I am making a number of flannel rag quilts for charity and after washing and drying them, they are full of lint and it is almost impossible to get them looking good enough to give to someone. Is there a solution to this problem?? Help!
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I am making a number of flannel rag quilts for charity and after washing and drying them, they are full of lint and it is almost impossible to get them looking good enough to give to someone. Is there a solution to this problem?? Help!
You may need to wash them a couple of times. Most of the lint should stay in the dryer (clean out the lint tray frequently, and don't put too much in the washer or dryer at one time). The problem could be if your flannel pills. Not much can be done about that.
Yes, they are linty. You could try putting them in the dryer one at a time on a low setting and see if that removes more of the lint. Be sure to keep your lint filter clean.
Penny
I suggest to wash them in a laundromat. The "lint" can clog up your sewer.
A Good Friend, like an old quilt, is both a Treasure and a Comfort
This is what I do. I put them in the big washer then into the dryer without any heat, just to be able to remove the threads that make the lint. When I don't get much thread lint, then I turn up the heat on the dryer. May take awhile, but worth it by far.Originally Posted by ManiacQuilter2
Also, at the laundromat you will prbobaly get some unique comments as I did. An immigrant with little english skills thought I had 'broken' by rag quilt because I kept removing so much thread lint.
Have fun quilting! If it isn't fun, you will miss a lot.
ali
The worst problem I ever had with a rag quilt being linty was when I washed it in a machine that was too small. It was covered in lint, actually little threads, when it came out of the washer and even though the dryer was big, it still had tons of lint on it. It continued to shed lint every time I touched it and I couldn't wait to get it packaged up and put in the mail. I made it for my daughter to use at soccer games at her request and I called and told her about it. She said once she washed it in her home machine, a good sized front loader, it was ok. Because we were away from home in our motor home, I had to take it to a Laundromat and unfortunately used one of their small washers. As I put it in the washer I realized that I was kind of packing it in there, but didn't realize what would happen. My mistake! I have made other rag quilts that I washed at home in my front loader and have never had that problem. So long story, they need lots of room in a washer, how ever you need to accomplish this.
Yes, they are a linty mess, but I love the end result. The way I fray mine is: (1) put it in the dryer for 10-15 minutes, emptying the lint trap frequently, (2) In top-load washer, wash twice, frequently skimming the tiny threads off the top of the water. (3) Dry in dryer, emptying lint trap frequently. You can wash-dry-wash-dry, but I find that the dry-wash-wash-dry works just as well and is easier.
If using a front-load washer, I run it through the dryer at home then take it to the laundry mat. Wash twice and dry once.
I'm sure there are other options, but this is what works well for me.
AudreyB
Those who sleep under quilts are covered with love.
I clean my dryer lint filter a couple times when drying a rag quilt. Also, after the quilt is dried and the flannel looks pilled, I take a battery operated sweater shaver and shave the blocks. It works like a charm.
This is what I do also, and I use a lint roller, but instead of just rolling it, pull the roller towards you. Hope this helps!
If a woman's work is never done....why start?
When I make rag quilts, I will make more than one at a time. With this being said, it's because my rags quilts and some old white jeans and an old white bath sheet take a trip to the "laundromat" to spend some quality time with the "big washers and dryers". I don't want the lint in my machines, because you will end up with a TON of it. I found that if I added the jeans to help ruff up the quilts in the wash, then the bath sheet to speed up and help fluff them up in the dryer. I is down time from quilting, but I use it to read or plan out my next quilting projects.
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