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Caring for Quilts
by Joyce Moseley Pierce
For many years my mother worked in sales and lived out of a suitcase as
she traveled the country, but that didn't stop her from doing some of
the most beautiful needlepoint and cross-stitch work I've ever seen.
When she retired, she quickly filled up the walls of her home and kept
the local frame shop in business. After she had given favorites to her
children and filled every white space in her home, she decided to start
making quilts, but instead of just sewing the pieces of fabric together,
she cross-stitched or needlepointed squares that would be sewn together
by the town's quilting expert.
I was the recipient of one of these beautiful quilts but because my
children were small, I didn't want to leave it out on a bed where it
might get smeared with peanut butter and jelly, or even worse, colored
with crayons or a permanent marker. Instead, I folded it up and put it
in my closet inside a plastic zippered bag that my bedspread had come
in.
Well, when Mom came to visit the next time, she went looking for that
quilt. I assured her that it was packed away and that nothing could harm
it. After all, it was sealed in plastic. Nothing could get to it. Boy,
was I wrong!
I learned a lesson from Mom about how to store quilts:
1. Don't ever store them in plastic of any kind! It doesn't matter that
your bedspread came in it. It's not the same.
2. Don't store them in humid or hot climates. If the temperature feels
good to you, then it's okay for your quilt. If you live in Houston you
shouldn't even own a quilt!
3. Don't store quilts in attics or garages. It makes a comfy bed for
rodents and insects.
Instead, you should:
1. Store your quilt in a pillowcase or sheet, or roll it onto a
muslin-covered tube.
2. Place a piece of fabric between the pillowcase or sheet and your
quilt to protect it from the acids in the wood.
3. Twice a year, when the humidity is low and the air is blowing, air
your quilt outside, out of direct sunlight.
4. Mark your calendar to refold your quilt every 3-4 months so you won't
make a permanent crease in it. Crumple up some acid-free tissue paper to
help eliminate fold lines.
If you feel comfortable in displaying or actually using your quilts (and
isn't that why we make them?), you'll want to follow these guidelines to
make your quilt last longer and help retain its beauty.
1. Keep your quilts away from direct light. The sun will make them fade
and will age the fabric.
2. If you notice any tears, repair them as soon as possible. Remember
that "a stitch in time saves nine, "and will help lengthen the life of
your quilt.
3. Clean up any accidents immediately. Washable quilts can be cleaned
with cold water. My quilt, with the delicate cross-stitching fabric and
thread, would need to be dry cleaned by an expert.
4. Before you wash, test the fabric to see if the colors are going to
run. Use a white towel and cold water to test each color.
5. Do not put quilts in the dryer or hang them over a clothesline. They
should lay flat between two sheets placed on the grass in the shade.
When I was a young, married woman I discovered a box of fabric in my
grandmother's closet along with the pattern for a quilt that had been
published by the Kansas City Star in the 1920s. Grandma told me she had
bought the fabric when my dad was born and had just never made the
quilt. She told me if I wanted to make it, she would pay to have it
quilted for me. I accepted the challenge, and without knowing anything
about quilts (or anything else!), I cut and assembled all of the pieces.
It was beautiful, and I remember the pride I felt in knowing that I had
sewn every stitch, but even as I laid it across my daughter's twin-sized
bed, I could see how thin and worn the fabric had become. I wish now I
would have used the pattern and bought newer, sturdier fabric, that
would have lengthened the life of the quilt, but that was just one of
life's lessons I had to learn.
Going through the process of piecing that quilt helped me to have a deep
appreciation for all of the time and love that goes into each stitch. As
I worked on it, I tried to imagine my grandmother as a young mother and
wondered what life was like for her. Was motherhood as challenging for
her as it was for me? Did she ever imagine that she would have a
granddaughter who would treasure this old fabric and the bond it gave to
both of them?
Buying a bedspread is fast and fairly inexpensive because they are mass
produced, but you can't expect it to give you the same warm feeling as
when you run your hands over the stitches of a quilt that was made by
you or someone you love. When your hands caress the fabric and stitches
of the quilt you have painstakingly created, the memories of the past
are guaranteed to rush into your heart. If that quilt was made by
someone who loved you, you will feel a connection that seems oblivious
to time.
About the author
Joyce is a freelance writer and owner of Emerson Publications. She is
the creator of
All They'll Need to Know, a workbook to help families
record personal and financial information. She is also the editor of The
Family First Newsletter, an ezine for families with young children. To
subscribe, familyfirst-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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