Tips on Caring for Antique and Vintage Quilts

We all want to keep and preserve the quilts belonging to our heritage so that our posterity can appreciate and enjoy them too. What we will discuss here are some tips on how to provide antique and vintage quilts with the loving care they deserve that will allow them to be preserved for many years to come.
• If your quilts are on display rather than in a storage chest, then make sure that they are hung on walls that do not get direct sunlight during the day. This also includes keeping them from indoor lighting that is very bright. You might want to include pets and kids in this "do not" list, as in keep your displayed quilts away from them. If you have a very large quilt then consider showing it off using either a standing or a wall rack. With these racks you can move the quilt around and display it and fold it in various ways to keep it in a pristine condition. If you'd like, hand sew a muslin sleeve on the back which will allow for a proper and careful hanging on the wall.
• You want to be gentle when you clean your quilt. Vacuum it but only through a protective screen that is flexible and preferably made of plastic. You don't even want to consider throwing your vintage quilt in a washing machine unless you are ready to lose it. If you absolutely have to wash an old quilt then use the bathtub and do it by hand - fold flat, soak, and gently hand agitate. Then, lay it on a flat surface to air dry.
• Even storing your antique quilt must be done with caution and care. Quilts have to breathe and storing them in plastic bags will 'suffocate' them! Use only acid free box and acid free paper in the folds of the quilt. You don't want to stack your quilts on top of each other in the same storage container. Best way to preserve a quilt is to roll it around a foil wrapped cardboard tube & cover with cotton sheet - the way it's done in museums! Another method is using a cotton sheet that has been thoroughly washed. Lay the quilt over this cloth and folding the two together as if they were one unit. After that, wrap the ensemble in another well-washed cotton cloth. Air unused quilts 6 times a year; afterwords, change the folding pattern. Stay completely away from plastic bags or airtight storage units; instead, place the quilt in dry areas where no extreme heat or cold can invade. Best conditions to preserve quilts are temperature around 70F and 50% relative humidity.
• To document your quilt you can get a copy of the forms used by the museums or create one of your own. Put down any and all information about the quilt's history that you know of; just don't store the paper next to the quilt. For the basic information some museums use a small fabric label hand sewn on the back of the quilt.
• For appraising the value of your quilt, get an appraisal only from a qualified, trained source. On Internet you can obtain a list of certified quilt appraisers by state. Also, you can contact the local quilting society or group, as well as quilt museums which will be more than happy to provide you with information and resources.

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