Sunday 18 December 2011

Giving New Life to a Worn Out Quilt

As I typed the title for this post, I was going to say "old" quilt, but the quilts I'm thinking of aren't very old. They have just been well used and loved.

The first one that I need to give new life to is a Trip Around the World quilt (over 1000 - 2 1/2" squares) I made several years ago. It has been used almost every day since I finished it, and it is showing its wear. The edges are frayed, the fabric is disintegrating and it has faded slightly. I had thought about cutting it up into smaller projects, but just can't bear to do that.

I have decided to give it new life by making a new top and using the entire worn out quilt as the batting. I spent hours piecing and quilting it, so have an attachment to it. It was the first queen size quilt I made that would stay in my home; the others always ended up being sold. It has a 100% cotton batting which makes it very warm, and I cannot bear to cut it up, toss it or use it in the dog's bed.

I have yet to decide on the pattern, but perhaps a Log Cabin will be in order. I use the Quilt in a Day method to make my Log Cabin quilts as it is a time saver to say the least. I have made several quilts this way in a variety of sizes. Eleanor Burns has done a wonderful job of putting together workbooks and instructor manuals.

In order to make the new top the same size as the quilt, I will have to measure the worn out quilt, figure out how many blocks I will need to make, and adjust the border sizes to make it fit properly. I will definitely be putting my brain and calculator to use when I'm figuring it out. One thing to remember to take into consideration are the seam allowances; always figure it out on paper (graph paper works well) before any cutting is done. This will ensure mistakes are minimal.

In the age of disposable everything, why not give your worn out quilts new life instead of throwing them away?

Have a great day!

Diane

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