Mcask

For some reason I haven’t been able to get a picture to post but I will try again. My mom does some sewing and she is also an artist so I would love to lay them all out and have her look at them and help with the design. The reds, white and blues are beautiful and I can totally see it hanging on a wall. The history behind it is enough to get me to overlook the discoloration, I think. Some of my favorite quilts are an old, hot mess and I still love them for that very reason.

luvstoquilt

I love framed old blocks that are to fragile to use.

SusieQOH

I've used RetroClean for years and love the stuff! It has saved many quilts and blocks.

If you can get a picture I'll be able to help you more.

Jordan

I agree with luvstoquilt that some of the fragile blocks would be nice framed and put on a wall where you could admire them all the time.

mkc

And do have the framer use a UV-blocking glass for any heirloom to keep the item from fading.

psquared52

A friend had a quilt top from the 70’s that her grandmother had made. great variation in colors, fabrics and sizes. I carefully unsewed all the blocks then gently hand washed each individually. Lots of dirt. I dried between towels before starching and squaring them them up. Some not the blocks were very delicate so I decided to add a cotton iron on stabilizer to each one. Then a white/neutral sashing and border to make it a usable size. It was a fairly tedious process and I certainly learned a lot. My friend was thrilled with it and uses it daily on her bed. It brings back wonderful me memories of her grandma because it was made from clothing she had made for her. It was fun...especially when it was done!!

michelem

client gave me 30 blocks (12 inch) that were made in the 20s and wanted two quilts. Some had stains. I recommended leaving them until the quilts were done and then wash. We decided on a simple layout for each with sashing around each block, as an inner border and then large outer border. I’ll get her permission to post a picture.