Goodwill Jackpot
 

I found this beautiful handmade quilt at The Good Samaritan (Goodwill) anyway I washed it in Woolight once I was done I noticed it had a stain and the white is pretty dingy. Is there any thing I can do to brighten it up?

There is also 1 little cut in it that hopefully I can fix, once done I will take pics and post them.

IMO, Oxy-clean (brand name or generic) does a great job of brightening fabrics. Let it soak a good while then was gently. Oh and don't be afraid to a lot more than recommended.

try a spot cleaner/stain remover on the stain if it is only a small spot- then oxyclean or similar detergent booster to brighten it up. are you sure it is supposed to be white? sometimes a light natural fabric is used that is 'almost white' the oxy or detergent booster will still brighten it up...pictures would help us offer advice...*blind help* is hit & miss.

Sorry, I have not bought fabric like that. You will get lots of help with this. Just see what works for you.

Oxy clean (generic or brand name) usually works well for me. If you have a top loading washing machine, add bluing to the rinse.

http://www.retroclean.com brightens up old quilts. That's what I would use. Someone recently posted about how it took all the yellow out of an old satin wedding dress (so she could make a ringbearer pillow with the fabric).

That stuff is awesome!!!!!

Here is the link to the pictures I just posted-Enjoy

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...ml#post6118404

OMG! It's *gorgeous*!!! :thumbup:

If you think the white fabric can handle it, put a little lemon juice on the stain and let it sit for a few minutes. It is lovely.

Imagine someone discarding a lovely quilt like that - unbelievable. Congrats on your find.

This should do the trick.

• This is the ultimate stain remover that actually works on a seriously set in stain! Never buy oxyclean again!
The mixture is
1 tsp. Dawn dishwashing detergent
3-4 tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide
Couple of tablespoons of baking soda.

Rub on spots.

Or add 1 cup of Hydrogen Peroxide to water when you launder things. This should brighten things up

One of our QB members did a fabulous job of quilting an old 1930s top that my aunt hand pieced. When it came back i was astounded at how white the whites were. She did it the old fashioned way -- laid it out on the grass in the sun for a while. It works wonders.

Maybe color-safe bleach?

You have a real treasure! It looks like a quilt kit from the 50's. There is a shop in Bell Buckle, TN which reproduces (I think) and sell the old kits. You might check with them as to the authenticity of the quilt. Do let us see the finished and lovely work when you have cleaned it and repaired it.

carolynjo I will see if I can find that shop. I live in Tn but not sure where Bell Buckle is, but I will find it. Do you know the name of the store?

That is a beautiful quilt and I'm so happy to know it has found a good home by someone who recognizes what it is worth.

Try your regular laundry soap. Add 1-2 cup baking soda. Also Add 1-2 cup automatic dishwasher soap.
Jan

Beautiful quilt. You might also look into a product called Restoration. It removes yellowing and stains.

Exactly, you really did hit the "JACKPOT"!!!!

20 mule team borax (borateam). I soaked some old smoke-browned table linens including a crocheted tablecloth, and they came out beautifully. The tablecloth was as brown as tobacco before soaking. Turns out the thread was actually a pale ivory color. The white embroidered pieces returned to their original white. There was a small tear in one piece and it did not get any worse from the soaking, nor was any of the fabric harmed by the borax. I just saw a big box of it in Walmart on the laundry soap aisle.

ShirlinAZ I have some of that and will try it. How long did you soak for?

I like Grandmas stain remover..You can buy it in most quilt shops.

Just be careful what you ultimately use. Some of the products mentioned here are safe for some applications but not others. In particular, you want to be sure to use something that is color-safe. A chemical that works great to make white linens whiter may also bleach out colors. Also, a product which is "safe" for an hour may cause color loss in cotton fabric if soaked overnight. A product which takes out a stain may also weaken the fibers. I would strongly advise thoroughly researching on the internet before deciding to use any particular product on a finished quilt.

Even the sun is not necessarily safe, even though it is natural. Colors in cotton fabrics fade with exposure to light, including sunlight. Colorfastness in fabrics is "tested" by how many hours it can tolerate exposure to light without visible fading. For most fabrics, I think it's only 75 hours. If you want a quilt's colors to last for a generation or more, you want to limit exposure to light -- including direct sunlight and indirect sunlight. Even indoor lighting causes fading, although much more gradually. While some fading is normal "patina" -- as in vintage quilts in which the colors have faded slowly over time -- there is no need to rush the process by producing several years of fading in a single day.

Good advice Prism99

It's a beautiful quilt. Are the cuts in the front or the backing? If they're in the backing you can appliqué a patch over them to protect the quilt from further damage. You can also do that on the front of a quilt using a fine organdy if you're good at appliqué. I saw a restored quilt and that's what they used on a damaged portion. It was hardly noticeable. Good luck.

It's been a long time since I did it, but it seems like the cottons only took about an hour. The tablecloth got several repeated treatments for probably 8-10 hours total. I would recommend trying a small spot treatment, maybe on an edge where you can easily rinse it after about 30 minutes. You can always repeat the treatment until you are happy with the results. My MIL said she had soaked years of dry cleaning fluid and nicotine out of drapes and other items by soaking them overnight in the bathtub, then rinsing them the same way. Her MIL liked to dry clean everything and the chemicals really build up on the fabrics.