Every once in a while, a client will bring me a quilt top made by a grandmother or great-grandmother that has been sitting in an old chest or box for decades. Maybe they picked it up at an antique shop. The fabrics may be stained or faded, torn or nibbled on by some creature. The seams may be hand pieced together, appliqued, or even machine stitched, but the quilt does not lie flat for some reason. These quilts are treasures, and deserve the extra care it takes to rescue them and preserve the love and effort that went into making it in the first place.

I just finished quilting one of these quilts. Yes, on my longarm machine. In this case, it was made by the woman's grandmother 50 or 60 years ago, and she wanted to give it to her mother. It had been pretty stained and she washed it to get out the stains, which ended up shrinking the centers of the pieced blocks, which puckered all the alternating applique' blocks. It was a true rescue effort with a lot of tugging and pulling, a lot of stitching in the ditch, and a lot of "quilting it out."

I am pretty sure this will touch off a discussion regarding machine quilting vs hand-quilting antique quilts... what's your opinion?

WOW! That is just gorgeous! You did a fabulous job of quilting it. I know there are those who will think it's sacrilege to machine quilt something like that but I disagree. You turned it into something she and her mother will cherish, as opposed to it just languishing in a box somewhere never to be used and loved. Great job!

What a fabulous quilt! The pattern is incredible as is the color choices and I am amazed at all the handwork the quilt top must have taken and the machine quilting you have done simply puts it way over the top in terms of its beauty. The owner now has a wonderful piece of history thank in great part to your quilting skills.

wow that is beautiful,

Double wow!!! :thumbup:

You did a fabulous job on this qilt. The "quilting" really does make it. I love machine quilting for the amount of quilting you can get onto a top. There was a good deal of blank space on your quilt and you filled it beautifully. 'Makes the blocks "pop".
I hand quilt but also machine quilt. Different quilts call for different methods.
I recently hand quilted an almost 100 year old top for a client. It was so poorly hand pieced that it just wouldn't have worked on a longarm. With hand stitching, I could pull and tug to get it right. My client (in her 70's) cried when she saw it because her grandmother had made it. The finished quilt (once ugly) had become beautiful.

I'm thinking that NO amount of hand stitching could have saved the quilt you described. Your talents and long arm were its salvation. It is BEAUTIFUL!!!

Unbelievable! Obviously this quilt was SAVED by long arm quilting! I think the quilt-maker would be very happy! I think machine quilting is a great choice for saving old quilts. Times change but those who prefer handwork are blessed for continuing tradition.

Absolutely beautiful!! You did a wonderful job quilting it. They will be speechless! :thumbup: :thumbup:

Triple WOW! The quilt is gorgeous - fabulous colors, but your quilting is out of this world! I'm drooling.

I will just add my WOW to the others, it turned out beautifully.

I just had to come back and look at that again!!! :lol:
Thats awesome!!

I don't think anyone can say hand quilting it would have made it more beautiful. It's got life now, which it didn't have stashed away somewhere in the dark. Gorgeous!

What beautiful you've done on a lovely quilt. Your work set the stage. It's a work of art!!

Dang!!! If you asked me I would say it was a brand new quilt. Georgious is what it is.

Well, the way I look at it is that you have the antique and the modern together. If it inhances the pattern in the antique quilt, and that is what someone wants done, machine or long arm quilting, then why not. I have a feeling that if my grandmother were still alive and saw one of her quilts quilted like this she would be ecstatic. I think that, although she did nothing but hand quilting, she would love the way this type of quilting made all of her hard work of piecing stand out.

There was a discussion on here a while back where somone thought that quilts should not be aloud in a quilt show since they were put together by someone on a sewing machine and quilted on a long arm. It sparked pages and pages of controversy, so I guess opinions will really differ, but look at the antique quilts that Eddie has taken and quilted...now they are saved and now they will last longer and their beauty is well enhanced.

On the other hand, DH says that if they are quilted on a long arm or by machine then they are no longer antique. I say that in that case they are no longer antique if they are quilted at all,even by hand, because no matter how they are quilted, by hand, machine or long arm, they are being quilted in 2010, not 1900 or whatever, so what is the difference? In that case they can't be quilted at all??!! The only difference I see is that hand quilting was the thing back then, but there is still the question of the date which it was quilted. Quilting is quilting in general. Although some is prettier and some prefer one over the other, I see nothing wrong with one over the other, I love all quilting and they type and way it is done can make or break, I am sure....OK...whose next? And, by the way....that quilt is sooooo beautiful!!!!

WOW!!! You did a marvelous job on the quilting!!! No puckers/shrunk blocks anymore!!! :D:D:D

I think it is a personal choice, and in this case the results more than justify using a machine :D:D:D

I agree, You just brought that quilt to life. I love all the quilting but the stippling just set it off. Good Job.

Rescued? Definitely!!! Whether by long arm or by hand does it really matter?The end result is breathtaking and it will be enjoyed and marveled over, touched, lain under and cherished!That is what we all hope for.You did a fantastic job on their treasure. :thumbup:

I agree!

I agree with Eagle Hawk.
Quilted in 2010, whether by hand or machine is still not like it was completed 60 years ago. But, you have saved it and rescued what otherwise might have never been finished.
A FANTASTIC job, both on the fabric restoration, and your fabulous quilting job.
What a treasure!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

wow it is beyond gorgeous and u did such an amazing job!!!

It seems to me that a quilt will 'tell' you how it wants to be quilted. I think you are a very good listener.

This is absolutely gorgeous, and surely has earned you another feather in your angel wings!

What???? It so darn beautiful !! Great job.l

Regardless of how it was quilted, that is a stunningly beautiful work of art.

You are very talented

This is an ABSOLUTELY gorgeous quilt, and the quilting is the icing on the cake!!!!!

I for one would have no problem with an old quilt being machine quilted if it looked half as good as this one does.

It is one of the most beautiful pieces I have seen; it's absolutely memorable.

Phenomenal is all I can say! I would be very honored to have a quilt turn out like this, no matter how it was quilted!

Beyond fabulous!Wow!

That is just STUNNING! You did that quilt proud! What an hierloom treasure! Wow! Your time, effort and skill has brought that gorgeous quilt to life! Congrats on saving this ladies legacy!

When I saw the pictures before I read your post, I thought someone did a whole lot of trapunto to make that quilt look so great.

The thing of it now is that you rescued a family heirloom and I'll bet good money that it's going to be a family treasure for ANOTHER 60 years, thanks to you.

I am 100% a hand quilter. I hand quilt because it is what I enjoy doing.

I have a lot of admiration for the skills that machine quilting takes. That is not the direction my love of stitching takes me personally.

FABULOUS job on this quilt! Whether the quilt was newly made or a reject you rescued, that is some FINE work you put into this!

I admire what you did with this quilt, it is truly beautiful! GOOD JOB!

The quilt is beautiful and you quilting is the perfect touch. You did a wonderful job.

Well said!!! I agree completely.

That is just beautiful. I love what you did with it. Machine quilting saved this quilt and made it a thing of beauty. Not just a UFO in a chest somewhere.

That has to be one of the prettiest quilts I have ever seen. Your quilting is spectacular!

WOW! You did a beautiful job!! I love it!

As far as I am concerned there is only one rule for quilting and that rule is that there are "No Rules". Creativity and making something so beautiful out of that quilt top with all of it's problems is the thing that counts.

That is one fabulous quilt. You saved it from being stored away and now being used with pride. I am sure that whoever originally made the quilt would love the quilting job you did on it.

Whether it was hand sewn or machine sewn the quilting adds to its beauty and shows off the original piece with love.

You did a fabulous job making the quilt once again gorgeous!

Thank you for sharing!

If I like a quilt I don't care if its hand stitched, machine stitched or glued together.....and I really like yours! I just keep coming back to look at it. :lol:

Absolutely incredible!!! Can you post some more pics? You machine work is so beautiful!