Follow-up

Forgot to mention in previous post that I put 2 color-catcher sheets in the bathtub with the quilt and of course they turned red, red, red! NancyH

Help - my quilt faded!

I'm hoping someone can help me out here.....about 7 years ago I made a queen-size stack&whack quilt using dark reds as background and a floral print with a cream background for the stars. I pre-washed all my fabric. Now, 7 years later, I decided I needed to wash this quilt, which has been living on my bed. (I've tossed it in the dryer on "air" numerous times but never really washed it). So I put it in the bathtub and used a mild shampoo with cold water. The water looked like a scene from Psycho! But I didn't realize until I hung it outside to dry that the red bled into the cream background................and not, mysteriously, onto the bleached muslin I used for backing! It's not hideous, but I sure would like to have that light background in my stars back again. Right now it's kind of a light-medium pinkish color. Is there any way that I could only work with these stars (there are 12 of them, 12" square) to get some of that color out? Thanks! I haven't posted in a while on this board, but I read it all the time and enjoy seeing all the pictures and reading your stories! NancyH

Why you'll want to prewash those fabrics

I don't post on this page often, but I need to remind everyone about prewashing.
I recently bought some 1/2 yd. cuts of Benartex and Moda Xmas theme fabrics from a local (independent) shop for a project. In the past few years I've recently gone back to pre-washing my quilt fabrics, and here's a good reason why:

I tossed all the fabrics into the same Warm wash/ Low dry cycle. One of the Benartex fabrics came out 39" wide. Back at the store, on the bolt, the difference is not very noticeable. When I took the fabric back to compare it to the unwashed on the bolt, the fabric had shrunk up two inches in the width.

Most quilters buy X amount of fabric for specific projects. If this had been my case, I would have had to buy more fabric, and hope it wasn't sold out by the time I returned. Fortunately for me, I had "bought long" and won't be hurt by this. Benartex will be hearing from me, though.

It really does pay to prewash.

Oops- sorry - meant to post this to Chat Page

sorry about that, no caffeine yet this a.m.

Doris

Pedigree Dogs Exposed

For those of you who receive BBC-America TV channel and are dog lovers, you'll want to watch this documentary that was first shown in the UK:



"The fallout from this documentary led to the BBC dropping its coverage of Crufts, the UK's equivalent of the Westminster Show. Pedigree Dogs Exposed premieres Tuesday, December 10, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT "

I watched it on YouTube a few months ago, and it was very educational, and quite shocking at times.

It's About Time or Thankfully, It's Done!

Well, ladies, it took me two years to make this quilt...not that I worked on it full-time. Quilting has evolved from a "passion" with me to "handwork to pick up now and then".

I pieced this quilt on my trusty Singer 403, circa 1960, about a year and a half ago. In the closet, high on a shelf, sat several batts (we quilters all buy in quantity, right?). One of those was a Hobbs wool batt that I had been yearning for years to try. I'd heard so many comments that for hand quilting it "quilts like butter". I'd previously used Hobb's Heirloom 80/20 as well as Dream Cotton's "Request", both of which hand quilt very nicely. But I had a yen to try the wool. So I purchased the wool batt...about ten years ago and there it sat. On the shelf. Unused for ten years. (call me a procrastinator)

Well over a year ago I layered my latest shirt quilt using the wool batt. For a backing I used a name brand cotton sheet that I found at the department store for 75 percent off. Ralph Lauren brand??? Can't remember. And I began hand quilting using a saucer, a cereal bowl and a cup from my dinnerware for the "templates".

This poor quilt has had numerous hiccups along the way. Last January I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, had debulking surgery followed by six sessions of chemo and numerous neupogen shots to boost my lowered white blood cell count. Talk about a roller coast of an adventure...not as exciting, of course, but certainly a lot of ups and downs. Needless to say, I had no motivation to quilt. Hah! My preferred activity was lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, thinking I really should get up and do SomeThing! Then rolling over to the other end of the sofa, and staring some more. It's easy to look back on it now and think, "It wasn't so bad!" But it was. Not as bad as some have it, but bad. And before I (and you) get maudlin, I want to add that all went well, I finished chemo in July, and I feel better now than I did a year ago before my diagnosis. God grant me that this continues.

Another hiccup was that, forgetting that my dishes were my templates, I gave away that particular set of dishes and put my old set back in the cupboard. The next day I went to mark another block to handquilt, and remembered that my templates now resided next door! Do you think I went next door and asked for a plate, a soup bowl and a cup? No, I couldn't bear to confess and instead dug around in the cupboard until I found dishes that were "close" in size. Betcha can't tell by looking at the quilt. (big smile)

Aw, got to wandering there. I started to say that during those months of chemo I picked up this quilt a couple times and forced myself to quilt a block or two. But progress was slow. Then in August, after treatment was done, I began quilting in earnest again and I finished the binding just yesterday! It's a largish sofa size nap quilt.

I told a friend yesterday I have no inclination to make another quilt. Instead of quilt pox I now have quilt lethargy (even though I myself am not lethargic). But that's not quite true. I'd love to recreate my Y2K quilt in smaller form. My DD loves that quilt and would like to hang it in her home. But the thing is huge! About 80x90 inches! And she doesn't have a wall large enough for an appropriate display. So I'd like to recreate it using 2-inch squares instead of 2.5 inch pieces. I have a rubbermaid box full of 2.5 inch fabs, cut from my stash long ago. I'd have to trim them down and I'd like to sew them on my treadle which was fondly named Elizabeth Redeye by its previous owner.

And...ladies...did you know that when you type a post you can add a "label" at the bottom (you'll see the space do do that at the bottom of the "create a post" page. You will notice that I've added labels of "shirting quilts, shirt quilt, shirt fabric for quilts". Click on "show all" and it will bring up all the labels previously used by those of us who post here. Use only "your" labels and not someone else's. That way, if you click on any of my labels, for instance, the WWQP will bring up a view of all my posts that include that particular label. Click on one of my labels and check it out.

I've had my coffee this morning, but not yet my oatmeal. Coffee makes me jabber. Whether in your ear or on this blog. The oatmeal is in the microwave...time to eat. And if you want to check out my WhiteStone blog (separate from the WWQP-BB, click here. Love to see you there.

Threadcapades

Judy what memories you must have uncovered searching for the thread. I try to look at these dithering moments as positive events - what else can I do at this age? My black thread story deals with trying to replace my poly covered cotton at JoAnns. I had no idea thread had changed so much while I was engrossed in quilting cottons. I am still not sure what thread to buy in order to hem my rayon skirt. Judy I have followed your health adventures on your blog and glad you are well and taking time to enjoy quilting again.

Trying Very Hard to Sew

Jane, I'm quilting again, too. Slowwwwly hand-quilting a quilt I began two years ago. Got interrupted with chemo! Yikes! The quilt is almost ready for binding. Anyway, that is not what I was going to write.

What I was going to say is that this morning I needed a spool of black thread. Enough thread to hem a full skirt. I was certain I had a spool somewhere but couldn't find it. Found a bobbin already wound. But no spool. I looked in all my sewing machine drawers (I have more than one vintage machine) and even in the drawers of my Singer Treadle. Nada.

I fear to tell you how much time I wasted, dithering here and there, investigating the contents of a large wooden sewing box, dillying in the treadle drawers admiring the attachments, putting back a spool of buttonhole thread that simple wouldn't fit the bill. Once I begin to dither I do it well. And here I am, in front of the computer, dithering again!

Finally....as I looked around one more time I spotted the one and only spool of black thread in the house...right in plain sight...on my cutting table.

Too bad hubby is not home or I'd have someone to blame.

JudyPete

I'M QUILTING AGAIN

After a long time of thinking about it but not doing it, really since the accident 1.5 years ago, I am actually working several hours a day on a quilt project and having a wonderful time doing it. As you may recall my DD#2 was married in August and I had promised her a quilt. Well, I intend to make it for their first anniversary. It's a CA king size so it's a very large project. I've spent a fortune on batiks and am making a double Irish chain. I think, I hope, that it will be gorgeous. DSIL stated a preference for purple and she likes green. I'm planning now to have the purple blocks go diagonally from one side to the other and the green the opposite, but haven't got enough of them to start laying it out. I finally threw out the pricey block butler after two replacements from the makers. That stuff just doesn't cling to the wall as advertised; not over one night. I'll just use some cheap batting and tape it up. When I get a bit further down the road I'll test my planned layout and if I'm satisfied I'll post a picture. If I'm not satisfied I'll jump off a bridge.

Jane

QUILT SHOW

Please take note. I published the wrong dates for the quilt show below. It is to take place in Franklin, NC on August 19,20,21.

Jane

finshed

Do you remember when I started this thing? I thought I'd never finish. It took me hours to pick out the variety of prints that it called for. It should have been bigger but I gave up!

I got the picture on without the comment so you'll have to put the two together.

Finally

Do you remember when I started this? It should have been bigger but I got tired of picking out fabrics.