Quilt repair, part 1

A friend of mine (who is actually someone I've never met, and hadn't even interacted with directly before all of this--such is the wonder of internet communities) has a quilt of significant sentimental value, which the puppy took a bite out of.  She trusted me enough to send it to me, I care enough to fix it.

The holes extend clear through the quilt. The white visible in the first image is a sheet of paper I slipped between the quilt layers, not the batting.  The backing fabric visible in the second is the backing of the next layer. 


I knew matching was going to be a problem, especially the prints, because both patterns and colors change with fashion, and it's been a lot of years since some of the fabrics in this quilt were made.

The yellow turned out to be the easiest to match. I found something pretty much spot-on, no problem.

I knew the floral print was going to be a challenge, and focused on something that fit the aesthetics (color, brightness, density and size of print) rather than trying to find a duplicate.  It's not the same. would never be mistaken for the original fabric.  But it won't be too jarring, once it's in place. I do intend to keep as much of the original block as I can; I don't want to remove anything if I don't have to.

The blues were surprisingly hard to match, which is weird, because there are a few different very close shades of blue in the quilt.  But everything was too dark, too bright, too pale.  So I picked up two close shades of blue that were the closest I could find.  Again, they won't be mistaken for part of the original quilt, but they might actually blend in enough that a casual glance wouldn't spot it.


The backing, like the gold floral print, was obviously going to be a problem.   I went with a very
geometric print, using the same tan, red and black as the original.  Again, it won't be mistaken for the original quilt fabric, but it's not meant to: this is for the back of the quilt, it's primary purpose is to keep the batting from falling out. Matching is secondary.



I didn't know, until I had the quilt, just what was going to be involved in fixing it.  Turns out, it's hand pieced and hand quilted, which means I'll be doing handwork to fix it.  My current plan is to cut new pieces out and press the seam allowance under, and then applique them onto the quilt individually in whatever manner makes sense when I'm actually doing it.  I won't know until it's in my hands.