Posted by admin | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 07-02-2010
Tags: craft, crafts, design, handmade quilt patterns, handmade quilts, handmade quilts for sale, handmade quilts for sale online, handmade quilts north carolina, quilting, sewing
Handmade Quilt
How do I clean an antique quilt?
My 91-year-old grandmother has been sensing the end of her time here for a few years now and has tried to give away to her family everything of value she owns. This weekend she gave me and my wife a quilt that was handmade by my great, great, great grandmother who was an American Indian. She even spun the thread used to make it. This quilt is at least 150 years old. My wife and I plan to have it cleaned professionally and then somehow mount it on the wall. It does have a couple of stains on it that I would like to be removed if possible. Do you know what type of business I should contact for the cleaning? Any cleaning methods that are better than others? Any ideas on how to properly mount to the wall? Should it be put in a wooden case with a glass covering? What about products I could use for preservation?
You will NOT be cleaning this quilt - at least, you won't be getting any stains out. The fabrics are too old and fragile for any cleaning other than dust removal, and even that is a delicate business involving a screen and a vacuum.
You should contact a professional textile conservationist. The American Institute for Conservation, 1717 K St. NW, Suite 200, Washington DC 20006 can give you a list of professional conservators in your area.
As for displaying the quilt, do NOT hang it on the wall. That will put way too much stress on the quilt. The best display is flat, like on a bed, but I wouldn't want a quilt as old as yours left unprotected on a bed. If you fold it, it should have acid free (archival) tissue paper between the folds and wadded paper IN the folds, to keep it from creasing (which can destroy the fabrics). Do not display it in direct sunlight - light damage is irreversible, as is damage from tobacco smoke. Do not use plastic to contain your quilt - it gives off chemical that will destroy the fibers. Do not seal the quilt inside a container - it can mold. There are ways to display it in the second link, but it is a lot of work.
Sorry this is so negative, but it sounds like your quilt is an incredible piece of history, and it would be a shame to damage it accidentally.
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