irritating but important week

Well, depending upon one's point of view, I just spend a week wasting
my time, repairing a large error, or learning something important.
I'm trying to look at the positive points.

My queen-size quilt is all ready to begin the hand-quilting, and I'm
doing it in 25 sections -- easier to handle and portable. Also, the
quilt will be reversible because of the placement of the 25 sections
and use of 1" sashing on the back to cover the seams at the back. So,
I got the batting pieces all cut, leaving an extra inch all the way
around each section. Then I cut out the backing pieces, and used some
lovely white fabric I had quite literally purchased by the bolt. I
also left an extra inch all round with that. Then I hand-basted all
25 sandwiches, using thread to match so there is no risk of thread
dyes transferring to front or back. So far so good. Then I began the
hand-quilting, using the smallest bit, which is 12" by 12". (Other
bits are 12" by 24" or 24" by 24".) What a mess! It turned out that
the backing fabric, while lovely stuff, is simply not equal to the
blocks in weight! The quilt would not wear evenly, and didn't "feel"
right with the quilting.

So last Sunday night I tossed everything aside and made a batch of ice
cream.

Monday I went back to the fabric store with the 12" block in hand, and
bought new fabric of the proper weight for the backing, and then it
was off to the laundromat to wash and dry it. Those HUGE machines do
a very good job, and so long as I periodically open the dryer to un-
sausage the roll the dryer creates, the dryers are good. Fortunately,
when I can go to the laundromat during the middle of the day I can
comandeer a very large and long area to fold the washed and dried
fabric.

Then I went home and spent hours picking out the quilting on the 12"
block and picking out the basting on the 24 others. Having used the
same color of thread for the basting, it took very good light to get
it all. I took the not-right backing bits, folded them, and put them
with the bolt of fabric.

By Wednesday I was ready to cut the pieces of "good backing" and stack
up all of the sandwiches. Then I got out a stack of DVDs to watch,
and one old movie at a time got all of the sandwiches hand-basted --
for the second time!

Last night I actually sat down with the same 12" block and began the
hand-quilting. And it is WONDERFUL!

I learned a lot about double-checking fabric, and doubt I will forget
it. Yes, it took me a week that I would have preferred to spend
quilting on the front porch with a pitcher of iced tea and neighbors.
However, I have already spent so much time with this quilt that all I
can do is shrug and figure it's only a week, and the result will be
well worth it.

You did the right thing! And good to make everybody aware of the
issue. Now I really can't wait to see it. Is the new backing also
white?
Roberta in D

On Sun, 12 Jun 2011 06:36:12 -0700 (PDT), Mary
wrote:

Well, depending upon one's point of view, I just spend a week wasting
my time, repairing a large error, or learning something important.
I'm trying to look at the positive points.

My queen-size quilt is all ready to begin the hand-quilting, and I'm
doing it in 25 sections -- easier to handle and portable. Also, the
quilt will be reversible because of the placement of the 25 sections
and use of 1" sashing on the back to cover the seams at the back. So,
I got the batting pieces all cut, leaving an extra inch all the way
around each section. Then I cut out the backing pieces, and used some
lovely white fabric I had quite literally purchased by the bolt. I
also left an extra inch all round with that. Then I hand-basted all
25 sandwiches, using thread to match so there is no risk of thread
dyes transferring to front or back. So far so good. Then I began the
hand-quilting, using the smallest bit, which is 12" by 12". (Other
bits are 12" by 24" or 24" by 24".) What a mess! It turned out that
the backing fabric, while lovely stuff, is simply not equal to the
blocks in weight! The quilt would not wear evenly, and didn't "feel"
right with the quilting.

So last Sunday night I tossed everything aside and made a batch of ice
cream.

Monday I went back to the fabric store with the 12" block in hand, and
bought new fabric of the proper weight for the backing, and then it
was off to the laundromat to wash and dry it. Those HUGE machines do
a very good job, and so long as I periodically open the dryer to un-
sausage the roll the dryer creates, the dryers are good. Fortunately,
when I can go to the laundromat during the middle of the day I can
comandeer a very large and long area to fold the washed and dried
fabric.

Then I went home and spent hours picking out the quilting on the 12"
block and picking out the basting on the 24 others. Having used the
same color of thread for the basting, it took very good light to get
it all. I took the not-right backing bits, folded them, and put them
with the bolt of fabric.

By Wednesday I was ready to cut the pieces of "good backing" and stack
up all of the sandwiches. Then I got out a stack of DVDs to watch,
and one old movie at a time got all of the sandwiches hand-basted --
for the second time!

Last night I actually sat down with the same 12" block and began the
hand-quilting. And it is WONDERFUL!

I learned a lot about double-checking fabric, and doubt I will forget
it. Yes, it took me a week that I would have preferred to spend
quilting on the front porch with a pitcher of iced tea and neighbors.
However, I have already spent so much time with this quilt that all I
can do is shrug and figure it's only a week, and the result will be
well worth it.

Augg Mary, at least you also learned to use a contrasting color thread for
the basting! So sorry you had all the extra work to do!
Barbara in SC

My congratulations for your fortitude and perseverence. Your quilt
and your fingers willl thank you even more as you progress and it all
looks and feels 'just so'.

When you are going to spend all that time HQing, it had better be the
best it can be. It's just soul destroying struggling with inferior
stuff, no matter how good the intitial intentions were.

I chose a very busy backing for my latest wholecloth. In fact, I
chose the backing first and wasn't too keen on the 'doctor's side'.
It was only yesterday that I stopped regretting my choice of that busy
fabric. Finallly, it is pudging out on both sides and is starting to
come together. The wool batt is like soft butter to quilt, and is
worth every last penny I paid for it. The dried plaster colour of the
'best side' works and the busy knotwork fabric backing is as it should
be.

You will soon forget your 'learning curve week' and bless the
decisions you made. I wish you warm weather, cool shade and the
rhythm of peaceful stitching.

Nel
(Gadget Queen)

Augg Mary, at least *you also learned to use a contrasting color thread for
the basting! *So sorry you had all the extra work to do!
Barbara in SC

No, actually I again used white thread for basting. I once used a
blue for basting on a -- thank God! -- very small sample piece, and
had put it away for several months while I was knitting socks.
Something -- perhaps the wee bit of humidity in the summer air --
caused a bit of the blue dye in the thread to migrate to the fabric.
most notably where it entered the fabric rather than where it simply
laid on the fabric between stitches. It may have been cheap thread,
but now I ALWAYS use thread that matches the fabric for basting. And
it IS a pain to remove, but to me is worth it.

One thing I did learn was to go ahead and buy backing fabric when I
buy the other fabric, or to take samples of the front with me when I
buy backing fabric.

Howdy!

Okay, then: good for you, getting it the way you want it.
Like what you quilt, quilt what you like.

I'm thinking, tho', that if there was a hard/difficult way to do make
a quilt, this would be it. All that extra cutting, the extra pieces,
25 sections, quilting on small squares - well, as I say:
quilt what you like. g
You said that now it's "wonderful" - cool! "You go, girl!"

Good luck, Happy Trails, and No calories! ;-

Cheers!

Ragmop/Sandy - learned my lesson after doing Dad's quilt in sections
ala "lap quilting": Finished it, don't need to repeat that process
;-D



On 6/12/11 8:36 AM, in article
, "Mary"
wrote:

Well, depending upon one's point of view, I just spend a week wasting
my time, repairing a large error, or learning something important.
I'm trying to look at the positive points.

My queen-size quilt is all ready to begin the hand-quilting, and I'm
doing it in 25 sections -- easier to handle and portable. Also, the
quilt will be reversible because of the placement of the 25 sections
and use of 1" sashing on the back to cover the seams at the back. So,
I got the batting pieces all cut, leaving an extra inch all the way
around each section. Then I cut out the backing pieces, and used some
lovely white fabric I had quite literally purchased by the bolt. I
also left an extra inch all round with that. Then I hand-basted all
25 sandwiches, using thread to match so there is no risk of thread
dyes transferring to front or back. So far so good. Then I began the
hand-quilting, using the smallest bit, which is 12" by 12". (Other
bits are 12" by 24" or 24" by 24".) What a mess! It turned out that
the backing fabric, while lovely stuff, is simply not equal to the
blocks in weight! The quilt would not wear evenly, and didn't "feel"
right with the quilting.

So last Sunday night I tossed everything aside and made a batch of ice
cream.

Monday I went back to the fabric store with the 12" block in hand, and
bought new fabric of the proper weight for the backing, and then it
was off to the laundromat to wash and dry it. Those HUGE machines do
a very good job, and so long as I periodically open the dryer to un-
sausage the roll the dryer creates, the dryers are good. Fortunately,
when I can go to the laundromat during the middle of the day I can
comandeer a very large and long area to fold the washed and dried
fabric.

Then I went home and spent hours picking out the quilting on the 12"
block and picking out the basting on the 24 others. Having used the
same color of thread for the basting, it took very good light to get
it all. I took the not-right backing bits, folded them, and put them
with the bolt of fabric.

By Wednesday I was ready to cut the pieces of "good backing" and stack
up all of the sandwiches. Then I got out a stack of DVDs to watch,
and one old movie at a time got all of the sandwiches hand-basted --
for the second time!

Last night I actually sat down with the same 12" block and began the
hand-quilting. And it is WONDERFUL!

I learned a lot about double-checking fabric, and doubt I will forget
it. Yes, it took me a week that I would have preferred to spend
quilting on the front porch with a pitcher of iced tea and neighbors.
However, I have already spent so much time with this quilt that all I
can do is shrug and figure it's only a week, and the result will be
well worth it.