My great aunt's hand-stitched quilt from 1912 looked totally different after I learned how to properly store it

I pulled out this old quilt my great aunt made back in 1912 from a plastic bin in my basement. The colors were all faded and there were these dark crease lines running through it. Turns out storing it folded in plastic for decades trapped moisture and caused the fabric to weaken. I switched to an acid-free box with unbleached muslin between the folds and stored it flat in my spare closet. After about six months the fading stopped getting worse and the crease marks actually softened a bit. Anyone else find out they were storing their family quilts wrong the hard way?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee_ward542d ago

Rotating mine every six months stopped the dark fold lines from setting in permanently.

samf952d ago

Did you read that thing from a textile guy about how the fold lines actually break down the fabric fibers over time? Honestly, I heard rotating every three months is even better if you're rough on your rugs, but six months sounds doable for most people. Tbh, I just learned about this from a buddy who flips furniture, and he swears by the six-month rotation too.