Caring for Your Quilts
by Joyce Moseley Pierce of Emerson Publications
Quilts are precious items, often
lovingly passed down to the next generation. In years past, quilting wasn't just
a hobby. Large families and low wages meant that mothers had to make quilts from
scratch in order to keep the family warm in the winter. Millions of quilts were
hand-crafted from any and all available materials.
Old clothing (blue jeans, overalls,
shirts, jackets, etc) was cut up into small squares and stitched together
resulting in one-of-a-kind patchwork quilts that were beautiful and functional.
Many of these wonderful quilts still exist as cherished family heirlooms.
My mother worked in sales for many
years. She lived out of a suitcase as she traveled all over the country, but
that didn't prevent her from handcrafting some of the most beautiful needlepoint
and cross-stitch pieces that I've ever seen.
When Mom retired, she quickly covered up
the walls of her home with her striking works of art and kept the local craft
shops in business. After she had given her favorite items to her children and
filled every white space in her home, she decided to start making quilts by
cross-stitching or needlepoint squares that would be sewn together by the town's
quilting expert.
I was lucky enough to receive one of
these amazing quilts. But because my children were small (and messy), I didn't
want to leave it laying on a bed where it would likely get smeared with peanut
butter and jelly or marked up with crayons or a permanent marker. So I folded my
quilt up and put it in my closet inside a plastic bag that a bedspread had come
in.
Well, the next time Mom came to visit,
she went searching for that quilt. I assured her that it was securely packed
away where it would stay safe from the kids and other harmful things. Boy, was I
wrong! That day Mom taught me the do's and don'ts of properly storing quilts.
First, the don'ts:
Never store quilts in plastic of any
kind, even if your bedspread came in it. They're simply not the same.
Don't store them in hot or humid
locales. If the ambient temperature feels comfortable to you, then it's okay for
your quilt also. But if the air in your town stays muggy you shouldn't store a
quilt! Leave it out where it can breathe.
Don't store quilts in garages,
basements, or attics. They make attractive bedding for rodents and insects which
will gleefully destroy them.
Now, the do's:
Store your quilt in a sheet or
pillowcase. You can also roll it onto a muslin-covered tube.
Place a large piece of fabric between
the sheet or pillowcase and your quilt to protect it from the harmful acids in
the wood particles.
Every six months, when the humidity is
low and the wind is blowing, allow your quilts to air out outside, but keep them
out of direct sunlight.
Refold your quilts every 90 days to
prevent leaving a permanent crease in them. To help eliminate fold lines,
crumple up some acid-free tissue paper and place it in the creases.
If you display or actually use your
quilts (and isn't that why we make them in the first place?), You should follow
these guidelines to help your quilts last longer and retain their beauty:
Don't place your quilts in direct
sunlight or the colors will fade and the fabric will age prematurely.
If you notice any rips or tears, repair
them right away. This will help lengthen the life of your quilt.
Clean up any spills immediately.
Washable quilts should be washed in cold water only. Quilts like mine, with the
delicate cross-stitching fabric and thread, should be dry cleaned by an expert.
Before you wash your quilt, test the
fabric to see if the colors might run. Use cold water on a white towel to test
each color.
Never place quilts in your dryer or hang
them on a clothesline. Instead, lay them flat between two sheets on your lawn in
the shade.
Quilts are wonderful heirlooms that you
can hand down to your children who can then do the same. This patchwork "chain
of love" will provide each succeeding generation with the beauty and nostalgia
that you now enjoy from your quilts. Just make sure you pass along instructions
for caring for quilts as well!
