We were in holmes County in Ohio this past week. Of course there were several quilt shops with Amish quilts for sale. Aside from all the beautiful quilts they had, there was also washing instructions for their quilts. The suggestion was to fill the washer with cold water. Put some laundry soap in (less than usual) and put your quilt in. Make sure it is completely saturated. Soak your quilt for about a half hour. Drain the water. Put in fresh water to rinse. Again do not adgitate. Soak the quilt for about fifteen minutes then drain the water again. Rinse once more or until the water comes out clean. Spin out most of the water and hang to dry. Good luck.