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Repair Work

My first quilting project for 2024 is this crazy double wedding ring quilt, which I began hand quilting before my vision problems required surgery. I think the reason I never went back to finish this quilt is because of how poorly I was stitching in that time. Anyway, I decided it was high time to finish it.

I've restored several double wedding ring quilt tops and quilts, and one common problem with the older ones is fraying and splitting seams. This quilt has a few, as you see here with this light yellow patch.

Usually I try to repair the problem by doing any invisible restitch of the seam (which I did here between the pink and blue patches), but often the fraying threatens to happen again, as you see here in the obvious weak spots of the fabric by the arrow. When that happens, rather than create more work for myself I cover the seam with lace or ribbon.

Word of warning: this is not how you should repair or restore an heirloom quilt worth a lot of money, or that has historic value. Always have an experienced quilt conservator/restorer handle those type of repair jobs.

If you just have an old quilt you want to repair or restore for display or gentle use, which is my purpose in finishing this quilt, then try stitching a support ribbon or lace over the repairs that still show weak spots.

For this quilt I used a snippet of rayon ribbon in a complimentary color. Whatever you use to cover and protect a seam, go for a strong, flexible material.

As you can see the repair is noticeable close up, but from a distance blends in with the rest of the quilt.

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