Mend your Favorite Quilt

As soon as I moved to Arizona, the top of my quilt started to disintegrate. Was it the dry air? The fabric just seemed to crack and shred. My cat had nothing to do with it, I swear. My mother made me this quilt some time ago, and I can't bear to see it so broken.

Is your quilt falling apart? Here's a way to patch up broken pieces.

You'll need:
Fabric that matches the original quilt
a sewing machine or hand needle and thread
scissors
paper
a ruler
an iron
a plastic ruler and rotary cutter with mat (optional)

Step 1 Make Paper Templates

Make a paper template of each sized piece you'll be patching using a piece of plain paper. I did this by laying the paper down on the quilt and folding it to size, then I cut off the excess.

Take your real-size paper template and lay it out on a new piece of paper and add the seam allowance (I used 5/8"). This will be the template for the patches.

Comments

[irishwhistle]

Thank you for putting up a tutorial like this! I was tossing around ideas on how to restore the first quilt I made about 17 years ago. It's not a work of art, I don't care if I use the same colors, I sure as heck don't plan to hang it on the wall. Most of the other repair guides are all about saving antiques. Our cruddy old "leftover shirts and sheets" quilt has regular use, so it's trashed, but a new quilt just doesn't feel the same, and I have scraps coming out the windows here, so there you go. I have no use for quilts you can't snuggle. Puh-leeze. So it's confirmed... get squares a bit bigger than the ones on the blankie, iron the edges under, sew into place.

[BethLP]

Here's a tip: when repairing an old quilt, try flipping over the repair fabric and using the back. The colors will be softer and blend with the faded original fabric better.

[ChatOmbre]

This is great -- thank you! I have some quilts that my great-grandmother made that I've wanted to mend. (I've got to learn how to sew first, but still, this helps me feel like it might not be quite as difficult as I was afraid.) I don't have any of the fabric she used, but maybe I can try to find something similar... hmm... As for the "Don't sit on your quilts if you want them to last" bit, yeah, that's true in a way, but also... one of the things that I adore about quilts is that they're art that is useful! I have one of the quilts my great-grandmother made on my bed, and I think it's sort of like I'm wrapped up in her love at night, and that's what keeps me warm... so I like to actually make use of quilts. :)

[canida]

Wow, that's really going to be a labor of love. Post another picture when you're done! That cat in step 5 definitely looks like he's up to something. ;)

[Sunbanks]

You can see it in the kitty's eyes.

[BorisTheSpider]

Nah, that cats looks much too lazy to be up to anything. ;)

[Fruppi]

I'm adding you to favorites! I've got a comforter upstairs that needs some major work! Thanks!

[lynnwords]

Thanks for this, I have favorite quilts 20 and 40 years old which I have tried to mend... now I can get a great result using your instructions!

[clamoring]

Fantastic instructable! Concise and to the point. I can't wait to try it on my great-grandmother's quilt, which I have loved for many years. Unfortunately, the backing has the worst wear!

[jenny.bloodless]

My mom always says "Don't sit on your quilts if you want them to last"... and as much as I love my mother's advice my quilts have always looked exactly the same as yours over time. It's really not an overnight process but it seems to be because the wear & tear isn't noticeable until all of a sudden it looks like that. Oh yes, and washing your quilts often will give you the same problem.

[j$]

what kind of freak stuff wears a quilt like that?

[qwerty90210]

az doesn't do anything to do with quilts (my mom has the snuggliest quilts) may be the cat has duel pursonalities lol

[darkmuskrat]

Dang, my sewing machine broke...No quilt or cosplay for me :(

[GorillazMiko]

i eat quilts when im hungry lol just kidding