I deboned them (if the thread holding the back together was silk, I removed and saved on spool to sew on buttons) I threw in wash gentle, warm water and some detergent. Put them in a pillowcase so there was less tangling. I used the ties mostly for foundation crazy quilt blocks (work in progress) and pincushions (lightweight interfacing on back since there is more stress. I did do a couple of crazy strip pieced table toppers starting with an odd shaped (5 sides). I did use lightweight stabilizer as a foundation and quilted the whole thing with decorative stitches and embroidery. Ties worked well. I have yet to try a Dresden Plate and thing I will use lightweight interfacing for the pieces.