vintage/antique quilts

[crossthebreeze]

I've got three durham quilts - one (maybe two) are wholecloth, one is striped. no idea how old they are, but I know one of my great grandmas had them so first half of 20th C or maybe older - and I don't know enough about this sort of thing to know if they are handstitched, machine stitched, or factory made. My mum hasn't really looked after them very well and has passed them on to me. One of them is badly frayed on one edge, the other two look a bit discoloured with one or two marks and some wear.

I don't really want all three (I'd probably like to keep one) as I don't really have anywhere to store them. But I've no idea what to do with them - how to wash them (and living in a flat with no outside space or bannisters to hang them over don't know if I could), if they are saleable - or even how to give them away to someone who would appreciate them. I'm having a big declutter at the moment and nearly gave them to the cat and dog shelter with a load of old bedding, but then realised that might not be the right thing to do.

Anyone know anything about this kind of thing?

 

[wayward bob]

re washing - do you have a bath?

 

[crossthebreeze]

re washing - do you have a bath?

Yes

 

[wayward bob]

2 things to bear in mind

- the wadding is probably wool (you can verify this if you can peek in through the fraying), so you need to wash as wool - soak in tepid water with shampoo, gentle squeezing, no sudden hot/cold temperature changes
- the weight of the water makes them fragile when wet - chances are some of the stitching threads will snap with anything but the very gentlest handling (and even then...)

when i wash quilts i pile them up at the end of the bath to drain, then drape over a broom handle across the bath to drain some more. then i wrestle them into the machine to spin - but this isn't anything heirloomy or that i can't fix, for preference you'd have access to a laundrette-sized machine for spinning. and then folded over a drier/radiator and turned/refolded several times.

 

[crossthebreeze]

2 things to bear in mind

- the wadding is probably wool (you can verify this if you can peek in through the fraying), so you need to wash as wool - soak in tepid water with shampoo, gentle squeezing, no sudden hot/cold temperature changes
- the weight of the water makes them fragile when wet - chances are some of the stitching threads will snap with anything but the very gentlest handling (and even then...)

when i wash quilts i pile them up at the end of the bath to drain, then drape over a broom handle across the bath to drain some more. then i wrestle them into the machine to spin - but this isn't anything heirloomy or that i can't fix, for preference you'd have access to a laundrette-sized machine for spinning. and then folded over a drier/radiator and turned/refolded several times.

Thanks bob! Yes I think there is wool inside. I do have a laundrette within walking distance that has big spin dryers - that would help a lot. Think they're too heavy for my airer, but I've just had the thought that constructing something with the dining chairs might work. Maybe a job for winter when the radiators are on, or at least when the building work on my estate has finished so I can open my windows without grit blowing in.

 

[Baronage-Phase]

I wouldn't wash them in a machine.
They need very gentle handling...
I'd be inclined to bring them to someone who is a textile restorer or someone who deals with quilts.

Or just bring them as they are to an antique textiles dealer.

If you want to wash the one you're keeping then I'd suggest using Woolite and washing them in a bath as described by wayward bob.
As regards drying....I'd be inclined to lay them out flat on grass or wherever you can...as hanging then up might cause stitches to break. If you have no choice but to dry them indoors then wait for some dry weather and have them laid on the floor with windows open and a dehumidifier on the go....and a blow heater too. They should dry out without going smelly but obviously you'll have to be there with them....

 

[wayward bob]

if you have space to spread it out to dry you can take a look at the quilting pattern - that's how the layers are stitched through rather than any stripping/patchwork. it's usually quite easy to tell if something's hand stitched. i don't have an old welsh quilt, but one day i will

 

[crossthebreeze]

Thanks Pippin! I don't have the cash at the moment to take them to a textile restorer, but getting an antique textiles dealer or a quilter to take a look at them might be a good idea - at least then I'll know what I've got and if they're repairable, worth anything, or of interest.

They're not quite as ornate as that one, but they do have beautiful patterns. The stripy on has a different stitching pattern on each stripe. The others have swirly interlinked patterns on. I think you need the right light to get a good photo of it though.

 

[Baronage-Phase]

if you have space to spread it out to dry you can take a look at the quilting pattern - that's how the layers are stitched through rather than any stripping/patchwork. it's usually quite easy to tell if something's hand stitched. i don't have an old welsh quilt, but one day i will

That us beautiful.
I made a patch work quilt for a double bed years ago...by hand. It's a massive amount of work. But I'll have it forever. Mind you I don't think I will ever make another one...my eyesight is not at all as good as it was then.

 

[UrbaneFox]

Welsh Quilts: The Difference Between Welsh and Durham Quilts

And this, where there are a few books about them

durham quilts | eBay

 

[wayward bob]

ooh interesting to note the different fillings reflecting local resources - wool in wales, cotton in durham. you can check by pulling out a pinch and burning with a lighter - smells of burning hair = wool/smells of burning paper = cotton. (if you burn with a match it can be harder to distinguish the smells) if it is cotton you can go warmer with the water (which will help with staining) but the weak point will always be the quilting threads - and for the age you're talking those will be cotton, so definitely weakened with weight/water.

also interesting for me to see the south wales/durham connection - my mum's family are/were north-east/miners