Let Your Quilts Rest
 
Everyone needs a rest. Your quilts do, too. Quilts that are displayed day after day suffer the trauma of light and dust (yes, even in your home!), as well as the strain of bearing their own weight. Periodically, you should take your quilts down and give them a rest. (While one quilt is resting, another can be displayed.) Wall quilts, especially, suffer from bearing their own weight over months of display. When you remove a quilt from display, here are some suggestions for care:
 
  1. Your quilt may need to be washed before you store it.
  2. If you don't choose to wash the quilt, you may tumble it in the dryer (along with three or four clean, dry terry-cloth towels) for a few minutes on "air." This will shake loose many of the dust particles.
  3. Most of us don't have space to roll our quilts, as museums do. However, many of us have an unused guest bed. There your quilt may rest unfolded and flat. (You can even stack several quilts for flat storage on a bed.) If guests arrive, you can remove the quilt then and store it somewhere else for the few days that the bed is in use. (If you have pets that like to rest on the guest bed, put a clean sheet or blanket over the quilt. This will also protect the quilts from light.)
  4. If you fold and stack your quilts on shelves, be sure to re-fold them from time to time. This will help to prevent permanent fold lines from forming. Fold your quilts in thirds one time, in halves/quarters the next, etc. Placing acid-free tissue paper in the folds will also help.
  5. Do not store quilts on unfinished wood. The acids in the wood will leech out into your quilt and destroy the fibers.
  6. Do not store quilts in plastic bags. The quilts cannot "breathe" in plastic. Any moisture inside the plastic can cause deterioration of the fibers.
  7. If you feel a need to wrap your quilts, wrap them in clean, cotton sheets or clean muslin.