Cleaning and Caring for an Heirloom Quilt

If you are a quilter or a collector of quilts you probably already know how to clean and care for an heirloom quilt. For those that may be new to them this article will teach you how to clean, repair and care for them.

The number one thing you need to know is never put and old quilt into the washing machine. A lot of the old fabrics were not colorfast and you may ruin them. Also the batting in the quilt once wet and agitated and spun may bunch up and then it will never lay right again.

An heirloom quilt that has been passed down through the family or that you may luck into purchasing will have been quilted by hand and whether it was you grandma or great grandma or some one else’s they will have spent hours and hours making that quilt.

So spending a little time and effort to properly clean and care for it should be something you are willing to do, otherwise maybe pass it to someone who would cherish it and take the time to do it. Once these old beauties are gone that will be it. Most quilts you can buy now are machine sewn and mass produced.

You will never be able to buy one that has pieces of baby cloths from your grands or even parents sewn lovingly into it. Some of the old patterns were pretty awesome.  Learn how to clean and care for them from The Farm Wife. Then invest in a quilt display and show you beautiful heirloom off. She tells us that packing them into storage boxes are really bad for them.

https://www.thefarmwife.com/2018/02/28/how-to-clean-a-quilt-part-1/

https://www.thefarmwife.com/2018/03/02/how-to-clean-a-quilt-part-2/