Heathermom2opmc

Hello All, I am repairing a 1920's dresden plate rounded blade top quilt. It has been stashed away in my parents house for decades. At some point my father (former Tailor) carefully cut out the 18 damaged blades and was going to hand sew/replace them. However his hands were not able to stand that type of hand stitching anymore. I have had the quilt for awhile now and decided that I was going to finally replace the missing blades. I have extensive hand piecing and quilting experience and I have made the needed templates for the blades. I have some 1920's reproduction fabrics and a few vintage scraps that will work well but they are to bright. Has anyone purposely faded fabrics to better match vintage fabrics? If so how?

bearisgray

You can let them lay out in the sun for a while. But then too much sun weakens the fabric.

QuiltE

Some use the backside of the fabric so it blends better with other aged fabrics.

Tartan

Looks for fabrics that you can use the wrong side of the fabric for replacement pieces.

toverly

Would it be possible to use the good existing blades together and make a smaller quilt?

Onebyone

I have seen the results of the new Brother fabric printer replicate exactly the color, print, and shade of scanned vintage fabric to repair old quilts. The match was amazing. Check with local quilt shops, most offer the service for a fee. The printers are for sale too. https://www.brother-usa.com/home/printmoda

EasyPeezy

Lissa Alexander wrote an article about creating vintage fabric.
Here's the link.
https://modalissa.com/2024/06/creati...leaching.html/

Snooze2978

Years ago a friend asked me to repair her quilt made of very old fabrics. I found fabrics that were as close as possible and then set them in water with a little bleach and watched them until they got to the shade I wanted She couldn't tell the old from the new so I was happy. Years later, she again asked me to repair the same quilt as it got used constantly but it was made from 2.0 squares and the last time there were over 60 squares to be replaced all by hand and then quilt it. I told her no but that I would make a new quilt for her. She looked thru all the quilts I'd made before and picked out one I still had the fabric for so made that for her. Used up all the fabric on the second quilt which was good for me.

I have an old quilt with Susan Bee (I think that's what they're called) blocks. I washed it like an idiot and all the seams came apart. Of course the sashings are made out of that soft green you can't find any longer but the blocks are still in tact so will rip it apart and replace the sashing someday. It's been in my bedroom closet for 13+ years now. Someday I'll get to it.

KalamaQuilts

but if it can lie buried for 13 years what is the point snooz? as toverly said why not take the best of it to honor and let the burden of it go? i speak from experience with one of robs great grandmothers quilts. she was an exqusite piecer but tied her quilts which doomed them. i took it apart saved the best, backed with light interfacing and retrimmed, reassembled into this which hang joyfully in the quilt room. pleasure rather than guilt

Peckish

I agree with using the back side of the fabric, I do this often.