stains on Grandmother's flower garden quilt

It absolutely MUST have binding applied prior to any attempt to wash it! If you don't, it will fray, the batting will shred, and you will have a mess that you may never be able to rescue. As to what to use and how to do it, I defer to the experts who visit this newsgroup. Best of luck to you!

I have a quilt that the top was done by my maternal great grandmother and then hand quilted and finished by my dad's maternal aunt (my great aunt). It has some minimal stains. I just let them be. It hangs on a wall in my sewing room.

Howdy!

Here's what I do, & I've done this dozens of times:

Finish the quilt, binding & all.

Soak in a tub of cool water w/ some BIZ.

(BIZ is an enzyme cleaner; don't use it on silk.)

The tops I quilt are cotton, quite often 50-80 yrs old. Cotton. W/ Hobbs Heirloom batting, cotton backing. Many of the old tops have spots & stains from starch, which the BIZ does a good job of lifting off the fabric. Body oils & dust are usually the other culprits. BIZ works for me; YMMV.

Usually, I can slip one of the old/new FINISHED quilts into the washing machine, gentle cycle, w/ a Dye Magnet or Color Catcher. Rinse thoroughly, gently, pop it in the dryer, or if it's delicate, I'll spread it out on towels on the vinyl floor, blow it dry w/ the electric fans.

Handquilting means my quilts are just about as tough/durable as any other quilt. ;-) I treat them all w/ respect, which includes cleaning & handling.

That's my routine, w/ good results. Haven't lost a quilt, yet! ;-) Again, your mileage may vary.

Good luck! And Congratulations on your new treasure.

Ragm> I have been the lucky recipient of a vintage GFG quilt top. I had it

Howdy!

Yep, the BIZ is next to the all-color bleach, the oxyclean, etc, usually on the top shelf. I use it in this HE machine, too.

R/Sandy