Mending Old Quilts

I am not an expert on mending old quilts but I had two old family quilts that needed some mending.  The tops were pieced by my paternal grandmother in the late 1960s/ early 1970s.  My mother and my youngest sister quilted them for me (not the best quilting jobs but they did it) while I was in college.  I decided to simple sew new fabric pieces over the torn/ frayed ones rather than removing the old pieces.  In some areas I simple reinforced weak fabric with embroidery.  

The first quilt was an album quilt with names (family and friends)/ places embroidered in place.  I used this old shirt fabric as a substitute in this block.  Wish I had taken an after photo.

I used an old denim striped shirt fabric for the repair in this block (lower right).  Failed to take a before photo of this block.

Did take a before photo of this block and the planned (see pins) repair.

The second quilt (an old log cabin) needed a lot more repair. Here's a sample of some of the repairs. This photo (after) and the next (before) show a frayed center block which was repaired using a cotton shirt fabric.

This photo shows where I embroidered some weak areas to strengthen them. 

These next two (first is before, second the after).  Sorry the orientation isn't the same.  

Another one showing areas reinforced by embroidery.

There were three areas of full thickness damage from me taking the quilt on a camping trip back in 1982 and embers from the fire damaging the quilt.  These areas had to have all three layers (top, batting, backing) replaced so I decided to just make very obvious repairs. 

Here are the repairs (front/ back) of each of the above.  The first one

The second one

The third one

Madison's Irish Chain Quilt

I pieced the quilt top for this quilt using dresses saved by my niece's mom/my kid sister from when my niece was a baby/toddler.  I decided the Irish chain pattern would allow the fabrics to be shown off.  The quilt is machine pieced by me and hand quilted by my sister.  The quilt measures 94.5 in square.

 

This photo shows the fabrics a little clearer.

 

And this one just a bit of the nice quilting my sister (Madison’s mother) did.

 

The quilt label was made using a piece of the collar from one of the dresses.

H's Baby Quilt

I want to make it clear right up front -- I did not make this quilt.  I only had the privilege of sewing on a sleeve so it can be hung up.

This lovely quilt was made by Connie Coenen in 1989 for H who was born in 1988.  She is the daughter of a friend and colleague.  This quilt is done using both hand and machine work.  It measures 58 in X 68 in.  There are many different type of fabrics used giving it a tactile feel in addition to the visual picture.

Here is a closer view of the center scene.

 

 

This photo shows the sun and the ocean waves.

 

 

These trees are made from a fine wale corduroy.  They have a lovely feel to them. 

 

This flower is embroidered.  I wish the photo was better so you could really appreciate the work.

 

Rather than sewing on a label, Connie embroidered her name and the date here.

Butterfly Quilt Finished

I finished and have shipped the quilt (see earlier post for back story) to someone I know will cherish it.  The finished quilt measures 56 in X 74 in.  A nice size to curl up under on the sofa and read books/blogs or watch movies.

Here is a photo showing the originally planned background fabric and the substitution used for two blocks.

I'm not sure which butterfly I like the best, but I love the fabrics in this one.

Old Log Cabin Quilt

Here's the other quilt my paternal grandmother made.  It isn't dated as the autograph one was, but I think it must have been pieced in the mid-to-late 1960's as the other one was.  It was was quilted by my mother and sister Cathy.  It measures 68 in X 83 in.

 

Here is a close up

And here

This one shows the damage done when I took it on a camping trip at the end of medical school.  I was wrapped in it to get warm after floating down the Buffalo and caught a couple of sparks from the campfire.  I regret the damage, but have good memories of the trip with DeWayne Nash, Ken Carpenter (deceased), Joe Cloud, and Gene Hardin  (those guys were like brothers to me).  Sure hope the ones who can will be at our 30th class reunion this weekend.

 

Here's a picture from the camping trip.

Family Autograph Quilt

My paternal grandmother pieced this quilt.  She pieced quilt tops for all of the grandkids.  Mine was a log cabin which I'll show you in a few weeks.  This was an extra one, I won the draw.   It has the names of all her children and their children, some friends (or else family member I don't know), and towns in the area embroidered on it.  She also put some Bible verse on the quilt.  I would love to know why these verses meant enough to her to put them on the quilt.  She died August 1981, early in my senior year in medical school, from peritoneal carcinomatosis.  She didn't have much trust in doctors/hospitals, so when she finally sought help and surgery was done, it was an open and then close.  Her abdomen was completely seeded with tumor.  My Aunt Earlene doesn't know what the primary was and her death certificate doesn't say either.

Anyway, I love the quilt.  It measures 67 in X 91 in.

Here's the one with my name (mispelled-- Romona). 

and this one is my dad’s block

and this has my brother John’s and sister Susan’s names

In our family there were two Randy’s, my brother and a cousin (younger, often referred to as little Randy).  My grandmother put my brother with our Mom (the yellow block) and my cousin with one of his sister’s (the blue block),

These next three contain Bible verses.  As mentioned above, I would love to know why she choses them. 

and this  (Mark 13:18)

and this (Matthew 22: 14)

My grandmother pieced the quilt top, my mother and sister Cathy did the quilting during my first year in college.

Rose Medallion Quilt That Was

This quilt is no longer.  I made it and entered it into a national quilt contest back in 2005 (I think).  It actually looks better in photos than it did in real life.  The roses, stems, and leaves are all hand appliqued.  The saw tooth borders are hand appliqued too.  The three areas are machined together.  I don’t recall the exact measurements of the finished quilt but think it was approx 60 in square.  It was machine quilted.

Here is a close up which shows how stuffed the roses are and some of the quilting.

I wasn’t happen with the quilt, so after the contest I took it apart.  I “harvested” the roses, leaves, and stems and have used them in various projects.  The background I am currently using as the back of a small quilt (40 in X 50 in) which I’ll have finished in a few weeks.  Here you can see where I have begun the quilting.

Tree of Life Quilt

I made this quilt in 1992.  I combined two pattern – the tree of life and maple leaves.  I used the fabric from a madras plaid skirt/shirt I had and loved, but needed to be retired.  Sorry the photos are better, but they were taken with the quilt on the bed and me standing on the foot board for most of them.

My attempt to get the photo more “straight-on” is slightly fussy.  The quilt is machine pieced and quilted.  I quilted in in sections (the sides, the end, and the main section) and then sewed them together.
The is shaped to overhang the sides of the bed and not get hung up.
Here is a better photo of the maple leaves.
Each maple leave block is 6 in square.
Here is a sketch of the layout with measurements.