Patchwork quilts have been around for many years. They’re one of the oldest styles of quilt and have been popular for many generations.

Because they’ve been around such a long while, it’s not unusual that you’ll come across an antique patchwork quilt.

If you would like to hold on to one of these quilts and preserve its condition, there are one or two easy things you have to do.

Your ideal objective in this undertaking is to scrub it carefully and store it safely.

When cleaning an old patchwork quilt, you should never put it in the washing machine. This may actually cause more damage to the quilt.

You’ll need to hand wash the quilt in warm water. Gently rub and scrub the quilt with a bush and once washed, put it somewhere to drip dry.

Do not wring out the quilt to dispose of excess water as this can stretch or tear the fabric or stitching and all you’ll be doing is saving a couple of hours of drying time.

Once it’s been cleaned, start to fold it up. While folding, get some acid-free tissue paper and insert it into the folds. When finally folded, place it in an acid-free storage container.

Do not place the box in a location that is subject to changing temperatures. If possible, find a place where the temperature is continuous and ideally around 20 degrees Celsius.

If you are going to put it into a cupboard, check that there aren’t any hot water systems or heating vents nearby as this may also raise the internal temperature of the storage environment.

Also avoid storing the box in bright sunlight. Sunlight can naturally warm and trap the heat inside the box, taking it well above ideal storage temperatures.

Daylight also has the nasty properties of degrading color from fabrics over time.

If you follow these tips, you may notice that your quilt will remain preserved for many decades to come. So save that quilt for generations to come and store it correctly!

To get more great tips about how to make a patchwork quilt, check out Jane Green’s how to make a patchwork quilt website now!

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