Spring Cleaning

As part of our spring cleaning, we are washing (most of) our quilts. They have had a lot of use over the winter and they need a good cleaning!

First I soak them in the laundry room sink in a mild detergent (Seventh Generation unscented) for an hour or more. It always amazes me how dirty the wash water gets! Then I rinse and soak again in more detergent for another hour and rinse two or three times.

Next we lay the quilt pieced side down (to minimize any fading from the sun) on towels on the grass to dry. This usually takes two to four hours, depending on the heat that day.

Finally, we cover the quilt with an old sheet to keep it clean and to keep the backing from fading in the sun. Notice the rocks that we have to use to keep everything from blowing away- it's windy here!

The finished project! This is the quilt that Hannah sewed entirely by hand. I sewed matching pillowcases and a toss pillow for her. Ready for another year of use!