Quilters and collectors across the globe often scour antique shops, flea markets, and even garage sales for quilt tops to add to their collections. Unfortunately, not every quilt top that survived the early half of the century is valuable. Some are in such poor condition that they are better off quilted and used, while others may be better and more valuable preserved as tops only.
If you aren't sure whether to quilt those tops or leave them "as is", quilt historian Barbara Brackman shares these ideas for protecting quilt tops while still enjoying their beauty and grace:
Sew a sleeve to the back of the quilt top just as you would a completed quilt. Use a double-folded sleeve so that the top is protected from the hanging mechanism. Use cotton fabric and thread along with single or double-fold binding and bind the raw edges by hand to prevent them from pulling and fraying. Hang the top for all to enjoy.
To give a fragile quilt top added strength, mount a piece of backing fabric to the top. Base the edges of the quilt top to the backing fabric with stitches that are about 1/4-inch long on the front of the quilt, but are about 1 inch long on the backing side. Then bring the backing fabric around to the front edge of the quilt top to cover the quilt's raw edges. Tack in place using as few stitches as possible.
Donate an antique quilt top in good condition to a museum that has a good textile collection. Curators are often interested in older quilt tops as historical records of past techniques, fabrics, and patterns.
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