Acesgame Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I recently acquired 4 cool old tops. Each have some little things wrong around the edges or a whole in a small piece. The fabric seems a bit fragile and though they are all great, they are not pieced well. I have been pressing with starch but they are puckers-waiting-to-happen. I would like to make them quilts but maybe I should cut them up and make totes or table runners??? Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Quilting them will make them more usable and stronger. Layer with bleached muslin underneath the top to take some stress off the fragile vintage fabric, and quilt away. If you have puckers, it will add to the charm. And if you can't stand the puckers, cut them up for totes and toys. I think you'll be surprised at how pretty they are when quilted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesgame Posted January 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Quilting them will make them more usable and stronger. Layer with bleached muslin underneath the top to take some stress off the fragile vintage fabric, and quilt away. If you have puckers, it will add to the charm. And if you can't stand the puckers, cut them up for totes and toys. I think you'll be surprised at how pretty they are when quilted. Would you just do an overall pattern? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 It would depend on your decisions for use after quilting. If you know you will cut them up, an overall is a good decision. You can quilt as densely as you think you'll need. If they look good enough to display. you can honor the piecer's work by selecting some simpler designs that fit well within the piecing. But an overall design shouldn't be ruled out if you want to control fullness or puckers. With vintage patterns which would have had a simple hand-quilting finish, be true to the era of the top. This is especially recommended if there are fragile spots. Dense or ornate stitching isn't the best for these treasures. Can you share the blocks that make up the vintage tops? You will get more advice if we know what you're working with--like a Double Wedding Ring or Irish Chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acesgame Posted January 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 Here are the tops. Ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 Wow! You scored some nice tops! The first one is obviously a utility quilt, made by someone who frugally used every scrap and snippet. An overall design would make a cohesive whole out of a fractured almost-crazy-quilt-ish top. I see leopard print, a tiger (!), lots of plaids and dress fabric. She dug it all out and made string blocks. That was the easy part because she then cut the diamonds (without a nice plastic template) and hand-stitched them together. Makes you wonder why it was never finished. Number three and four have lots of the same fabrics so were probably made by the same person. Love the bow tie top! Because of the busy-ness of the fabrics and piecing, those could both be quilted with overalls unless you're wanting to spend the time to stitch something era-friendly like crosshatching or Baptist Fan. Number two is more special and if you're willing to take the time, you could SID the stars and then and run a couple more lines through the white (muslin?) to nail it down. If the stars are small enough you might not need to stitch on them. That's the place any fullness can reside as you stitch around them. Because you can see them up close, you can decide which is worth more time and effort and which just needs to be finished. I bet that's the same dilemma once faced by the piecer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonbon Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 All my thoughts too Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeannM Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 On #2 I would use a background stipple of some kind of swirly design to give movement. If the stars are small enough you could avoid quilting those to make them pop. The bow tie top would be cute with straight lines outlining the shapes. You found a treasure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisquilter Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Wow, I love the all! I would do overall on all but No. 2 That one is worth spending the time to custom! Lucky lady your are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.