Originally Posted by
dotcomdtcm
My very best friend wanted me to repair her grandmothers' quilt. It is not great beauty but has sentimental value.
My BFF and her husband use t on their bed. Not an heirloom. But special to them.
I lovingly replaced small squares that rotted through, by hand. This is the kind of friend you extend yourself for. I did not enjoy the repair. And I put on a new binding.... Then the cat got sick on the precious quilt!! After carefully hand washing the quilt, my friend laid it on the clothes line to dry.
Her landlady's cleaning lady shoved the quilt aside and it tore.My BFF and her husband were distraught. Now, I am asked to rescue the old quilt. I think I will have to put on a new backing. Replace the binding? I do not make big quilts. I do not hand quilt. I am not sure what to do. This is,my BFF!!
Nancy Zeiman did a show years ago about saving old quilts. What she recommended was to do what ever repairs could be gently done, then using bridal illusion (think bridal veil) she encased the entire quilt in a sort of duvet cover, then followed the original quilting lines to give it a much longer life. Bridal illusion is a polyester product, so it is pretty sturdy, but never again put the quilt in a washing machine. This might just save her quilt?