Repairing a quilt when the ties come untied

by Cindy Barber
(Vinton, IA)

Cindy asks...

How do I repair a quilt that has become untied from too many washings and now the batting is crumpled in between the 2 layers—the top of the quilt and the backing?

Do I need to cut the ends open and replace the batting?

Julie replies...

First I would go over the quilt to determine if it needed other repairs so that I could accurately assess how much work/time would be involved in reconditioning this quilt.

My concern is that if the quilt has come untied after many washings that some of the fabrics may have been roughed up in the washing...lots of abrasion as the fabric rubbed past itself in the washing machine. There may be weakened fabrics.

Then, without seeing the quilt itself, if I believed it to be in good enough shape, I'd remove the binding and take the layers completely apart. If the backing needed it, I'd replace it.

Then layer and baste the quilt sandwich and quilt it or re-tie it...whichever is your choice.

I think it'd be harder to try to get the batting to flat properly if you cut open two opposite ends and pulled the batting out. Cotton wants to stick to cotton. I'd also want to have the batting stitched into, or caught, in the stitches that attach the binding. That would ensure there's no loose batting to migrate when the quilt is washed again.

There are probably as many solutions as there are quilters, but it really comes down to how much effort and time you are willing to put into this project.

Readers, please share your ideas in the 'Comments' link below.

Thank you.

Piecefully,

Julie Baird
Generations Quilt Patterns

P.S. Please say 'Hi!' to Iowa for me. I was born in Cedar Rapids!

This article was printed from Generations-Quilt-Patterns.com