chance

A friend was given a beautiful old (125 years +) quilt. She needs advice as to how to save her. It is made of silk and the silk has deteriorated in many places . Replacing parts is not an option. But she was wondering if there is a spray or something that can be used to protect what remains. She plans to hang it, not use it as a quilt. Any advice or direction would be really appreciated. I do not have a pic of it, but she will be bring it here next Saturday. I'll post pics then, but in the meantime I told her not to attempt anything til I heard from this great group. Thanks.

paulswalia

the only repair I have ever heard prescribed is to put netting over the damaged areas so you can still see thru it, but keep any more pieces from falling off. Watch out for hanging it too. Make sure that when you attach the sleeve it is done in a way to not stress the rest of the quilt. Sometimes the only way to do this is to put it in a frame of sorts so the quilt is supported on all sides.

Inez Ruth

I wouldn't hang it. This will put a lot of stress on the seams and fabric. The whole weight of the quilt will be pulling it down. If you google "silk fabric preservation" and "displaying antique quilts" you'll find a lot of info.

HillCountryGal

Agree with the others... wouldn't hang it. Too much stress. I believe the quilt will deteriorate faster by hanging it.

Good advice you gave your friend about doing nothing till you see it.

PaperPrincess

The netting would be a good option to stabilize it. I also agree on not hanging it, at least not 'as is'. If it is small, it might not be a problem, but hanging does put stress on it. You could back it with a heavy muslin, put tulle on the front, then quilt the whole thing by hand using silk thread. Maybe there's a table she could fold it & display it on?

Freckles48

Contact a museum fabric conservationist. I live in a very small province of Canada and our museum has one and is very approachable. Be warned- they might want the quilt as a museum piece. Do not hang it. Lay it flat on a bed in a dry room out of sunlight.

Peckish

I agree, do not hang it. The best way to display a quilt that will not stress it is to place it on top of a spare bed in a room that does not get direct sunlight.

In this instance, I believe it would be well worth it to consult a professional. It's entirely possible that doing anything to the quilt will reduce its value. I have never heard of any kind of spray that preserves fabric.

Quilt appraisers and repairers will be the best people to ask as far as how to best preserve and display the quilt. There are links at the bottom of the page of this website. Your friend should be able to find a professional near her.

http://www.quiltappraisers.org/

chance

Thank you all for your valuable advice. I will know better next Saturday when she brings it here for me to look at. She is not familiar with old quilts so I have advised her to gingerly handle the quilt and place it in a cool dry place, laying it flat, if at all possible til we can determine where to go from here. She also received two other old quilts from this lady who had no one to leave them to who. That is so sad. Luckily, my friend values these quilts and their workmanship. So hopefully, we will be able to save these for prosperity. Thanks again. Will get back to you as this progresses.

Quilter 53

When my sister acquired a quilt that was hand done by our great-great grandmother there was no way to restore it. So the lady trying to do the restoration suggested she save the usable parts and she made us tiny Christmas stockings to use as ornaments. She reinforced the back with good quality material and wrote on it the details of our GGGM. Now we have at least a part of GM's quilt. Just a suggestion.