When Susan Foreman unpacked a trunk in her attic last summer, she was devastated to find her grandmother's quilt ruined.

Packed away at least 15 years ago, the quilt, which held many childhood memories for the Ronks woman, now was deeply creased and soiled at the crease marks. Foreman's grandmother had packed it away without taking precautionary measures to protect the family heirloom.

Proper care and simple packing supplies could have kept the quilt in pristine shape while in storage, according to Deb Shoemaker, a local seamstress who quilts.

"Just taking the time to properly store and preserve the quilt would have salvaged all of her memories," Shoemaker said. "Those few extra steps would have protected the quilt from the damage of the environment and aging."

In a region where quilting has been — and will most likely continue to be — very popular, many people preserve the art form and pass quilts down from generation to generation. But sometimes, the delicate nature of the fabrics used in the historic art form is forgotten.

There are many precautions to consider when packing a quilt, even just for a season.

• First rule of storage is that quilts should be stored in a dark, dry place, so heat and moisture don't affect them. Dark quilts, made of browns or blacks, are especially susceptible to fading from exposure to sunlight.

Storing the quilt in the attic was one of Foreman's grandmother's first offenses. The heat in the attic contributed to the quilt's deterioration.

"I am sure she did not think about it years ago," Foreman said. "People pack things away in attics and basements because they are out of the way. They don't realize how hot or dank they can be."

• In the best-case scenario, the quilt would have been unfolded and refolded every so often, said Wendell Zercher curator of the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum.

"This prevents the quilt from developing permanent creases or having dirt accumulate along those folds," Zercher said.

Acid-free tissue can also be scrunched and placed in the folds to prevent deep creases.

Some quilts — those with embellishments or with extra thickness — should always be folded. This allows any embellishment and the interfacing to lay flat and not be compromised by being bent or awkwardly twisted.

After folding the quilt with the design to the inside, the quilt should be stored in an acid-free box. Museum archival boxes can be found locally at The Art Store, 29 E. King St., and online at www.familyarchives.com.

• However, not all quilts should be folded, Shoemaker said.

Acid-free cardboard tubes, which can be purchased from art stores or archival supply Web sites, make the perfect base to roll a quilt around for storage.

"There are no creases this way," Shoemaker said.

• Keeping a quilt clean can be challenging, but washing a handmade quilt is something that is frowned upon by quilters.

"These are delicate pieces and should be handled with care," Zercher said. "Washing them in a washing machine, or even by hand, could compromise the quilt."

Instead, running a hand-held vacuum over the quilt when it's laid out flat is a good way to keep it clean.

If washing is required, use a mild detergent and wash the quilt in a container large enough to hold it without having to fold it too much, Shoemaker said.

"Lay the quilt out on a flat, clean surface and allow it to dry thoroughly before moving it again," Shoemaker said.

• Knowing the age of your quilt can also help preserve it properly.

Identifying a quilt's age is something that comes from years of experience in dealing with quilts and textiles, Zercher said. The knowledge of when a fabric was made, the fabric used and which designs are from which era is pertinent to being able to identify the age of a quilt, according to Zercher.

Quilting designs and techniques can be categorized by the decade in which they were done because there are techniques associated with each era, Zercher said.

Finding out the age of a quilt should be done by somebody that is skilled in the craft. Zercher recommended the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. The institute's Web site, aic.stanford.edu, allows users to find a specialist according to geographic region.

Each generation learned from the past and expanded upon techniques passed down from the previous one.

Identifying a quilt's age takes time and research, and not only provides the history of the piece that may be possibly handed down from generation to generation, but it also allows the owner to gain an education about the techniques used in quilting, Shoemaker said.

E-mail: cesbenshade@lnpnews.com