How to Fix a Rip in a Vintage Quilt
Whether a family heirloom or a lucky thrift-store find, a vintage quilt can serve as a gorgeous throw, interesting decoration or simply the best way to stay warm on a cold winter's night. Unfortunately, not all quilts age gracefully. If your vintage quilt as a rip in it, all is not lost – in fact, there is a simple fix that will repair your quilt to its former glory.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Pins
- Silk thread
- Needle
- Small piece of fabric in a color or pattern like the quilt
Instructions
-
-
1
Locate the rip in the quilt. Line the torn edges up against one another, fold them in so the torn and frayed edges do not show and pin along the rip to hold the two sides together.
-
2
Using a silk thread in as close a color to the quilt as you can find, sew the two sides of the rip together using the whip stitch. Silk thread is your best choice because it will blend into the quilt and appear almost invisible.
-
-
3
Create a patch. If the rip is too large to be repaired by simply sewing the two edges together, find a piece of coordinating fabric, trim it to fit the area that needs patching and sew the edges to the patch – once again choosing silk thread and using the whip stitch.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
To create a whip stitch, push the needle through one piece of fabric and into the other, pulling the thread all the way through to join the two pieces together. Carry the needle back over to the side you started on, so that the thread passes over the rip. Again, push the needle through one piece of fabric into the other and pull the thread all the way through. Continue in this same fashion until you reach the bottom of the rip, removing the pins as you go along.
Avoid washing your vintage quilt if at all possible to prevent further unnecessary damage. Instead, spot-treat stains and vacuum up dust and dirt.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
