The Sewing Place
The Emporia => Patchwork & Quilting ... Welcome to the Darkside => Current Projects => Topic started by: Vezelay on April 14, 2020, 21:40:11 PM
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My friend is making her first quilt in lockdown, having recently done a beginners sewing course.
She made the quilt top with a jelly roll - it's about 5' x 4'6". She was searching in the house for fabric for a border and binding and wants to recycle a respectable old sheet and a dress that once belonged to her daughter. She will probably use another sheet for the backing. The colours will work but I'd guess all these are probably poly-cotton. I would know straight away (after decades of allergy to synthetics) but of course I'm not in a position to check the fabric.
I've made only one quilt and used all 100% cotton including batting, so do you experts see any pitfalls? I will suggest that she washes the jelly roll top to shrink it before adding the sheets and dress which have presumably been washed many times before. Anything else? Would you be happy with this?
Thanks Darksiders.
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One problem might be when she comes to iron the top. The jelly roll being cotton, will need a hot iron, but that might be too hot for the poly cotton, which could shrink with too much heat. I really like to only use 100% cotton, but given the lockdown and difficulty getting things , perhaps needs must.
Having said that I recently ordered 100% cotton bed linen online in a 70% off sale to use as backing. It arrived very quickly and worked out much cheaper than buying fabric.
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The quilt police are all in lockdown so no-one will know what she uses for the backing and binding!
Whilst poly-cotton does feel a bit different to 100% cotton it doesn't really make that much difference. In my early forrays into the dark side I used a poly cotton sheet for sashing as well as backing and it was fine.
Telling your friend at this stage in her quilting that she *must* use all cotton is likely to discourage her rather than encourage her to greater things. <3
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One problem might be when she comes to iron the top. The jelly roll being cotton, will need a hot iron, but that might be too hot for the poly cotton, which could shrink with too much heat.
The top is already made, and presumably pressed/ironed. Once it has been quilted it shouldn't ever need to go near an iron again!
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I would never ever wash a jelly roll...it will just be a tangled shredded edge mess.
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I would never ever wash a jelly roll...it will just be a tangled shredded edge mess.
Not when it's all sewn together though surely?
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:ninja:
(https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1500.0;attach=3384;image)
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I totally agree with Brenda ( wouldn't dare do otherwise :devil: ) I have, on occasion mixed polycotton and quilting cotton and used preused fabric, for sashing and backing. Everything was fine.
We won't tell if she won't ;)
P.S. Never! Wash precuts....they shred :S
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@wrenkins you would never guess :o ;)
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Not when it's all sewn together though surely?
Still a tangled mess! If she has a gentle wash cycle and a big lingerie bag, on a very short cycle, maybe. Plan be is a gentle soak in hot water. Done in a bathtub with a sheet placed under it. You gently fold the quilt top and just soak. Drain and press down on quilt top. No wringing! Dry flat if at all possible. Or spritz the top liberally and give it a good steam press. Explain to her the difference between pressing and ironing.
Or, my preferred method: tell her to go for it but as she likely has different fabric contents that the finished quilt should be machine washed cold and air dried if possible.
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I agree @BrendaP if the top is finished, but @Vezelay mentioned using the polycotton for a border. If she makes sure the middle is well pressed , she can probably successfully add a polycotton border and iron using a cooler temperature. Otherwise it should be ok : I have used poly cotton too in the past, especially for backing and it worked well.
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(https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1500.0;attach=3384;image)
:o :o :o :o :o
Still a tangled mess!
P.S. Never! Wash precuts....they shred :S
Arghhh! :o :o :o Point taken. Remind me never to use a jelly roll...
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@Sheilago and @Vezelay If the top is finished it presumably only needs backing, quilting and binding. If it still needs borders then it isn't finished :devil:
However, if the cotton middle has been pressed well then a slightly cooler iron for pressing the border will be in order; it won't harm the middle. After that it doesn't need to get near an iron again. Part of the 'charm' of a quilt is that it wrinkles a bit whne it's washed and ironing it would flatten the guts out of it.
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My thoughts too re ironing @BrendaP. Happy with that.
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Ditto on the don't wash a pieced jelly roll top. I did it once with one that had been stored nd looked a bit grubby. Tangled mess indeed. It took me hours to cut off all the frayed bits and press all the seams back in the right directiions.
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Re Jelly rolls ...
Dont even unwrap them until you are ready to sew them ... straight away ...
They may (or may not) be a godsend being 2 1/2" coordinated WOF strips but sometimes they are not as precisely cut as you want them to be and they ALL start fraying as soon as they are taken out of their wrapping.
FQs are an excellent way to increase your stash, Charm squares are great, layer cakes are better but give me good old yardage any day!
@Vezelay ... you are going to introduce your friend to The Darkside arent you ?????? :devil: Whom should I be looking out for ???
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I have washed a couple of jelly rolls with great success (gently in a pillow case) but that fabric was a loose weave and looked a bit bleedy so I risked it. Took me flippin' hours to sort out.
I continue to pre-wash everything to avoid shrinkage and bleeding and I have used polycotton once but it was a good weight and very similar to my quilting cotton so I chanced it. For backing I really can't see a problem.
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I favour the soaking-in-the-bath method. My hot water comes out at around 60*C according to the meat thermometer! I've never soaked a jelly roll, though.
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@Vezelay ... you are going to introduce your friend to The Darkside arent you ?????? :devil: Whom should I be looking out for ???
Hmm..not sure. Then she'd realise I'm not the font of all knowledge. Besides I quite like having you lot all to myself. :)
Thanks to you Darksiders I managed to avert the great washing disaster at the eleventh hour!
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I wouldn't wash it when made up either. I quite like the look when it shrinks a bit, gives it an aged look, and it might not even shrink.
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Not when it's all sewn together though surely?
Nooooo! :oI meant before making up.