Our quilts don't last forever, I'm sorry to say. But I need this one to last a bit longer until I can get a new one made.
This log cabin quilt has been on our bed for about 10 years and at least one of the fabrics in a high-wear spot is showing some real stress. The nearby fabrics are faded but still holding out. Odd how only these green strips are thread bare with batting showing through in some spots.
I feel like I can't really wash the quilt safely without reinforcing that green print on two of the blocks. This is how I did it.
I don't have any of that green fabric left so I found a close color match in my stash. Then cut some strips. There is a lot of front-to-back flipping going on with the repair, so I'm grateful that the worn fabrics are near the edge of the queen-sized quilt - the location of these blocks may have contributed to their wear. It's right where you would grab the quilt to adjust it on the bed.
From the front, I pinned the strip down the middle of the worn piece(not shown), then pinned right on the in-the-ditch quilting 'seam' from the back. Then I flipped back to the front to make sure my pins were placed with 1/4" to turn under all the way around.
Next, I used a bright, contrasting thicker quilting thread to make a running stitch from the back so the stitching was visible all the way through to the front (below left). This technique is much like back-basting applique, but through more layers.
Flip to the front. While pulling out the bright thread (which is holding the new fabric in place) a little at a time, I turned the strip edge under and secured the fold (below right) with matching 60-weight thread. I made sure to dig deep so my thread grabbed more than just the damaged fabric.
Once the appliqued strip was secured all the way around (below, left), I added quilting with the same thread what was used 10 years ago. I have a lot leftover! This time, instead of matching the original quilt-in-the-ditch, I thought I'd get a little more security if I quilted about 1/8" away from the applique edge (below, right). That means that I quilted through several layers - the old quilt, batting, and the new seam allowances.
The process is rather tedious! It took about 3 hours to secure and quilt the two longest strips over the damaged fabric. Once all six of the fabrics on this block are replaced, I will feel better about being able to wash the quilt.
. . . And I think I've extended the life of the quilt by at least enough time to make that next quilt to replace it!
In the meantime, I have about 20 quilts to finish first! I'd better get the move on!
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
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