Cleaning an old quilt

[dancer]

I am not an avid quilter but have done some. My question is: I have a
quilt that was made for my mother inlaw by her mother for a wedding gift in
1929. I have had it hanging on a wall quilt rack for display for a number
of years. It is quite worn and has one badly frayed edge (the top one) as
it was obviously well used in its time plus I am sure it has accumulated
dust from hanging. I am replacing it with another quilt that my daughter
and I have just completed that has been worked on by four generation and
want to know the best way to store the older one is and the best way to
clean it before storing it. I hate to think of putting it away in it's
present state. Any suggestions would be appreciate. I know I have read of
washing them in the bathtub and laying flat to dry. I do have a bath tub
but no place to lay it flat to dry and don't think I would be brave enough
to try this anyway. This is a 73 year old quilt I am dealing with!

[Phyllis Andersen]

I recently bought a quilt from the 30's. I washed it by hand in the tub.
Transferred it out of the tub on a large towels. Then I squeezed it with dry
towels until most of the excess water was absorbed. I layed it out on a dry
sheet in the guest room and turned on the overhead fan. It dried in one
day.....of course it is a *dry* heat in the desert. It turned out good. I
know this is a bit of work, but it is easier on the old quilts. Bigbearlady
"dancer" <dan...@socal.rr.com> wrote in message
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[Kate T.]

If you have the old time dryer called a clothes line, you can drape the
cleaned quilt over two lines. Don't pin the edges to the line and let the
bulk of the quilt hang, that will cause too much stress on the fibers. I
know it's a lot of work carrying a heavy quilt outside to hang on the line.
I've done this with my cherished double wedding ring my mamma made me in
1968. Once the quilt is dry I carefully fold it, using acid free paper
between the folds and put it in a cotton bag for storage.

Kate T.
South Mississippi

"dancer" <dan...@socal.rr.com> wrote in message
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[Woodenspools]

This is the very best time of year to clean a quilt with this very hot
weather.
My quilts are machine quilted so I put them thru my washing machine, but I
do lay them outside in the backyard to dry flat. (I've done the bathtub
method with more fragile quilts and it is to your advantage if you have a
*helper* to squeeze out the excess water)
I used to use two queen size flat sheets opened up and on the grass, then
lay the quilt down on that. The hot day dries the quilt in a couple of
hours.
I *now* keep a double bed size wire framework (that went to one of those
double/twin bunkbed thingees) in my barn and prop it on two picnic benches .
The flat sheet goes over the framework and then I lay the wet quilt out -
the air circulation from underneath dries it even faster.
Buckeye Bev

[orca]

But, put the quilt wrong-side-up on the clotheslines.

Also: Before you clean it in any way, examine (inch by inch) for any
broken quilting stitches and any popped seams in the piecing. Those
should be repaired before washing.
--
Ruth in Happy Camp

Kate T. <g_w_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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[dancer]

This quilt does need some repair. It has tulips appliqued on it in various
colors which have come loose in several places and each one is stitched with
thread in the matching color of the tulip and I have had trouble finding the
identical colors since all have faded through the years. I felt that the
new thread would really stand out and don't know quite how to solve this. I
also need to repair one edge (the top one) as it is fraying. This quilt
does not have binding around. The backing material was brought around to
the front and turned under and stitched to form the narrow border.
"orca" <or...@sisqtel.net> wrote in message
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[Linda McAllister]

"Kate T." wrote:
>
> If you have the old time dryer called a clothes line, you can drape the
> cleaned quilt over two lines. Don't pin the edges to the line and let the
> bulk of the quilt hang, that will cause too much stress on the fibers. I
> know it's a lot of work carrying a heavy quilt outside to hang on the line.
> I've done this with my cherished double wedding ring my mamma made me in
> 1968. Once the quilt is dry I carefully fold it, using acid free paper
> between the folds and put it in a cotton bag for storage.
>
>

I also cover mine with a clean sheet to keep the dust and bird droppings
off - and to protect it from the sun.

Linda

[Sarah Curry]

mmmmm ... not sure I agree with Orca/Ruth, here, about all that repair. You
certainly CAN, but I don't tend to think that washing in the tub (much as
Phyllis/BBL described, but I'll get to that in a minute) will break any more
stitches or mess anything up.

Although I, too, am a machine-piecer and a machine-quilter, and am by no means
an "Orvus" purist, I also have some OLD quilts to deal with, and I pretty much
deal with them as my grandmother did, with the difference being that I use
"Orvus" soap (available for an arm and a leg at your quilt shop; available for
$25/gallon, which should last about 30 years, if you don't use it for your
regular wash) instead of "Ivory" flakes.

This is the way my grandmother did it (it helps if there are small children
around, but isn't critical):

Place a large flat sheet in the bottom of a bathtub, with the ends drooping over
the sides of the tub (OK, so Nana's was a clawfoot tub, the kind I'd kill for
now ... you get my drift). Place old quilt into tub, atop the sheet. Add a
half-cup of Ivory Flakes, or a 3-finger dab of Orvus. Run COLD (which, in the
desert, is really luke-warm, but it works fine) water into the tub, about 9"
deep.

Add one small child, if you have one handy (if not, you can do this yourself).
Either play good "marching music" on the CD or (as my Nana did) sing "Onward,
Christian So-o-o-oldiers" at the top of your lungs as the child happily marches
for MILES in the cool water in the tub (and incidentally, "tromps" the quilt
clean) (obviously, you want to check on the child often, if you've gone to
another room to fold the laundry).

Remove child (with promises of a "Flinch" game later, or another marching
session, or oatmeal cookies -- most children will NOT want to quit "marching").
Drain water. Press water out of quilt (BBL's towels help), as much as you can.

Hire on three men and a boy to help you lift soggy quilt out of bathtub. If you
have room, and it's not gonna rain this afternoon, spread quilt out on a sheet
in the backyard (or frontyard, if your neighborhood is a NEIGHBORHOOD, as mine
is -- especially if there's more of that quick-dry sunlight in the front yard --
my neighbors will WATCH that quilt for me :-) ), with another sheet on top.
(and frankly, this isn't so much for that dreaded sunlight-thing (after all, 2
hours of sunlight really isn't gonna ROT your quilt, or even fade it), but about
that more-dreaded bird-poop thing).
I'm not a big fan of clotheslines for drying quilts, although I'd bet a
dollar to a doughnut that your wonderful quilt WAS line-dried, and probably more
than once. I do agree with "flop it over ALL the lines", if you're gonna put it
on the line. It'll dry faster, but it will probably still have "line-lines" in
it, if you do. Sometimes, there's no other way, and that's OK, too. We
quilters make do with what we have, sometimes.
For storing? There's likely to be lots of comment about acid-free boxes and
paper and rolling and all that. I fold mine (in a VERY dusty climate), put them
atop a trunk or on a quilt rack (I have 3), change the foldings often (every
time there's a show'n'tell at this house, things get re-arranged), and don't
WORRY about it, otherwise!
Good luck, and
Happy Trails,
Sairey

[Cathy]

don't you rinse the soap out?

Cathy in Vancouver

"Sarah Curry" wrote ..

[Moira Riddell]

Try using silk thread to sew these back on, it ' disappears', and one or two
neutral shades should do the trick.

Moira

"dancer" <dan...@socal.rr.com> wrote in message

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[Jean Sands]

I agree with Sarah on this one about the cleaning. I do wonder about the damage that
can be done by a child. Place another sheet on top of the quilt so that little toes
don't get caught in the quilt and rip it. The damage on the quilt, depending on the
age of the quilt should not be repaired. By age I mean a quilt that would date back
to the War of Northern Aggression (otherwise known as the Civil War - and I am a
"Damn Yankee" :>) ) If the quilt is that old, proceed with caution. Rather than
repair, the damaged areas should be covered with that real expensive ($30 a yard)
netting made of silk. Someone here probably knows the name. I always forget and I
have some in my quilt closet from the repairs I have done to a quilt that age. If it
newer than 1900, it is up to you on how you would like to repair it. The older the
quilt, the weaker the fiber and the harder it is to make a good repair.

Jean
Atlanta

[Katie & Monty Wilson]

FLINCH! So your mother bribed you with flinch, too?

Katie in NEbraska

Sarah Curry wrote:

--
Katie & Monty Wilson

jwi...@ncfcomm.com
jlw...@nppd.com
NR...@arrl.net
NR0A@KC0EQA.#NENE.NE.USA.NOAM

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