Fear of washing
 

I finished a quilt not too long ago and I've had sitting on my bed ever since. It not too dirty at the moment, but I know eventually I'll have to wash it. I love this quilt to death and I'm so afraid it will lose its looks afterward.

Am I acting crazy here or should I be worried? Is there anything I should know when washing it that I need to be aware so I don't royally screw up? Any advice?

For the first washing, you really want to use Synthrapol and a machine that uses lots of water. If any dye bleeds, Synthrapol will keep the loose dye particles suspended in the water to be rinsed away. You want lots of water so that, if there is a bleed, it will be greatly diluted.

If you used a cotton or wool batting, you may get a change in the appearance of the quilt. This is because cotton and wool batting typically shrink about 3%. Many of us really like the crinkling effect this produces, which is the same as vintage quilts have. If you used a polyester batting, there may be little or not change in the look of the quilt.

For the quilt to keep integrity with washing, it's important that the quilting be spaced consistent with the batting used. If the batting requires close quilting and the quilting lines are far apart, the batting can shift within the quilt. If the quilting is consistent with the type of batting used, this won't be a problem at all.

Do use the Synthrapol. Don't hang the quilt on a line to dry (the weight of the quilt can cause the quilting threads to break). If you don't want to use the dryer (low heat) you can lay it out on a sheet on the floor, pulling it gently into shape so it dries square. If it doesn't look square, you can block it into shape.