How To Repair An Antique Quilt

Time ages everything – including your quilts. Whether y'all accept a dear for antique quilts or you accept a favorite slice you tin can't allow go of, it helps to know some tried-and-true repair techniques to keep your quilts in use for years (or decades) to come.

There are many ways to repair old quilts, and there'due south no right or wrong method. Simply pick a technique that works with your quilting style and get right to piece of work. Repairs are often long and tedious projects, simply it's worth it in the terminate to keep the quilt in utilise.

Just a quick note here: these are non techniques yous desire to perform on family unit heirlooms. Have these treasured items to a professional who specializes in quilt repair.

For all those other items that need repairing, here are some tips:

Patch It

The simplest way to repair an one-time quilt with a big hole is to patch it. There are ii ways to practise this:

Quick and piece of cake
Bang-up and tidy

The quick and easy method is one of my favorites, only it'due south likewise 1 of the hardest. Why? Because you have to allow go of skillful design practices.

If y'all can let go of needing to line things up and finding just the right cloth, this method volition work well for yous. Here's how information technology works:

Pick a swatch of material that you similar from your stash.
Sew it onto your quilt to patch upwardly the hole.

I prefer to use a zig-zag stitch to keep my patches in place. I also don't worry well-nigh matching thread colors.

If you're not comfy with going this route, y'all tin can patch your quilt a little more systematically.

Use scrap paper to create a template of the patch.
Cut a piece of cloth that's slightly bigger than the patch.
Using your hot quilting atomic number 26, press the edge of the fabric around the newspaper to create a crisp edge.
Remove the paper, and pin the textile.
Sew the patch using a tight zig-zag stitch.

Patches are bang-up for fixing large holes, and can add together a fresh await to your quilt.

Stitch Away

With smaller holes and rips, simple stitches tin can exist used to mend the fabric. I like to experiment with some of the other stitches I rarely use to create a fun design.

The great thing about this technique is that you can get in a part of the quilt'south design rather than trying to hide information technology. I'll sometimes utilize contrasting thread colors to really make the stitches stand up out.

But if you'd rather not draw attention to the repair, y'all can utilise thread that'due south the aforementioned colour every bit the fabric to allow information technology t blend correct in.

Deconstruct and Get-go Again

If you really dearest a quilt and you know you tin't easily brand repairs, you may consider deconstructing it and starting over again.

This can be a painstaking process, merely it'south 1 that may be worthwhile if the quilt still has some meaning for you lot and is across conventional repair.

If yous become this route, you lot'll need to showtime out by trimming away all of the usable fabric. Using this fabric, you lot can showtime creating new pieces and rebuilding your quilt from the ground up.

I've seen some quilters transform old big quilts into smaller infant quilts, which is a nice style to go along the sentimental value of the former quilt alive.

I wouldn't recommend going this far with quilts you lot don't have zipper to because the process can be long and irksome.

Applique Patches

Applique patches are a fun way to repair holes, rips and stains in your quilts. Rather than adding some other piece of square cloth, you can add a fun design that adds new life to the quilt.

Yous can purchase a pre-made applique, or you tin can make your own with a swatch of fabric cut into the pattern of your selection.

If y'all're making your own applique:

Cut the pattern out from paper-backed fusible webbing. Brand certain the design is the mirror prototype.
Fe the design onto the back side of the cloth.
Cut the shape.
Pare off the newspaper.
Sew onto the quilt.

Brand certain that the patch is large plenty to cover the unabridged damaged area.

I like to cull shapes that go along with the theme of the quilt. When sewing the applique, use a tight zig-zag stitch all the mode around the shape.

If you're repairing a child's quilt, exist prepared for a lot of excitement when he or she sees the new patch. I one time did this for my nephew, and he was over the moon about his new fireman patch.

Recreate Your Old Quilt

I'll admit that this method can be tricky to pull off. Information technology'due south not always piece of cake to find the same or similar fabric. But if you lot can manage to detect similar fabric, you tin can recreate an old quilt. It may not have the same sentimental value, but this is a great option if simply dearest the design of the onetime quilt.

Some would telephone call this method cheating, just if you have a quilt that's beyond repair, information technology's worth trying to create a new version.

This method is also an option if you lot desire to create a larger version of the old quilt. If your child or grandchild, for example, outgrows a baby quilt, you lot can re-create a larger version that tin be cherished and used well into adulthood.

Hello and welcome to my site! My proper name is Shannon and I have been and avid quilter for over 20 years. My love of quilts came at an early age from my grandmother. I am a female parent of 2 and lives in the US with her loving hubby.