How to Take Care of Your Vintage Quilt

All of us who love quilts hope recipients will take good care of them. A dear friend of mine made a quilt for her daughter and later learned her son-in-law washed it every week in the washer along with the rest of the bedding ...

So here is how to take care of your vintage quilt. Treat it carefully - don't let big dogs jump on it, don't drag it through the dirt in the olive orchard (like Finn did in How to Make an American Quilt, while I shuddered and shuddered). If you store it, make sure to wrap it in cotton, not plastic. Get it out occasionally and refold it.

When it's time to wash the quilt, fill up your bathtub with cool water and a small amount of gentle quilt soap (I use Orvis). Fold the quilt so it fits in the tub - submerge it and let it soak. Gently move it around in the water. Drain the tub and fill it with rinse water. Again, gently move the quilt around to make sure all the soap and dirt get out. Rinse several times if necessary.

Carefully/gently squeeze excess water from the quilt. I use a large washbowl to transfer the quilt to my washing machine. Place it there carefully - you don't want to let the weight of the wet quilt pull on any of the stitching. I set it to spin only - then it is light enough to lift out.

I dry my quilts on our deck railing. Spread a sheet on it first and put the quilt on it. On a warm spring or summer day, your quilt will dry quickly. If needed, I put if in the dryer for just a few moments to fluff it and make it softer.

Close up view of the amazing quilting by Kelly Cline