What's the best way to clean a hand-sewn quilt?

https://suzyquilts.com/wash-and-care-for-a-quilt/

Hand wash in the bathtub with a mild soap. Rinse well and hang over a line to dry. Avoid strong sun shining on it, which will probably fade the colors. You could lay a sheet over it on the line while it dries.

Do you have a good cleaners that you could talk to someone there and ask about washing it for you...might even take it in to let them see. Sorry but I would want to know it wouldn't mess it up..breaking thread, etc.

I would soak it In cool water with a gentle soap made for delicate fabric. Or you could take it to the dry cleaner . I would make sure it wouldn't be damaged first by speaking with the dry clean people.

I wash my hand made quilt in my front loading washer on "hand wash" or "delicate" cycle. You can dry in the dryer, but don't use high heat. Just because it is hand made does not mean it can't be washed, what do you think they did years ago. If you hang on a line to dry, put the under side on the outside.

I would wash it. But, I would put it in a very large mesh laundry bag, get some Woolite and go to a nice laundromat where they have nice big machines that don’t have agitators. Cold water.

Put in a few big old towels as “scrubbers.

use one of their dryers for a short time to remove excess water.

If you have a clothes line with multiple lines attatched it will support the damp quilt better...lay it across all the lines..I’ve also put down a clean tarp on the concrete drive to dry quilts on. If you need to...commercial dryer at laundrymat, low heat. Do the last option only if the material in the quilt has been washed and dried before constructing the quilt. If you don’t know if the materials in a quilt have been pre washed use a color catcher dye absorbing cloth in the wash.

A 50 year old quilt is a rather "young" quilt and can be easily washed. DO NOT take it to a dry cleaner - chemical are not the friend of any textile! Use cool water, gentle cycle, a color free laundry soap, no fabric softener and hang it to dry outside. Always keep it out of direct sunlight because it will fade.

I wash quilts in my bath tub. Fill tub with water and immerse quilt and laundry detergent. Take off your shoes and socks and get in tube and start walking up and down on the quilt, let soak a while and let water out of the tub. Now fold quilt over into about thirds lengthwise, walk up and down on quilt to remove water, when you think quilt is pretty much water free, fill tub again to rinse. Repeat all steps. I have cleaned many quilts this way. Try outside on line. I would not trust a hand made quilt to a washing machine.

Your welcome; I love my quilts and have passed down to my daughter the one her grandmother used on the floor for all of the grandkids (she is the youngest) it has been washed many, many times. I did say front loaders because they don't operate the same as a top loader, the cloths tumble instead of being adjudicated so they aren't rubbed against each other and the machine so much.