The reason I would wait to wash is that washing before is going to fray the edges something terrible (even with hand washing) that would mean you would have to trim down maybe losing an inch all the way around.
If you wait then wash, what are you going to lose.....a little time that it took you to put it together???

I have to weigh in on washing by hand first. If you are gentle, it shouldn't fray much, and you can see if the stains are going to come out or not. We washed a 100 year old quilt in Woolite in a kitchen sink, and it worked great. It was hard work, but it got it clean and removed spots!!

hu, I guess I'm the odd bird out. I say finish it then wash. Those are beautiful squares. Once it is in quilt form you will be able to work harder to get the stains out. I've used vinegar and gotten out brown stains (from storage) no problem.

I say don't wash it first because the polyester batting could come apart.
Lots of luck and I hope the stains do come out. If they don't maybe you could dye it.

Wow a lot of great ideas...What a find...

I would hand tack the outside edges down....baste....then get some really hot water and Ivory Dish Soap with Biz...equal parts...let soak till comes clean.... If some stains don't come out you don't need to use those blocks... I'm a sashing girl....what is your Mom's favorite color....Good Luck and keep us up to date...

wow, what a great find. hmmm, good points on both sides of the coin here lol. Why dont you try this? Baste around the edge of just one of the badly stained squares, and wash just the one square by hand, and that way you can find out what works best to get the stains out. If it works well to get one stain out, then you can wash the rest first too, or put the quilt together and then wash it. If it doesnt take the stain out, then, stil with just this one square, you can try giving it a tea bath. I've seen photo's online of quilts that have been dyed with tea, and they come out with a gorgeous antique look to them.

Thank you all so much for all the advice.

I will look at the blocks for a bit, go away from them and then come back and look at them again.

I'm still very undecided what to do.

What a great find

I don't have a suggestion, but I'd love to hear what worked. I'm new to quilting and this info is great! Good luck :roll:

I agree with Barb. Choose the block which is the most stained. (I would baste around the outer edges to hold layers together.) Give it a good soak and then gentle washing. Rinse out well and air dry. If it works, great. Assemble the quilt then wash it gently. If it doesn't work, assemble it anyway. Then wash it and give it a gentle tea dye. Remember it's supposed to look old -- it's old.