Here is a quilt made of mens ties. It really is beautiful and it makes me sad to see it's condition. One of my great grandmothers made it. I don't have a date. But you can see the problem. Some of the ties have just gone to shreds. Can I fix this? I think there are about 80 places that need to be replaced. Meg, isn't this your line of expertise? The backing and muslin foundation are all in great shape. It looks like she was teaching somebody how to quilt because the stitches are different sizes on the back. (wish that would have been me having the lessons!) I have read on some sites that this condition is not worth repairing. So what do you all think?

If the quilt is old enough for your Great-grandmother to have made it, then almost certainly the ties are silk. Vintage silk has its own issues, but like other fabrics from the same period, silk is suseptible to the chemical dyes.

Those early chemical dyes seemed heaven sent in that they were finally permanent and less suseptible to fading. Unfortunately, some of the metals and elememts they used to get those lovely (especially) purple shades were actually chemically breaking down the fibers. Easy to see why the color purple was traditionally reserved for royalty.

And because silk is normally a relatively soft and drapey fabric, there was also a process used in silk for ladies dresses and crinolines to give it that very sensual and alluring 'rustle'. 'Member the red crinoline that Rhett Bulter gave Mammy? For as repressed as the Victorian era was supposed to be, Madonna and Brittney Spears ain't got nuttin' on our great-grandmothers when it comes to sex appeal! LOL

I suspect that the problem fabrics in your quilt are either purple or were little bits of left over dress silks, or possibly even cigar silks.

Here are your choices, Jenell, as I see them, in no particular order:

1) Replace the damaged fabrics. Since you say the muslin foundation, and the backing are intact, it is possible to carefully remove the damaged sections and, using a tiny whip stitch, to lay a new piece of fabric in and secure in place.

I prefer to use vintage fabric when I do this, but since you aren't even sure when the quilt was made, it will be next to impossible to find silk, much less men's ties from the period. There are lots of reproduction fabrics available in cotton, so new fabric can be substituted if necessary in a cotton quilt.

I am not aware of anyone reproducing vintage silks. Since this quilt is loosely in the crazy quilt genre, how would you feel about using velvet to replace the fabric? Silk and velvet were often used together.

2) Stablize the questionable areas with fine tulle. This is one of the methods used by textile conservators and museums to protect fragile fabrics from further damage.

If you wanted to display the quilt on occassion, you could fold it in such a way that the damaged sections are not visible and drape over the back of the couch. If you want to store the quilt, I can hook you up with some sources for museum quality conservation supplies.

3) If you feel that the damage is too extensive to warrent that much effort, but you don't just want to put it away, you can 'recycle' it. Is there a section large that you could cut it down to a wall hanging for your bedroom or living room or displayed on the back of the couch?

I actually have a couple of vintage quilts where the damage is confined to two sides. My plan is to cut them down and use as wall hangings in the bedroom.

If the undamaged sections are smaller, maybe you could cut smaller sections and have them archivally framed. A series of three or five framed pieces along the back of a couch or going up a stairwell makes for a very interesting conversation piece. If there are several pieces availible, framing them or even making them into to small pillows makes a thoughtful way of sharing grandma's artistry with other family members.

I hope this is helpful. You have quite a treasure and I know you will cherish it, so at the very least, I would suggest you stablize the damaged sections with fine tulle and then clean it.

You will need some nylon window screen, a square however wide the roll is. Bind the edges with a soft (not stiff) durable fabric such as brushed denim, a sportweight gabardine or duck, or even a soft canvas. You will need a large table to work on. Lay the quilt out (take care not to let it dangle over the edge) and place your screen over it. Have another person hold the quilt and screen in place while you carefully vacuum through the screen. Reposition the quilt and screen as needed until the whole surface is completed. You will be amazed how much dust and dirt you can get out this way. If it makes you feel more secure, you can also rubber band some cheesecloth over the end of the nozzle. Just be sure not to reduce the suction too much.

I would also suggest that you document as much as possible about the quilt, including pictures. If you decide to keep the quilt intact, you might also check to see if any of the museums in Oklahoma host a repository for a quilt project. They may be very interested in your documentation.

Good luck, sweetie. Done't hestitate to ask if you have further questions.

What a wonderful quilt! I hope you can save it ...

Meg had great ideas!

I was thinking that you could use some of the good pieces from near the outside edge, to replace center sections, and make is slightly smaller in dimensions.

I especially like the framing ideas, I took 15 sunbonnet sue blocks and made mini banners with old feedsacks for my brother in law's family a couple of years ago for Christmas, the sue's were made by his wife's grandmother. All the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren got to keep a tiny bit of "Granny's handwork". It was well worth the effort, especially since the blocks were not all consistent, or colors that blended nicely together. there were more reds than anything else....

All of the places that show white are where pieces are missing. I think I will try to fix it first and if it doesn't work out I will try something else. I bet if I watch the thrift stores I can come up with some ties that will fit in.
I don't know how old she was when she was making it. Documenting anything now is nearly impossible. Most of the elderly people are gone and I guess my mother will be about the oldest now. And she gave it to me with the info I already told you. I would bet that it was made in the 50's or 60's. I'm no tie expert, might have to google and see what comes up. I just really loved this one, especially since I like string quilts so much, and hate to see it like this. Makes me shudder to think my quilts will be in this condition in 50 years or so.

Jenell, I was thinking the quilt was much older. If you think the quilt was made in the 1950's or 60's finding age appropriate ties may not be all that difficult. Start checking the classifieds in your newspaper for estate sales. (Lots of little old ladies hang onto their deceased husbands clothing. I know, it sounds macabre- sorry, I watched Psycho last night! LOL) You can try thrift shops (Goodwill, etc), but I think you would have better luck going to re-sale shops, particularly those that specialize in retro clothing.

Look at the colors and patterns in your quilt, that will give you an idea what to look for so the replacements blend in well. Even if you don't buy from the re-sale shop, the people who sell retro clothing are quite passionate about clothing and fairly knowledgable so you can learn what to look for if you decide to go to Goodwill or to estate sales. If you tell them what you are planning to do, they may even have some damaged ties that can't be worn, but would be perfect to be cut up.

This sounds like a fun project. Wish I were closer so I could help you; I love to go 'antiquing' as I call it, 'junking' as my kids refer to it! LOL

Well the ties may be older. I'm sure she had to save them for a while. I really have no idea!

You all want to send me old ties? LOL

Jenell ... what a treasure!!!! ... I hope you are able to save this ...

It really looks in good shape except where the fabric in the ties has disintegrated ...

Not sure about how to fix that, but it sure looks worth a try. When I saw your title... is this worth saving, I thought of the "easy, throw together quilt I made last week and the horrible mess I made of the machine quilting, cuz I never looked at the back while I was sewing away like a mad monkey. It was a folded over, accordian mess!! I am now ripping away at it, but it will never be worth much unless I rip it all out and re stretch the 3 layers. I was so upset while I was working on the thing because of some home improvement project that was going totally haywire at the time. I didn't remember to stretch the back tight. Oh well.