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UNDER THE ROSE has a new name its.......BY THE SEAM.
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Thanks for coming by and please leave me a comment so I know that you were here. Marlene

March 17, 2011

Antique Quilt Needs Washing...any ideas for me?

My Mom sent me this old quilt she got for me. It is in good shape, the binding is a bit worn and it really looks like it could use "washing" but I am not going to throw it in the washer.

It is really a nice quilt, set on point and around the edges she used half star blocks with different fabrics. The fabrics are really nice.

And then there is the backing fabric.............

None of the fabrics look as though they are faded or have been exposed to sunlight at all. The backing on it doesn't feel like cotton. Not sure what is inside for batting.

Any suggestions on cleaning this quilt up would be appreciated.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I understand that the best way to wash an old quilt is, first - with Vintage Textile Wash (specially formulated powdered soap that is gentle but effective) and second - in the bathtub or a laundry sink, by hand, with a sheet or some such beneath it so you can roll up the wet quilt and squish it to get the water out after washing and rinsing. The sheet also will help you move the quilt to put it to dry without putting undue strain on possibly weak thread at seams.

Not by machine except with delicate cycle and air dry in dryer (and only then if it is tough and in excellent condition).

:) Linda

Michelle said...

I agree with the above, but I don't know that I would put it in the dryer. I would probably line dry it. Depending on how well its constructed, I'm not even sure I would put it in the gentle cycle on the dryer. Good luck and keep us posted!

marlene@ByTheSeam said...

Thank you ladies so much for the information. I never thought about putting a sheet under the quilt for ease of handling after it is washed. I think the line dry is also a very good idea. One nice warm day I will try and get this cleaned up.

KeyQuilter said...

We've used horse soap called ORVIS to wash. You might try drying it to get the biggest part of moisture out, then laying it flat on an unused bed to air-dry. Good luck! I don't have any old quilts from "history", only our own well-used & loved quilts. They're all machine pieced and machine quilted so in the washer/dryer they go! Thank goodness bcz we have lots-o-pets!