How to Wash a Quilt and Fold It The Right Way
Learn how to wash a quilt, plus how to fold it the right way to make it last a long time. You made a quilt you love—or maybe you were gifted one—and now you’re wondering how do I wash this and not ruin it? How on earth do you fold it, store it and not get deep creases that won’t come out? You will learn how in today’s post. Plus I’m giving you a free printable for yourself and to include when you give quilts as gifts.
In today’s blog post, you will learn how care for your quilt and get a free printable Quilt Care Guide. Perfect print out to include when you gift quilts.
I have washed and have folded my good share and I have been quilting for some years now. I’ve always folded my quilts the same way, in half and in half again until the final bundle looked sort of like a square or thick rectangle.
But when I open up the quilt to use it, it always has really deep creases and I just knew that wasn’t good for my quilt. So allow me to explain how to keep your quilt in good condition and still feeling soft. You can also fold it up nice as well as neat without causing damage or shrinkage.
How to Wash a Quilt
Before we start talking about the correct way to fold and store a quilt, we need to wash it. I always wash quilts after I’ve made them and before I gift them to others. Understanding the steps makes quilt washing less scary. This is the easiest way to safely clean it whether it’s a family treasure or new.
✅ Gentle Cycle with Cold Water
Use the gentle cycle to wash all of your quilts within some cold water. This stops extra stress on seams along with fabric colors fading.
✅ Use Color Catcher Sheets
Notably with quilts of bold fabrics or bright hues a Shout Color Catcher sheet is useful in this case. It will grab any free dye that is moving about so your quilt looks like you made it.
✅ Gentle Detergent Best
Use detergent which is made for baby clothes or for delicates that is without any fragrance and is mild. To keep up fabric quality, skip the bleach and the softeners. Keep away from things that have harsh chemicals.
✅ Tumble Dry
Dry your clean quilt in medium heat for nearly 20 minutes. That will remove most of the moisture and fluff it up.
Then change to air dry mode or low heat levels to end it. This final action is vital it aids the seam and stops the filling from lessening a lot.
Please note: if you are washing really old, vintage quilt then skip the machines and hand wash and air dry. Fabric tends to be delicate on vintage quilts. If quilt is really dirty, consider using your bathtub to give it a good soak with gentle detergent and some oxy-clean to remove stubborn dirt and grime.
Free Quilt Care Guide
Make sure you get the free download. It recaps how to wash and fold your quilts. You can hang this in your sewing room or laundry room. You can also print it out and include it when gifting a quilt.
How to Fold a Quilt
Most people fold a quilt in half again and again until it’s small enough to store away. But folding quilts in half puts stress on the seams causing it to wear out faster and get deep creases that don’t come out very well.
Instead, try folding your quilts on the bias. You will still have a neat folded quilt to store away but avoid deep creased and that’s a good thing.
✅ Fold Diagonally
Put your quilt down on a flat surface, it’s best if you have the quilt top facing up. Make it smooth until it has no wrinkles. Fold the bottom right corner inwards diagonally, about 3/4 of the way across.
Go to the opposite side of the quilt, fold right corner in and over the first fold diagonally. Both folds should meet in the middle or will overlap.
✅ Fold in Half
Next, you should fold each short end toward the center halfway mark. Both ends from each side will meet in the middle.
Fold the quilt in half by turning one side up and on top of the other half across its length. Make it smooth as you go along. You may need to repeat this step another time so it’s skinny enough for the final fold.
Keep on with this process until your quilt turns long. Be sure that the strip is even.
You now should have a short clean strip that does avoid much folding across seam lines.
✅ Finished Folded Quilt
Finally, fold one side into the middle, then fold the other half on top of it. That’s it, your all done. Your quilt should be stacked in neat layers. The result? A soft bundle with no stress or deep creases visible on the seams.
Do not press the quilt down to make it smaller, you want your folded quilt to have a little space between the layers.
You can avoid deep creases in your quilt by refolding them every few months. Lasting lines can be stopped through often changing your folds. It’s a good idea to refold your quilts every 3 to 4 months.
✅ Display and Storage
Keep your folded quilt inside a cotton bag that can breathe, a pillow case works great for this. They are able to be kept on an open shelf too so you can display them. I love the look of a Billy bookcase with lots of colorful patchwork quilts all neatly folded. That’s definitely my aesthetic.. If you can, do not use plastic containers because quilts should breathe and containers trap in the air.
Get the free printable
Don’t forget! Subscribe to my newsletter and get the free printable “Quilt Care Guide” that recaps how to wash and fold your quilts. You can hang this in your sewing room or laundry room. You can also print it out and include it when gifting a quilt.
Looking for your next quilt project? Then head on over to my free “Pattern Index”. It’s a page dedicated to all of my free patterns separated by categories for crochet, sewing and quilting.
If you prefer an ad-free printable version, head over to my shop and browse the Digital Patterns. These are instant digital downloads you print yourself.
Here are some helpful videos on how to fold your quilt to last longer by Hailey Stitches and Ma Tante Quilting.
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ABOUT SEW NIKKI
If this is your first time stopping by, welcome! I’m Nikki, a maker obsessed with quilting, crochet, and all things fabric. Here, you’ll find easy-to-follow patterns, helpful tutorials, and plenty of inspiration for your next handmade project. Whether you’re stitching up a cozy quilt, crocheting a vintage-inspired blanket, or diving into upcycled sewing, I’m here to make the process fun and stress-free. Grab your fabric (or yarn), and let’s create something beautiful together!
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