Quilt Care Book
Straight Talk About Quilt Care
Display, Cleaning, and Storage of New and Antique Quilts and Needlework
by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings
photos by James Cummings, et. al.
Free Online Book with Seven Chapters
Featuring Personal Anecdotes and Health-Related Information
Note: Please use the navigation bar to your left to move from chapter to chapter, or go to the next unit by clicking the link at the bottom of each screen.
Disclaimer: Every attempt has been made to bring you correct information about the care of quilts and textiles. As an informed consumer, proceed at your own risk when engaging any of the specific products, services, or individuals described or mentioned in this e-book. We accept no legal responsibility for any poor outcome or any unsatisfactory result. We have provided knowledge, not directives.
At all times, we have tried in earnest to provide you with clear and helpful facts. Our aim is to assist you in safeguarding your own health, while maintaining the longevity of your quilts and needlework treasures.
Don't feel sheepish if you do not know how to care for wool, quilts, or textiles properly. You will learn a lot of tips here!
The inquisitive sheep seen above is a resident of the Remick County Doctor and Farm Museum, Tamworth, New Hampshire
Copyright information
©2005
– First Edition, Print Copy
©2007
– Second Edition, First Printing, online e-book
Quilter's
Muse Publications, Concord, New Hampshire
This book is generously offered on the Quilter's Muse Publications and Virtual Museum's website, by the authors. Please read the book to enhance your own understanding of textiles, but not for commercial re-distribution. Thank you!
Overview of Chapters
Chapter 1: Display of Textiles
Chapter 2: Cleaning Quilts
Chapter 3: When Repairs or Professional Cleaning Are Needed
Chapter 4: Handling Quilts: Biohazards and Other Considerations
Chapter 5: Pet Considerations
Chapter 6: Home Storage of Quilts
Chapter 7: Quilts Tell Their Own Story
Resources
Foreword: The Seminal Beginnings of this Manuscript
The late John Frisbee,
former president of the New Hampshire Historical Society, once said,
“We have to think of ourselves as custodians of the future, as well
as curators of the past.” As “custodians of the future,” your
mission is to ensure that your quilts and textiles treasures will
pass from your hands, in good condition, to be enjoyed by future
owners.
To assist that goal, we will discuss how to safely display quilts and how to properly clean quilts, needlework, and other textiles. We will also reveal how best to store quilts so that they are securely protected from environmental dangers such as mold, chewing insects, nesting rodents, unregulated humidity, high temperatures, air pollutants, and acidic damage from sources such as wood and paper.
In addition, we will talk about biological and chemical hazards that can lurk on the surface of textiles, and how to protect oneself from these dangers. We will address the issue of keeping your pets safe in your quilt studio or wherever you sew.
We encounter textiles every day. Yet, when it comes to the many questions that arise about their care, few of us know where to turn for answers. In part, this guide is being written to address the numerous inquiries mailed to me by readers of my print venues.
The information shared here is the result of years of studying the principles of sound management of textiles collections. Books, magazine articles, pamphlets, instructional handouts, workshops, lectures, television shows, videos, Internet lists, plus searches, dictionaries, reference texts, museum and antique store visits, word of mouth advice from “experts,” and direct hands-on experience, have all contributed to my knowledge of caring for textiles. Personal anecdotes have been added to this manuscript for the purpose of illustrating points.
We hope that the information presented here will be useful to you in a practical way. I am grateful to all who are continuing to study quilt and textile care, and I am thankful to all who have shared their ideas and research findings in print and other venues, thereby paving the way for all of us to achieve a greater understanding of how to preserve our quilts and needlework.
May your wool sweaters never have moth holes, may your fabrics never get faded by sunlight, and may your quilts never have mildew! Enjoy reading about textile care!
Chapter 1: Display of Textiles, Part A
Copyright 2005, 2007. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. All text and photos are copyright protected. Questions? Comments? Please write to: pat@quiltersmuse.com