So instead of spreading grumpiness around I'll show you an extremely old quilt and ask what you think I should do about it.
This is my first completed quilt made under supervision. It even has a date on it, Nov. 12, 1986! That means it is 22 years old. That's about right. Before this I had made a couple quilts from book instructions that were horrors. They were such monstrosities! (I'll go looking for pictures of those.) After Takumi was born I started feeling stressed out from lack of adult conversation and when Tetsu ended up between jobs he offered to watch Takumi to let me get out of the house once a week. Tetsu had even heard of a quilt class being offered at our church so for a few months I attended a real class and had some female companionship accompanied by handwork.
After one or two small clutch purses, the teacher suggested I make a baby quilt (I had the baby!) and so I started making squares from old fabric that someone had once given me (from a grandmother's collection!) and old shirts and aprons of my own. Once I got the blocks done I just asked the teacher to buy me some fabric that might go with it, I really had no idea about colors, contrast etc and was just interest in the sewing process rather than the designing. Once the quilt was all together I did a simple quilting pattern and at that point I knew I was caught for good! I went on to make a much larger sample quilt under the teacher's direction but then Tetsu found a job in a different prefecture so I was on my own again for quilt making.
As I say, this quilt is old and the fabrics are older! I still have a whole bag of these old fabrics already cut into squares. The quilt is dissolving away into dust and in places it is only held together by my quilting stitches. The cats have attacked this too and so even the newer fabric is ripped in places. 
Right now the quilt sits on an ottoman so it is still getting wear. I suppose I should put it away so that it doesn't suffer more damage but for some reason I keep it out. I don't think Takumi will ever have any great nostalgic feelings for it and it looks so bad that I'm the only one who could love it now or in the future. I saw on someone's blog, some cushions and stuffed animals made from antique quilts and thought "Well, I've got the "antique quilt" right here. I could just cut this up into pieces and make a cat cushion or something."
But cushions don't hold my attention as much as quilts and there are only so many cushions that one can have. But it might be a nice way to go for an old quilt...
What do you think? What do any of you do with old, worn out quilts?
11 comments:
When we were kids, my mom would put our old quilts inside a new cover (sort of like a duvet) and tie them. We loved them because we knew our old favorites were still inside. Now, when I don't mind cutting up old really useless things, I use them as the batting layer for new handbags and totes. I hate to waste them!
I can't wait to see what you will do...
I just love your old quilt. When my daughter was young, I made her a cat out of an old quilt. She still has this cat to this day. She said when she has children, she wants me to make one for them. It was in the 80's when I made that cat, had no money, so I made up my own pattern. She has always loved it though.
I made my son a little thing called a Gonk, when he was a baby. He loved it, & still mourns the fact his father threw it away!
It was made of felt, though, not an old quilt!
I could not bear to cut up an old quilt.
I love that top from the Kimono.
I think that the kids probably will have a nostalgic attachment to the quilt eventually. Maybe you can repair some of the spots, since you have fabric leftovers. Or you could just put it away as is, or cover it, as Bethany said.
You do bring up an interesting point. As we continue to make more and more quilts, each one has less overall nostalgic value since there are so many for the people left behind to pick from.
No advice on the quilt - I have a sentimental/packrat side and can't let go of things easily.
Just wanted to say I LOVE the new photo in your blog header!!!! :)
Oy. I couldn't bear to cut up a quilt either. I keep them all. Someone else is going to have to make those decisions!
n, np
I am sentimental and would probably end up putting the quilt away to be taken out for a visit from time to time. Since this was your first "real" quilt it is a keepsake!
Hope you don't mind but I have chosen you for an Arte Y Pico award as I do enjoy your blog. I couldn't find any way of emailing apart from though your comments box.
:o)
I have appliqued on new patches over old worn-out patches and requilted the patched spots, but when a quilt gets too worn out it goes on the shelf -- too sentimental to throw something like a quilt away and not brave enough to hack into it. My sister-in-law was repairing an old quilt for her son, and by the time it was done it was more new than old! Since it was more sentimental than valuable, she was sewing on new patches over the old ones by pressing under the seam allowances and machine sewing very near the edges, in the ditch, as it were.
My first quilt took me 20 years to finish - all by hand, and cut with cardboard templates. It's on my bed right now. I had brought the fabric from the back around to the front to use as binding, and it has completely seperated at the folded edge. I adore this quilt, tatters and all. I just keep using it, and will til it's nothing but threads, lol!
Allie
My memory is not what it used to be either and it's driving me crazy!
I've seen pieces of old quilts framed and they've really appealed to me that way - I'm not one for pillows. I also stayed at a Bed and Breakfast once that had lots of old quilts, they displayed even the tattered ones on chairs or across furniture and I thought they looked great.
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