Restoring a Vintage Quilt

In my quest to find the perfect bedspread for my mother-in-law's new room, I came across a beautiful handmade quilt in decidedly less-than-perfect condition from Red Brick Cottage on Etsy. This quilt had a lot more history than the others I had been looking at and was cheaper. According to the description, the quilt was "created in the 1920's by the aunt of a friend" of the seller. (The aunt had provided the date.)  I knew it would take a bit of work and love to get it back to working status.

Before

My new project arrived bundled in plastic via the mail. I was pretty excited to get started on it, but I took a few minutes to give it a checkup before launching in. Here are the problems I identified and the solutions.

Dirt on the Edge

 

 

 

Problem #1: Dirt

The seller was hesitant to clean the quilt, and for good reason. One edge was very fragile, the batting was clumping badly, and the colors might bleed. One edge was visibly soiled.

 

 

 

Hanging to Dry

Solution: 

I carefully removed the batting first. I planned to soak the quilt top and back in the tub in Oxi-Clean, but as soon as I got the water running, the color started running as well. I yanked the quilt out of the tub and put in in the washing machine on the hand-wash cycle with cold water. Then I hung it to dry on the shower curtain rod. Not all of the stains were removed, but at least now the quilt was clean enough to work on.

 

 

 

 Problem #2: Yarn Ties

At one point, this quilt was held together with knotted pieces of yarn. Over time, the yarn had disintegrated in places, which led to other problems.

 

Solution:

I carefully snipped off all the old yarn ties. After replacing the batting (which I will address next) I hand quilted the squares instead of using yarn ties. This was the most tedious part, but also the most fun. On the blue squares, I made a smaller blue square with matching thread. On the red parts, I used red thread to trace some of the designs that were printed on the fabric.

Problem #3: Batting

Because of the yarn tie problem, the batting had shifted considerably. Some places had no batting at all and others were up to two inches thick. Check out the pictures of the lumpiness (not the quilt is not on anything, it's that lumpy!). I decided to undo the stitching on one end of the quilt and discovered the batting was very old cotton with plant debris in it. New batting was a must.
 

Solution:

My Assistant

Well, I thought about trying to save the batting, but only for a little while. I then thought of using an old store-bought comforter I had as the batting. After doing some research, I discovered that several people were using this approach to save money on batting and to recycle old materials.  Since this quilt was very nearly a twin-size quilt, I used my twin-size comforter from college. Not only did it give added warmth and cheap batting, but the finished quilt underneath the quilt top provides a second layer of protection for the batting. 

I carefully cut the stitches on one edge of the quilt and placed my quilt inside like a duvet cover. Then I fixed the burst seams (which I will discuss next). After which, I trimmed off the excess of my quilt. Then I folded the edges of the red quilt under and pinned them with safety pins. In keeping with the hand-stitched nature of this quilt, I hand stitched the edge. 

As for the batting, it sadly didn't make it. No matter how much soaking and scrubbing I did, the water drained out brown. Pretty gross.

 

 

 

 

 

Problem #4: Burst Seams

One edge of the quilt had several seams that had come undone. At some point some of these had been repaired by hand with a large diagonal stitch.  

Solution: 

I removed the large stitches with a seam ripper and put in my own. Not a hard fix, just tedious.

 

 

 

 

Problem #5: Small Holes

There was one small hole on the back of the quilt that could be easily patched. The main problem was the area along the edge that I had cut. In several places, the fabric had worn out pretty badly.

 Solution: 

When I replaced the batting, I used more seam allowance on the edge. This meant that most of the rough spots were turned under, but I did lose about an inch on the length of the quilt. I thought it a fair compromise.

The small hole on the back I patched with a small piece of fabric.

 

 

 

Problem #6: Fading

Some of the squares, particularly in one area, have faded.
In the picture at right, see where the yarn tie has been removed.

Solution:

Short of replacing the faded areas, there was nothing more I could do. I decided to leave it since it would add to the character of the quilt and the fading was not too severe.

Problem #7: Irregularities

Based on what I've seen on this quilt, I'm guessing it was intended to be a daily use quilt and not a showpiece. The quilter who made it added strips between some of the squares to make the pieces fit. One end of the quilt has a large red strip. Most of the back is a pink fabric, but one on end is a large brown strip.

Solution:

None, really. This is where my favorite motto comes in handy: "It doesn't have to be perfect, it's Just Folk Art." All of the quirky details tell the story of the previous quilter and I, for one, don't want to remove that story. 




 
Now that you've seen all the issues that were remedied, check out some of the amazing things this quilt has going for it. First, it's been entirely stitched by hand. All the work I did was by hand as well.



There is no doubt this quilt is old, but I'm not entirely sure it's from the 1920s. I asked my mom, who thinks a few of the squares might be as new as the 1970s. I was guessing 1960s because of the red sections. What do you all think? Any clues would be greatly appreciated.

And finally, the reveal!

I have had fun working on this project. It had a lot of character and charm, I just added some stability and a lot of little stitches. I hope you will be inspired to take on a restoration project of your own.

How to Make a Distressed Gift Box

So Here's the (Long) Story:

My friend recently completed a 30,000 word writing challenge. Since this was her first major writing project, I wanted to commemorate the occasion. I wanted to get her a fountain pen just like mine, but mine was no longer available with free shipping. In protest, I decided to buy a different pen. I ordered a pen and ink set that was supposed to come with a nifty suede roll to store the pen in. When it arrived, I was sadly disappointed. The suede was a sliver only large enough for the pen and a cartridge to sit on, not be rolled up in. The pen also looked cheap and was much lighter than I had expected. I sent it back and ordered a pen just like my favorite one. I expected it to come in a gift box like mine had. No such luck. It was sent very unceremoniously in a bubble mailer. A few days later we headed to the craft store for some art supplies. I found a cardboard necklace box for $1 that would have worked. Then I spotted this unpainted wooden box for $3.50. I decided that was the way to go.

How to Make a Distressed Gift Box

Here's What You'll Need:

• Unpainted wooden box (found mine for $3.50 at Michael's).
•  Acrylic paints:
• White
• Turquoise
• Brown and/or Black

• Sandpaper
• Screwdriver

1. Remove the Hardware. 

The hardware on my box came off pretty easily. If you wish, you can mark the underside of the hinges to make sure they get back in the right place. Mine were a little uneven and required some problem solving to get the box back together once it was painted. 

2. Clean the Box up a Little. 

If you want to, sand any majorly rough places. Don't go too crazy, rough places catch paint and add to the distressed look.  Whether you sand or not, make sure all excess sawdust has been removed from the interior of the box. I used an electronics duster to blast some air into the box.

3. Apply the Base Color. 

I mixed my white and turquoise in a 1:1 ratio, then applied it to the box with a 1" brush. Nothing fancy here. I only did one coat, since I'll be distressing the box. I had planned to paint the designs engraved on the box with different colors and do a peacock on the inside of the lid, but after looking at it, I decided simple was best.

Here's my peacock sketch. Cute as he is, I decided I'm not an expert on painting peacocks. Need more practice.

4. Sand it Down. 

Dry the box with a hairdryer or wait for it to dry.

I used some rough grain sandpaper for the initial sanding, then smoothed out a few spots with a finer grade. The goal is to focus on the areas that would be scratched the most by normal wear and tear over time. Corners and edges are especially important, but be careful with the corners. These boxes aren't super thick and you can chip off a piece of the corner pretty easily. No big deal if you do, that happens over time, too.  Sand down to where you can see the natural wood underneath in some places. Also sand the engraved design a little, but not too much that you lose some of it.

5. Paint on the Distress Color. 

Mix brown, black, and water until you have a dark brown color that is the consistency of dirty dish water. Brush the mixture with the wood grain, making sure to dab extras into the corners and details on the lid. Before it dries, use a paper towel or rag to remove all the color you don't want. The less you remove, the darker the finish will be.

6. Reattach the Hardware.

Once your paint is dry, reattach the hinges first, making sure the edges align as well as they did before you started painting. Then close the box and reattach the clasp.

7. Fill the Box. 

I filled the bottom of the box with some leftover stuffing from another project. Then I nestled the extra cartridges, ink, and instructions in the stuffing. I then cut a piece of scrap fabric in a rectangle that was about 3" wider and longer than the bottom of the box. I tucked the edges around the stuffing. Then put the pen on top and it was ready to go!

The box turned out to be just perfect for the present. Since I had all the other materials, the cost was only $3.50, which is about what I would pay if I had put it in a gift bag with some tissue paper.

And all my extra peacock colors? I used them to make a peacock painting. I was going to give it with the pen, but my husband convinced me to hold onto it for a little while longer and make some improvements. I'll let you know when (if) I do.

Making a Rustic Wisteria Trellis

Our latest project has been a rustic trellis for the wisteria in the front yard. After researching various sources and drawing inspiration from Pinterest, we collaborated to make this project.

Collaborated is such a neat and simple word, but it really doesn't capture the amount of combined thinking we did on this. First, my husband is a fan of clean lines and simple modern looks, with a farm-like rustic quality. I like ornate antiques and dark woods. Combine that with the style of our house (think suburbs with siding, white trim, shingle roof), our modest budget, and the poor trellis that has been already taken over by the vines, and you have quite the task. So, without further ado (if you want more "ado" check out my wisteria post here.)

Making a Rustic Wisteria Trellis

What You'll Need:

• 2 - 4"x4"x8' pressure-treated wooden posts
• 1 qt. dark walnut stain (optional)
• 1 25' roll rabbit fence (ours is wire, the widest holes are 2" x 4")
• staples
• u-nails
• 1 bag concrete

1. Check and Measure. 

The first step is always to check with your local digging hotline to make sure you aren't going to burst a pipe or hit a power line.

Second, measure where you want your posts to be. Ours are about 12 feet apart, I wouldn't recommend any wider than that because it will be difficult to tighten the fence.

2. Stain the Posts (Optional). 

We had originally intended to leave the posts as-is, but they looked very green against our tan siding. We decided to go for a dark walnut stain and I'm quite pleased with the results.

 

 

 

3. Dig the Holes

We  My husband dug the holes about 2 feet deep. Word of advice if you get into some tough clay: fill the hole with water and allow to soak overnight. My husband actually bent our post-hole digger on this project.

Also, you might look into buying a digging bar, but that requires quite a bit of muscle. If all else fails, you can rent an auger, just be careful if you're in close proximity to your house. (Our project was way too close to the house to consider this option.)

4. Mix the Concrete and Install the First Post. 

Being rather old-fashioned and cheap in terms of construction methods, my husband mixed our concrete by hand.  The concrete adds stability to the posts.

When thoroughly mixed, pour a little concrete into the first hole. Set the first post in the hole and use a level to ensure it is straight. If necessary, use a sledgehammer to drive the post into the concrete. Add a layer of rocks and gravel, then fill the hole with concrete.

5. Attach the Fence to the Second Post and Install It.

Stretch out your fence material. For our project, we used two lengths of fence. Be sure to measure and allow an amount for wrapping around the edges, so that the majority of your staples and nails will be on the back of the posts. Before installing the second post, wrap the rabbit fence around the outside of it and secure the fence to the back of the post the back using u-nails. Then install the second post using the same method as the first.

 Now allow the concrete to set. We waited a week before proceeding. You might need to put up a brace to support your post.

 6. Finish Installing Fence.

When your concrete has set, wrap the fence around the other post and secure using staples and/or u-nails.

7. Attach Wisteria Using String.

The string also helped anchor my existing trellis to the new fence trellis. I'm sure the fence will be completely covered next spring. 

And that's it! I hope this gives you some ideas for taming your climbing plants and filling up a long vacant wall.