Questions on cleaning at taking care of older quilts!
 

I recently found a yo-yo quilt that was made by my great grandma, I know its around 50 years old. It needs to be cleaned to get some mold and stains out. It was recommended to back it before washing or having it wash. How should i store it?

Welcome to the board, Jessica. Here's a recent post with lots of info.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...s-t239360.html

You could thread baste it to muslin (or an old sheet, if the sheet is easy to needle) and then handwash inside a sheet cradle in the bathtub (which I think is described in the other thread). Basting it a sheet first would help keep stress off the joining threads. Do be sure to use lots and lots of water, though, to dilute any dyes that may bleed at first. You want to keep any loose dyes diluted as much as possible so they don't settle into other fabrics.

there was a posting on Retro Clean getting old stains out of an old quilt. Did wonders. you can get it online.

Here's a link to Retro Clean: http://www.retroclean.com .

Regarding storage, the safest is probably to place it on a large guest bed and cover with a sheet. This keeps it stored flat without stress on the thread, and the sheet protects it from dust and light.

You definitely want to protect the fabric from light at much as possible because light fades fabric. Direct sunlight is the worst, but indirect sunlight and even incandescent and flourescent light are also bad.

If you want to hang the quilt on a wall, it would need to be thoroughly thread-basted to a cloth backing fabric.

Actually, before you do anything with it, you might want to call around to museums to see if you can locate a textile conservator in the area. That person would be able to give you the best advice on cleaning and storage.

I wash my 50 year old quilt in the washer on gentle and dry it almost dry, then spread it out. If it were a yoyo quilt, I might put it a pillowcase and soak it before washing it. If it has any ragged spots,I'd repair it first.

Thank you for the links and recommendations. I am going to have to store it. I have no spare beds and it's to big to hang on the wall. I thought about putting it on my bed but I get alot of sun in my room. I took it out of the plastic bag it has been stored in for at least the last 20 years and aired it out for 2 days. Now it's in a cotton pillow case.