raedar63

Can you drape it over a shower rod to dry since you don't have a cloths line? Then you could fluff it in the dryer.

bearisgray

I think you have the right idea.

ontheriver

I have one of those front load machine that does huge loads, like 25 pairs of jeans at a time. Maybe a friend has one? Or else the laundry mat or maybe the cleaners.

whinnytoo

Ive washed some of my big quilts in the whirlpool tub, then lay them out on top of an old bed sheet in the back yard to dry.
Works great~

qbquilts

I'd go to a laundry mat. I had to last fall when I made a twin-sized rag quilt. I used the giant washer and dryer there. I only put 1 quarter in at a time when using the dryer so that I had an opportunity to clear the lint tray every few minutes. Just take a book or some hand piecing and plan on doing the same. If you find that you don't need to rearrange the quilt or pause the dryer every few minutes, then put a couple of quarters in at a time.

nanna-up-north

Thanks so much everyone. Your suggestions are great and I'm so looking forward to getting this quilt in the mail to my granddaughter. It took me 5 months of handquilting to get it finished..... and I worked on it 3 hours a day, everyday.. I'll try to post a picture once it is ready to ship.

mhansen6

I always go to the laundromat to wash it. Then I hang them on our deck railing to dry. I love the way they smell when they are dried in the sun.

scraphq

I always wash my large quilts at the laundromat. There is more water in the machine and not so much abrasion of the quilt.

purrfectquilts

Probably the laundromat is your best choice as others have suggested. I would not use any soap, just some liquid fabric softener, which is a gentle cleaner in inself and maybe even 3 or 4 color catchers. They can be reused so you are not wasting them. Use only cold water and really all you need is a good rinse ... not the whole cycle. If you use the dryers, make sure the temperature is as low as possible and keep shaking the quilt out every quarter or so. Or just dry a little bit, take home and use the sheet underneath in a shady yard idea.

Good luck!

bearisgray

I always hesitate to dry a quilt outside -

birds and bugs sometimes defecate on them