Need advise on quilting 1930's quilt tops
 

I was asked to quilt 3 1930's quilt tops that were pieced and put away for years. The fabric seems to be in really good condition considering they are over 80 years old. All were hand pieced. I need some advise on how to mark them before hand quilting. I don't think I should wash them at all for fear it will weaken the stitches so I'm not sure what to use to mark them that will come out easily without washing. Any ideas?

I'm not sure how heavily you plan to quilt them, but I'd be tempted to use a very simple pattern. You could use painters tape to get straight lines to follow for crosshatching, straight line quilting and stitch in the ditch. Alternatively you could draw your pattern onto paper like Golden Threads paper and then pin it to your quilt top and stitch through that - if you choose this idea, I'd only pin one piece at a time.

Don't wash them until they're quilted. The quilting will add stability. Are you hand quilting them or machine quilting? Either way, maybe try to pay respect from the time they came from and honor that in the quilting.

Thank you so much for the ideas. I had not thought of painters tape. I am not good enough to get too intricate. I have seen multiple quilts quilted by the person that pieced these tops. I am definitely not as good as she was. These quilts are going to her great great grandchildren. I plan on labeling them and adding "do not wash". Hopefully the great great grandkids will value them.

I would think washing - after quilting - will be fine. Even if it's just a soak in the tub with some dish soap to get rid of the oils on your hands after quilting and freshen them up a bit. You could then roll in some towels to get rid of excess water, lay on a sheet on the floor to dry.

And very good of you to finish up these quilts for this person's family.

I have marked tops with light pencil marks (mechanical pencil) that almost disappear after you quilt over them. And it is consistent with what you see on older, quilted quilts.

Took the words right out of my mouth! I actually have two old quilts that if one looks closely can see those faint pencil marks behind the thread!

Ahhhh yes. On some of the old quilts quilted by this woman I saw some faint pencil marks. I was surprised to see them on quilts so old that had been washed so many times.

NJ Quilter thanks for the washing instructions. I will do that after quilting.

I discovered a very, very old quilt that I think had been used as packing material. It was a wedding gift to my grandmother in the 1800's! Needless to say, it needed "freshening". I used my washer as the tub to wash it--used enough water and non-sudsing detergent to clean it, pressed it up and down in that and then let it soak awhile. Let the washer spin the water out of it--a lot easier than doing it by hand and more complete. Then rinse the same way. Even if pencil marks don't come out, that's the way those quilts of the era remain. Don't worry about it.