I gave the red bear paw quilt blocks a bath, and they didn't disintegrate:
The wash did reveal many little frayed areas, and even with a good soaking for twenty minutes (which was all I dared) I couldn't get out the yellow-brown foxing stains. You can spot-treat these with hydrogen peroxide, which does lighten or remove foxing, but this can also further weaken the textiles, something I want to avoid.
The red patches are also fraying in a few spots.
The backing muslin is in the best shape, although it also shows foxing:
Both blocks are about 1/4" too wide to use as fronts for the canvas totes I have on hand. I can use them anyway, but I'll lose all the points on the bear paws if I do.
Repeated washings will eventually ruin these blocks, so they can't be incorporated in any project that needs regular washing. I'm not in any mood to make decisions right now, but I may end up binding the edges and displaying them as wall or tabletop decorations.
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