Antique quilt top

I have an antique quilt top that was made by my great grandmother. It was never finished -no batting or backing just the top. It is all sewn by hand . My mother gave it to me in hopes that I would finish it & use it. I would love to but I'm afraid to ruin it. It has a bit of damage in a few small spots from moths I think. First should I sew it on my machine? What should I wash it with & by hand or gentle cycle in machine?
I have never finished a quilt but I have a large set of quilting books that I bought & haven't used yet.
I wonder if anybody has any experience with antique quilt tops & can help me get started so I don't ruin this.

This is just my opinion so take it for what it is but I wouldn't recommend trying to finish the quilt right now if you are new to quilting. If you're in a hurry to see it finished you could check into having someone who does a lot of quilting finish it for you and pay them for the work. If you can be patient have it cleaned professionally and back it away properly until you have more experience and are ready to tackle it.

Good luck... family treasures are rare and special.

Marie Grace

I agree with Marie. If you're really scared that you'll ruin it, I would let a professional fix and finish it for me. If you just really want to do it yourself, then I would wait until you have several quilts under your belt.

I'm not saying you couldn't do it, but if you're unsure, it's better to be safe.

I think you made a wonderful point. I think that I will either wait until I know that I can do it or take it somewhere. I never thought of letting someone who knows what they are doing finish it. I was just so worried that I didn't want to ruin it. Thanks so much. That really makes good sense to me!!

what a leovely gift for your mother to have given you. washing old items i use oxclean 1/8cup and woolite liquid wash. woolite is very gentle, and old fabric items must be hand washed and air dried.liquid dreft is also gentle enough to use if you do not like woolite. i use the oxyclean because you can not use any form of bleach.
i would sew the top to a muslinto keep the fabric from shifting. i would also repair the small holes with appliquie fabric or do some embroidery wrok in those areas. i collect antique linnens for the past 20 years and have learned many things by trial and error. if you use muslin under the quilt top it will stablize the top. i would use warm and natural batting because its washable and does not shrink. i would then make a strips for binding. then add batting and attache the back. i would also so some stitching on the bands to keep it looking good. after my mother died and we cleaned out her sewing room, i found several early quilts that she had started, and its taken me several years to finish her projects. i hope this helps and good luck.

You know, I had the same problem.  I have 3 antique quilts, and I am afraid to touch them, too. I have quilt experience, and the best thing I've done is buy books on antique quilts. Most of them have sections on caring for and restoring.  All opinions differ on how to clean and restore, so you just have to pick what is best for you.  I have carefully hand-cleaned (with a toothbrush and gentle detergent) spots on one and then took pics and put it away.  A second was so ruined, I cut out the best looking part and framed it. They are all now in unbleached cotton bags folded around acid free tissue paper and kept safe (I take them out when I want to brag). I say do research, and then do what you can.  Always take lost of pictures, before, during and after the project (those will last a lot longer!). Congrats on a heritage of quilting!

Oxyclean is a good gentle way to clean precious fibers. I would suggest practicing on a mini quilt or some trivets before diving into an antique heirloom.

I totally agree.  You don't want to risk damaging a family treasure like this quilt top.  If you wash, wash by hand and hang to dry or better yet roll it up in towels or another large absorbant fabric to remove excess moisture so you preserve you quilt fibers. Once most of the moisture is out then you may hang it to dry.

I actually disagree with those who are telling you to have someone else do it.  I think it's a lovely thing to hold in your hands the work of your grandmother, and to do the best you can to finish it.  Even to take her work and make it into your own by creating something completely different than a quilt out of it would be a testament to her efforts and yours together.  Take up the work joyfully, and do what you can, and be sure that the resulting effort isn't just stored away!