How to Restore Antique Quilts

Antique quilts come in all shapes, sizes, and unfortunately, conditions. The goal of good quilt restoration is to stabilize the quilt, lengthen its life and create a more beautiful expression of what once was. A good restoration, although a painstaking undertaking, will leave the antique quilt looking as if nothing has been done to it. You can make repairs to any old quilt, however if your quilt has important historical value or is a family heirloom, you should seriously consider having a professional do the restoration.

Things You'll Need

• Various fabrics, either vintage or reproductions Needle Silk or fine cotton thread Scissors

Instructions

1. Look over the quilt and study its condition. Examine the body of the quilt and then the borders and binding for tears and worn out spots. Make a list of fabrics you need to replace. The fabrics you choose should match the quilt's damaged pieces as closely as possible in color and hue, even if you can't match the exact pattern.

2. Use silk or fine cotton thread to repair loose seams. Create a turned edge with the loose fabric and appliqué it into place. Do not force the fabrics when you work. As you work on one area, be careful not to position the quilt in ways that may damage or strain other areas.

3. Cover over worn, torn, or missing fabrics by cutting pieces of vintage or reproduction fabrics to the shape of the damaged piece, adding seam allowances. Press under the seams on the new pieces and appliqué them over the damaged fabric. Do not remove the damaged blocks, just work over top of them to keep the integrity of the quilt intact. Line up the appliqué seams with the piecing seams of the worn fabrics so the look of the quilt stays consistent and repairs are not noticeable.

4. Replace the batting only if absolutely necessary based on how clumped or bare the quilt is in different areas. While some quilts are tied, making replacing batting slightly easier, many are hand quilted. Carefully consider your options if choosing to replace the batting because you may be losing the beauty of antique hand quilting in the process. If you change out the batting, stay with authentic, high-quality cotton to replace it.

5. Re-quilt the entire quilt if batting was replaced. If you didn't change the batting, simply re-quilt over any patches you have added by following the existing quilting lines. Stay consistent with the size and spacing of the previous stitches. If you aren't sure of the quilting in a specific area, use other portions of the quilt as a guide.

6. Replace any binding, if necessary, using a similar vintage or reproduction fabric. Keep in mind that bindings were put on as straight edge prior to 1900. Bias binding didn't come along until after 1900. Take the age of your quilt into consideration when adding a new binding so the style and technique match the date of the quilt.

7. Take drastic measures only if the quilt is extremely damaged. This may mean cutting off an entire row of blocks to salvage the quilt, using the remnants for appliqué. Another option is to cut away two corners, making a four poster type quilt. If you choose these methods, rebind the quilt.

Tips & Warnings

• If you aren't sure of yourself or don't have much experience, try practicing on muslin before you work on the actual quilt. Your stitches should be invisible and should not stretch or leave holes pulling the fabric. Be sure to keep track of the work you perform on the quilt. Create a fabric label for the back of the quilt just as you would for any other quilt. Include any information you know about the history of the quilt as well as what you fixed. If the quilt is particularly smelly or dirty, try airing it out on a sheet outside with a second sheet over top of it to protect from sun damage. You may also want to place an old pair of pantyhose over the brush attachment of your vacuum to gently clean off the quilt. Wet washing a quilt is only done as a last resort. A quilt should never be dry-cleaned.

• Never display quilts in the direct sunlight or hanging over a narrow bar, such as a wooden chair or ladder rung. Keep quilts in an area with good ventilation and very little fluctuation of temperature or humidity. Refold your quilts along different lines about once a month to keep strain from creasing and damaging constant fold lines.

References

• Repair and restoration of antique quilts
• Giving old quilts new life

Resources

• Washing an old quilt, only if necessary