Friday, March 2, 2012

The wonderful, the not-so-wonderful, and the mistake

The Wonderful

Yesterday was a great day thanks to Lily's Quilts Small Blog Meetup.  Not only did I find lots of lovely new blogs to follow but I now have readers!!!  Yay!  And comments!!!  Again YAY!   However, I didn't know (and don't know) the differences between becoming a follower and adding a blog to my Google Reader.  I added several blogs from yesterday to my Reader but on my profile, it says that I'm not following any blogs.  I need to check into that. 

The Mistake

I don't usually buy charm packs (I plan to write a post about my fabric buying soon).  I can actually say I have bought charm packs 3 times.  The first time was Nicey Jane (love!) which I used to make a doll quilt for my middle daughter.  The second was a few months ago to make a baby quilt for the baby.  The charm pack I used for the baby quilt included strong reds, blues, greys, and whites.  I didn't prewash the fabric (I usually prewash yardage) and when I washed the quilt, the colors bled.  I still love the quilt and use it daily in the baby stroller but  . . .

Last week, I again ordered charm packs from two different online shops.  Both orders came on the same day and for some reason, I decided to divide the packs by color and prewash.  I knew this would involve lots of ironing since I probably had almost 200 charms but I decided to do it anyway (I don't know - maybe the sleep deprivation from having a baby is getting to me?)  I started with the blues, purples, and similar and put the charms and yardage in the washing machine.  I should have known there would be some unraveling but it was more than I expected so when I put in the reds and pinks, I put the charms in a mesh lingerie bag.  I also put the wet charms in a lingerie bag for the dryer.  And, here is what I ended up with. 



Lots of unraveled ends, clumps of loose threads, and several hours of ironing and sorting. 

Oh, well. 

The Not-So-Wonderful

When I opened the packages, Middle Daughter asked if I could use one of packs to make something for her (I've been making lots of baby quilts lately.)   Since I had only planned on making baby, doll, and mini quilts, I only bought one set of each design but I had about 1 1/2 yards of off-white fabric so since the Little Apples came out basically unscathed from the above experience, I chose that and this is what I made.  (I used this tutorial to make the top "blocks.") 


But don't look too close - it was just one issue after another, I messed up the seams - sewing one side up and one down. 




AND the two strips were not supposed to be wonky.  

AND the overall size was just off and since I didn't have any fabrics in my stash that I thought coordinated well, I cut it into a "doll" quilt and pillow, maybe?





I probably should have just stopped and put it away for another day but No - I chose a backing that doesn't exactly coordinate but I know Middle Daughter would choose it and then I don't know why but decided to quilt on a diagonal.



I thought with the small size, I could just get straight enough lines without marking - WRONG! 


 

I cut the binding but we'll see what disasters that brings tomorrow.  BUT despite all this, I know Middle Daughter will absolutely LOVE it!  And in the end, that's all that matters, right?

The Hexies

Yes, I love hand-quilting but wow, these are taking a long time.

Hmm, are my posts too long?!?

And, now that I possibly have readers (if you made it to the end of this post) - do you prewash your precuts?  I've also read about washing the final project with vinegar - does that work?  My hubby is worried it will ruin the washing machine.


11 comments:

  1. No I don't per-wash my precuts. I was afraid they would unravel like yours. I would use one of those color catcher in the wash when I finally do wash it though. As for vinegar - no it won't ruin your machine (well, won't ruin a standard machine - I don't know about the new water saver ones) my mother in law has used a 1/4 cup vinegar to rinse her clothes in for 30 - 40 years. She says it makes them softer. I've never tried it as I don't like the smell. Although she says you can't smell the vinegar when you are done.

    I think your little quilt is adorable!! As are your hexies.

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    1. Thanks for the advice and compliments Linda! I do have a water saver machine so I'll have to do some further checking - I know though from using vinegar as a household cleaner that fortunately the smell goes away when it dries.

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  2. I don't buy pre-cuts, not becuase I wouldn't consider it but simply because they don't sell them here and I'm not under no circumstance paying 20 or 30 dollars for over sea shipping. I stick to yardage, and that I prewash in a "net" (they are meant for bras and other ehh sensitive things that you might think abotu twice before putting them in the machine) I discovered that I get less lose/loose (those two words always break my neck attemtping to write in proper English) threads.
    Well the vinegar shouldn't do the machine any harm, it's just a more biological water softener (I use vinegar in the water for the bathroom, and citric acid to get rid of lime scale in the water boiler - though I wouldn't use the citric acid in the washing mashine because that is quite concentrated and aggressive)
    Aye hexies take ages, but oyu are doing all right making other projects in between - one just needs a finish now and then.
    And as to your lentgthy post, you will just have to read all the way through our lengthy replies!

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    1. Thanks. I should try to see if I can get a larger mesh bag for washing yardage. I've read on other blogs about using pinking shears or zig zag sewing the edges before washing but I just don't see myself doing that.

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  3. Hi Beth. Great Blog! I have used a couple of charm packs and layer cakes. You don't wash them first (as you have found out - sorry that THAT happened). Wash at 30c with a couple of colour catchers in the wash. I then dry my quilts naturally over a Shelia's maid, but others use the dryer.

    Just remember that when things go wrong they are not mistakes rather they are 'design opportunities'. This is a quote from my quilting class and is a great comfort to me! Di xo

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    1. Thanks Di and what a great quote! And I'll have to look up what a Sheila's maid is - never heard of it.

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  4. I think we all have these kind of days when we're starting out, and I have been quilting on & off for about 5 years and I still have them. I did a 'strip swap' one time & tried washing them before I used them in a block swap because those were the instructions & holy cow was that a nightmare. Lots of threads coming off both sides of the 2.5 inch strips and that reduced most of them to 2 inches by the time I got them trimmed all even. Ugh. I love buying charm packs, but I'm not a fan of sewing with pinked edges.

    I'm sure your daughter will love her little quilt and never notice the 'design opportunities' mentioned above!

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  5. I don't prewash precuts - like one of your other commenters I use a colour catcher and so far that has always done the trick.
    One tip I picked up on another blog was to use a lint roller on the pinked edges of pre cuts which definitely helps cut down on the amount they shed all over you.

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    1. I'll definitely try that lint roller tip. Thanks Sarah.

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  6. Dito to comments above. I am fickle about even pre-washing my bundles and yardages now too. I used to always do it when I first started quilting over 13 years ago. Then stopped as I was too impatient. Now I just judge it by the type of fabric ~ quality, colour. The colour catchers are good. Love Di's quote ~ fully agree. We have all had 'design opportunities' we learn from.
    I am with you on 'follower' and google reader confusion. We will wait and learn I hope. Fellow SBM blogger. x

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  7. I don't buy many precuts but I'm in the no-wash camp as well. Too much tangling and you lose a good amount of the size because of fraying. I follow everyone in Google Reader which means I probably don't get "counted" when people look at their numbers of followers. www.paperstarfish.prettyposies.com

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