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Sew Simply Meg

Quilt Care – Special Quilts vs Everyday Quilts

Guest Blog by Jo Simpson

First off I have to say that I categorize any quilt that I make into two categories:

Special Ones
Everyday Ones

With special ones I will follow all the advice you’re going to see here, where as everyday ones or ones near the end of their life, not so much.

Special Quilts

These are the ones you treasure. The ones that you will do anything to preserve them and have them always looking their best. They may have been made by you, someone special, or you just love and adore it.

Caring for a quilt takes extra effort but is well worth doing if you want to maintain its beauty and keep its sentimental value intact for many years to come. With careful cleaning and storage techniques, your loved quilts can continue being enjoyed by generations.

A. Proper Storage

The proper storage of quilts is essential to ensure they last as long as possible. Quilts should be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and moisture. I like to store mine in a closet on the shelf, not in a bin. Skip plastic bins and let your quilt breathe.

You could also avoid folding them the exact same way. Some quilters fold their quilts diagonally to go across the fibers.

When planning where to hang a quilt on the wall make sure it is out of direct sunlight for the whole day and for every season.

B. Washing and Drying

Gentle Cycle & Cold Water Only
Air-Dry

At least this is really easy. Make sure to wash in cold water on gentle. I go for a non scented clear soap too.

For drying, I will only hang to dry over my stair railing. You could lay it flat too if you have the space. Dryers cause extra wear on quilts.

Everyday Quilts

These are the quilts you don’t really, really love anymore. I have a few of these. I know when our quilts get moved to the camper I don’t really, really love them anymore. Although I do want to make myself a nice special quilt for the camper! We have one that I made my husband back when we were dating, yes I’ll date myself here! It’s over 20 years old and kind of ugly. So this quilt yep, it gets tossed in the dryer.

Kid’s Quilts

If you or your child really, really love their quilt it may be a sign to make an similar one or at least have two to three in the rotation. Also they may be less likely to care if it gets nail polish or slime spilt on it.

In the past I’ve contemplated putting buttons on each corner of the quilt to button on a flat sheet. This would ensure that the sheet doesn’t get bunched at the bottom of the bed, causing the quilt to get washed way more than planned. But really it’s easier to shift the mindset that it’s an everyday quilt. Though I still didn’t put those ones in the dryer.

Pets

If your pet shares your bed or your kids’ bed you may need to come to terms that those quilts are going to get a lot of extra washes and a lot of extra wear. And that’s okay right, it gives you a reason to create more quilts.

I hope you’ll agree, caring for a quilt is easier than it sounds.