need repair job
 

Need suggestions on how to best go about repairing this quilt; it's getting old, but I don't have another one big enough for our bed? Uggg. I hate to do repairs and alterations, but needs to be done.

I accept that my quilts age and change with time and don't mind a few repairs. A number of years ago though I looked around and all my own quilts were getting pretty tattered so I decided to put myself on the quilt donation list!

In a case like that you have two choices, one is to be unobtrusive and the other is to accept that the patch is there. Like when a dog chews a hole in a quilt, I'll typically stuff the hole with some extra batting and put a heart applique over the boo-boo.

You also have to address the overall condition, will the whole binding/border need replacing soon enough? Or will this hold you a couple years?? If the patch will be enough, I'd just make a big razor clam shape and fold it over the edge and securing both sides.

As Iceblossom said - what is the general condition of the quilt?

If it is just that one spot on one edge, I would try to find a piece of fabric that was unobtrusive, and just patch over the whole torn area.

You will know that there is a repair, but most people are not going to examine a quilt on your bed that carefully.

How did that - looks like a tear - happen?

I have even cut back on a quilt and put a new binding on No one would notice it missing 1/2" all the way around. If not I agree with Iceblossom, make a patch. I have done that too. You will need to be the final judge on how you want to work out this problem. Consider the age of the quilt. I have a stack of quilts ready for mending. A couple are beyond repair. Others quilts need a fair amount of work and others need a great deal of work but have the best potential. Hopefully your quilt is not to worn and a simple fix in all it will take.

What about putting pieces of 2 sided fusible tape under the holes, pulling the sides in over it and ironing. Then use thread that matches the colour closely and mend it.

is this perhaps at the top where it gets pulled up while sleeping? Many older quilts used to have "beard guards" because they would get worn a the top from men's beards and pulling up. So if this is the case, you might want to add a beard guard--about 8" of a heavier fabric (many were corderoy or twill) and turn under edges and fold over the edges and stitch down.

Thanks for suggestions, and yes quiltingshorttimer, it is at the top (on my husband's side), and I think that is probably what happened. Well, I just bit the bullet, and did as best as I could with the repair; it can't be seen when the bed is made up anyway. So, all is well.

Black double sided fusible!

Is the design such that you could just rotate the quilt 180 degrees so that the repaired part is at the foot of the bed now?