Wool applique quilt question
 

Is a Wool appliqued quilt to be used just like you use your regular cotton quilts?
Do you wash them in the washing machine?
Does preshrinking the wool take care of washing issues?
Are they considered to be more decorative than useful?
Do you use cotton thread to do the applique, maybe a really thick thread so you can see the pretty buttonhole stitches? Or do you need to use some sort of wool yarn/thread?
I think they are so pretty, I just hope they can be used/loved as well.

I believe they are washable if you use felted wool. I have one that I want to make on my front door. My friend did hand stitched buttonhole using DMC Perle 8.

Typically "wool applique" refers to felted wool. I use either pearl cotton or 2 strands of embroidery floss (I like Aurifloss) with a button hole stitch -- or some decorative stitches. Also, I've found that Heat n Bond is the best fusible web for wool applique.

Felted wool can be washed, but I definitely don't plan on washing them as often as cotton quilts. I've also been taught that if you're using wool/felted wool to make a bed quilt, you want to either back them in cotton and turn the cotton edge over a bit so that it's the cotton against your chin rather than the wool to protect the wool ... or you could make some kind of protective sleeve out of cotton. Personally, I prefer to keep wool applique for table toppers, wall hangings, etc so washing once every 4-6 months by hand is sufficient.

I haven't made any, but always seem to see them as wall hangings, or with wool applique on cotton quilts. I have a wool quilt that my grammy made-it's so dang heavy (crazy quilt) that no one wants to sleep under it cause it pins you to the bed!

My wool appliqué quilts are bed quilts. Laundered once a year ( vacuumed gently with a soft brush attachment if needed) I mostly use Perle Cotton for stitching. The backyard gathering quilt I used some wool flosses, Perle cotton and regular embroidery floss. Which ever I had the right color of.

Lovely quilt. Beautiful work.

Thanks to each of you for replying. I have saved all of your comments. I appreciate this board so much. Everyone here is so willing to take time to share what they know. You are all appreciated.

Alice

When I was a child we used old wool clothing to make patchwork quilts, big squares sewn together and backed by dark flannel. One way of cleaning them was to place them on new snow after a storm. Leave for a while. When you picked them up, the dirt was absorbed into the snow. I guess you could call it "freeze dry "cleaning. You could always have hem dry-cleaned when needed. Fading on to the surrounding colors could be a problem.

You should wash your wool first, I have used hot water and then dry in the dryer. Then use as normal.
I use DMC floss, or a thicker thread sometimes. If you use multiple strands, you can see the applique stitches depending upon what color you use.
I did make a wool quilt but it was heavier than sin.

Ages ago, I saw a quilt in BH&G American Patchwork & Quilting that I want to make. There were wool squares with ducks, leaves, etc appliques on each square. I have been saving wool fabric after washing and drying on cotton setting. I pack the fabric in the big plastic boxes and put a few bay leaves in each box to discourage moths. My DIL loves the wool blankets and I buy them in thrift stores, wash & dry, then cut several up into large squares or rectangles to piece together for a larger blanket. I serged the seams, then stitched the seams down similar to a flat felled seam.