Roll that quilt!

If you are like me, you have many quilts, but only a few beds on which to put them. Or perhaps you have many wall hangings and change them frequently according to the season or holiday. The extra quilts or wall hangings have to be stored or put away for a time until you are ready to use them again. How do you store them? There are many ways the experts say to store your quilt or wall hangings for temporary or permanent storage, but here is what I do!

My quilts and wall hangings are stored temporary; I am getting into my collection of finished projects every few months. With my wall hangings I do one of two things, depending how often I use the project and what it is. If it's something I change frequently and is lightweight and small, I will use straight pins to hang it on a hanger. Then I will store it in an extra closet and drape muslin over it to keep it clean. The finished project needs to be lightweight and small, so there is no stress on the pins as it is held to the hanger. Also, these wall hangings are on and off the hanger 4-5 times a year, so there are frequently being pinned and unpinned, so it will not leave permanent pin marks.

With wall hangings that I do not use as frequently or larger and heavier pieces, I will roll up the wall hanging. I lay the wall hanging out flat on the floor and then roll it instead of folding it multiple times. Then I will put it and multiple other rolled up hangings in a clean pillow case. Loosely pack them together and store the full pillow case in a closet or dry, dark area.

For my quilts, I will do the same rolling technique. Lay the quilt out flat, roll it up and then fold in half or thirds depending on the size. Then I will insert the rolled quilt into a clean pillow case and store. Be sure to roll before folding as this will help to eliminate the folds in the quilt.

Many of my quilts and wall hangings are embellished with printed photos, machine embroidery, ribbon, buttons and other trims, so the method of rolling instead of folding works much better and reduces the folds in the fabric that can harm the embellished areas.