Behind the Seams at Betty’s Quilting Etc.

I love the feel of NEW fabric. It’s so smooth and firm. I always ask instructors what their preference is when it comes to pre-washing. It’s 50:50 depending on the quilter. It would be so much easier if the answer were consistent! I wouldn’t be sitting in this “gray” area on the topic. I’m a big fan of “rules”. But unfortunately, this is one of those area’s that’s the choice of the quilter. So off I go on a researching adventure to figure out how to choose.

Fibers in fabric are stretched taut when manufactured and some fabrics relax more than others. Not all fabrics shrink per say, but more so relax. If you have multiple KINDS of fabrics in a quilt, one relaxing more than another could be a really BAD thing. Part of what we see as shrinkage is actually the relaxation of the cotton fibers as they try to return to their natural state. If you want a more vintage look to your quilt, and patches are big enough that shrinkage-more so relaxation-would add to the appeal of the quilt….don’t prewash. But if you have smaller, more intricate pieces, and intense quilting……prewash. If you prefer to work with stiffer fabric, AND want to prewash, use spray starch or sizing to reintroduce stiffness.

I hope you learn from MY inexperience….

I tried pre-washing for a class once. The instructor was insistent that we wash our fabrics before we begin assembling our blocks. I had 1/2 yard pieces and 1/4 yard pieces. I threw them in the washing machine, threw in the mild detergent she suggested, and had Synthrapol on hand like she suggested in case any colors bled. She told us a horror story of a raffle quilt bleeding all over itself 2 days before the raffle and how she was up for 48 hours straight appliquéing over patches to hide the bleeds. I was ready in case bad things happened and was so grateful that I was armed with this knowledge BEFORE the quilt was finished. I was astonished when the washing machine stopped to find a completely different nightmare…..

ALL of my fabrics had frayed and knotted themselves into a twisted pile of sheer chaos. There were knots upon knots upon knots. Some of them tied so tightly, I had to cut them with scissors to get them off. So I sat on a stool in front of the washing machine, tugging and pulling and cutting what seemed like THOUSANDS of threads. As I sat there, I realized some of the threads I was pulling on, were making gathers in the fabric. Near tears, I thought $100 worth of 1930’s fabric was ruined. I tossed them all in the dryer and figured once they were dry, maybe it would be easier to get the threads off. 40 minutes later……I had PERMANENT PRESSED accordion folds in most of my pieces, that no amount of steam in the world seemed to touch.

To make a long story short…..I have since learned a few lessons.

1. There are OTHER settings on my washing machine besides “Heavily Soiled”. The Gentle\Delicate cycle doesn’t agitate nearly as much.

2. Fill the washing machine to it’s capacity water wise, no matter how little you have thrown in there.

3. There is a LOW Heat - Delicate cycle on the dryer too! (who would have thunk!). I also use clothespins and hang the pieces in the basement to dry as well.

4. Anything under 1/2 yard could be better suited in a lingerie bag or pillow case.

5. IMPORTANT - clip off a little triangular section from each corner of fabrics before you wash them. Try about 1/2″ or a little less. You’ll still see a bit of fraying, but not enough to create bunches of knots.

6. For Smaller pieces of fabric (including strips, charm squares, jelly rolls, and “inherited” scraps): fill the washer with lukewarm water and Mild laundry soap, push the fabric into the water, and let it SIT for *20 minutes*, swishing it occasionally with your hands (NOT agitating). Then drain, and rinse the same way - pushing it into the water several times, but NOT agitating. Spin if you’re feeling daring, untangle if necessary, and toss into the dryer on low heat. Or avoid the dryer and lay the pieces on towels or hang. If you do not agitate, you have almost no tangling or fraying.

7. A GREAT tip from another quilter was to put a pinking blade in my rotary cutter and pink the cut edges of the fabric. This REALLY controls the fraying. The bonus is a pinked edge is easier to spot in my stash, so I know if something has been washed or not!

8. Another tip was to serge or zig-zag the cut ends (not the selvage edges) together. ( I tried this too, worked great) That or basting the fabrics together.

So in preparation for ANOTHER class……I again pre-washed my fabrics last night, and it was a much less stressful ordeal.

Quilter’s Night Before

by Brenda Groelz, Kathy Rockbugs, Marilyn Root, Cindy Swafford

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
The only one sleeping was Quilter’s dear spouse.
The Log Cabin stockings were almost completed,
“Just a few stitches left,” our sweet quilter repeated,

“Then I can hang them and head to off to finish
the pillows I’m making, fulfilling Mom’s wish
For something ‘quilty’ to put on her couch”,
as she pricked her poor finger, our quilter yelled, “Ouch!”

When from out in the kitchen there arose such a crashing,
she sprang from her work, and she dropped all her sashing.
Away to the doorway she flew like a plane,
wondering just what was happening and who she could blame.

When what to her wondering eyes should appear,
but Old Mrs Claus and her bag of quilt-gear….
With her elves bearing gifts, through the kitchen she came,
she directed and pointed and called them by name.

“Now Elna, now Pfaff, now Bernina and Viking,
the Hoffman and Mumm should be just to her liking.
To the sewing room - there, it’s just back of the hall,
now dash away, dash away, dash away all!”

“My Dear,” said The Claus (as she liked to be called),
“There really is no need to worry at all.
Your projects will all be completed this night,
I’m terribly sorry we gave you a fright.

Sit down. Have some tea. It’s relaxing, you’ll see.
My friends and I’ve come a long way to help Thee.”
She thought she was dreaming, our Dear Quilter did,
In fact she quite feared that she’d near flipped her lid!

But the flash of the needles and twist of the thread
soon gave her to know she had nothing to dread.
They spoke no more words, but went straight to their sewing.
How the work went so quickly she had no way of knowing.

The stitches, how tiny! The corners, how straight!
This Claus-woman’s talent was awfully great.
They finished the pillows, then started a quilt.
Before they all knew it, the whole thing was built!..

Now old Mrs. Claus, she knew quilters real well,
and she knew they’d need help on this night most of all
So she said to our quilter, “Just move over, dear,
I’ve brought my own needle. We’ll get done, never fear.

I told dear old Santa about what quilters do.
How they plan all these projects but have other work too.
So he taught me his magic for doing things fast.
There, that pillow’s done. Now this is the last.”

They tidied their thread snips, and picked up the scraps
and chased our dear quilters six cats from their laps.
They left behind gingerbread (just to be nice)
and the whole house smelled sweetly of Christmas and spice.

As they scurried away with their thimbles still gleaming
dear Mrs. Claus paused, her cap ribbons streaming.
“Merry Christmas, my dear, now just have a ball!
Relax and enjoy. Happy Quilting to all!”

Woo Hoo!  Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, STUFFING!!  I can’t wait.  But even MORE exciting….

BLACK FRIDAY

(Some retail  stores open at 4 AM, some at 5.  I can’t wait to find all the doorbuster goodies)

Even Betty’s is even getting in on the fun.   All Christmas Fabric is 40% off!  

October and November was great fun around here, lots of retreats.  I got so much done. I can never be that productive unless I’m locked in somewhere and meals are provided.

My favorite finished project was from a pattern from our very own Nancy Dill!

CHAMELEON PURSE

At the retreat I went to in October, I made one with a pumpkin theme

(click to enlarge)

And then at the NEXT Retreat, I whipped up a new “Shell” to correlate with Winter!! I didn’t even have to empty my purse!

(click to enlarge)

This is an AWESOME pattern for people that like lots of purses, but don’t want to make lots of purses.  The shells can be made in no time, and attach inside with velcro.  ALL MACHINE WASHABLE!!  Yee Haw!

If you want to make one for yourself, you can get the pattern here:

http://stores.ebay.com/Bettys-Quilting-Etc

Stay tuned, we’re going to start blogging ALOT more often!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Betty’s first blog! We’ve fallen in love with blogs at Betty’s Quilting Etc. We subscribe to them, read them again and again, and absorb the information in like a sponge. SOoooooo…..here’s ours! We want to post tips, and new products, and maybe give you some special advertising that you wouldn’t see anywhere else….(think exclusive COUPONS!!!). Let us know what you want to see and we’ll do our best to post it.

My “SPOTLIGHT PRODUCT” this week are the coolest things!
DREAMKEEPER BOXES

You’ve got to see these. Great for gifts, great for adding a touch of style to any room..

Dreamkeeper box kits include super-heavy fiberboard sections that you cover with fabrics of your choice using special acid-free glue (sold separately). You can then enjoy embellishing the outside of your box, if you wish, with machine embroidery, beads, scrapbooking, ribbons & lace, etc. etc.

The easy to follow detailed instructions guide you step by step through completing your box.

When you are finished, you can add fancy metal corners if you wish.

Now you have a very sturdy box for holding tea, sewing supplies, office supplies, hair accessories, CD’s, or anything else you can think of.