Stitch124

Should you wash your quilt before submitting to a show?

I'm clueless and wondered how some of the quilts in the shows come out looking so clean and crisp and wrinkle-less, yet I thought quilts were supposed to look wrinkley?

How should I prepare my quilt for a show? Remove markings.

P.S. I know about the hanging sleeve... just not sure about the other prep info.

nygal

I have no idea but I wouldn't wash it.

dunster

If I were ever to make a "show quilt" then I might not wash it, provided it already looked great. Or I might wash it and then block it, which is what I suspect is done with many show quilts. But I don't make show quilts, although I do put most of my quilts in the local guild shows (because the guilds need lots of quilts to have a good show). I can't imagine not washing these quilts when they're finished, because they're full of starch and have been handled to death.

patricej

nearly every quilt i've ever seen displayed in a show looks as though it's never been laundered.
makes me wonder if their creators all arranged for work space in companies that use "clean rooms."
most of my quilts are nowhere near that pristine looking by the time i'm done. LOL

wild guess, here ... maybe they get sponge baths for spot removal; or a gentle slosh in a tub; or washed somehow, then blocked and/or hung - but never put into a dryer.

Tartan

I would not wash a show quilt unless I had to remove water solvable markings. You always run the risk of having a bleeder even if pre-treated.
If you do need to wash it to remove markings, gently agitate with lots of water and colour catchers, spin and CHECK for problems. If everything is good, put in the dryer for a bit and take out while still quite damp. Lay a clean sheet on the carpet and block the quilt out on it. You can use rust proof pins to hold it taut and it should dry almost twinkle free and nice and square.

miss_sonja

I was wondering the same thing, after recently attending a guild show with some pristine looking quilts and some wrinkly ones. Maybe someone who has shown quilts recently will chime in?

Prism99

You typically would not wash the quilt, but you want to block it. Here's a tutorial from one woman who enters shows:
http://dreamweavers-quilts.com/2008/...hort-tutorial/

For a show, it's important that a quilt be square and flat so it hangs well.

charsuewilson

I wouldn't wash a new quilt. An older one it would depend on how dirty it is and whether it has a detectable odor.

maryb119

I don't wash my quilts if they are gong into a show. I take the time to press them so they will hang nicely. Pressing is a lot of work but the quilt shows so much better. Steaming them will work too.

Jan in VA

Oh, I'd LOVE to have my quilts 'twinkle'!!
Jan in VA