Tip Tuesday: Washing Quilts & Fabrics – how do we do it? – Fons & Porter

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You’ve spent hours, days, weeks, months or even years making a quilt. It could be a keepsake quilt, Quilt of Valor™, or a gift quilt. This quilt could be made from expensive quilting fabric, flannel quilting fabric or cheap fabric. Patterns of all types and quilts of all sizes —whatever the quilt, you want to keep it looking new, clean and well cared for. But, how do you do that?

First, however, even before cutting your fabrics, you’ll want to decide if you’re going to prewash your fabrics. Now is the time to consider that flannel quilting fabric and how it will respond to a wash. This is a hot quilting topic surrounded by much controversy! McCall’s Quilting has some great insight into the great prewash debate. They offer their expertise on the matter in their video Fabric: To Wash or Not to Wash. That is, after all, the question!

If you’d like to try a product that stops commercially dyed cotton fabrics from bleeding, we recommend Shout Color Catchers (high efficiency safe) or Retayne (not high efficiency safe) in your wash.

 

Once you’ve figured out if that flannel quilting fabric will be receiving a prewash or not, the actual quiltmaking commences. Okay – you’ve made the quilt. It’s finally done! Now, for the aftercare. Where to start? What to do?

There are three main categories that a quilt will fall into when it comes to washing:

  1. Hand washing quilts
  2. Machine washing quilts
  3. Dry cleaning quilts

Let’s discuss…

Hand Washing Quilts
Hand washing a large quilt can be trying. Unfortunately, it’s not about the bulk, but rather the type of fabric used. Our flannel quilting fabric, for example, will probably not be grouped into this category. This category will generally cater to delicate fabrics. Use your best judgement on what fabrics are considered “delicate,” but seeing as how you can make a quilt out of any fabric you choose, think silks, organzas, and the like.

Machine Washing Quilts
Use the washing machine for quilts that are in good condition and have a fairly robust construction. This is how we would wash our flannel quilting fabric if we did a nice job of making our quilt. Most likely, this is how you’ll wash the majority of your quilts.

Dry Cleaning Quilts
This is the lesser used method of the three. Unless your fabrics specifically note that dry cleaning is necessary, you probably won’t be bringing any of your quilts to the dry cleaners.

***Here’s a tip!***
It’s not necessary to wash your quilt often if it’s more of a display quilt and less of a utility quilt. Once a year should suffice. For those quilts that don’t need to be washed regularly: VACUUM! Yes, you heard me – vacuum your quilts to get the dust off of them and perk them up. Just make sure you’re being gentle if your quilt isn’t made with a stronger fabric like, let’s say… oh, I don’t know… our old friend, flannel quilting fabric.

If you’d like to include a quilt care label that includes instructions on quilt aftercare, like display, storage and cleaning, Quiltmaker offers an instruction sheet that you can include as a separate note with the quilt or attached to the quilt using inkjet fabric sheets. Great idea!

Quilt Care Label - Quiltmaker

 

Do you have any quilt washing questions or suggestions of your own? Jot them down in the comments section and I’ll get back to you with an answer or a thank you!

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Happy Quilting!

Carrie Sisk, Fons & Porter Online Editor

 

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