Get some Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator (I am sure there are other brands, but I've only ever used this one. Use it to wash the quilt. Believe me, it works. I have an 85 year old Aunt in a long-term care facility -- I do all her laundry, and believe me sometimes that laundry reeks worse than anything you can imagine. This is something you put into your wash water, not something you spray on the quilt. Vinegar will probably help, too, but I've never tried that. I know, like you, I cannot bear nicotine smells/stains -- it sets my asthma off in a major way! It's worth the price of a bottle of the Febreeze Laundry Odor Eliminator.
Jeanette Frantz