“Taking Care of Grandma’s Quilts”
“How to care for grandma’s quilt is a growing concern as people realize the increasing value of yesterday’s bedcovers. Quilts like to live where people live—in moderate temperatures and humidity, free of dust. I like to keep quilts in acid-free boxes, folded and padded with acid free tissue.

The most common damage to quilts comes from 5 sources:

• Physical handling
• Light
• Unintentional water
• Improper washing & drying
• Dirt

To minimize handling, store fragile, antique quilts flat on a bed, (when you can) layered between two white cotton sheets. When you want to look at it, move it using the bottom sheet as a carrier. If you do use your quilts on beds, consider removing it at night and gently place it on a quilt rack or folded over a chest. 

Try not to hang or display quilts in rooms with fluorescent lights or with sunny windows. Consider having UV film installed on the windows.  When quilts are not on display, consider letting them live in the dark. 

Too much cleaning, or improper cleaning can do more damage than the actual dirt that was on your quilt in the first place. If your quilts are on display, try dusting them with an ostrich feather duster at least once a month.  Don’t try to use the commercial dusting products on the market today, many contain chemicals and we don’t know what effects they may have on quilts. If a quilt is not being used as a bedcover, there is no need to wash it unless some accident happens. Quilts used on beds, can be saved from over-washing with the addition of a chin guard, a small pillowcase for the end of the quilt, running the width of the quilt covering the front and back.

Basic washing instructions – test that all the fabrics are washable, wash by hand in the tub and dry flat. Machine washing can tear the stitches; dry cleaning is a wet cleaning process with solvents. 

If you get unintentional water damage and cannot give your quilt a conservation wash, freeze it. If the fabrics have started running, cover it in plastic, protecting each part of the quilt from the rest. The quilt can be left this way for a while until you decide on a conservation approach. 

Alternatives for home storage – stack quilts alternately with a cotton sheet on an extra bed, have your friends over for a bed turning. You may safely stack many cotton quilts this way. Another option, polypropylene or polyethylene bins. If you must store in a closet, line your shelves with aluminum foil to prevent contact with the wood. Whatever method you choose, you should bring your quilt out of storage at least once every three months to check its condition and refold. 

Whether you have your grandmother’s quilt, a garage sale find, or a quilt made this year, you own part of our quilting heritage. You have a responsibility to decide how your quilts will be used, displayed, stored, cleaned and cared for.”

Taken with permission from “Taking Care of Grandma’s Quilts”, by Nancy Kirk, The Kirk Collection, Omaha, NE.

For more information on this book, or to pre-order, please contact Quilt Market at quiltmarket@rmqm.org or 303-215-9001.

Please preserve the stories behind your quilts! Click here for a downloadable Personal Quilt Documentation Form to document the details of each of your quilts.