Quilt Care
Tulaberry quilts are made for daily life - as bed coverings, sofa companions, or textile accents in your home. The care instructions below are written with Tulaberry quilts in mind.
Handle with care, wash thoughtfully, and let your quilt become part of your story.
Living with your quilt
Tulaberry quilts are designed as livable art — made to be used, loved, and allowed to age beautifully. Our design philosophy draws from the historical role of utility quilts: comfort, warmth, and beauty woven into everyday life.
That said, it's worth understanding the full spectrum of quilt care — from museum archival practice to daily household use — because where your quilt lands on that spectrum shapes how you should care for it.
The Quilts episode of Craft in America offers a fascinating window into one end of that spectrum. Museum experts describe caring for antique quilts with extraordinary restraint: they never wash them. Stains stay. The only cleaning is a gentle vacuuming to remove dust particles that can damage fibers at a microscopic level. Antique quilts are also refolded along different lines at least once every two years to prevent fiber stress and deep crease lines. These are quilts meant to be preserved, not lived with.
Tulaberry quilts are meant to be lived with.
Know your quilt
The right care approach depends on how your quilt was made. Key variables include:
- Fabric — 100% cotton, linen, wool, silk, or a blend
- Batting — cotton, wool, silk, bamboo, synthetic, or a blend
- Thread — cotton or specialty
- Finishing techniques — quilting density, embellishments (embroidery, beads, etc.)
Most Tulaberry quilts are made entirely of 100% cotton — fabric, batting, and thread — which means most of our quilts are in the wash-friendly category. Every Tulaberry quilt ships with care instructions specific to its materials. When in doubt, refer to those first.
Washing Guidelines
100% cotton quilts (cotton fabric, batting, and thread) are the most wash-friendly:
Wash
- Machine wash on a gentle cycle in cold water, or hand wash in a large sink or tub
- Use a gentle detergent — never bleach
- Add a color-catcher if you're unsure about colorfastness
- Never hang, wring, twist, or pull a wet quilt; natural fibers are most vulnerable when wet
- Transport a wet quilt wrapped in a clean sheet or carried in a bucket to avoid stretching
Dry
- Place in the dryer on low heat/gentle cycle for 15–20 minutes, then air-dry flat
- To dry outside: lay a clean sheet on the lawn, spread the quilt face-down on top, then cover with another clean sheet to protect from UV
Quilts made with linen fabric or that include wool, silk, or bamboo batting, or mixed natural fibers may require more care — check your included care instructions.
Quilts with silk fabrics, embroidery, beads, or other embellishments should be dry-cleaned, or not cleaned at all.
Washing will naturally soften a quilt over time and beautifully accentuate the texture of the quilting — this is part of how a quilt tells its story.
Routine Maintenance
Between washes, a little regular care goes a long way:
- Shake your quilt gently outdoors to remove loose dust and debris
- Vacuum with a brush attachment wrapped in tulle on low suction to lift pet hair and surface dust
- Refold along different lines periodically if storing, to avoid permanent crease lines
If you're preserving, not using
If your goal is to keep a quilt in pristine, archival condition:
- Store in a cool, dry place in an acid-free box or tissue, away from sunlight
- Refold along different lines at least once every two years
- Vacuum gently with a clean brush attachment wrapped in a piece of tulle if your quilt has been on display
- Never wash it