# Old (Vintage) Quilt Tops



## Peacock (Apr 12, 2006)

I posted something about this on the CF board, but this forum is better. Looking through my mom's stuff, I found a box with five quilt tops all finished. One is Sunbonnet Sue, really cute. One's a Granny's Flower Garden, with all the teeny tiny hexagons and diamonds! One's a sashed nine-patch. One is, I think it's called a Rob Peter to Pay Paul . . .I think that's what it's called. The last two are really garish fabrics! 

The first and last I listed are in pretty good shape. All but the Sunbonnet is hand stitched - I mean, the applique is hand sewn but the squares are machine done. And all are at least 40 years old. I think they're all about twin size, maybe a couple are full. My grandma made them. I know this because my mom sewed everything you can imagine but never ever made a quilt.

And they STINK.  Everyone in that house smoked profusely. I can't wash them till they're finished, well maybe I could hand wash them??? And on a nice day air them on a line so maybe I wouldn't suffer the odor while finishing them.

But I need some encouragement. I'm not very good at finishing quilts! All I have is a regular machine. I can't sew a darn thing by hand except maybe a button or a tiny hole that needs mending. I'm afraid that if I try to quilt them I'll mess them up. I guess I could send them out to be quilted -- do those finishing services even *do* vintage tops?

I definitely want to at least finish Sunbonnet and hang her up someplace. In fact all of these are too old, I think, to even use--I'd be afraid of damaging the fabric since it's so old. It'll hold up to finishing, but not actual use on a bed with frequent washing.

Advice? What would you do?


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

What an incredible find. I have always loved Sunbonnet Sue and Sunbonnet Sam.... I would try to air them..... I would not place them in direct sunshine... or in a harsh wind. I would not try to soak them,until they are quilted...they need the added strength and stability.... since the fabrics are older. Maybe the slightest misting of lavender spray or Febrese.
I was given an old hand stitched top. I took it to the quilt shop. They dated it about 80-90 yrs old . They quilted it for me and THEN I soaked it in the bathtub using a solution of BIZ and cool water for 24 hrs. Squish gently.... do not wring. Rinse throughly in the same manner. Fold or roll to remove from tub. I then laid it on several sheets on the drive way to dry. Came out beautiful, clean and smelling sweet.
Hope this helps!
Good luck and congratulations!!


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

ok this I can help you with! Old Sue blocks that were unfinished is what started me on my quilting journey! And mine had been stored in an attic and there were mice living there too. They were nasty and no way could they have anything done before they were washed. they were on thin muslin too. I washed them by hand with just a little hand soap...ivory I think. I just filled the sink, help the bar of soap under the water while filling, and then put the blocks in one at a time and just swished them around. I took a washcloth and gently wiped a few of the worst stains. To dry them I took them out of the water and let as much drip off as I could then wrapped them in a towel to soak out the rest and dry. A couple of them were so thin I ended up sewing them to another piece of muslin but most of them are holding up fine. The little quilt my Grannie had at the nursing home went thru their washers and dryers quite a few times and is now hanging on my wall and is holding up well. Everytime I look at it I' smile and think of Grannie.

Oh just thought of something else! if they're not dirty you could just put them in a big trashbag and put in a bar of deodrant soap and tie it shut. Leave it sitting for a few weeks. I recently did this with some fabric scraps I got that smelled like smoke so bad I couldn't use them and it worked!


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

If they are 40 years old the fabric should be pretty good, but some colors may bleed. If the fabric was not prewashed the color could come out the first time the quilt is washed. I would go ahead and hand wash using a soap from the fabric store specifically for quilts. Use your laundry sink or a large kitchen sink if you have one. You can use the spin cycle on your machine to get the rinse water out (not the full spin cycle, just a few seconds), just don't use any agitation. There is also a trick about adding vinegar to the wash so that released dye isn't absorbed by the other fabrics, but I don't know it.


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