 | Peggy Engel is the owner of Hen Feathers Quilt Shop, located at 150 N. Rock Road in Wichita. Peggy, a lifelong seamstress, switched her focus a few years ago from clothing to quilt making. She and her daughter, Christie Welch, make up the creative team of Two Chicks Designs, a line of quilting patterns that focus on the fabric rather than difficult designs. You can contact Peggy at (316-652-9599. |
Arts & Crafts
2005-09-01 07:39:00
How do you clean antique quilts?
: How do you clean antique quilts or quilt tops?
ANSWER: When cleaning an old quilt we need to be very careful not to use anything to harm the fabrics, and to treat the quilt in such a way that no stress or strain is put on the fabric or stitching. The soap most often recommended for general cleaning of quilts is called Orvus. It is actually a veterinarian product but most quilt shops carry it. If there are stains you want to remove, quilt shops carry a wonderful textile soak that removes the yellow as well as many stains found in old quilts and linens. Another product to try is a dishwasher detergent that contains enzymes. It is the enzymes in the detergent that break down the stain. Read the labels to determine if a detergent has enzymes. I would hesitate to use bleach on old fabric because the fabric content is not always known and it could cause damage.After you decide what product you are going to use to clean your quilt, I recommend the following method: Spread out an old sheet in the bottom of a clean bathtub. Fill with about 6" of lukewarm water. Mix in the product you are using, then lay your quilt on top of the sheet. You may need to scrunch up the quilt some. After soaking several hours check on the progress; swish the water and quilt around carefully. If the water looks dirty, drain the tub, squeeze some of the excess water out of the quilt, then refill the tub with fresh water and cleaning solution and continue to soak. When done soaking drain the water from the tub and refill with fresh water to rinse. You may want to repeat this step a couple of times.After you drain the final water, get excess out of the quilt again by pushing down on it. Let it sit and drain awhile then lift it out of the tub using the sheet to support it. At no point are you lifting just the wet quilt or twisting it as this would put too much strain on the threads. I spread out an inexpensive shower curtain liner to lay the sheet and quilt on to dry either on the floor or outside in the sun. After all that work you have a clean quilt to curl up in!
