My great-grandma's quilt got eaten by moths and I nearly lost it

I pulled out my great-grandma's wedding quilt from the cedar chest last spring to air it out and found a bunch of holes in the fabric. Turns out moths had gotten into the chest through a tiny crack in the back corner. I was so upset I almost threw it away, but my aunt talked me into bringing it to a textile restorer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She charged me $200 to patch and reinforce the damaged areas with matching fabric from the 1920s. It took about six weeks but now you can barely see the repairs, and I learned to check for moth eggs every few months. Has anyone else dealt with pest damage on old fabric pieces, and what did you do to stop it from happening again?

2 comments

2 Comments

valgibson19d ago

$200 is honestly a steal for that kind of work. Moth eggs can sit dormant for ages, so you did the right thing getting it checked. I keep cedar blocks in my storage trunks and vacuum them out twice a year, seems to do the trick.

craig.avery19d ago

Hold on, $200 is not a steal, that's still a lot for a quick inspection and some heat treatment you could probably do yourself with a garment steamer. Moth eggs die at 140 degrees, so a hot wash or a trip through the dryer would cost you nothing.