komammy

I was given a whole bag of 9 patch blocks and also a whole bunch of Sunflower blocks. My friend is in her 70's and she said these were her mothers, so they are very old. I need to get material to make the centers of the sunflower patches. Could someone please help me to find either feed bags or repo. fabric? I'm sure there are websites out there. Thanks for your help. Oh just as a side note. These patches had been somewhere in moth balls and they really reek. I know I have to be careful in trying to get out the smell, any hints on how to do it. Right now they are hanging in my garage. There were also alot of patterns and other paper things in the bag. Everything smells bad. I think breathing in this stuff is not a good thing. Sorry this got so long.

TanyaL

Back in the 40's when I was young we stored all our winter clothing in moth balls every summer. In the fall we had to get the scent out so we could wear them. We hung our clothes on the clothes line in the sunshine and let the wind blow through them. We would do this several times until the smell was gone. You might put your pieces in mesh laundry bags and hang in the sun - perhaps spray with a fabric refresher or sprinkle with baking soda also. It takes lots of fresh air and sunshine unless you have a chemical way to do it.

hopetoquilt

Crumpled up sheets of newspaper laying on top of the quilt pieces with quilt pieces spread out may work. My son got "ill" in my car and I tried everything to get the smell out. A neighbor suggested the newspaper sheets and it worked so well.

Debbie C

A very dear friend of my parents (in their 80's) gave me what was left of her quilts/quilting projects that her mother had. They had been in storage in her basement for a lifetime. The 'fragrance' from sitting boxed in a damp basement was finally eliminated by letting them all sit overnight in a big tub of luke warm water and Oxiclean (and a cup of white vinegar), followed by a clean rinse by hand and hanging out in the sun to dry.

willferg

When I get old fabric that has that "old" smell, I machine wash with Borax and that seems to help.

jcrow

That is so nice that you have the honor of finishing the quilt. You must have impressed the woman for her to give you something so precious. I know this is off the subject, but I thought of this first thing. I have no idea how to get out the smell. Just wanted to let you know that you must be important to this woman. You are kind to do this.