cpfrog

* Aniline dyes are no long used. They were instrumental in eventually destroying the material used, much less horrible fading!
* Lye is no longer used in washing tubs and we don't have to stoke the firepit, thank goodness.
* There is a gentle cycle on most if not all washing machines and dryers can be adjusted as well.
* Air fluff if you need to freshen or remove any "dust".
* Hard to find 100% cotton threads of decent quality; will the polyester last or disintegrate in years to come? we know nylon will "rot" in the sun...
* Cotton is cotton.
* BUT! the dyestuffs that the "foreign countries" are using to screen print the designs (most are printed and most if not all come from "foreign countries"- check the ends of the bolts) may pose problems 25-50-100 plus years from now...
* I think that our love of sewing, piecing and quilting is the love that will be passed down in our quilts.
* Remember! once it's gifted, it's no longer our concern!

Geri B

I was just "changing" quilts in beds last month and noticed how some of those that have been used over the years are getting really "flat".....by that I mean the batting seems to almost have disappeared.....most are cotton, altho two were thin poly and all have that "battless" feeling. Have any of you noticed that with their quilts? No, I do not wash the quilts weekly--the ones that were changed out were just air-fluffed, well, one was actually washed and dried. None of them were originally "thick", but the batting was more "feel-able"......

onaemtnest

T-Anne, I feel your pain :0) Not that my story reflects yours.....

At least your quilt isn't on the benches for a cushion, of your son and DIL's deck at an outdoor barbeque .... ask me how I know.... :0) Big lesson for me in when I gave her that gift of a quilt....that, it was just another blanket....that one hurt ... ouch. Needless to say that was the last quilt for her from me. That was just a little to much 'go-ahead-and-use-it' for me!

probles

I believe they will last longer as long as we use high quality fabric. The kind with closer weave. If you can see through your fabric, it is too cheap to use in a quilt. I occasionally sell quilts for other people. The ones that sell the best are the ones made back in the 1920s and 30s. Many of them were made from clothing that had been worn for years. Then the quilts were used and washed. They are still holding up. I do think the quilts that are sewn with the plastic thread to hide the stitching will come apart sooner. I do not think that thread has the stability to last decades.

AnnieF

With every quilt I give away, I put in a care sheet dos and don'ts so laundering them isn't an issue. But the one thing that I tell everyone who has one of my quilts is: I don't make heirloom quilts I want you to use them until they fall apart. My daughter visited with my year old grandson and she commented that everytime the baby wanted to be on the floor, I picked up whatever quilt was sitting on the couch or chair and put it down on the floor to cushion him. She wanted to know if there was any quilt I wouldn't do that with.....and thinking about it....there wasn't.....Noah is worth way more than any quilt. I don't abuse quilts but if they get dirty, I just wash them.

sniktasemaj

I have wondered how poly batts hold up over the years. I know my bed pillows go "flat" in about a year

rosiewell

One hundred years!

Candiquilts

I made some quilts 38 years ago with cut up sheets and tied with yarn and still my kids love and use them.
I also have two that I use on my bed that were made by someone else and the fabric didn't match (the weight) and some of the sections are torn and some are still in good shape . I have been putting a sheet over my quilts lately to keep them clean so I can just wash the sheet weekly and not have to wash the quilt. Hopefully tha will keep it in better shape longer.
I made all my grandkids quilts and I just want them used and loved.

Lori S

I have no interest in my quilts lasting , by being placed on a shelf and its only use is being shown.. occasionally. Cotton if a natural fiber and will deteriorate. If it takes the recipent , machine washing drying /, inorder to get use of the quilt... then so be it. If they live in a very humid or dry envirnment and have the quilt in direct light so that it can be used.. so be it.
I have the belief that a quilt stored on a shelf or out of use.. has so limited value... why did I make it?! Having my quilts passed on to a generation that never knew me and may have little regard for my intent .. makes me want to stop quilting. I make quilts for the person recieving can use it and consume it. many of my quilts have well over a hundred hours in just piecing.. they are to be used.
I have a standing agreement with all who recieve my quilts .. if it is not to their liking or taste .. return it or exchange it for one I make that better suits their needs.
To me shelf quilts are just too sad. ...

mim

the quilt I made in the late 60s for my teen age son is worn and tattered on the top. The back was a sheet -- still perfect. I have it back to "repair" He took it to college and always slept wrapped up in it like a mummy. It had a lot of washings. He even took it to Russia when he was an exchange camper teaching baseball to Red Guard boys.

He told me that the adults were fascinated by the quilt. Someday I will "repair" the top -- perhaps by making a whole new top and covering the original. I like to think that a quilt has memories of all the happy times that it has seen.
Mim