Grandpa's old wool pants and shirts for working in the woods shouldn't shrink if you can keep the temps the same. (My Grandpa wore his Buffalo Check shirts and we always washed them on wash day!) I would say if you use a washing machine to do so with water that is room temp and rinse in room temp. If you chance putting in a dryer, keep it on the lowest delicate temp just long enough to get any wrinkles relaxed (my experience is 5 minutes at most)then air fluff then line dry. Another option is the bath tub --- use woolite or any other soap for woolens. Keep rinsing until water is clear. Gently squeeze out in a blotting motion. Maybe roll to get as much water out as you can. Then lay out on clean sheets outside and turn frequently so the entire quilt can dry. As it approaches damp rather than wet you could hang it on a line over a sheet. Just what I have done in the past and experienced with Grandpa's shirts.
Originally Posted by
DeniseP
My grandmother made a quilt from my grandfather's old wool pants and shirts that he wore to work in the woods. She used the parts that weren't worn out and made the heaviest, warmest patchwork quilt with them. She has been gone for 37 years and that quilt has never been cleaned. Do I take it to a dry cleaner? I'm afraid to wash it not because I think it will fall apart, but because I'm afraid I will shrink and ruin it. She had just recovered the back of it with a thick cotton blanket before she died. Any help would be appreciated!