My SIL's grandmother died and while cleaning out stuff in her attic, found this quilt top. My daughter (who doesn't sew) threw it in the washing machine. There are a few rust stains but the seams are all together! However, I did find some little rust holes and a small hole in the green fabric.

She wants me to get it quilted. If you're a LA, would you touch it? Should I try to handquilt it myself? Give it back?......

And, I forgot to add, Grandma's daughters have never seen this quilt top before and Grandma didn't sew much even though they did find some fabric (which I'm chomping at the bit to see....) There was a small note (they think in Grandma's writing) that says, "unfinished 84x66."

I've never seen this pattern before. Does anyone recognize it?

Does anyone have any idea how old it could be? Grandma was in her 80's.

And some more pictures...

I don't know the pattern but it is lovely. I'd try to hand quilt it. Those green areas would be wonderful to show off some hand quilting. I showed the photos to my DH (who happens to be an archivist at a local historical museum) and he suspects based on the photos that it was made sometime in the 1930s or 40s. He suspects that the prints are flour sacks (he says if the weave is really tight that they probably are).

Of course, you're always welcome to send it to me if you can't think of what to do with it. LOL. Congrats on your great find.

What a treasure to find and get finished. Don't know the pattern but love it.

Beautiful quilt top, I would hand quilt it!

if you think the quilt has some intrinsic value, or if you just love it for itself but want to restore it instead of patching it, then this is what the museums do:

take and cut a small piece of tulle in the closest color you can find to the color you are trying to restore. with tiny almost invisible hand stitches, stitch the tulle around the hole or rust spot - getting as close as you can but not in the hole. put in as many stitches as you need, but keep them invisible. trim the tulle close, but leave a teeeeeny bit of extra around the stitched part, so it doesn't get pulled away. the tulle acts as a band-aid and keeps the hole from getting any larger.

i took two seminars on this technique in two museums with extensive textile (mostly quilts) collections. they even did this to huge areas on quilts to hold them together. the method creates an almost invisible structure on which the quilt hangs. the quilting designs were then worked right over the tulle as well as the original cotton. believe me, you would never know they had been repaired at all.

if you decide that you can't do the quilt justice, i'd be delighted to do it for you, and someday when it's all better, maybe i'll send it home.

WOW! What a find!
I've seen that pattern, but was on a border site that I saw it.
Had been searching for border patterns and remember seeing something like that.
I think what you have is really aweome!

It really is a very pretty quilt!! Keep us posted on your decisions!!! and if you can...get us a peek at the fabric too :-)


Thanks butterflywing, what great information on how to repair a quilt!!

This is why I hang with y'all, you know things :D

Beautiful, and a real treasure! I would hand quilt it. What a find!

What a great and beautiful find :D :D :D