Quilt Care
Quilt Frame
Binding
Shadow Quilt
Purchasing
Tutorial - Quilt Care
|
You should only clean a quilt when it becomes absolutely necessary. Washing and drying will put a great deal of stress on the fabric, seams and stitches. Washing deteriorates the fabric, causes tears and removes hand-quilted stitches. Washing may cause the batting to ball up and give your quilt a lumpy appearance, especially on cotton battings. These problems will cause your quilt to look old and wear out quickly. The following recommendations should help your quilt stay beautiful for years. | |
Dusting |
One of the best ways to remove surface dirt and freshen the quilt is to put it in your clothes dryer on the air fluff cycle. Although the dryer's tumbling action is wearing on the quilt, because the quilt is dry it will not cause as much damage to the quilt as water washing. Some people have good luck vacuuming their quilt with the upholstery attachment covered with a section from panty-hose banded over the end.
|
Wet Cleaning |
Wet washing should always be kept to a minimum because the weight of the wet quilt during agitation and tumbling can be very damaging; hand washing has its own disadvantages of excess water weight and wringing. Often a quilt is only dirty in a small section. In this case, pre-test the quilt for color-fastness and use a soft WHITE cotton cloth with warm or cool water to gently rub the dirty spot clean and let the quilt dry laying on the bed. When it becomes absolutely necessary to wash a quilt use the permanent press cycle of your washer and very gently remove it so it is supported and has no chance for the weight to rip stitches. In the winter use your dryer on medium heat and periodically rearrange the quilt so it doesn't get into a ball and all sections can dry evenly. In summer the quilt may be dried out doors by laying it flat on a clean tarp, shower curtain or sheet. If you are concerned the sun will fade it, put the backing side to the top. Hanging quilts on the line causes the weight of the wet quilt to stretch and possibly rip the hand-quilted stitches.
|
Color Fastness |
Before you wet wash your quilt, you should always check for color fastness. This procedure may take as much time to determine as it does to wash the quilt. To check for color fastness, use a soft, clean, white cloth or Q-tip. Wet the cloth or Q-tip and press it against the fabric. If the color does not run into the wet cloth, Q-tip or adjacent quilt blocks, then continue the process until each fabric in the quilt including the backing has been tested. Repeat this process using a solution with detergent. If during this process the colors run or start to bleed, stop immediately. Just because fabrics are new and made in the last few years, it is not a guarantee of color-fastness; which many quilt owners who ruined quilts when wet washing can attest to. If the colors are fast, follow the directions on the detergent container to wash your quilt.
|
Photo Quilts |
Follow the instructions given in the photo transfer paper. If you do not have the instructions, test the quilt for color-fastness per "color-fastness" instructions and "wet-washing" above. When you determine it is color-fast, wash the quilt inside a lingerie bag or pillowcase. Use cold water and color-safe detergent. Do NOT use bleach, Javax II, Clorox II or other laundry enhancers. Remove promptly from the washer. Do not allow the quilt to lay bunched up wet in the washer when the washing cycle is completed, it may cause the colors to bleed. If colors bleed, re-wash immediately to remove displaced color. Dry per "wet cleaning" instructions above. Do not use an iron on a photo quilt.
|
Dry Cleaning | Do NOT dry clean your quilt unless it is a wool quilt with wool batting; or silk quilt with silk batting. Discuss your quilt with the dry cleaners to assure they have experience and confidence in dry-cleaning quilts. Quilts can be ruined beyond repair through the dry-cleaning process. |
|
|
|
