Mary Kerr was the speaker at the guild meeting tonight. She's put together a new exhibit of vintage tops that have been machine quilted by contemporary longarm quilters. Really amazing.
Did she say anything about having to restitch the tops before quilting? The vintage tops I've come across are generally not pieced very accurately so they don't lay flat. And sometimes the stitching or the fabric is in questionable condition.
@margonaut She's had the same experience you've had. Most of the quilts she had machine quilted were in poor condition. Some she had stitched to another backing. With some of the others she removed borders to help them lay flat or trimmed them. Some of them had to be quilted every half inch to get them to lay flat. She is not a purist where vintage quilts are concerned. Her philosophy is that they should be used and enjoyed. She said most of these were very inexpensive since they weren't made well, or the colors or patterns were odd, but after the quilting they are really amazing.
