I'm Really Not THAT Old!

Recently a young friend asked me to text her a picture and then said, "If you don't know how to do that, call me and I'll walk you through it."  I thought it was funny that because of my age she assumed I didn't know how to fully use my cell phone.  I could have said, "Hey, women my age and older are quite good at using fancy computerized sewing, quilting and embroidery machines!  Ha! A cell phone?  Piece of cake!"  But I just smiled and told her I thought I could handle it :)


My friend Annie came up with a list of "How to Care For Your Quilts" instructions that she gives when she gifts a quilt to someone.  Here are a few of her ideas:
1. Do not dry clean.
2. Do wash, but seldom.  Wash with ORVIS or another product developed especially for hand-made quilted items.  It is also recommended to use Color Catchers the first few times (can be found in the grocery store laundry section).
3. Do not use bleach.
4. Use the gentle cycle on the washing machine with tepid water.
5. Using the dryer to fluff your quilt is good, but place 2-3 dry bath towels in with the quilt on a warm, not hot cycle and not more than five minutes (I usually let mine dry a little longer, but it depends on your dryer.)  Lay flat to finish drying.  (Sometimes with wall hangings that have gotten dusty - rather than wash them I just put them in the dryer briefly to fluff all the dust off!)
Notes:
Sunlight fades fabric colors (I found this out the hard way with a quilt my Mom made us when we got married).
Handmade quilts do not fair well with most pets.
If you prefer to use the quilt as a wall decoration there are special quilt hangers in the the quilt shops that won't harm the fabrics.
I thought these were great tips!  I think it's a good idea to put some instructions in with the quilt when gifting it.  Most people don't know, but want to know, and would find these tips helpful!