work and time that goes into making a quilt? I don't think so. I just think each piece has a life span.

Definitely fix it.

I hope someone can estimate the age, I'm not that knowledgable

Since this looks like a tied quilt, by all means take it apart and repair. It is worth saving. You will be saving a treasure.

The holes shouldn't be a problem. Just retie through the same holes.

If you don't want to fix the blocks, I'd do as below.

My step daughter bought an old quilt--Grandmother's Flower Garden--hand pieced & hand quilted for .25 cents! She gave it to me saying "I know you'll find something to do with it". There was alot of holes & binding worn, & batting lumpy. I cut each block out that was in good shape & and bound those to use as table toppers. Will sell them at craft show.

Sorry to be so blunt, but here's my opinion--too much work. If you put on new batting, backing and binding, the top is still going to be old and fragile and probably wear out long before the rest of it that you've put so much time and perhaps money into.

Let it go to Quilt Heaven!

I just went to a bazaar this past week end and a lady made small pillows out of an old quilt. She left the quilt as is and just cut it up. I bought a small pillow. I have seen old quilts made into teddy bears also.

If there are too many areas to replace, then I agree with the others regarding reusing the good parts to make smaller items, like pillows or stuffed animals. Obviously, some of the fabrics are stronger than others, or were not abraded by use as much.

Can't help with age but it is pretty. If you have the time, I would do what you just said and replace the badly damaged pieces. Seems sad to just throw it out!

Thank you! I was afraid I was the only one who thought this way.

If you plan to throw it away, send it to me.

once any NEW work is done to it..the OLD age won't matter..it will be considered a quilt made in 2011!

The fabrics however are from different decades. Mainly 60's. Some also appear to not be 100% cotton, but a poly blend.

when the fabrics are so fragile that simply poking it with a pin causes it to shred, or when it has so many large holes it can not be taken apart and redone or patched decently.

THere are times when it just has to be photographed and let go!

I believe in saving as much as possible..especially if it has a family history that is documented.

I agree! Love the colors. Yes, it's worth saving.

Good suggestions here. I too have a quilt that is stored right now. That has a couple of place needing the fabrics replaced. I figure when I know more about quilting and get better at it... then I'll attempt it. Mine's not tied though. I'm assuming that the ties make it both easier and perhaps somewhat harder to deal with. This is a very good question, and thanks to all of you who've been answering. BJ's not the only person on here who's curious about quilt restorations.

I hate to see a quilt die if you can do a little CPR on it, and get it's heart going again. I would at least try. What have you got to loose?

Judy,
What kind of stuff do you get to get the aging stains out?

I had a couple of old family quilts that I'm in the process of repairing. The one I started first has about 8 blocks in the middle that needs repaired. I carefully took the bottom row off the quilt & I'm using them to hand replace the bad blocks in the middle. It's taking time because I'm trying to make it not show the repairs.

I would like to know what you decide to do. If you repair it I would like to see the quilt when you get it finished.

If those are the only blocks that need replacing you could cut away that row around the quilt, that way you wouldn't have to match the blocks with different fabric and then replace the backing..You could leave the ties and do what Maggiemay suggest and FMQ around them...Then add a new binding...just a thought...

oh definitely fix it! or send it to me lol. someone took the time to make it, it deserves to be fixed and loved

I'm new to quilting also. I have seen many pictures of quilts like that and worse, and the people have used them as fabric to make things out of like teddy bears and such. Looked really cool and you can cut around the damage.

If it makes you happy to bring this quilt back to life, go for it. It doesn't look in so bad a shape as to not be repairable.
You will also learn alot by taking this project on. It is a cute quilt and worth the care you are offering it! As for age?
peace

I would try to fix it. It's a beauty.

you can buy RESTORE, but you can also use oxyclean and soak it for a few days in a garbage bag, or you can use PLAIN denture cleaner tablets...NO minty stuff as it turns colors and can make things worse..the cheap plain ones from the $ store work great!!!

Thanks for the info :thumbup:

Your plan is the way to go but remember, if you're going to tie it use something as filler that will not separate. That's what our predecessors did when making a tied quilt/comforter. They used old quilts, worn out blankets or clothing, etc. "Saving" a quilt
is a lot of fun.

Do you have the funky fabrics you need? I have some, PM if you need any.

forgive if this is a duplication...product called Whink....brown plastic bottle in the cleaning fluid section of most grocery, hardware and drug stores. get area wet, directed, squeeze bottle, rust will melt away immediately....now rinse, saturate affected area thoroughly and then lay wet area over screen, drying rack, cake rack...even an oven shelf.....it will dry twice as fast and you will not have to wash entire quilt... just make sure to rinse thoroughly the entire area that Whink touched, plus a few inches all round it.....i'm 65 and my mom told me she used it before i was born. i have never had any adverse reactions but of course it is always wise to test in an inconspicuous spot...

i understand what you are saying, but if you come across pieces like this in your life, please look up a quilt group, there will be someone who would love to re-do it and would hate to think of a piece being discarded just because it was in a different family... and as i said earlier....please document everything you know about your pieces, whether they are being worked on or not.... our children tend not to ask till they are middle aged themselves....get those details down now...your children may never ask and then that quilting/handwork gene will pop up in a grandchild or great-grandchild and they will have no info and no one to ask....

please see message earlier (from me) that details rust stains...however, if there are large watery looking light brown stains, they are often food or cardboard stains and most will come out with lemon juice and sunlight.... even if you have to do it more than once, it is pretty safe on fragile fabrics... please follow rinsing and drying info on earlier msg....

I have two of these-there were made by my great grandmother and grandmother. I had not the first clue as to how to fix them, and one of my best friends is about to help me tackle it.

Good luck-I feel it is definitely worth the work.

Donna