Monday 8 June 2015

HELP!!!

 I  attached my Violet quilt to the quilting frame over the weekend and marked around the flowers with a water soluble marker. After quilting around a few flowers, I thought I would spray a little water to remove the blue marking lines to see my stitches. 

Minutes later I discovered to my horror that the dye in the flower fabric had bled onto the border fabric.The photos above and below do not really  reveal how dark the colour run is on the border fabric.


So, what do I do now? 
I have used this product before on clothes with some success. However, you must soak the item in very hot tap water for two hours. I could unpin this section as it is on the border and near the corner. That section could be soaked. However, I am worried that section will also shrink with the heat in the water.


I do know that these fabrics where purchased about nine years ago when I first started the quilt. I think the dyeing process is much better for fabrics these days. I sprayed other flowers with water that were made with newer fabric and had no problem. I have never prewashed fabric before and have never had a problem.
My thoughts at this stage are to remove these two flowers as they are appliqued onto the quilt and replace them with new flowers made from  more colour fast fabric. 


But what do I do about the colour bleed onto the border? Is there anything I can do? Or do I just cross my fingers and use a whole box of these when I wash this quilt?
Or do I just leave it?

Alternatively, I could undo all of the quilting I have done so far (I have quilted along one scalloped edge and around half of the flowers on one edge). Take the quilt off the frame and remove anything I think my also run and replace it.


 Maybe even wash the quilt top and then start quilting again? If I do that perhaps I should also wash the batting and backing too? This quilt has been so much work, maybe that's the best option.
Or wash the quilt first with colour catchers and replace anything that has colour run in it?

HELP!!!

Saturday 6 June 2015

FNWF, FIUF and Some Stitching With Friends

I have a couple of finishes this week.


My Lumiere quilt in French General fabric.




Also a little Samosa Zipper Pouch.


I can count this finish for OPAM. My average has only been one finish per month. I might have more than one finish this month at this rate as it is only early June.



My friend Fairy Floss Stitches has recently returned from a quilting trip to the United States and was lucky enough to attend the quilt show in Paducah and visit some antique stores and people who trade in quilts. She brought a flimsy made around 1930. All hand pieced and constructed with the traditional 'make do' philosophy that was so necessary during the depression. 


I'm sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the whole quilt, but you can see part of it on my quilting frame. 


We spent some time on Tuesday and Wednesday basting it so she can hand quilt it and finish this gorgeous project decades after it was started.


Sometimes a different fabric in a similar colour was substituted to complete the blocks.


Sometimes the pieces in the blocks were pieced to provide a square or rectangle big enough to complete the block.


This quilt will make such a lovely memento from her trip.


I'm sure the person who made this quilt so long ago would never had imagined that it would make the journey to Australia to be quilted, bound and find a home here.

Finally, I had a real life friend to sew with me while I participated in the virtual sew in for Friday Night With Friends. My friend Julie worked on her Smitten quilt, this quilt is progressing quickly.


And I worked on a couple more stars.


So, I am linking up with FNSI and Finish It Up Friday

Hope you are enjoying the long weekend.