[quote=Scissor Queen]
Originally Posted by I remember reading about a gal who lived in North Dakota in the early 1900s, maybe late 1890s. I don't remember. I just know it was a long time ago. Anyway, she used the wool from her sheep as batting and each summer she would take out all the quilting stitches and recard the wool. :shock: I remember thinking how sad that was, and time consuming! She did it every year without fail. Wow! I'm so glad we've come a long way since then!!![/quote
I'll bet she also washed the top and backing and repaired any places that needed it. Back then people didn't wash quilts either. They just aired them out.
I inherited a quilt from my mom's mom made with handfulls of wool from their sheep as batting. They homesteaded in northern South Dakota in the very early 1900s. The quiilt is tied. The fabric is squares made from men's pants and shirts. It was never washed, because of the wool in both wool batting and fabric - but it was obviously aired regularly. The only smell is 'wool'.