Quilt Repair, finale

Aaaaand...we're done.  The quilting is replaced, the quilt is structurally sound.

So, to recap:

Also, dinosaur and blueberry fabrics are awesome, and I'm really not fond of hand quilting. 

Quilt Repair, part 3

After some delays and non-quilt-related setbacks, I'm back on the job.

First, I finished stitching down the patch on the backing

Again, it's obviously a patch, but it doesn't look *too* out of place on that crazy, busy backing fabric.

 Next, replacing the quilting lines. I'm using quilting thread here, instead of ordinary sewing thread. It's heavier, and 100% cotton.

And the small area is done!

And on to the larger area:

Going a piece at a time; first I'm going to repair the blue sashing; it'll be a patch slipped underneath, just like I did before.  I've pulled back the quilting and am tucking the raw edges under (with some minor trimming of the very uneven areas.

I've prepared a new piece, long enough and wide enough, with one edge pressed under.  I haven't mentioned it before, but in most cases with this quilt, I start with a replacement piece that is too large, and then trim it down to fit.  This piece was originally wider--too wide to fit under the existing piece, the seam allowance got in the way.  It's currently too long, too; that will be corrected later.

The new panel is pinned in, checking to make sure the width will be consistent.

And stitched in as before.

Next, I'm removing the pieces that are too far gone to salvage.

Slip the new piece under to align

Turn the raw edge under and pin.

Stitch it down. 

 Didn't that look easy?  I think I did it six times before I got it right.

Repeat with the yellow piece; slip under, align and pin

Turn the edges under

Stitch, and pin the two mended pieces together.

And sew.

 And that's it for pieces that get patched!  All that's left are the replacements.
Because the block is half un-sewn at this point, I decided it would be easiest, and most like the original construction, to re-assemble it as if it were new.

So: lay out the new pieces, to make sure I have them arranged correctly.

Sew them together on the side the share, using a running stitch.

Lay them over the two existing squares, to attach to the existing pieces.

And sew, using a running stitch.

 Like so:
Now. When the quilt was originally assembled, the small center square was sewn in the exact same way, but I just don't have the mobility to manipulate the fabrics to match the edges up, what with half the block being attached to the rest of the quilt.  So I'll blind stitch those seams instead.

Turn, tuck the raw edges under, everywhere.

Can we talk about fabrics again? LOOK AT THESE BLUEBERRIES!  Okay, carry on.

All edges were blind stitched down.  Isn't that lovely!  Actually, I'm really happy with how the new patterned fabric blends in. 

When doing this kind of repair, it's important to keep aware of the other layers of the quilt, so that you don't wind up attaching things that should not be attached. (There was some small cursing, unpicking, re-sewing.)

And turn to the back.  I trimmed away the worst of the ragged edges (so they wouldn't leave lumps inside the quilt)

Cut a piece of batting to fill the hole (in the batting, not the backing fabric)

Tuck it in.

Cover with the new fabric.

All that's left is the quilting, but I'm afraid that's going to have to wait a few days.

Quilt repair, part 2

I created a template for the finished pieces, and used it (plus 1/4" seam allowance all around) to cut replacement pieces for the damaged ones. 

I'm going to be using a combination of replacement and patching, again to keep as much of the original fabric as possible.

 The cardstock template made pressing the seam allowance easier, as needed.




First, I carefully removed the stitching, both quilting and seaming, trying not to cut the threads so that I'd have something to work with to finish the ends later.

Fold the damaged area under and pin

Trim the replacement piece so there is plenty of overlap. The edges that would be visible have been pressed under.

Slide the new fabric under the old, keeping seam lines straight, and pin

 I decided to use a shaped piece for the sashing, instead of sewing two pieces together.  Again, I pressed the edges that would be visible under.

 This time, I'm slipping it under first

Tucking the raw edges under and pinning after

 Using a slip stitch to attach the patch

 ...all the way around...

...and across the other piece...

I'm using a ladder stitch to join the sashing to the quilt square; it reproduces the structure of the running stitch that would have joined them.

Take a stitch through the fold on one side...

Go directly across and take a stitch through the fold on the other.

This yields a series of  stitches going horizontally across the gap

Which is pulled tight to make a snug seam.

Can we take a minute to talk about the dinosaurs?  LOOK! DINOSAURS!

The front, reconstructed.  The blues are terrible, the light makes them worse.  

Turn to the back.  There's batting missing, too.

Cut a piece the right size and shape

And tuck it in.

Cover the hole.

Tomorrow, I'll stitch it down and quilt the area.  Then on to the next area!