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I just purchased a beautiful old quilt top and I really like it. However, there is a very strong musty smell. How do I get that smell out? I'm afraid to wash it because it's only the top and I don't want it to fall apart. Thanking everyone in advance

From previous post, what I remember is no agitation. With old quilts, I soak them in the bath tub. You have to be so careful with rinsing because you don't want the seams to start unraveling like a rag quilt.

You could try hanging it outside to air out for a while. That sometimes works wonders.

Musty smell is hard to remove. If it was mine, I would get an old white sheet bigger then the top and lay it out on my clean garage cement floor. I would lay the quilt top face down on the sheet. I would sprinkle a couple of boxes of baking soda over the back of the quilt top and let it sit most of the day. I would then take the quilt top out in the yard and give it a shake to remove the baking soda and give it the sniff test.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS FIRST BECAUSE OLD QUILT TOPS CAN SOMETIMES BLEED WHEN YOU ADD WATER.
If still musty I might take the quilt top into the house and place it on the sheet in the bath tub, add more baking soda or retro clean and let it soak for a while. I would then let the water drain out of the tub, add more water to rinse and let the water drain out again. I would then use the sheet to roll up the quilt top and remove it from the tub. I would press out as much water as possible and line dry with the sheet to support it.

I had some from my grandmother that were this way, I hung them outside because I knew I couldn't wash them til they were finished. Letting them air worked and once I finished them I washed them and they were fine.

Tartan is exactly right. The cure for musty/moldy smells is baking soda. (I'll yield to others as far as washing technique, tho.)

Baking soda, as Tartan said. I was given fabric with a very strong cigarette odor. I sprinkled baking soda on my driveway, laid the fabric down on it, then sprinkled more baking soda on top and left it for several hours. It worked beautifully.

I agree with using the baking soda method of Tartan. You really, really do not want to try to wash an old quilt top. Aside from dye bleeds, there is a huge risk of distortion from the fabrics shrinking at different rates. The distortion from shrinking issue is removed if you are washing a quilt because the quilting ties the quilt top to the batting, and the batting prevents distortion from uneven shrinkage rates.

Also, leaving the quilt top outside in the fresh air for a couple of days can work wonders. If you do this, be sure to leave the quilt in the shade (light fades fabric dyes fast). If it is not in a protected area, such as a screened porch, layer it between sheets in the shade (to protect against droppings from birds and other critters) and anchor the edges securely with rocks or bricks.

But, I think the baking soda will work.

If you do have to resort to water, I highly recommend basting the quilt top to an old white sheet before immersing in water. The basting lines would need to be pretty close together, similar to quilting lines. The sheet would protect against fraying of the seams and also will help somewhat with uneven shrinkage provided you lay the quilt top/sheet combo out on carpeting to dry and block it as it dries.

Put it outside in the fresh air.