jebm Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 A friend from out-of-state called and is bringing me to 2 of her grandmother's quilts which are queen size. She wants them altered to king size. I presume they are quilted. Has anyone done thiis? I can see removing the binding, finding fabric that blends for a border(s) and then trying to blend the quilting (eek)...attach addition before quilting (eek eek how)--and then binding. How in the world do you do that??? and not ruin the quilt. and...what do you charge...or how do you charge. She really wants to do this--it's not a passing notion, she's a serious person! Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmiequilts Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I guess you have the right idea, take off the binding, hope that it's not self bound, it just may be easier to rotaty cut it off and remove abour 2-3 " of quilting all the way around the quilt. Depending on the batting you will have to somehow sew new batting to old, which works ok with cotton but probably won't with poly. I use a darning stitch on my DSM to piece batting. After attaching the additions to the borders and backing pin it on the take up roller, baste and quilt a similar design. I personally would have the friend do the frogging to save time and money. Post pics if you can when she gets there and you know more about the quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreacher Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 OK, here comes input from kreacher, a non-quilter, and politics won't play a part of what I say. My thoughts coincide with Grandma's quilts. To me this indicates something possibly old and something that if taken apart someone might regret later. I'm thinking of a minimalist approach to making this into a king quilt. Consider leaving the quilt intact and adding a border around the entire quilt, the width being wide enough to become a king. It may look like crap, but how about a woodsy print. Maybe the net result could be like a wood picture frame effect. It might work, it might be stooopid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Actually Kreacher is on the right track...you can use the quilt as you go method (Divide and Conquer)....as you are going to have to extend out all three layers. I would take off the binding...you may have to square up the quilt, find material that will go with both the backing as well as the top...and find a batting that is equal to that already in place. And without knowing how old these are, the Fairfield batting 80/20 may be the best even if I don't like it. It will antique the best when washed. Then I would attache the batting...you can use a zig zag stitch on that. You will see this method in the Book "Divide and Conquer!" by Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan...its the easiest way to do this. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhappy Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Jane- I have done this many times-the above advice is all good but end it is what that particular quilt will need. Look very CLOSELY at the quilt for a few days BEFORE you quote a price & begin! I charge by the hour as this can be a very time consuming process. Good luck an post a picture of before an after! Patty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadows4 Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Jane: I agree with the others on not taking apart the old quilt, though, I believe that Kim's idea is good and could work also. I bought a large king size quilt that was supposed to fit our deep mattress and when we got it home, it didn't cover the mattress. It needed around 6 inches more on all sides. I was able to find a bedskirt that matched and used it to add a piece around the whole quilt, not taking off the cool border. I would rather have not had to add, but it makes the quilt usable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadows4 Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 And the back. It's not a neat job. I get alot sloppier when it's my own stuff. Before you ask why I was buying a quilt instead of making it: we had a fire (our electric blanket caught fire while we were in bed) in February and we needed a blanket immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheri Butler Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Jeanne my friend,, you did a super job on that quilt. And...it looks GREAT! We should know that you'd come up with something fast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadows4 Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Thanks, girlfriend! It was out of necessity, and being tired of pulling the quilt toward the side that was by the door! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebm Posted October 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Thanks to all-I am hopeful she'll consider adding to the quilt via Jeanne's method. It would allow the quilt to be returned to original condition--and be much less expensive for my friend! I'll keep in touch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JollyJane Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I think Jeanne's idea is great - for lots of reasons: it won't alter the original as much; it should be easier to do; it won't be as pricey or as time consuming; it gives a really great finish. As with any alteration it is hard to know what will work best until you have it in front of you. Good luck and we look forward to seeing what you come up with!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmiequilts Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Jeanne, thank heaven you were okay! Your idea is right on the money and works well, sometimes the easiest answer is right in front of you so you don't see it right away. No matter what Jane it will be up to you to look closely at this quilt to make the best decision for you and your friend. Keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadows4 Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I'm kinda embarrassed now. I just reread my post. The fire was in February, of 2005. I was meaning to stress that it was still cold out and we needed something right then. It was still pretty scary. For a short fire (my DH gave up trying to put it out and shut the bedroom door which, the firemen say, saved the rest of the house) it caused around $90 thousand in damage, and we were out of our house for 3 months, and almost didn't get our DD out. We'll never use an electric blanket again! That's nothing compared to what they are dealing with in California. We can avoid an electric blanket. Ramona-quilter and the others can't control what's hitting them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boni Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 That is one of the most creative ways of enlarging a quilt that I've seen in a while. Great idea. Thanks for posting for us, Jeanne. I think I'll try that on one of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 As I began reading this thread, I began nodding and smiling. This is almost exactly what was done with a quilt last year. My customer didn't realize that a top that "exactly fit" her queen-size bed would pull in and shrink up after quilting and the first wash. (Six inches worth!!) Solutions presented here on the forum included extending the top, putting over a bed skirt, and putting over a light bedspread. Extending the quilt was prohibitively expensive for her--I wasn't going to do it for free! We decided to make three panels of matching quilted rectangles to extend three sides. These panels were attached to the underside of the bound quilt with velcro tape. It looks great, weights the sides evenly so there is no stress on the quilt, and removes when she launders the quilt. Pretty slick! If you can, do the least-intrusive fix so the integrity of the original will remain intact. Pictures, please??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted October 15, 2008 Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 Jeanne - Hee Hee!!! LOL!!!! Oh Sorry - NOT laughing about the fire and such - I just read your little bit at the bottom of your post, about the Zombies!!!! My husband actually has a friend who is obsessed about Zombies! Everytime he buys food, he always gets an extra can or two of stuff to put into his "Zombie Shelter".... so that he will be prepared...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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