The story behind my quilt is such: I always loved all kinds of needle work and sewing and was dreaming of quilting for a number of years. However, I always thought that in order to do so, I would need 3 things:

1) lots of time – meaning, I would have to wait until retirement!
2) lots of space – I would need to settle down and have a spare room
3) own a sewing machine

This view changed in 2011 when I met someone who introduced me to English paper piecing and showed me how hexagon flowers are made. I was hooked! This is so easy to do by hand, so portable and won’t get big before all the flowers for a quilt top are finished! With a short instruction, a handful of pre-cut hexagons and a few fabric scraps that lady generously gave me, I went home and decided to make this first flower into a quilt! It took me about a year to leisurely complete the quilt top. But then the problems started: I had no idea of how to do the actual quilting by hand, never having anyone seen doing it (and not living somewhere where people quilt). I tried to learn hand quilting from a book and tutorial videos online, but I miserably failed… :( I just could not work out how they are doing it, and my newly purchased quilting hoop seemed more of a hindrance than help, too. So I gave up and the basted quilt top ended up untouched in a cupboard for a couple of years. Until earlier this year when I just had enough of this UFO! I finally wanted my quilt finished on the bed! So I decided: isn’t quilting just sewing the layers together? Up, down, up, down with the needle – I can do that! So I got rid of the hoop and just did it my way... and this time it worked! :)

that's beautiful! always wanted to see one with different fabrics! usually I've seen 30's prints or pastels! Il ike this one a lot!

I"m curious how often bed quilts need to be washed. I rotate my quilts and like to sleep under some older quilts but don't want to use them too much since I dont want to wash them - at least not until I have to - but I try to fold the top of my sheet over the top part of the quilt so I'm not rubbing directly on it. the quilts I've made I wash and dry more often though I didn't know about the agitator..think I'll try doing it like someone posted and not let the machine do the swishing

Very nice quilt!! you picked a tough pattern for your first quilt. How about washing in the tub, use laundry basket to transfer to machine, spin dry, then set outdoors for drying. That is what I have done. What do you have for batting? Polyester dries in an instant.

I had the same experience trying to learn hand quilting from a book. I finally paid for a one hour lesson from Nancy Halpern and then "light dawned on Marblehead..." Still the only formal instruction I have ever had in quilting.

So what have you picked for your next project?

There was a thread posted her months ago about washing antique quilts in a tub. It is a chore but it is the best way to handle an antique quilt. Also use ONLY soap specifically formulated for washing quilts. Don't use regular clothing detergent or Woolite. Do an advance search "laundry antique quilt" or "wash antique quilt".

Thanks! I'm happy you like my quilt. The batting is indeed synthetic - I can get that locally which is ways cheaper than buying imported "real" (but cotton) quilting batting from the US. The one I used on the hexagon quilt is not very fluffy, I've meanwhile found another one that makes the quilting stand out much more. I've used it for my next project which is actually almost finished, it's a baby quilt with some owl appliqué.

To come back to the original topic of how to wash my quilt: It seems the sum of all your tips is that it is ok to spin the quilt in the machine but that it is probably better to wash it by hand in a tub (or the standing water of the top loader machine) as the washing cycle of the machine is what hurts the quilt. And I will keep in mind to not hang my quilt but dry it flat!

What a wonderful first quilt! Love the colors.

There is very little advantage (if any) to washing in a tub instead of a top-loading machine.

If you wash in a machine and don't spin, you can hand press the water out of the quilt. However, whether the quilt is in a tub or a machine, there is going to be a lot more water weight in the quilt when you lift it to move to a drying area.

In a bathtub, you can layer a flat sheet in the tub before you add the quilt so that you can lift the quilt out with the sheet (takes 2 people for a large quilt!) for transport.

Personally, I think it's better to use the spin cycle of the machine to get rid of as much water weight as possible before moving the quilt. With the spin cycle, the quilt is simply being pushed against the side of the tub to get rid of water. This is not giving a lot of wear-and-tear to the quilt the way a central agitator does with its pushing and pulling (and twisting) of the quilt.

Congrats on your lovely finish!