to hide or not to hide???

11 October 2011

to hide or not to hide???

i'm curious...
do yall store your quilts with the front facing out or do yall hide the fronts???

here's my two cents:
mostly our quilts sit {or hang} with their fronts facing out.
but then again, depending on the quilt, i might store them with the backing facing out.
oh and if i travel with my quilts, i always fold them with the backing facing out.

note: my kids have their own quilts plus we have quilts that we all use & abuse.
{livingroom quilts, quilts we play peekaboo with, quilts that build tents, quilts for football, etc.}
but we do have some quilts that are my "working girls" that travel to shops & such.
and those are "no touchy" for the kiddos. lol.


so which do yall do???
and why???

♥ rachel

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38 comments:

QuiltedSquid said...

I like to fold the backing out with a corner flipped to show the front when I'm gifting them or finished for my customers. Love your blog!

Layne Bushell said...

Fronts out. I want to see them. If they get mucked up by kiddos, then I throw them in the washer. I'm a firm believer that my quilts are to be used and loved. And the more they're washed, the softer and more "comfy" they are!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

I have children so backing out!! ;)

Bobbi said...

I store them in a laundry basket in the middle of my sewing room. Yes, its a little chaotic right now.

I never thought about storing them one way or another! I like the idea of back facing out with the corner showing the front... Since I don't have kids, I guess I would store them with front facing out. If I had somewhere besides the basket to store them!

Anonymous said...

None of the above...I don't have any that I've kept...and have only made a few.

I do know that for me personally, whatever I make will be for use, not display, so I guess they'll always have the fronts facing out.

Marianne said...

I have dogs...lots of dogs...big dogs....and my quilts are never folded and out of reach. I make quilts to be loved and used not set out on display. The dogs love to cuddle on them. So my answer would be. Never folded.
oh and I don't have "company only" towels or "good" dishes either.

Heather said...

My quilts are never folded either. They are thrown on the back of the couches, on the chairs, on the kids beds, on the floor, wherever they are being played with at the moment. Sometimes they are walls of forts. They are rarely folded though. However, right after they are made I fold them up until I wash them and they are front out always.

Megan said...

Fronts out!!! I worked to damn hard on piecing all those tops to have them hiding on the inside!

amylouwhosews said...

I hadn't thought much about this. I don't have enough to have any that aren't being used at the moment. I love yours on the hooks! I have plans to copy you!

Greta said...

I never really thought about this but I have always folded mine with the back out. Because I have dogs I usually fold mine quilt at the end of the night and put it back in the closet. And even when I fold the quilt my mom made me that lives at the end of my bed I always fold it down with the back out. But now that you mentioned it I'm not sure why I do that. I really should be showing off those fronts I worked so hard on.

Sharon Pernes said...

I haven't made enough to have to store, but I do have 2 quilts that I can't seem to use nor put away. One is the quilt I made for my Mother-in-law before she passed away and the other is a small one I made and haven't found anywhere to use it. They are both on the footboard part of my bed. It's iron and pretty high so they look pretty there.

But I have have heard to store them wrong sides together when it's just a quilt top (or flimsy) and the same for once it's quilted, unless you need to find it by the design on the back. I also was told to store them in fabric pillowcase type of bags and to refold them once a year. But I haven't tried that either.

suemac said...

Sad to say I don't have any that I have kept yet. I hope to remedy that soon. I will probably display on the couch front facing out regardless of dog hair. I will be spending a lot of time on it and want to show off my work.

Ralitza said...

to hide :)
it gives a magic opening moment every day :)
the first of our quilts was a playing mat - really big and for a little one - it started the ritual - cleaner side inside - floor-facin side - outside :)

LeslieUnfinished said...

Like someone else already said, Always front facing out to see all the work I did! And when gifting, folded front facing out with a corner pulled down to see the coordinating back.

laura said...

my quilts are never folded either. flung is the word i would use to describe them. :)

Ann Marie @ 16 Muddy Feet said...

my quilts are made with love to be used.........so that is where you will find them. If for some reason they need to be folded to get to one place or another, it is which ever way it gets lifted and which sides went which way.

Quiltn Mama said...

Front out but high enough out of reach so grubby hands can't reach 'em.

Rachel said...

Fabric facing out...quilts facing out...wanna see what I love :-)

tarabu said...

I try to rotate folding in or out for my sample quilts. I don't know that it matters, I store them in fabric bags, but my neuroses wants to believe that by folding them a different way (thirds, quarters, roll-ups) each time I'm preventing minute crease-wear.

Maria Harrits said...

I'm a "using everything with the front facing out" girl. And then I store my quilts with the back facing out. Often I use a lovely fabric on the back, so both the front and the bag looks great!

Kate said...

The quilts that aren't in daily use are stored laying on a spare mattress- so it doesn't matter! It keeps the creases from becoming permanent.

Now when they travel, they travel back out!

And if they are out and about in the house- they are fronts out!

Marilyn said...

Usually fronts facing out, and most all of them get a use on a fairly regular basis, so no need to worry about refolding them once a year to stop fading, creasing etc. They would be folded differently every time. All of mine are made to be used and I love seeing them in use.

Carrie said...

I have a dog AND a toddler, but I always put out quilts with the tops showing. Like so many others said, I put so much work into them that I want to see them. And I usually use any yardage I can find for the back, so the fronts are prettier :)

Where did you get your plate holders??? I'm totally putting this project on my husband's to-do list!

Lindi said...

When they are out (in use)- fronts out. When they are in (in storage)-fronts in.

Unknown said...

Quilts in the studio where there are only hands who appreciate their value are stored face so I can enjoy. Any quilt in the house itself is for all to use and enjoy, so it's usually wrapped around a body or thrown over a chair.

Jane said...

My quilts are folded and usually piled up fronts out, but when I hand a quilt over, either a gift or a finished work for a customer, it is always back out, just so that they get to have a lovely surprise when it's opened up. My 'best' quilts are either on the wall or on my bed!

Karen said...

Up until recently, all my quilts have been as gifts for people, so I haven't had to store them. The one for my husband is usually scrunched up on the couch were he's left it from the night before.

The quilts that I do have now which need to be 'stored' are currently tossed in a pile in the corner of my sewing room.... I'm a bad quilt mum aren't I? LOL

Anita said...

My quilts are all over the house, hung up or over a piece of furniture, with fronts facing out. Stored quilts are folded with fronts out but are in an old attorney's book shelf that has those glass doors so I can see that these babies are OK!!! Just have to keep an eye on them. I rearrange them from time to time.

Carol Sanin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carol Sanin said...

I usually fold my Holiday quilts with the back showing, and I store them inside old pillowcases...I find that since those only get displayed on Holidays the pillowcases keeps the quilts dust free.... But my everyday quilts those I fold with the front showing in a big wicker basket I have in my bedroom.
I find that to be easier ....

Libby said...

When they ARE folded; they are folded out; but the majority of the time; they are flung over the chair or bed and they are the way they've landed.

Pattyskypants said...

Backing out if they are on a shelf, top out if they are in the closet. I have one closet filled (floor to ceiling) with finished quilts. Most of the quilts that are in the closet are older (pre 1990), so typically have muslin backings. All the quilts on the shelf are post '90s and have beautiful fabric backings that I like to see. It's cheerful. xxoo

Susan said...

As I've just started making quilts, none are stored, but are used. Because the UV rays in our country fade anything of any decent colour, I have a tendency to fold my lap quilt inside showing out on, the sofa.

We have no wall space for hanging, so where is the best place to store a quilt when not in use?

lisa said...

when they are out, they are OUT for all the world to see. Or if they might be cycled out (seasonal and washed but don't need yet...there's a shelf I store them on until they are NEEDED, or if I can't choose between two I will have one OUT and one almost out, then swap the next week) those are all face out, the ones I am storing for the next time that time of year comes around are bottoms out!

Chris {frecklemama} said...

I am a long arm quilter and I ship quilts folded with the backing facing out to protect the front.

BTW, I won an Edge Ruler from your site!!! THANK YOU!!! I desperately needed to replace one lost at my MQG retreat. I am so, so excited and greatful :-)

Nancy said...

If mine are stored, then they are backing out. On display, they are pieced side out.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

I like to fold them front out, I also use muslin a lot on my backs.

fotohok said...

Wow, the archivist in me shuddered to think of some of these methods of storage. Storage is different than usage. We keep some quilts on beds, couches or a quilt rack. If a quilt is being put away because it will not be used for a month or more I consider that storage. Quilters spend so much time, thought, money and creativity on their art that I think it's definitely worth storing them well. A quick google tour can help you learn how.
If you want to fold your quilts up, get some (of the correct kind) of acid free tissue to stuff in the folds to protect your fabric and quilting. You can roll your quilt or put it in a box (acid -free, lignin and sulphur-free). Rotate it every once in a while to relieve pressure points.
One of the reasons there aren't more vintage quilts around after hundreds of years is that they were not treated with care. If your quilt is sitting on a bare wood shelf the chemicals in the wood are penetrating your quilt and breaking down the fabric. The dust and sun and oil from your hands is breaking down the fabric. Quilts are wonderful if they are loved, used and enjoyed. With just a couple minutes extra time at storage, they will also be around to be loved for more time and by more people.
And that's probably more than enough outta me. So I'll pipe down :) Cheers.

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