What Is the Best Way to Take Care of a Vintage Quilt?

If you have what you believe to be a valuable vintage quilt and are concerned about preserving it, you may want to contact a certified textile conservator. The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works maintains a web site at http://aic.stanford.edu. The web site provides information on textile care and finding a qualified conservator in your area.

If you want to display your vintage quilt be sure the temperature and humidity are relatively constant in the room. Do not let direct sunlight shine on any part of the quilt.

A very gentle way to display quilts is on an unused bed. Keep cats and dogs away. Cover the quilt with clean unbleached muslin or a clean white sheet when not being viewed. Rotate your displayed quilts so no quilt is on display all of the time.

You may want to fold a quilt and lay it over a quilt rack or on the back of an unused chair. It is advisable to pad the folds with acid free tissue or rolls of unbleached muslin. Every month or so, refold on different lines and also rotate those on display.

To hang a quilt, hand sew a 4" tube casing made of muslin to the top of the quilt just below the binding. Run a dowel through the casing. You can use a decorative dowel that is visible beyond the edges of the quilt or you might use a wooden dowel cut shorter than the quilt width. Wooden dowels should be sealed using two coats of polyurethane finish to prevent resins and oils from discoloring the quilt. Predrill small holes at both ends of the dowel. Hang using nails. Never use nails, pins or staples to hang a quilt. It's a good idea to rotate hanging quilts rather than hang one for years on end. See "How do I store my quilts?" for information on how to store quilts not on display.

Prepared by Margaret Wood, quilt artist and author, 9/00.

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