quilt storage
 

I need to store some quilts my mother made.
I plan to lay them flat on a bed. I bought a roll of unbleached 100% cotton muslin to separate them.
Here's the question.
Do I need to wash the muslin before I use it? It was well packaged from amazon and looks clean.
The reason I ask is that I have washed some that I cut and the ends frayed in the washing machine. I'm afraid the threads might clog the pump on the machine or do other damage.
I tried using her pinking shears to cut it, didn't help.
Sewing the ends to stop the fraying is beyond me.
Any help or advise would be much appreciated.
Thanks, Mike.

Personally speaking, I don't pre-wash my fabrics, I'm sure that you'll get answers of the opposite, but it's really YOUR decision on which way you want to go.

If it was me, I would buy cotton sheets, wash them, and use them to separate the quilts.

Do you have a sewing machine?

I do have a machine, so this is what I would do.

I would tear each length about 8 inches longer than the longest quilt lo allow for shrinkage. Then I would overcast the ends so they would not fray - and you could use the muslin for table cloths of couch covers -
Then I would wash and dry the fabric.

There may or may not be chemicals in the fabric -

I always pre wash all fabrics before I put them anywhere. I don't buy pre cuts.

In my opinion, yes, I would wash the muslin. Since you are using it as a separator, not in a quilt. There may be a finish on it that in the long run will not be nice to older fabrics. You might want to try a commercial laundry with a large washer and just do the entire bolt. But I also am not certain you really need to separate them. I would just stack them on top of each other and place an overall dust catcher bedspread on top.

I was thinking the same thing- no need to put anything between them.

What nice treasures to have from your Mom.

I too say, no need to separate the quilts with the muslin.
Just put them, one on top of the other, on your bed
Then you're ready for an old fashioned quilt turning when you want to show them off to visitors!!

Most importantly ... ENJOY them and treasure the memories!

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/..._AC_UL320_.jpg
or just display them

There are chemicals and dust in new fabric. I would wash the muslin first.

Thanks for the replies!!
I read somewhere that colors could transfer when stacked without separation.
I think I will just buy some cheap cotton sheets from walmart to separate at least the new unused ones.
Little more info.
None of the quilts are antique. Most are less then10 or 20 years old, a few have never been used.
She was able to tell me a few days ago that she always washed the material before quilting so it wouldn't shrink. Her short term memory is gone, long term memory is not as bad.
Unfortunately for the last 4 or 5 years (maybe longer) the quilts have been folded, closed up in a unused bedroom. I was finally able to get the bedroom cleaned out so the quilts can be spread out properly. She had a pickup truck load of "quilt scraps" that I gave to a cousin who still quilts.
I still need to decide about airing out or washing them. I have quilt soap and a box of color catchers. I have been doing a good bit of reading about how to do this.
Again, thanks for the help!
Mike