AboutConnie Hester Expertise Quilting and applique expert.Can advise on the following topics:quilting, art quilts, quilt design and construction, machine and hand quilting, paper foundation piecing, machine piecing, hand piecing, raw edge applique, turned-edge applique and fiber art.
Experience Winning awards in international fiber and art competitions since 1983; http://www.conniehester.com/
BS,MS
See my work and books at http://www.conniehester.com/
Expert: Connie Hester Date: 6/26/2006 Subject: Quilt with Photos
Question My mother has a quilt that my sisters made that has photos on it and one of the photos is cracking. How do we mend or further protect the rest of the photos. It was made for my mothers 80th birthday and has many old pictures. I don't know how they made the quilt but would like to know how to preserve it. Thank you
Sue Noriega
Answer It is hard to make a suggestion for something so special without seeing it in person. My first thought, though, would be to purchase some acrylic medium (like, "Golden" brand, or "Liquitex" brand, through art suppliers). This is what acrylic paint powdered pigments are added to in order to create acrylic paint, and it is currently used by many artists to transfer images to fabric. I have done a lot of it myself. I suspect this may have been used by your sisters, based on your description of the problem, since acrylic paint on fabric will crack over time.
Acrylic medium is a milky liquid, but it dries clear, and it has a BIT of flexibility, which dries and becomes more brittle over time. You could try putting a thin coat of acrylic medium over the cracking photos, but once dried, I would want to insure that they would not receive rough treatment, like common use and washing machines, or they will just crack again in the future. I would then mount the quilt on the wall by attaching a sleeve to the upper back area and inserting a pole for hanging.
The only other thought that comes to mind is using clear silicon "Elmer's Squeeze and Caulk" which is available in hardware stores. It is another substance which is commonly used for image transfer by collage artists, and it will stick to acrylic paint (assuming that is what your sisters may have originally used). As it is silicon, it will remain more supple than acrylic paint medium over time. Again, apply in a thin coat over the cracked image.
I hope this helps. Let me know if I can help further.
