Monday, February 22, 2016

Secret Sewing project and a few fabric tips

Just wanted to pop in and give my quilty buddies a sneak peak at what I've been working on over the weekend.  It was top secret until yesterday.  Well I'm having so much fun keeping it a big secret... I'll keep the secret a little longer, until it's 100% complete.  Since the pattern is a secret let's talk a little about the fabrics in this adorable little quilt.


As you all know I'm no fabric snob.  Any fabric that I can stitch, can and will make it into a quilt.  We all love the designer line of fabrics but in my humble opinion adding "other" fabrics to the mix can extend your stash and give you a one of a kind quilt.  Here's a list of the fabrics used in the quilt above.  A couple  in the list below are not shown in the picture due to the secret not being revealed.
  •  pink and white stripe -baby bed sheet thrift shop purchase
  • white with blue dots- vintage swiss dots from my moms stash, they're fuzzy dots!
  • pink and white gingham- linen baby bed dust ruffle, thrift shop purchase
  • the flower petals- A.E. Nathan fabric-bought at Wal-mart about 10 yrs ago
  • the blue floral print at the top of picture and pink floral at bottom of picture are also Wal-mart prints from way back when.
  • the blue print in the center of the flower applique is a Joann's fabric.
  • the green leaves is a from Jam's and Jellies by Jill Finley, Henry Glass Fabrics
  • Fabrics that you can't see...another print from Jam's and Jellies 
  • and the background will be a linen purchased at Joann's fabrics this past weekend using my 60% off coupon....WOOHOO!
The big secret for using a mishmash of fabrics is WASHING before using.  Yes even those precuts,  jelly rolls included.  Using pinking shears I pink the edges of yardage and the precuts I do nothing.  By all means DON'T throw them in the washing machine.  Soak them in sink or bucket of warm soapy water for about an hour then gently swoosh them around by hand to get out any sizing.  NEVER wring out the fabric.  Drain the sink and repeat the process, rinsing out the soap.  To remove the excess water, fold the larger pieces of wet fabric and press between two towels.  Smaller pieces such as charms don't need to be folded.   After removing out the excess water I spray the fabrics with starch.  The starch  helps hold the fabric together in the dryer.  But before they go in the dryer they hang on a wooden drying rack until almost dry.  Turning on the dryer and getting it nice and hot before tossing in your fabric is a good idea.   Then put fabric in a laundry bag and toss in  the dryer for about 10 minutes, this will shrink the fabric.  You should have very little fraying.
After the fabric is dry, let the pressing begin!  Pressing not ironing, no steam.  If you have a stubborn crease, spritz the fabric lightly with water because they already have starch.  Unless you want it really stiff then by all means starch it.  This may seem time consuming but really it's not that bad and the results are worth every minute.  The quilt below was made with a jelly roll, layer cake, and yardage.  All preshrunk using this method.


~ Lea Anne ~

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11 comments:

  1. Secrets are fun! Love these fabrics and I'm looking forward to the big reveal. :)

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  2. Interesting post Lea Anne. I also wash all my fabrics before use because of a promise I made to my daughter. She has training in industrial design and knows what kind of nasty chemicals are used in the fabric and clothing industry. She doesn't want me breathing the fumes when ironing. Also it's always nice to know if the color is going to run. I've actually had some that just wouldn't set no matter what. Thanks for sharing your method, I'm going to try it.

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  3. My sister in soap! Well, laundry stuff but ... I also prewash every, and I mean every, thing. For this reason I don't buy charms or jellies, and few fat 8ths but FQs do fine. I use my machine as the basin for my own hand washing/soaking, then spin out, repeat to rinse, into a medium dryer. It's all the same treatment my quilt will get in use, as intended. No surprises! And I love the feel of laundered cotton -- soft as a welcome summer breeze. Unwashed fabric feels slippery to me and doesn't hug onto other unwashed fabric, creating more seam ripping then necessary, imo. We need a pre-washers cheerleading squad!

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  4. teasing us we will have to be patient for the big reveal. I too wash fabrics when I buy them but not charm packs or jelly rolls, have quilt a selection but have only used one jelly roll, not sure what I am hoarding them for.

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  5. Thanks for the tips on washing fabric.

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  6. thank you for mentioning prewash of fabrics. I put everything in mesh bags and wash, or like you said in the sink for really small precuts.

    People don't realize the chemicals used in manufaturing, and all those chemicals when ironed after piecing, go right up your nose into your lungs. And mine when I teach. I have to make a note to prewash to all students or I get sick.

    LeeAnna

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  7. Lots of secrets! Can't wait until you have your big reveal. Thanks for including the details on how to pre-wash and properly prepare everything. Good reminder!

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  8. What a cute little glimpse of the secret project. Can't wait for a full reveal!

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