I promised to share more on the washing of this quilt.
This one deserved a good hand wash.
You might wonder why I washed it. The batting and backing were both new. One look at this water and you understand why. All that is from the top. All that dirt acts like sand paper on the fibers. This was the first wash.
This was the third wash. I used baby shampoo.
I followed that with four rinsings. This is the last.
I pressed on the quilt to get as much water as possible out. I followed that up with rolling in towels. Then I spread it out on a clean sheet in the backyard.
I covered it with another clean sheet and left it out until it was almost dry. Then I put it in my dryer. And here it is! So much brighter!
The back crinkled up nicely, hiding my stitches.
And my repairs blend in even better now.
Here’s a good before and after. The first photo was taken just after I purchased this as a tied quilt.
And after quilting and washing.
Have a great day!
KatyQuilts 
So worth all the effort Katy! Do you generally wash your quilts by hand or maybe just the ones with vintage fabrics?
Very nice. Looks so fresh and new.
On another note as I pulled in today I noticed Cactus Jack has a baby or arm about 2 inches long. You should probably come check him out.
Wow! You did a wonderful job of getting this quilt to shine. I repaired an old quilt a few years ago. The owner was over 70 and it was his childhood quilt. He said that he didn’t know if it had ever been washed. I wasn’t surprised, I had to wash it before I could work on it. It was that dirty.
The before and after photos are remarkable. Just shows how much dirt there can be in an old quilt even though it doesn’t show. Thanks for the step by step!
So beautiful….
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WOW–I know it was hard work washing it in the tub–but so rewarding–
luv, di
Love, love, love it!! All that hard work certainly paid off! Another great job, Katy.
It really did make a big difference! The picture showing it quilted shows how beautiful it is. Hugs,
What a difference your determination made. Great fabrics. Great results.
That turned out fantastic! Now I won’t shy away from tied quilts (if they have a nice pattern like that one).
What a huge change this made for that quilt! Love the close-up of the fabrics.
Wow!!Sent via the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G, an AT&T 5G smartphone
who would have guessed it was that dirty! Did it have a smell, or could you feel the dirt while working on it?
Oh! My! what a difference the washing made. I love this quilt, before and after the washing.
Wow, the color of that water! Yikes. The quilt just looks happier after its spa day!