Olivia's Grammy

Yes, please let us see it however you finish it.

Lisa T

This is gorgeous! The HOURS of work in this thing- wow! I am jealous. I can see that you treasure it, though, so I won't be tooooo jealous. ;0)

I agree with the others- I don't think I would use spray baste and I would probably hand quilt it, too. It would be something to do in front of the tv and it could take as long as you want. It's such a treasure and the hand quilting would add to it.

lots2do

I've heard of people framing with plexiglass with an open muslin backing. I agree that some museum people could probably give you the best advice.
It is truly wonderful.

Honey

That is my thought, too. I would be afraid of doing something wrong. But if you go to an outsider, make sure that they are reputable. Ask for references and check them out.

littlehud

What a treasure to have. It sound like you have a good plan to preserve it.

Sparky

I have heard many discussions on pros and cons of washing vintage quilts. Here is a link that gives you some good advise I hope.
http://www.quilthistory.com/cleaning.htm
Would you ever consider separating the blocks and working them individually into a new block such as a snowball with a red and white print? That would result in stabilizing a fragile fabric and providing square corners. Also new machine piecing would be stronger. Then you could test color fastness of each block. It is entirely possible that some of the redwork is colorfast and other pieces are not. You could then use also use a very fine fusable to attach the red work to a preshrunk muslin or use a very lightweight fusable interfacing before re-piecing.

Joan

I can't remember whether it was in the column about redwork or not but somewhere I read it is important to soak piece in water with some white vinegar. The white vinegar sets the dye.

Even so, when washing I would still use a color catcher.

I am in love with redwork and am so happy this wonderful piece found a home where it will be preserved, loved and appreciated. It is just gorgeous!

deedles215

Wow! What a treasure!
I think I would agree with others- consult an expert on how to preserve this. The last thing you'd want to happen is something to bleed, or weaken (from chemicals not used in 1910), or....? Who knows. Good luck!

crashnquilt

I also veto the idea of using spray baste on the squares. As delicate as the fabric is, looks like batiste, the spray may damage and stain the blocks.

I agree, I'm not so sure I would quilt it either, BUT, if you must, please use muslin as this would fit the time period of the fabric and redwork. Back in those days, the popular quilting pattern would be cross hatch. Also, I would only use 100% cotton thread with it. YLI puts out a nice cotton thread for quilting.

Sheila Elaine

I'd ask a professional. You'd hate to ruin it with chemical(s) & the glue would prob be a bad idea. Older fabrics were meant to breathe...they didn't have air conditioning back in the day. I'd love to see it donated to a State Museum, along with the history of your Mother & her friend, plus I'd get your Mom on tape (if she will agree to tape the story) to go with the quilt. Whatever you do, you have a valuable treasure, esp with the date.