How to clean an old hand made quilt?

[Spinning]

I come from a long line of quilters...that basically stopped with my mom and I certainly have no desire to quilt. But I have inherited some beautiful quilts. Some are up to 75 plus years old.
One quilt was given to my mom when she got married. It really needs to be cleaned. I thought about going to the dry cleaners but then wasn't sure.
I do have a brand new front load washer. That will hold it with out any problems. Would that be crazy to wash in on gentle? This quilt is about 40 years old. Hardly used....

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Spinning,

STOP!!!! Do not, I repeat do NOT take an old quilt (and essentially that means anything more than about 25 years old) to either a commercial cleaner or throw it in your washing machine! The textiles will NOT hold up. You'll end up with a mess.

Your best bet (and if you want to do a little internet sleuthing Ann Landers actually just ran a column on this) is to find a quilting society or better textile conservator to advise you.

Second best is to contact (start with the web site) the American Quilting Museum in Paducah, KY. They have some information on the site and more if you contact them.

Essentially old textiles must be handled very carefully and quilts especially until you are pretty certain of the fiber content. Old cottons can range from being incredibly strong to incredibly week. I actually have a quilt my great-grandmother made that graces the back of the sofa in my scraproom. The way I have it displayed goes against all the rules, but my dear friend Pat (who has 2 quilts on permanent display in Paducah) has confirmed what I know from my textile training that it is fine. Mainly because it was constructed from very sturdy, new cotton and is a log cabin style so not a lot of tiny points. The thing that gets missed many times today is that many times older quilts were made from "rags". Once a garment was considered to worn to be used as clothing the "best" parts were cut away and used to make the quilt. This process significantly weakend the beginning fabric.

Ok, I have to run to class right now but if you need more feel free to email or pm me. Or I'll check back here later.

Deb

 

[Spinning]

Thanks! I kind of had a feeling the washer wasnt' the best idea.
The one quilt that I would really love to wash is about 44 years old. It was made for my mom right around the time she got married. it is the wedding ring pattern. I don't believe it was made from rags or old clothes due to the material/colors used. I know some of the other quilts definately are old clothes. and they have actually aged the best!

One quilt which was never finished, just needs the binding came from scraps at a shirt factory my grandmother worked out. It is just beautiful peach, blue and cream.

I must say it was fun going through the trunk. I think all together their must be about 20 quilts.
I guess I will just air them out and put them back in the cedar chest!

 

[quiltymom]

Cleaning a vintage quilt takes time and patience, but it can be done. Just be aware that not all the stains will come out, and whatever you do, do not use bleach or scrub it in any way!

1. If it has mold/mildew on it, you'll first need to use Biz. Fill a bathtub with cold water, and dump about 5 scoops of Biz into the bath; mix to dissolve. Gently place the quilt in the bath enough to let it get wet. For best results, soak it 3+ days, slightly agitating the water twice a day. Do this by just moving the water around a bit with your hands. This will allow the Biz to not sink to the bottom. After the alotted time, drain; fill tub again with cold water and gently agitate the quilt. Drain & repeat about 3 times to insure all the Biz is out.

2. If it is just dirty, again fill a bathtub with cold water. I then place one scoop of Ivory Snow flakes in the water and agitate to dissolve. Place the quilt in the bath and get wet. Soak for about 1 - 2 days, agitating water twice a day. Rinse as described above.

(Quilt shops do sell a special quilt wash, but I have always had good results with the Ivory Snow. It's extremely gentle and a whole lot cheaper than the quilt wash.)

3. Let the quilt sit in the bath about 1/2 hour or so to let as much of the excess water drain out. Do not squeeze or wring the quilt, for if the fabric is fragile it will rip.

4. Let your quilt air dry. Place clean sheets on the grass in the shade, if possible, and lay the quilt onto the sheets. Cover with extra sheets if it is in full sun. This is to keep the fabric from fading. Turn after a couple of hours. If you don't have an outside yard, you can gently hang it from your shower curtain rod -- just make sure you have towels or buckets underneath to catch the water.

I hope this helps! If you don't want to try this yourself, you could always contact a local quilt shop to see if they know of anyone who will. It's worth a try.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

In terms of storing you need to be careful as well. The information I have is that it is best to roll the quilt in a clean cotton sheet but if you don't have space to store it rolled (and you really does) to fold it with a clean sheet and periodically refold it in a different direction so the creases don't set.

Dark is best but if you display it do so in a manner out of direct UV light (natural and artificial) and so there isn't any stress on the fabric.

Deb

 

[quiltymom]

That's right. You can also store them folded in an acid-free cardboard box, which is lined with acid-free tissue paper. You can get them at online quilt supply stores or at a quilt shop. Just make sure you re-fold the quilt every once in a while so permanent creases don't form.