Sometimes quilt repair can be overdone. Sometimes the fabric is so old
and deteriorated that it doesn't pay to try to fix it. You might fix
some spots now and in a few weeks or months other worn out spots will
show up. Just my two cents worth. I haven't seen your quilt so I don't
know that it fits into the category of "not worth repairing" and I have
no suggestions for your repair.

Julia in MN

On 8/12/2015 12:52 AM, Brian wrote:
My philosophy of quilting is that it is both a fine art and a practical
art.

The fine art portion is that I think even a "stash buster" quilt should
somewhat be coordinated in the colors/patterns chosen, as judged by the
quiltmaker.

The practical art part is that quilts are meant to be used and loved, not
"displayed."

Also, at least in my view, another part of the "practical art" side of
them is that when they wear out, they should be fixed to the best ability
or the quilt owner, and not just thrown out (I suppose this is kind of
"depression era" thinking, even though I am way too young to have lived
in the depression. but it is still my opinion)

The problem is that, there are very few people today that can fix a
quilt. I will make the random stab that perhaps 1% of the population (it
might be more, like 5%, but I really do not think I am going out on a
limb to say it is a relatively small proportion of the population). I
put myself at, I suppose, the bottom of this 1% that has the sewing
skills to repair a quilt.

Well, I have a quilt that was made by my grandmother that is in quite a
need of repair to be useable. It is not a "family heirloom" and I really
don't think it has much value as a museum piece, but it does have meaning
to me and is a sort of "personal heirloom."

I think that it is a crib quilt that was made when I was born, but I am
not sure about that, the reason being that it is a bit big for a crib
quilt, or at least bigger than I would make a crib quilt (~56" x 70"),
but since I am the only living person that knows anything about the
history of this quilt, or even that it exists, that is my story and I am
sticking to it.