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| "Thousand Pyramids" Quilt |
This is a quilt I made back in 1980. My mother used it and more recently, my daughter has been using it. I repaired it once, in 2015, replacing some of the torn patches and wrote about it, here.
Well, daughter brought it back down with her on this trip. It's due for more repairs!
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| Worn and Torn |
I don't know if cutting out more triangles and piecing them individually on top of the torn patches will work, this time around. There are too many sections that have been worn and torn:
My daughter doesn't mind what the quilt design is; she only wants it to be soft!
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| At least five patches need to be replaced in just this section |
My daughter doesn't mind what the quilt design is; she only wants it to be soft!
In the meantime, I've given her another quilt to take up with her. It's one that I made in 1990, called Texas Star Quilt.
What would you suggest I do? Should I make a new quilt top and attach that over the existing quilt top? Or, should I sew triangles to cover the torn ones? What would you do?
I've not got any solutions but what a lovely history that quilt has. It was made with love and has been used with love.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. :)
DeleteIt's a lovely quilt with memories so I guess it depends on just how many triangles need to be fixed and how much time and fabric you have to work with! If you make a new top that is a lot of work, too. Another alternative is to find large enough good sections and make them into pillow covers, but then you wouldn't have the quilt.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady. My daughter would like it to remain a quilt. I have plenty of fabric and I guess I have all the time I need in the sense that there is no deadline by which to finish repairing it. I guess I will start with seeing how many patches need to be replaced and take it from there. :)
DeleteIt is still a lovely quilt, Bless, and it must have provided a lot of warmth and comfort over the years. Xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules. My daughter says it's one of her favorite quilts! :)
DeleteGood question about the quilt. If you make a whole new quilt top, that would be a lot of work, and it won't be as soft as the old one. That softness has come with use and washing over the years. But if you just patch the worn triangles, it would be like whack-a-mole. There will always be another triangle popping up to fix. I guess it depends on your supplies and what you feel like doing. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteExactly, June; the softness has come from over 40 years of use! At first glance, at least half the pieces will need to be replaced and I am thinking it might be easier to just make a new quilt top! That way, maybe it will last another 40 years! LOL!
DeleteI think I'd try to cut and sew new triangles to cover the worn ones. Could you somehow make them a little larger (or add a narrow border) so they overlap the stronger existing triangles and can be sewn firmly in place? Make a feature of the mend, like the Japanese needleworkers do
ReplyDeleteThat's what I did the first time I repaired it - cut new triangles and sewed on top of the ripped ones. This time, though, there are a lot more triangles that will need replacing! I like the idea of making a feature of the mend. :)
DeleteIf it was me I'd try to keep the original design so would look at replacing the individual triangles, especially as you have memories of your mum using it as well. Presumably there are memories in all or some of the fabrics used as well. xx
ReplyDeleteYes, the majority of the fabric used for the quilt are remnants from my mother's sewing! I can see fabric from several of the dresses and nightdresses she sewed for us, pieces from a blouse my sister had given, as well as leftovers from fabric I used in other quilts!
DeleteThe memories of that quilt...perhaps this is what matters to your daughter? Really a work of love. A friend brought her broken mala, that I had made for her, back to New Zealand, for me to repair.... I was truly amazed
ReplyDeleteMy daughter loves the softness of the quilt. I've pointed out the various fabrics to her, "That's from your grandmother's dress; the red gingham is from a dress she made for me", etc., but, I don't think she has the same memories attached to the quilt as I do. It's just a soft, comfy quilt to her. :)
DeleteHow wonderful that your friend brought her broken mala for you to repair. :)
Hi Bless. My swamiratnamurti.com blog site is going to be removed by google soon, due to some of their new rules and money charges that I truly do not understand. I've spent hours trying to sort it out online, and now... I just give up. I probably will start up another spiritual blog, but in the meantime, I'm just using you-areunique.blogspot.com. Thank you so much for taking an interest in that blog, I felt very honoured. Lots of love :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting me know. I will keep checking your you-are-unique blog. By the way, I thought of you the other day - my friend's daughter had asked my daughter if I do any spiritual healing, because she felt that my presence and prayers seemed to have a beneficial impact on her mother who is in hospital. When my daughter told me that, I thought of you and your spiritual healing. :)
DeletePerhaps, you could make bigger triangles to cover areas that need patching. That way you wouldn’t need as many patches; or, incorporate different shapes to patch worn sections. Good luck with this project.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chris. I like the idea of larger triangles, especially for areas with more than one torn triangle to replace! I patched three small triangles, today. I think having bigger triangles will also add some visual interest to the quilt top. :)
DeleteOh, it’s absolutely beautiful! Reminds me of one my Maw-Maw made me when I was a little girl.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mandy. :)
DeleteI wonder if it might be possible to replace the frayed triangles and then create some sort of reinforcement by maybe sewing long, narrow strips down all the seams. I'm not sure if that would look horrible or be too much work though.
ReplyDeleteI might be able to incorporate some narrow strips on some triangles that have just small tears along the seams. But, reinforcing all the seams might be more than what I want to do, unless I sew the strips with the sewing machine.
DeleteIt's so nice that your daughter loves her quilt and wants you to repair it. Again. lol
ReplyDeleteI am no help with suggestions since I still have a quilt that needs repairing that I haven't touched in months.
The Texas Star quilt is very nice and a worthy substitute.
LOL, she loves the quilt because it is so soft. She has to have everything very soft to her touch. I have decided to replace the worn triangles, but, if that gets tedious, then, I might do something else. Daughter says that the star quilt is quite soft, so that's a good substitute quilt! :D
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