World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of March 18, 2002:

Our question this week comes Jean from Iowa

My mother made a silk, rayon, etc. crazy quilt. The center is the star that hungin the window when my father was in WW II. Is there something that can be done to slow the deteriorating? I have it folded in with a quilt made from old white feed sacks.

suz :
Number one is to unfold the silk. Get a paper tube like one for posters and cover it with acid free paper. Don't use ANY glue, just roll the acid-free paper around the tube. Several layers worth. Place your precious silk item between two other layers of acid-free paper and then roll the "silk sandwich" around the tube. Store is away from light in a cool ,better yet, cold area that is dry. DO NOT COVER WITH ANY PLASTIC. You can cover with unbleached muslin. Be certain the parcel is loosely wrapped. It should last for decades longer. Anyone else reading this should take note that fabric destruction is sped up from the effects of the sun so be careful to keep precious cloth items away from the rays. This includes any bed quilts from great-grandma that has the morning sun for twenty minutes each day! Restoration and storage is the most difficult part of the museum business because when we get something it is often in a sad state. Follow these simple tips and your clothing etc with last much longer.

1. Keep fabric out of the sun
2. Wash in cool water
3. Use 1/2 the soap amount you normally use
4. To avoid the spin cycle of the washing machine is a good idea as it twists the grain of fabric
5. A small amount of vinegar to the rinse water aids with reducing mildew, neutralizes odors, rinses out soap, avoids static cling
6. NEVER USE FABRIC SOFTENER ON CLOTHING FABRICS THAT YOU HIGHLY VALUE OR WOULD LIKE TO KEEP FOR YEARS (imagine if you kept putting oily conditioner on your hair every time you washed it but it never completely rinsed out..YUCK)
7. Dry flat or over heavy wood dowels (never metal or wire) away from sunlight. If you must machine dry use a cooler cycle or remove before item is bone dry.
8. Roll sweaters...never hang
9. Polyester should not be ironed
10. Baking soda is a great cleaner and one we use often with vinegar (make a paste) it bubbles and works on oil, most stains, and is enviro friendly as well as rinses out quickly.

Take care of your fabrics and yourselves. If you wouldn't put the cleaning/compound on your head don't put it on your fabric.

Mike from NY :
do not replace any of the fabric just applique tool over the damaged areas.If you have someone in your area that can appraise your quilt to see if it's worth putting the work into it good luck Mike

Juanita from Northern California :
I have the same problem as Jean from Iowa, My quilt is the Log Cabin, finished in 1941 by my mom, I will not be taking mine apart, it is much to fragile, instead I will be patching over it & then I will sandwich it as is & put a new backing to it, I will use the same color for the back as the original but I will not take anything apart on the original quilt.

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