The Valparaiso, Indiana String-a-Long Quilters have been working with the Porter County Museum to clean and archive the museum’s collection of historic quilts for storage. Last weekend, they put the collection on display, featuring, as well, 18 quilts made by String-a-Longer Pat Atwell.
The String-a-Long Quilters have about 75 members, ranging in age from 12 years old to 90, according to guild president Joan Crookston, who spoke at the beginning of the quilt show at the Porter County Expo Center (Bartholomew, Charles. “Quilting show continues today at Expo Center.” Post-Tribune. March 28, 2010). The guild was formed for the purpose of promoting the art of quilting and the preservation of antique quilts. Hundreds of quilt lovers turned out to see the more than 250 quilts displayed in the Expo Center on Saturday and Sunday. Some of the quilts were just finished last week, while others were more than 100 years old, including a quilt that had a souvenir ribbon from William Jennings Bryan’s 1909 Valparaiso speech stitched into it. (Bryan was nominated and ran for president three times.)
Featured quilter Pat Atwell became interested in quilting as the result of her daughter Susan’s interest. “I began quilting when I was a student at Thomas Jefferson Middle School,” explained Susan, who now runs a quilting business using a long-arm machine, in which the quilting machine is moved by hand over the fabric (instead of the fabric being moved over the machine). “Hand-quilting is almost a lost art,” she told Charles Bartholomew of the Post-Tribune.
Because quilting is becoming a lost art, properly storing and archiving quilts is becoming increasingly more important. The String-a-Long Quilters work with the Porter County Museum to preserve its quilt collection. Individuals who have historic quilts that have been passed down through generations can follow the same steps to preserve their own quilts:
mso· To prevent quilts from being damaged by sunlight or artificial light, store in a low-light environment. The best way to display a quilt is to spread it on an unused bed in a guest bedroom where the light is low.
· If you choose to hang a quilt, do not use pins, nails, or staples to affix the quilt to the wall. Instead, sew a four-inch wide tube of fabric along the upper back edge of the quilt. Use the added fabric tube to affix the quilt to the wall, so that it is not necessary to use nails or pins.
· Never hang a quilt for more than six months at a time. If you have more than one quilt to display, rotate the quilts every six months.
· Never dry clean a quilt, because dry cleaning chemicals are harsh and can damage fragile textiles. To clean a quilt, dust it, but do not shake or beat the quilt. If you need to use water to clean a spot, test the quilt for color-fastness first by moistening a cotton swab with tap water and gently touching the fabric of the quilt.
· To fold a quilt for storage, first spread out a clean, well-worn, soft white cotton sheet. Spread the quilt out face down on the sheet. Then cover the back of the quilt with another, similar sheet. (You can also use acid-free tissue paper, or unbleached muslin, which is less expensive, for this purpose.) Use one of two methods to fold the quilt: fold in an accordion, pleated style, to prevent the folds from tearing, or roll the quilt up and store it in a long tube.
· Place the folded quilt in a protective container, such as a Rubbermaid container, an acid-free cardboard box, or a cotton pillowcase. Never store a quilt in a plastic bag, ordinary cardboard box, or wooden trunk, because acid in these materials can react with the textiles in the quilt and cause damage. In some cases, the damage can make the quilt more fragile and prone to tearing.
Once or twice a year, take quilts out to air them. Do not hang them on a clothesline, however. Instead, spread the quilt on a bed. Airing quilts will naturally cause odors to dissipate, helping to keep the quilt clean and making it smell fresh.
Sources used:
Arnold, Annette. “String-a-Long Quilters host biennial show.” Northwest Indiana.com. March 14, 2010.
Bartholomew, Charles. “Quilting show continues today at Expo Center.” Post-Tribune. March 28, 2010.
“Indiana: The Hoosier State.” Quilt Shows/Quilt Guilds Worldwide.
Illini Country Stitchers. “Quilt preservation.”
Wiggins, Pamela. “Preserving antique quilts.” About.com: Antiques.