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Antique Quilts: Heirlooms, Preservation, Wedding And Baby Quilts
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Published: August 7, 2007
Antique quilts are made for more than keeping the wearer warm. They have a history behind their patterns, fabrics and dyes. There is a message there. Whether they are wedding quilts, baby quilts or a valued quilt from a great grandmother, these antique quilts are heirlooms. They deserved to be treated as such through protection and preservation.
Why do quilts need to be protected? It is not comforting to know after all the hours logged into making a quilt and all the generations it has passed down through to find it missing from the car, lost in a tornado, misplaced in a move, or accidentally sent to the thrift store. In order to prevent this from happening, certain precautions need to be taken. This includes documenting the quilt. It is harder to do after receiving antique quilts, but it is possible.
One way of protecting antique quilts are by having them photographed. Make sure they are quality photos before the antique quilts go anywhere. An appraisal of the quilts is a good idea to gauge their value. After the quilts are documented via photographs, they may be microchipped to further ensure their protection. Similar to the way dogs are tagged to mark ownership, antique quilts can be embedded with a microchip. This allows the quilts to be scanned to figure out who the owners are.
Antique quilts can also be insured. They may not automatically be covered under a home owner's insurance policy; call and make sure it is. When it is deemed that antique quilts can be insured, it is important to get it in writing and not just take it as a verbal agreement. This usually requires appraisals of the antique quilts being insured. Protecting them goes beyond insuring and documenting them; it also requires preservation on the owners part.
Quilts should never be put into direct natural or artificial light because it will compromise the coloring and fabric. In order to preserve antique quilts, sometimes it is necessary to put them in storage. This is the best way to guarantee they will not be lost or damaged. Before antique quilts are stored, it is important for them to be clean. A vacuum clean will usually do it, but a wet clean may be the only answer. The downside with a wet clean is it will deteriorate the antique quilts to a degree. Dry cleaning should never be an option for cleaning them.
Antique quilts should never be stored in plastic bags; doing so will encourage mildew to grow on them. The best option for storing antique quilts are with covers made of muslin. They need to be taken out of storage every three to six months to air out. This is the time to inspect the quilts for new damage. When putting the heirlooms back in storage, fold them a different way, make as few folds as possible, and do not crush the quilts.
Taking these precautions will save antique quilts for generations to come. Whether it is the wedding quilt an ancestor received or a collection of baby quilts accumulated over the years, the preservation of these heirlooms is important. They can last ages if they are taken care of properly. This is a great way to share memories and messages from the past with the recipients of the future.
Sources:
Elkins, Maria. "Caring for Heirlooms." Lost Quilt Come Home. 2000. 30 July 2007 http://www.lostquilt.com/Article2000-11.html.
Elkins, Maria. "Documenting Your Quilt." Lost Quilt Come Home Page. 2006. 30 July 2007 http://lostquilt.com/Documenting.html.
Elkins, Maria. "How Do Quilts Become Missing?" Lost Quilt Come Home Page. 2006. 30 July 2007 http://lostquilt.com/LostQuiltStats.html.
Elkins, Maria. "Insuring Your Quilt." Lost Quilt Come Home. 2006. 30 July 2007 http://lostquilt.com/Insuring.html.
Why do quilts need to be protected? It is not comforting to know after all the hours logged into making a quilt and all the generations it has passed down through to find it missing from the car, lost in a tornado, misplaced in a move, or accidentally sent to the thrift store. In order to prevent this from happening, certain precautions need to be taken. This includes documenting the quilt. It is harder to do after receiving antique quilts, but it is possible.
One way of protecting antique quilts are by having them photographed. Make sure they are quality photos before the antique quilts go anywhere. An appraisal of the quilts is a good idea to gauge their value. After the quilts are documented via photographs, they may be microchipped to further ensure their protection. Similar to the way dogs are tagged to mark ownership, antique quilts can be embedded with a microchip. This allows the quilts to be scanned to figure out who the owners are.
Antique quilts can also be insured. They may not automatically be covered under a home owner's insurance policy; call and make sure it is. When it is deemed that antique quilts can be insured, it is important to get it in writing and not just take it as a verbal agreement. This usually requires appraisals of the antique quilts being insured. Protecting them goes beyond insuring and documenting them; it also requires preservation on the owners part.
Quilts should never be put into direct natural or artificial light because it will compromise the coloring and fabric. In order to preserve antique quilts, sometimes it is necessary to put them in storage. This is the best way to guarantee they will not be lost or damaged. Before antique quilts are stored, it is important for them to be clean. A vacuum clean will usually do it, but a wet clean may be the only answer. The downside with a wet clean is it will deteriorate the antique quilts to a degree. Dry cleaning should never be an option for cleaning them.
Antique quilts should never be stored in plastic bags; doing so will encourage mildew to grow on them. The best option for storing antique quilts are with covers made of muslin. They need to be taken out of storage every three to six months to air out. This is the time to inspect the quilts for new damage. When putting the heirlooms back in storage, fold them a different way, make as few folds as possible, and do not crush the quilts.
Taking these precautions will save antique quilts for generations to come. Whether it is the wedding quilt an ancestor received or a collection of baby quilts accumulated over the years, the preservation of these heirlooms is important. They can last ages if they are taken care of properly. This is a great way to share memories and messages from the past with the recipients of the future.
Sources:
Elkins, Maria. "Caring for Heirlooms." Lost Quilt Come Home. 2000. 30 July 2007 http://www.lostquilt.com/Article2000-11.html.
Elkins, Maria. "Documenting Your Quilt." Lost Quilt Come Home Page. 2006. 30 July 2007 http://lostquilt.com/Documenting.html.
Elkins, Maria. "How Do Quilts Become Missing?" Lost Quilt Come Home Page. 2006. 30 July 2007 http://lostquilt.com/LostQuiltStats.html.
Elkins, Maria. "Insuring Your Quilt." Lost Quilt Come Home. 2006. 30 July 2007 http://lostquilt.com/Insuring.html.
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