Renovating cherished quilt
 

Maybe last year or so I inquired on the site about renovating a quilt that My Mother had made and gave us for a wedding present 43 years ago. It is the double wedding ring quilt made roughly in the 1930's and totally stitched by hand it was made with some blocks of used clothing and they shredded and any that had dark reds or blacks totally disappeared. I was advised to get a professional to do it at the cost of probably over $700.00 which was totally out of my reach. So I went to my local quilting shop and managed to get fabrics with the design of the period I took the quilt in to them. and I started Boxing day 2012 (Dec 26) and finished it this June. I worked on it in between other projects and am very happy with it. I could not get the proper templates for patterns as there are several patterns for double wedding ring so I had to make my own from the pieces that I could salvage and got it done I would like to share.
I kept as much of the original quilt I could and hand stitched much of it so it would look authentic. I remember Mom saying they used to sew by the kerosene lamps, but unfortunately she and the aunties that done it are no longer with us so I cant get any more info on it.

What a beautiful treasure. Great job.

Wow it looks amazing!!!! Congratulations on reparing back to its original beauty :thumbup:

What a wonderful treasure. You did a great job.

Love it when someone completes such an interesting challenge. Great job!

great job on a precious treasure

Obviously done with love...it's just beautiful!

great renovation of a beautiful quilt

It's a wonderful treasure! I'm so glad you were able to save it.

OMGOSH! Good for you for saving the memory. great job

Beautiful.......you did great job inn restoration.

Wow, you did an excellent job!

Wow you did very good

What a great job you did! I have a flower basket coverlet that was on my bed for most of my growing up years. It was pieced by a great aunt I think. There are a few areas that need restitching or replacement. I have been scared to even touch it but you have inspired me!

Beautiful Work - I cannot tell that you fixed anything! It looks Super Nice! Now you can enjoy it every day...like it was intended to be enjoyed!

Nan

Looks good as new Sis!

You did an absolutely wonderful job! It's beautiful. Don't you feel better having done the renovation yourself? You should be very proud of yourself. As the love in the quilt was passed on to you, you have been able to pass it onto others. If I were you I would make extra templates to be used int the future, so you can put a few extra scraps and the template from this one into a package along with your photos for reference.

Beautiful quilt with so many memories.

I'd like to say "thank you" for sharing your story and your photos of your restoration job. But I also have a question, which I hope you won't consider too... too... Now that you have restored your precious treasure, and you know how much time it takes, do you think the job is worth the "$700" that professionals were charging? How much would you charge if you too on a project for an acquaintance, now that you are experienced? For example, did you count your hours of actual labor, beyond planning, shopping, etc.? I'm really interested in this aspect, and i hope you respond. thanks,

I hope you feel so proud of the wonderful job you have done to preserve this treasure. No matter what the fee to repair would have been, it would not have included the love you put into the project. Kudos to you!!

very nice quilt.. thanks for sharing the picture....

You did a marvelous job restoring it. I can't possibly pick out what pieces have been replaced by your pictures.

Beautiful!!!!

What a beautiful quilt and to have the history that goes with it Priceless!!!!

GOOD JOB! Don't you feel really good when you do something like this?

Wow, you did a great job renovating the quilt. What great memories and such a treasure.

You did a great job!

Great restoration job. Sometimes I think we feel that, just because we aren't paid "professionals" , the job is beyond us. You've proved that you are as good as the pros. And what a great family heirloom you have.

BEAUTIFUL! What a wonderful treasure.

You did good. BrendaK

What a wonderful quilt and the memories you have with it! It looks awesome!

That is so gorgeous! The colors are so soft--the soft that comes with age. I do love it! You saved it! What a treasure!

It is a beautiful, beautiful quilt! Well worth the time and effort to save it.

Beautiful save of this fantastic treasure!! I bet you can still feel all the love that went into making it!!

I love your quilt! It is a beautiful treasure. So glad you were able to refurbish and restore it. I have a family quilt my mom gave me that is over 100 years old that also needs some TLC and repair but I'm not sure how to begin or even if I should. For now I just admire it the way it is.

Sew beautiful.

a wonderful treasure and please add a label to let the next generation know where this quilt came from and how you reborn it. Great work.

You did a great job on restoring the quilt!

Congratulations on being able to restore this family heiloom. It is beautiful

Great job! This is one of those chores I hate to do although the result is so nice.