This quilt was made from men's shirts' shirting fabric in very fine thin cotton, often with polyester in it. This means the fabric is thin. And soft. This look is very muted. Some of the fabrics have just shredded while others are just fine. So this post is letting Madeleine know what I plan to do. We have agreed that my fee, which I estimate to be around $100 - $120 will go to a charity of my choice. And I'm sure it will be for Sew Powerful.
These are the fabrics I plan to use. None of them are shirting fabrics, but they have a similar color/feel to the shirt fabrics.
Some of the squares have worn completely through to the batting. For these squares I will applique a square of similar value.
A few of these squares may be hand-mended, sashiko-style. TBD once project is started.
Look at the light blocks between the two brown rows. Each one is shredded or worn through. For a part like this, I am going to overlay a strip of fabric. See the first picture in this post and below:
I think this is a practical and modern way to give this quilt another couple of years!
The last thing I will probably do is replace the binding. Kevin hand-quilted this quilt, adding to the soft feel. The outer parts of a quilt are the ones that are handled the most - think about how you hold and use quilts. So the binding is important. I don't think I'll cut off the original but rather bind over it, hoping to add some additional strength.
There are a few things I need to finish before starting this restoration. But I'm sure it'll be done by July. And of course if it's sooner, I know the ants in my pants will want to get this to Oak Park!