Wash quilt
 

Hi everybody!
I'm the proud new owner of a Grandma's Flowergarden quilt that I just completed. I've never owned a quilt before, but I do know that machine washing could damage it. However, I actually want to use my quilt for sleeping, so it would need to get washed sometimes. I thought of putting it into an ordinary duvet cover for protection and then washing it in the machine (on a gentle setting). What do you experienced quilt owners think of this idea?

The fabrics were all pre washed, there should not be any bleeding. Most of it is actually not "special" quilting fabric but scraps of ordinary (cotton) bedding fabrics. Yes, my washing machine is a top loader, I can set it to add maximum water possible. However, I'm not so much concerned about bleeding but more about wear and tear. Do you think washing it in a duvet cover could minimise this?

Assuming your top-loader has a central agitator, the important thing is to never let the quilt agitate. Basically you fill the washer with soap and water, then turn it off and add the quilt. Push down with your hands to agitate. Advance the dial to spin and spin out the soapy water, fill the tub with rinse water, then stop the machine again. Hand agitate, then spin out the rinse water.

Other tips to preserve your quilt:

Never hang it on a clothesline. Water is heavy, and a wet quilt hung on a line will stress the quilting lines. The more water in the quilt, the heavier the quilt is, and the more stress the quilt encounters.

Do not allow it to be in direct sunlight. Any light will fade fabrics; direct sunlight will fade fabrics fast.

You can dry in a dryer as long as there is enough space in the dryer for the quilt to move freely. Take it to a laundromat dryer, if necessary. Or you can dry flat. If outside, lay it on top of a flat sheet ***in the shade***, cover with another flat sheet (to protect from bird droppings and indirect sunlight), and anchor the edges. Or dry inside on carpeting, again with a flat sheet between the carpet and the quilt.

A duvet cover will probably not help when washing and could interfere with the quilt actually getting clean and thoroughly rinsed. The important thing when using a washing machine is to not allow machine agitation from a central agitator, as those agitators tend to tug and twist the fabric. (Tumbling in a front-loader is fine. However, domestic front loaders often do not use enough water to ensure that dye bleeds are sufficiently diluted.)

Prism, you have said it so well and completely.

If your quilt is well constructed, washing it will not hurt, and it is much better than letting it stay dirty. Just treat it carefully. I wash every new quilt as soon as it is finished, partly to get rid of the starch that I used while making it.

Thank you all so much for your tips and help! I don't have a dryer (there also are no laundromats where I live) and I usually dry laundry on a clothesline, so I wasn't aware that this is not a good idea for a quilt... (especially not after having seen so many beautiful quilt pictures online of quilts hanging on clotheslines ;)). I would call my quilt "well constructed" (there's ¼ inch seam allowance on every hexagon and although it's entirely hand stitched I believe that my needle work is not too bad), so I hope it will endure being washed once in a while!

What Prism said.

I think the reason you see lots of pictures of quilts on clotheslines is because it's a pretty way to get a picture of the finished - and DRY - product. It is very impractical to hang quilts on clotheslines. As Prism said, wet quilts are very heavy and that weight can do damage.

Congratulations on finishing your Grandmothers Flower garden quilt, I have almost finished piecing a top and know just how much work goes into one. I would love to see more photo's and learn how long it took you to make it and how you hand quilted it. Welcome to Quilting Board.

The reason you at times hanging on lines is for display, they are dry and not usually left long- a wet quilt weighs much more than a dry one and puts a lot of stress on the seams/quilting so laying your quilt flat would be the best way to dry it. On a nice day lay out a sheet, lay the quilt on top of the sheet then cover with another sheet (to protect from birds/critters, and sun) every once in a while turn it all over. I launder all of my quilts, wash & dry them as needed

I am happy to share a picture of my GFG. Here it is (let's see if I manage to upload it...):

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