Mariah

I read your reply about the old quilts and am wondering about the fine netting. I have 2 quilts made, about 1940-1950's. They both have places to repair, and of course, I don't have the fabric or even close to it.
Please explain about the fine netting, and how to use it.
Thanks,
Mariah.

oakdryad5

Thanks y'all for the tips regarding the fabric for applique. i do have some rit dye handy, and I can also leave a few scraps in a sunny window and see if i can get some results there. gosh i really do want to wash it but its quite cold here right now. i live in central Texas--we have been in drought conditions but its been rainy the past few days. once it dries out and we get some more consistent sunny days i can attempt a wash and dry--does it have to be very warm out? i anticipate we'll get some 50- 60 degree days or something like that coming up, sunny all day. i could probably do the washing part the day before and let it drain in a tub overnight and start in the morning to dry it out. what do yall think?

p.s. the repairs ive done so far are very minimal. i took off some of the extra binding to use as patching fabric for some small holes and i've sewn closed a few small areas that were coming undone. i have another true cutter quilt coming from ebay soon, and i may be able to use the backing (its a faded floral print) for some repairs so i'm waiting for that anyways. too bad i didn't get this project during the heat of our summer this year, bone dry, stuck indoors, full sun for weeks...would have made this so much easier!

urgodschild2

This was so interesting to read. I have my grandma's quilt that she made at age 10. The date is 1904. It will need a lot of repairs but I am up to it. I just didn't know how to go about it. But the suggestion of appliqueing the pieces on would work. Some of the squares are 1" squares. I can imagine my grandma learning to sew by making this quilt as a little girl. My quilt teacher said that it looks like someone added on to it at a later date because the material does not match. So it is interesting. I haven't had the courage to really start on it yet.

Geri B

I have read somewhere that some restorers of quilts will recommend using tulle basted over torn areas to keep it intact rather than trying to patch...forgot why-- guessing maybe because that fabric is so fragile it will just split when you attempt to put a needle/thread thru it.......I have an antique quilt found reasonably at a local antique store....bed size, but parts of it are very thin/worn away so cotton is showing. I do not use it...it hangs gracefully on a quilt hanger (good side showing) for all to see.....in a area that does not get direct sunlight.......

oakdryad5

An update:
I washed the quilt and had it out on the lawn to dry with no problems. While it seems slightly cleaner (less dirty feeling) the color has not appreciably changed. I think now that its clean I can proceed with matching any fabrics for the appliques. Also I got a cutter quilt which has some fabrics which might work for appliques. So made some progress!