wolfkitty

May I ask what a 'cutter quilt' is, please?

hobo2000

Trim out the butterflies and use heat n'set or something like that to afix them to new white blocks and do a buttonhole stitch around them. Use new fabric for sashing and borders. If you alternate with the border fabric, you may have enough to do two quilts one for each granddaughter or a large one for him.

moonwolf23

The butterflies look ok. Why not cut them out and applique them in a center quilt. Then cut out the other squares and use them as a border. Try to find a matching blue that the sashing is in this quilt.

Rntraveler

I bet those granddaughter's would each love to have a small quilt from it... be nice for dolls or at nap time..

Jan in VA

I've done many repairs/remakes of vintage quilts and here's my point of view:
As this is a family quilt as well as a vintage quilt, and as you'd like to return it to him for his granddaughters who are the Great-great-granddaughters of the maker of the quilt, I'd suggest keeping the integrity of the original quilt as much as possible.

If there are 13 useable blocks, divide them 6 and 6 between two new quilts for the GGGDs and make a pillow for the granddad.

Use as much of the original fabric as you can in the new quilts, keeping the setting similar - sashing with cornerstones.
But, to enlarge the quilts, perhaps you could set them with six newly-pieced blocks using fabrics of similar feel (1930s prints??) and similar colors.
Or, if you applique, you could make six new appliqued blocks to go with the six vintage ones. I'd suggest a different motif than her original butterflies just to allow them to be the "original".

You could set it as applique block/sashing/pieced block/sashing/applique block in one row.
Then pieced block/sashing/applique block/sashing/pieced block. You'd get a 3 block by 4 block setting that way, which is similar to the original.

Regardless, please share your eventual result!
Jan in VA

Prism99

It's a quilt with so much damage that it cannot be repaired. Some people buy this type of old quilt to "cut up" into teddy bears. The bears are cute, but the idea of cutting up old quilts for this use is dismaying, to say the least.

tooMuchFabric

I agree. I see beautiful repurpose items made from old quilts in homes and stores and magazines, but my heart sighs for the quilts.
.

wolfkitty

"It's a quilt with so much damage that it cannot be repaired. Some people buy this type of old quilt to "cut up" into teddy bears. The bears are cute, but the idea of cutting up old quilts for this use is dismaying, to say the least."

I agree, too. I like the ideas presented here, to remake into pillows or lap quilts or wall hangings. Thanks for your response.

pab58

I like your lap quilt idea best. It maintains the "integrity" of the quilt. If they aren't too large, maybe you could rescue a couple of the butterflies that haven't been eaten and make Christmas ornaments for his grandaughters? Just puttin' in my two cents.....for all it's worth. :oops:

The suggestions about making two quilts for his grandaughters by using the original blocks and alternating them with vintage-looking blocks is great, too.

Please keep us posted as to what you decide, and we certainly expect to see the end result! :thumbup:

QuiltQtrs

I would save all the blocks that are still in good shape, and make a couple
of small doll quilts, or wall hangings for the children. You could add
coordinated borders to enlarge or for sashings if needed.