Here's a question I get all the time, "Hey, Susan, is there any way to repair this tear (or hole, depending on the customer) I made in my favorite quilt?
Good news! The answer is yes! And if it's small, it's relatively easy to fix by hand-stitching a closure where it will be barely noticeable.
Now, for larger tears or holes, these too can be fixed, and here's how I recommend you do so:
- Cut a small piece of lightweight fusible interfacing and insert it into the quilt under the rip with the fusible side facing the quilt top's wrong side. Then align the edges of the rip and "fuse" it back together.
- Use a scrap piece of the fabric that matches the pattern where the repair is needed, then, using the needle-turn technique, applique a circle over the hole/tear.
If it's an old quilt, and some of the tears are extensive, I recommend covering the entire block with new fabric.
- I find some fabric that is "close."
- To give it more of an antique look, bleach it just a little, dry it and then soak it in tea.
- After achieving more of the fabric's look in the original quilt, cut out blocks, turn under the edges and applique them onto the quilt.
The bottom line is with a little bit of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, your quilt will be almost as good as new in no time!