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Look at this--very old DWR quilt

Earlier this year, my mom passed away, and today my sister and I went to help our dad clean out her clothes, etc. In looking through closets, we came across this DWR quilt. My great-grandmother (dad's grandma) made this for my parents when they got married, back in 1953.
One of my earliest memories is of laying on my parents' bed, looking at all the little squares on this quilt, marveling at the different fabrics. It is definitely worn, since my parents used it for YEARS, but in surprisingly good shape in spite of the wear. I thought they'd gotten rid of it, and was so pleased to find it. :)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]314819[/ATTACH]

One thing I did not know--or maybe just didn't remember--was the detail on the back. My great-grandma embroidered the back side of the quilt!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]314820[/ATTACH]
Closer look:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]314821[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]314822[/ATTACH]
The embroidery is quite worn in the center part.

Now for a question. I would like to display this quilt, just because it's a part of my history and I have wonderful memories associated with it. Should I wash it, and if so how? I don't want it to fall apart any more than it is!

I am so excited to have this!! :)

It's amazing how the simple act of laying on the quilt can bring back the memories...and all the emotions that go with it. To someone else, this quilt could mean nothing, but to you, well, it's a part of you. Congratulations on your find, I am sure it will bring you happy memories for years to come. She did a great job on the embroidery, too.

If it's just for display and not too dirty, I would leave it. If you do decide to wash it, I would disolve a gentle cleaner like retro clean or similar in a bath tub half full of cool/warm water. I would hand agitate it a little and let the water drain out. I would refill with rinse water and hand agitate gently again. Let the rinse water drain and let the quilt drain until it isn't too heavy to lift out. Depending on how fragile it looks, you could bring it to the washer and spin some more of the water out if you think it can stand the spin cycle. I would then lay it on a flat white sheet to dry (outside in spring). If you put it in the dryer, you might have the cotton batt shift or the stitching pull out in the tumbling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tartan (Post 5001355)

Great advice!! The quilt is lovely, and I would use a very delecate touch if you have to clean it.

How do you plan to display it?

oh my what an absolute treasure!!!!! So happy for you. It is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

Well....it will definitely be for display only, since I am afraid of using it, and having it wear even more. Plus, hubby wants me to make a quilt for our bed--I'm in the 'fabric gathering' stage for that, have one in mind. :)

I would like to perhaps get a quilt rack to put it on. It would fit nicely at the foot of our bed, and since there are lots of blues in the DWR, it would work well in our room.

Any other ideas for display?? I am open to suggestions, and since I've never had a REAL quilt to display, I would like to know how others display theirs!

It doesn't look dirty so I wouldn't wash it.
If you have an outdoor line, I'd air it before sunrise or after sunset just to get rid of any mustiness.

wow, what an awesome quilt! i just love the embroidery on the back. look at all of those french knots!!!!

I have seen many use decorative curtain rods with matching brackets and hang at a level where you want to display and decide what amount you want to show. You could show off the whole quilt or fold to desired size. I use wooden quilt racks with wood slats therefore my quilts need to have sleeves.