Thursday, August 01, 2013

How long do your quilts last?

Do you ever wonder how your quilts will hold up to years of constant use, daily snuggles, and regular washing? 
Last week I slept under (well, partially "under" since my feet were sticking out the bottom!) an old quilt that I made for my nephew when he was born. 
I should mention that I started it when he was born, but he didn't get it right away! *LOL*
Here is a bad old photo of me with my nephew and son. He looks so happy about his quilt! And I look so young in my velour outfit ...and so much a red head (which regretfully, I never was!) LOL
Anyway...this same nephew is now a young man and has just completed his first solo flight...yes, in an airplane! 
BY HIMSELF!  So that tells you how old this quilt is. 
This is a "classic Kathy" quilt...scrappy, fun, personalized and full of love. I was delighted to see that although it is quite faded and the binding is very worn, the hand embroidery is still holding up great! And the memories haven't faded one bit!

13 comments:

Barb said...

That is so fun to see your old quilt again and to see it still holding up.

I have some that were made 15 years ago with cheap fabric and they are still hanging in there....

Betty Lou said...

What a sweet post, when quilts are made with love they last forever.

Mary said...

I made my son a pieced, appliqued, hand quilted full sized quilt 33 years ago. It was on his bed for about 10 years, and he used the heck out of it. After he decided he was too grown up for it, it went into the storage tubs and we used it on the air mattresses when we had more kids staying at the house than we had beds to put them on. I restored it for him (all by hand) 2 years ago, it's hanging in he living room of his home.

Janet O. said...

What a fun blast from the past!
Some of my earliest quilts (25 years old) have still got some life in them, but one has become a dog blanket. That is okay--it was cheap leftover fabrics from clothing, and I just tied it. But my Mom made one for a relative that was hand quilted and she was sick inside when she saw the ragged thing it had become through careless handling. Made her rethink who receives her quilts.

Mary said...

I love your trip in the "way back" machine. I think the cameras made our hair RED back in the days of Velour...70's, huh??? I made a whole quilt with thrift store Velour shirts back then. I still have it. It's very heavy and tied.

audrey said...

Very sweet! My kids have some old quilts from their aunt and me that have been very well used. Great to see the ones that have been so loved.:)

Teresa in Music City said...

Oh how wonderful to see that your quilt has been loved and cherished!!! Reading this post was worth it just to see that cute picture of long-ago-Kathy LOL!!!

Robin said...

I made a baby quilt for my nephew when he was born. My sister states that it was well loved and is now used as a couch quilt. That quilt was made 28 years ago. The quilt I made for my niece, 23 years ago, stays on the back of my sister's couch for when company needs some covers.

Aunt 'Reen said...

I really enjoy seeing old quilts from the past! Such great Memory keepers! Thanks for sharing your nephews special quilt. LOVE that picture! :)

libbyquilter said...

i have a quilt that i made (one of my first) almost 30 years ago and it's looking a bit worn but is still being used. i was thinking the other day that i should just patch over the worn places in a sort of Japanese boro/sashiko way . . .

isn't it nice when an item that we lovingly made has been used and appreciated?

:-)
libbyQ

Susan P said...

I have a few of these much loved quilts where the binding is quite frayed and thin. What would you recommend technique-wise on re-doing a binding? Do you cut it off and apply new binding or take the old binding off, or put new binding over the old binding?

Kate said...

I have some quilts my grandmother pieced using my first embroidered blocks (I was 9 or 10). That quilt stayed on my bed for years when I was a girl. The binding is coming off and the colors have faded, but I still love that old quilt.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

We have 5 quilts from hubby's grandmother (youngest is almost 20 years old) and the quilt my great-grandmother gave my parents when they got married (it was a used quilt back then) well over 50 years ago. Such special quilts, like the one you made your nephew. Something he will appreciate for a very long time, still.