"Can you quilt this old top I found?"

"My grandma made these blocks and I want to finish them, is that possible?"
"Look what I found at Goodwill for $15! Can you quilt it for me?"
I often get requests just like these in my longarm studio. And, like many questions in life, the annoying answer is, "It depends." Now before you roll your eyes at me... the answer is typically going to be yes. But there are some important considerations to keep in mind when finishing up a long neglected top.

And before we go any further, yes, working with vintage or antique textiles has gotten pretty controversial in recent years. And the 'right' way to proceed can nearly cause fist fights to erupt. Just know that these are the opinions of one longarm quilter (Me), working with my experience. And in my studio, as long as the quilt belongs to you, you get to decide what happens with it. I will do my very best to answer questions and point out any potential problems. But the final choice on finishing it is yours! On my end, if there are issues I see that I am not comfortable with or don't feel I have the skill to handle, I will be honest about that and either turn down the quilt or suggest another quilter with a different skill set.
So what do we need to consider?
Significance of the top:
If this is a pretty quilt top you found at a thrift shop or estate sale and the fabric and stitching are in good shape, then absolutely let's bring this treasure back to life and give it a purpose!

However, if this is a family heirloom with deep significance that will crush your entire extended family should something happen to it...maybe we can discuss some other creative ways to preserve this piece of your family history.
And finally, it should go without saying that if you have a historically documented quilt top made by a significant person, important time period, etc, please have your piece appraised by a certified appraiser or documented by a quilt historian before proceeding with any modifications!
Condition of the piece:
There is always a risk of damage when longarming any quilt, new or old. This is even greater with older tops. Is the fabric in good shape? Is the thread still strong? Are the stitches tight and strong?
By all means, the top doesn't need to be perfect! These are just the type of danger points that we need to evaluate before loading the quilt. If stitches are loose, the quilting foot can catch and tear the fabric. If the fabric has become thin and brittle, it may not be able to hold up to stretching on the quilting frame. It doesn't mean we can't still quilt it-just that there is more risk of damage that you need to be aware of!
Ready to Machine Quilt?
You've chosen to proceed with machine quilting? Then let's get going! When dealing with an older piece, I will have a few options for you.
Quilting design:
An Edge to Edge design (pantograph) is usually the most economical. And there Grandma's are very old examples of this kind of all-over stitching pattern (eg: Baptist fan or clamshell). Depending on your choice of design, we can make a vintage quilt look even more vintage, or very much modern!
If you would like to replicate Grandma's hand quilting where each piece is quilted separately, you might want to consider custom quilting. In the photos below, you can hopefully see the difference between the custom quilting we did on the embroidered quilt on the left, vs the more modern looking edge to edge designs on the other two.
Density of the stitching:
Quilts with very small pieces may need more quilting to hold them together. Same if the piecing stitches are large or loose.
Quilts that have a lot of fullness or unevenness may need a more open patterns or at least one that has very little backstitching. This is definitely something to discuss with your quilter.

Batting:
Cotton batting will give you that nice, flat, cozy/crinkly, antique look once the quilt is washed.
A vintage 1970s quilt might look more authentic with a puffier polyester batter.
Washing:
My general rule of thumb is to go ahead and at least soak any textile you want to machine quilt. Yes there can be a risk of damaging the quilt. But, if the fabric cannot stand up to a gentle soak, there is a good chance it is not strong enough to withstand machine quilting. I would much rather you find this out before spending the money to have your quilt longarmed!
Plus, it is much easier to soak an unfinished top and you have a much better chance of getting more "old" out of the fabrics without batting to catch and hold onto "stuff." If you need help on how to most safely wash any old textile, let me know and I will be happy to try and help. And finally, there is always a chance of dye bleeding in old fabrics. You may want to spot test any bright color before washing. One trick we longarmers often use to avoid puckers in a wavy or full quilt is to steam it and/or use starch spray. If you discover dye bleed during washing, let your quilter know. Again, dealing with bleeding is easier in a top than a finished quilt!
Expectations:
Your quilter is probably as eager as you are to see a beautifully finished quilt roll off the longarm frame. We want everything to come out just perfect. But do know that with antique or vintage tops, there needs to be some grace. Our quilting fore-mothers didn't have the tools and often the space we modern piecers enjoy! As a result there may be places we can't control a pucker or fold. The quilt may not be perfectly square-it likely wasn't to start with. Discuss this beforehand and both you and your quilter will be much less nervous about the whole process!
There are many ways to go about preserving a vintage or antique quilt top. Talk with your longarm quilter to see what might work best for your specific top. Together we can make this a quilt for you to be proud of- and honor the work of the quilters before us!
(Special thanks to Mary, Claudia, Joy, Amber, and Dolores for allowing me to use photos of your quilts!)
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