Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Hand quilting

 Well, on Sunday afternoon I sandwiched this quilt.  Lots and lots of pins and smoothing.  Some drama was involved!  I found that I had a stain from something, who knows what,  on one of the blocks.  So...I took the quilt top to the sink and thought I would rinse out the little stain.  Well guess what?  The pink sashing fabric ran all over everything!!  You would think that all fabric nowadays would be color fast...NOT!  So...I stay stitched the edges, and threw the whole thing in the washing machine.  Rash, I agree...but four rinses and lots of color catchers later, the pink is gone. OK!  I am sold on prewashing fabrics now...sold, I tell ya!  It was a matter of a ruined quilt, one way or another...so I am glad it worked out, and hey, all the applique stayed in place just fine!
 A close up.  I intend to quilt all around each block first, then add in all the detailed quilting as I can. I think this will be a multi year project for sure...but if I don't start, I will never get done!!  So here goes...Kathy, I have something to show for Slow Stitching Sundays!!
I made more melons...I am not sure now where I am going with this.  I like using the little pieces up and like the chaos of all the colors...not sure exactly what to do. I was going to make a big quilt, but maybe not...maybe use them in a border?  Hmmmmmm...I will dream on it!!


Have a great day, everyone!!!

Julie

24 comments:

Ruth said...

I hate it when stuff like that happens - you are ready to baste and you want to get that chore over with - then you are side-tracked. It's quite a pain! But it turned out fine and now you are ready to quilt, so that is great! It is a lovely quilt and of course the quilting will enhance it even more.

Anonymous said...

Your hand quilting will be the perfect frosting! Love your scrappy melon idea too!

Robert said...

Glad the pink came out - you are lucky. I have a scrappy Irish Chain that I made years ago that one particular maroon bled bad. Still stained to this day.

Love your melons - Are you doing a raw edge or needle turn applique to the melons? or fusing edge down? Had to go back to see how big they were - 6 inch blocks would be cute. Like all the ways you have displayed them. Sometimes quilting is so easy and the next time its so difficult (decisions). Can't wait to see what you do. From northern Iowa. . . .

Karen said...

Such a pretty applique quilt. You were brave to throw it in the washer with the color catchers but I can understand the need to at least give it a try. Good save.

Nancy said...

Color catchers are THE best! I'm glad they were able to pull the pink out of your quilt and that your appliqué withstood the wash, too.

Loretta said...

Between OxiClean and Color Catchers, there are no stains on quilts or bleeding colors that I can't fix!!!
Good luck with the hand quilting!! I love to hand quilt!

Quilting Stories said...

Beautiful applique quilt and very nice scrappy melons. Greeting from Athens. I became a follower!

Julie Kaye from KS said...

Glad your pink came out okay. I recently made a red and neutral quilt and several of the reds bled. This was after I pre-washed everything. It was so disappointing. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it besides use it as a crying towel that is.

Megan said...

Julie - I'm tickled pink (!!) that washing the quilt worked. Yaaaay.

Megan
Sydney, Australia

Helen in the UK said...

So pleased you managed to save the quilt which was stained/colour running. RELIEF!! I always prewash new fabrics, but scraps inherited from others can't really be washed. I always use colourcatchers when washing quilts :)

Barb said...

thank goodness it came out! I too use color catchers and have had great success.
Pretty quilt and the hand quilting will lovely on it

Missy Shay said...

You are the second blog I've read today that had the same problem. I always pre-wash my fabrics because of that.

Ada Plouvier-Kopitopoulou said...

I always wash fabrics first by hand to see if they run! I am used to that because I use a lot of vintage fabric that I find here in Greece and I don't trust those old cottons.
Your quilt looks beautiful!

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

you are right about drama...I would have gone to panic mode. Lovely quilt / glad it worked out ok !

This is the 2nd time I've read about color catchers now / though I prewash fabrics it wouldn't hurt to have them on hand just in case!

Janet O. said...

Such a pretty quilt--I bet that made you sick to see the color run. What a blessing and relief that it worked out. I don't prewash--I just through color catchers in when I wash the finished product.
Those colorful melons are very fun. I imagine them on a black background for a very dramatic effect. : )

Kyle said...

So sorry that you had so much drama to start with. I think we've all been lulled into a false sense of security about fabrics not bleeding anymore. Glad the color catchers saved the day. Your quilt is gorgeous.

regan said...

I'm so glad you were able to save the quilt! Whew! I've been a pre-washer forever....nothing gets in my sewing room unless it's been washed first! And it's mostly for the bleeding and shrinking issues, but lately I've seen bolts in shops on really dirty floors, and it makes me a little grossed out to work with that! lol

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I've had real problems with batiks running. I prewash most of my fabrics, but, especially reds and blues, just in case.

Lois Arnold said...

I hate when that happens! I am a confirmed pre-wash the fabric kind of girl and yet, it still sometimes happens. Glad you had success with the pink!

Quilter Kathy said...

SO excited! I almost had a heart attack when you said the colours were running...yikes! Good thing you were able to fix it. I am looking forward to following your progress on the hand quilting!

Loris said...

Oh man, the same thing happened to me recently! I have gotten lax about pre-washing and have regretted it a few times now. I got the stains out of a quilt top by washing it with color catchers, I just wish I had gone ahead and quilted it first. What a mess of raveling. I haven't had the heart to iron it again but I will soon.

audrey said...

Ooh, love the applique quilt--so beautiful! and your scrappy melons are wonderful too. Great job.:)

Linda O said...

Whew!! So glad you were able to fix the color run!! It is such an amazing quilt! Those color catchers work wonders.

Rebecca in AK said...

What a lovely quilt! I really like your 'melons'.

Puffins and purples!!

I was tempted by Puffins...a squirrelly breed!!  LOL!  This fabric was shared with me, and I have been loved these bright, candy corn colors...