kat13

wow, this is all nice to know, so glad you shared this! I usually use warm and nataural because I like the way the needle glides thru it and it has no lumps or thin spots like the poly I first tried. I'm still learning tho so this has
been very interesting! thank you for sharing!

Rose_P

It does seem as if the cotton just dissolved, but that's over 250 washings. It's a little surprising that any part of it survived. I would say it served its purpose well enough. Maybe you can help your friend decide that a handmade quilt isn't the thing to use in this way. I guess your friend appreciated it if she's hoping to have it restored, but perhaps if you want to be generous you could make a little wall hanging out of the best part of this and suggest (or give her) a Walmart quilt for the dogs. It would not be worth your trouble or expense to make something that is going to be put through this kind of wear and tear.

matraina

This may sound dumb, but if her dog thought it was a chew toy, wouldn't that make a mess of the quilting. Also, why did she give it back to you? Did she want you to redo it?

DOTTYMO

Just retread original post. Why didn't the dog think it was a toy before now. If she has had it for 5years it sounds as if some smell that the dog detected happened in the quilt. What did you do just before. The dog chewed. New washing powder or something . Even a new aerosol could cause problem. My youngest dog is having medication the first given by vet no problem, second was you must have this. She is back on the first and jumps up to have it as. If it is a sweet. Smell is all we can think is different.

SewCrazy4Quilts

My first thought was your friend washing it every week. ((HUGS)) I'd go with a poly TBH. Best Wishes.

mshollysd

This is what I heard a long time ago: When you wash and dry your quilts in a regular washing machine and dryer, you age your quilts 10 years. She washed it every week. Cotton doesn't take the washing as well as polyester, so this doesn't surprise me. When you wash a quilt you should do it in your bathtub, no twisting, and hang it over 4 clothes lines to dry out of the sun. The detergent you use needs to be mild and not too much. I know someone is going to be mad at me for my comment. I had a girlfriend who got a beautiful star quilt made by a wonderful native american, it was tied, not quilted, and she washed it every week. The 1/4 inch seams couldn't take it either and it fell apart. My friend was blaming the lady who made it but really it was washing it all the time, so I looked it up about the care of a quilt and that washing and drying it in regular machines is the worst thing you can do to a quilt.

Prism99

My back wouldn't take washing a quilt in a bathtub. It works just as well to use a top-loading washer; just do not allow any agitation. Fill washer with water and soap, stop machine, add quilt, agitate by hand pushing down on the quilt, advance switch to spin, spin out wash water, fill with rinse water, stop machine, agitate by hand, advance switch to spin, and spin out rinse water.

Aside from being easier on the back, this method has the advantage of getting more water out of the quilt before handling. Water is very heavy and puts a lot of stress on stitching and seams.

Instead of hanging on clotheslines, where water weight adds to stress, I advocate laying out in the shade on top of a sheet, covering with another sheet (to protect against errant bird droppings), and anchoring with rocks.

piecNpat

I have also made a dog quilt...two actually for our American Bulldog grand dog. Both are rag quilts with the frayed edges. They have been washed weekly and they are still intact after ten years for one and five for the other. I did repair the top and backing on the first one as the fabric became worn on it, but not the batting. Now I will tell you that I used Warm and Natural batting and it held up beautifully. I think the skrim and the fairly close meander made all the difference.

Jane3

Is WARM AND NATURAL an OK batting to use. This is what I've purchased - but as of yet gotten that far on my quilts. Thanks.

Prism99

There are pros and cons to each type of batting. Warm and Natural is very good for tied quilts because it is needlepunched through scrim, which makes it very stable. I haven't used it in years because I prefer a more traditional cotton quilt look. My favorite batting is Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon, which is 100% cotton that is not needlepunched and does not have a scrim. However, MM is not suitable for tied quilts and needs to be quilted 2" apart. Warm and Natural, in contrast, can be tied or quilted up to 8 or 10" apart.