Snow?
 

I was recently looking for something else in the attic, when I noticed a piece of an old quilt sticking out of a stack of old sheets, etc.--quality for throwing over to shield from dust etc. There was a bit of embroidered handwriting in evidence so retrieved the quilt, thinking perhaps it was a friendship quilt from my mother's era. Remember some of those were used between mattress and springs when they became worn? That's what I figured from the way this had been separated from other family quilts . Imagine my amazement to discover the "handwriting" revealed that the quilt was a wedding present to my grandmother and dated 1891! What was just an old, worn, junk quilt is now a treasure and will now have a better method of storing.

There are no stains but some holes, general deterioration of fabrics, and old smell. I'd like to freshen the quilt before giving it more respectful storage with other quilts but laundry is certainly out of the question. A friend told me she remembered her mother taking hand braided rugs outside at the first snow, spreading them out, then bringing the rugs back inside to dry, much cleaner. Has anyone tried this with old quilts? Does it work? I realize our snows of today are not as pristine as those of a generation ago. Would appreciate opinions.

i wish I knew who made the quilt but am so glad for what is on it. I wonder if any of my quilts will be around in 124 yrs. This is why labeling is so important.

I wouldn't do that. Sounds like an old wise tale. I use a product called Linen Wash that was made in Florida. I use to get it at a finer linen store before that chain closed down. I once soaked a client's quilt overnight that had been ironed with the blue be gone lines on the quilt. I was amazed that the blue be gone was gone the next day.

What a treasure you've found.
I remember my grandmother doing the snow thing with hand braided rugs. I have no idea if it would be good or bad for your quilt.
She also hung quilts on the clothesline overnight on those still, frosty nights and claimed that the cold night air was a great way to get rid of musty smells.

WOW - what a find. You are very lucky to have found it. If it were mine, I would not try the snow.

I used to work in a quilt store and we sold little packets of something for this purpose but I can not remember what it was. I went googling to see if I could find it and found this link

http://www.home-ec101.com/how-to-cle...intage-linens/

I also found the detergent that they were talking about at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Restoration-Hy.../dp/B002ISCPD2

I myself have not tried this detergent, but if it were mine I would aim for using something that was designed for this purpose.

I don't think I would try snow either. In googling braided rugs and snow, the results I found are for wool rugs. Apparently you lay the rug out on fresh powder (not wet snow), walk around on it, move the rug to another area, walk around on it again, and repeat until the rug isn't leaving dirty marks on the snow. Seems like it might work for a rug, which is meant to be walked on, but probably not for a quilt.

If the quilt just needs freshening up, perhaps airing it out would help. Is it stable enough to hang on a clothesline? (Never do this with a wet quilt.) It sounds like you need to get up into that attic more often and search for more treasures. :)

***
*** Why not just hang it on the clothes line and let it air out.
***

First I want to say what a find! How special is that quilt now. Sorry I don't know about cleaning it or getting out the old smell.

You made a wonderful heartwarming find.
I would try making several packets of paper towel or fabric(it has to be able to breath) and fill them with backing soda. Them tuck them in the folds of the quilt. It works in the refridg,shoes, ect. and should work in the quilt with out harm. If some of it gets on the quilt just shake it out. I know that charcoal works too but I would be afraid it would escape and get on the quilt!
Good luck

when i took quilting in 1980 from charlotte angotti she always stressed to put labels on your quilts its so nice to know who made them!

The traditional soaking in the bathtub or soaking in your washing machine without agitation in "quilt soap" would work.
YES, you found a jewel! Congratulations!

P.S........ get the special soap at your LQS or online.

If you do end up putting it out in the snow, make sure to do it at night so as not to expose the quilt to UV light. And you probably want a drier snow (I guess that's maybe the idea behind it being the "first snow"), but I personally would be really reluctant to put a vintage quilt out in the snow, especially when it's a family heirloom.

For new quilts, I usually recommend that owners consider vacuuming the quilt more than washing it. You just put a nylon stocking over the hose & gently run it over the top of the quilt. It really does work! Here's a link to an article I read a while back about cleaning new & vintage quilts:
http://www.nationalquilterscircle.co...clean-a-quilt/

I would love to see a picture of the quilt, especially since we know the year it was given. It would be interesting to see the type of fabrics used. I have been volunteering sewing hanging sleeves on quilts at our local university museum. It is so much fun to see the fabrics and block designs used during different eras in history.

If you have a green lawn, lay a sheet out on the lawn, then the quilt, backside up, and let it sit either overnight or put out early in the morning when there is dew on the grass. Can cover the quilt with another sheet if you lay it out under trees or have lots of birds.

RetroClean. I am not in any way connected to the company. I used it on my great-grandmother's quilts which hadn't been cleaned for a good long time. The directions were easy to follow and the water with the RetroClean was used for more than one quilt. I used a large plastic bin and put it outside so the heat from the sun would do its magic.
Whatever you choose, good luck.
P.S. Snow will have particles of 'junk' in it from the environment. Depending on where you live it could leave residual
dirt that is worse than what's already in it.

I remember my Mom taking our wool coats and my Dad's wool suit outside, rubbing them in snow (I grew up in Saskatchewan and believe me, we had no shortage of snow) in the middle of winter--definitely not to first snow. No, I would not do it with a quilt as old as this one. If you have a museum near you, give them a call and ask to talk to someone in the preservation area.

How blessed you are to have found such a treasure. What about checking with a museum to see if they have any suggestions about how to clean it properly.

Be sure not to lift a wet quilt getting it out of the tub on its own without a sheet underneath to bear the weight!

How very lucky you are to have found such a treasure! If no one in the family wants to continue your legacy, please donate it to a museum where people can study it and where it will be taken care of in an appropriate manner.

What a wonderful find! how lucky for you

I vote for the snow. If you can find a time when the snow is still clean. If you've ever taken the wash off the line after it's been snowed on, you know how wonderful it smells. Just leaving it outside overnight when it's really cold helps, too.

I read an article by a fabric curator that old quilts should have clean window screen laid on top of them, then vacuum through the screen. Dust and dirt comes through the screen, but fabric and batting stay in place.

Congratulations on your treasure find.

Maybe use that Retro clean quilt cleaner (http://retroclean.com/retroclean/) for old stained quilts. Some quilt stores carry it as well as Amazon.

I would hang it on the line and let it air out . on a day that was not windy

So fortunate for you that you have found a treasure. You will want to treat it as one too. Go to your LQS and ask about the product they use for this type of gentle cleanse. Follow the directions and the best of luck to you with restoration. You truly do have a gift.

OK, this is a question, not a statement..................
What about putting it in the dryer, no heat. I do that to sweaters to freshen them.

The clothesline on dry days would be my choice, but don't be surprised if it takes several of them to get the quilt aired out. If it is sunny, you could cover the quilt with an old sheet to prevent fading.

Yes it is! I didn't realise it when I started to quilting. You are very lucky to have found it. I would put it somewhere where people will see it. Definitely a museum piece and should be stored as such like it. I would put something around it like a hanging rope or some kind of blockage so that people can see but not touch. Handle it with care of course, use lint free gloves as you see on tv. As far as refreshing it, hang it out on a cold day, but not in the snow. Let air get to it, to get the smell out, and repairing it, I'm not sure if it would lower that value of it.

I saw on antigues roadshow, that old time quilts can be worth a heck of alot of money. Please hang on to it.

this would be my suggestion especially if you have holes needing repair etc. On a sunny day, I think would do a lot to freshen it up. If you can lay on lawn it won't have the stress of hanging, and you could even lay a sheet or two under it if you don't want it to touch the ground or grass. Or maybe over the backs of several outdoor chairs might also be a little less stressful or if you don't have a clothes line. Lay or hang it back side up?

Are there any relatives you could ask if they have any clues or info regarding the maker etc? [haven't read all the posts so excuse if this was already suggested]

Ok read the rest of the posts. Baking soda packets might work too worth a try, and not likely to cause any harm. Dryer on air only with maybe a fabric soften sheet in with it may freshen but if there are some holes this might be too much agitation until they are mended. There are resources to find ways to repair antique quilts with tears and holes and I'd check these out first.

Congrats on finding this family heirloom.

I have read the same also.