washing and drying the quilt

first wash - dirty water!

The spectacular Princess Feather quilt I found yesterday needed a bath, so that's what it got. I gently soaked it in cold water with a little Dawn dishwashing liquid, soaked and rinsed it a few times until the water came clear. Before soaking, I made sure the red fabric would be colorfast. I knew it would be, because it's Turkey Red, a fabric known for colorfastness.

second rinse, more dirty water

soaking before final rinse

when the water came clean, it was time to drain and dry

When the water finally came clean, I drained the tub, gently pressed as much water as possible out of the quilt, and rolled it into a laundry basket. It was then carefully spread out on a table covered with absorbent towels covered with a bedsheets. Several hours later, I rolled the quilt back and removed the damp towels and sheet, and spread out the quilt again, leaving it to finish drying on the clean, plastic tables.

before washing

after washing, partially dry, white getting brighter as it dries

As it dried, I made sure the quilt was as flat as possible and the edges were as straight, so the drying also served to block the quilt. It's almost dry now, less than 24 hours later. There is still some discoloration and staining, but it appears to have improved with washing. As it dried, the white got brighter, and the quilt took on the crisp feeling of an air-dried textile. Will try to get another photo this week to see what it looks like side-by-side with the "before" shot. Stay tuned...