To Use or Display, That is the Question

I gave the red bear paw quilt blocks a bath, and they didn't disintegrate:

The wash did reveal many little frayed areas, and even with a good soaking for twenty minutes (which was all I dared) I couldn't get out the yellow-brown foxing stains. You can spot-treat these with hydrogen peroxide, which does lighten or remove foxing, but this can also further weaken the textiles, something I want to avoid.

The red patches are also fraying in a few spots.

The backing muslin is in the best shape, although it also shows foxing:

Both blocks are about 1/4" too wide to use as fronts for the canvas totes I have on hand. I can use them anyway, but I'll lose all the points on the bear paws if I do.

Repeated washings will eventually ruin these blocks, so they can't be incorporated in any project that needs regular washing. I'm not in any mood to make decisions right now, but I may end up binding the edges and displaying them as wall or tabletop decorations.

Comments

nightsmusic said…

I think I'd bind them or frame them. Sometimes, preserving history means not quite doing it the way you'd like, but the results would still be wonderful.

September 30, 2020 at 12:36 PM

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