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We loved how, in Episode 909, Gyleen Fitzgerald shared that, along with making new quilts, she also loves rescuing and utilizing old quilt tops. Old tops, however, do have unique characteristics that we must keep in mind as we set about completing them. If quilting an old top is in your future, her are some helpful tips from Gyleen that we've gathered from her book Quilts: Unfinished Stories with New Endings:
- Anything pre-1900, no matter how complete or incomplete, should be seen a by professional appraiser before you do anything.
- Check the stability of the fabric in a quilt top before it's quilted. Be warned that anything could happen, the worst being a ruined, non-repairable top or block. When in doubt, seek the help of a professional.The pros have many ideas about how to clean and protect vintage fabric.
- Keep in mind that the idea is to honor the work of the original maker with your own work. Gyleen likes to juxtapose current fabrics with the old.
- Gyleen admits to being a renegade and washing her quilts on a delicate cycle in the washing machine. She uses a fragrance-free laundry liquid, OxiClean, and several color-catcher sheets. She only allows the cycle to run on delicate for about 10 minutes. A few seams might need repair afterward, but usually the treatment comes off without a hitch. On occasion, she has inserted a layer of white muslin between the top and the batting to give the quilt more strength.
- Gyleen likes to have her completed quilts machine quilted for two reasons. The first is that her schedule just doesn't allow her time to quilt them herself. (Sound familiar?) The second is that the machine-quilted quilt will be more durable and enjoy a longer life.
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