That's an interesting idea, gai. There's no place to really display them until the kids are moved out of the upstairs--and I think I want them on a quilt rack out of the sun.

Beautiful. You might want to get in touch with the Rochester Museum; They have curators specializing in restoration. They could probably give you some advice. Or the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum; they also have experts on the subject. Either way, congratulations on getting some beautiful pieces of family history, and I hope you enjoy them.

don't know how to fix this but I just wanted to tell u that I can relate to missing the mother/grandmother. I have also inherited 2 quilts my grandmother did before i was born & they're very sentimental materials for me. Hope u can get them fixed somehow.

How wonderful! I don't know anything about repairing old quilts. I have one of my own. I wish you well.

Wow, those are definitely to be cherished.

Shhh... Don't tell... I'm the stoic one...

Having lost my grandparents and Dad fairly young - mother had long since taken off - I just wish that I had something that was "of them." Not just something they owned, but something that really connected me to them. My grandmother quilted and crocheted, but nobody thought to keep any of it - just pitched/sold it all! Now, I wonder if that is why I do crafts - so that someday DD's will have something I made. Right now, neither of them care for it at all :roll:

What a legacy and a blessing given to you.

I have only one of my Grams' quilts out of the hundreds she made. Such a shame, but glad I have the one.

Oh what a treasure you have!! I have an old quilt from my grandmom and had a person from the museum visiting our group. She said not to try to replace those bad or worn places, but to stabilize them using very find tulle. You can see through it, but it will protect those places from losing the batting or any more of the fabric. It worked very well for me. You hardly notice it when you look at the quilt. It just blends in and disappears.

Just keep them safe, they are a wonderful link to your family. Do they have labels? if not make sure you do something so that those who come after you will know who made them.. that information gets lost so easily.

(perhaps others have suggested the same thing, you'll get lots of good advice here!)

IMHO it would be worth your while to get some older quilts at tag sales or whatever just for the fabric. Then you could cut some fabric of close color or pattern, fold under the edges and applique them over the worn out spots. The pieces that are missing or worn out are because of old dye that weakened the fabric. These are treasures of your family heritage. If you want them to last much longer you should do something to help preserve them, including patching them if you can. They are gorgeous, and if you helped them out some, they would last a long time! Enjoy them...they represent a lot of work by your grandmother.

I have a few of my Grandmothers quilts and they are well loved she always told me her quilts were to use And when I watch my great grandson play on the floor on one of her quilts Its just a wonderful feeling of knowing she would be proud of her work and the love its had about twenty years after she has gone to Jesus