Washing Quilts - In Praise of the Colour Catcher

You may have noticed that lately my blogging has not been as prolific, and that I may not have had the chance to comment and respond to your kind comments.  Apologies. My excuse is that I have been busy completing my Red and White Pinwheel Quilt ready for the deadline for the NEC Festival of Quilts, which is being held in Birmingham on 8th-11th August 2013.Besides being time consuming, and having to quilt on the hottest day of the year, there have been a few other traumas along the way which I though I would share with you. 

 

As you may know, for marking this quilt I have been using the blue Wipe Off Fabric Marker, to draw on my quilting lines.  I have  found it really successful, and would use it again.  However, to start with, I was removing the blue pen marks as I went along, which was fine until I realised a problem.

 

I am not *stupid*.  When I made the decision to make a red and white quilt, the first thing I made sure of was that I gave the red solid I was going to use, a good 60 degree wash, to make sure that the colours would not run. However, somewhere along the way, I completed the top and put the sandwich together, using  a lovely red spotty fabric, and started quilting.  My eye may have been off the ball at the time, as we were building a house.  It was not until quite far along the quilting process, when I was removing the blue Wipe Off Fabric Marker with a very damp cloth, that I noticed that the water had caused the dye from the red spotty backing fabric to bleed onto the white of my quilt ..... take a deep breath. 

 

Red dye bleeding onto white fabric

It was difficult to proceed with my quilting until I knew for sure that when the quilt was finished it would be a Red and White Pinwheel Quilt, not a Pink and White Pinwheel Quilt. Luckily, I still had some of the backing fabric spare, and I decided to do a test run.


Dylon Colour Catcher

I put some yardage of the spotty red fabric, an old white pillowcase, and a Dylon Colour Catcher sheet in the washing machine on a warm wash, and waited for the results.  As you can see it all worked out perfectly.  Yes, the colour did run, but the Colour Catcher did the trick of collecting the loose dye particles. 


Washing Quilts - Colour Catcher Test Run

Quilting of the Red and White Pinwheel Quilt continued right up to the deadline, but before it was packaged up and delivered, it had to be washed.  Even with the test I had done, and the results plainly in front of my eyes, somewhere inside of me still had some doubts, and I had reservations about this moment. A few days before, I noticed a comment by Karen at Celebrate Hand Quilting about washing quilts, and I contacted her for some reassurance. Thanks Karen for your advice, at the right time! 

The quilt went in the washer on a COLD WASH, with NO detergent, with FIVE Colour Catchers.  At this point I still had the blue markings on the quilt, and I needed to rinse them away, without detergent, which worked a treat.  Within a few minutes, with the loose red dye, it looked like a bloodbath in the washing machine, and I could see that all the Colour Catchers had taken up a lot of dye ... take a deep breath.   

So I drained the first round of water off, replaced the Colour Catchers with FIVE MORE, and started the process again.  There was a lot less red dye in this wash, but the Colour Catchers still took up a lot of red, as you can see from my final collection of Colour Catcher sheets drying on the sink in the laundry room.  Once this was rinsed, I finally did a wash with some detergent in it, and THREE Colour Catchers in it.  By this point I had moved onto a different packet of Colour Catchers, and I found that Dr Magic Snatch a Dye, which I purchased from Lidl, works just as well.


Red and White Pinwheel Quilt drying on the Sheila Maid

As you can see  - the final results show a Red and VERY White Pinwheel Quilt, which I am very pleased with. During all this time, my husband has been thoughtfully searching for Red and White Pinwheel Quilts on Ebay - just in case.
I never really had an interest in Chemistry when I was at school, but I would like to thank  all the Chemists that were involved in the development of this wonderful product - the Colour Catcher.

Hand Quilting in Hot Weather ....

Red and White Pinwheel Quilt, 2013 Tour de France

For the record, we have got really warm hot weather here in the UK at the moment, about 32 degrees. Perfect weather for quilting ....  Lately, I have been using every spare moment of my time hand quilting.  Thank goodness I have had the company of the Tour de France, for the past few weeks.  The exhibition deadline is getting close, but I feel as if I am on track with what I need to do, with just a few hurdles to push through.


Washing the Butterfly Quilt

The last time we had hot weather like this was 2006.  I was hand quilting my Butterfly Quilt, and I can remember sitting underneath it in very hot weather, again working towards a deadline.  I have come to the conclusion, that if we are to guarantee hot summers, I need to have a big quilting project on the go.  Anyway, whilst the weather has been hot, I have taken the opportunity to wash some of my quilts, as they are drying in no time.


Sparky the Cat lazing in the sun.

Otherwise, it is just too hot to do anything but snooze, especially if you are wearing a fur coat. 

Fabric Stash Additions - The Sewing Studio, Redruth, Cornwall

It is over 6 weeks since I have set foot in a fabric shop, so luckily whilst I was in Cornwall last week, I was introduced to a new quilt shop, where I could get my fix. The shop was on Chapel Street in Redruth, called The Sewing Studio.  As well as a large selection of sewing machines, it stocks lots of the MODA pre-cuts, such as Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes and Charm Packs, at competitive prices, and other lovely fabric yardage too, so do take a look.

'Snowman Gatherings', Primitive Gatherings for MODA

To start with, I have had my eye on the 'Snowman Gatherings' by Primitive Gatherings for MODA for a long time, and with the 10" layer cake sitting there, it just had to come home with me.  I justified it because one of the purchases I made in America was one of the Schnibbles books, which focuses on using pre-cuts in its designs, so once my current hand quilting project is done and dusted, I am planning on making a few smaller projects.


Holiday Treats Red Packed Peppermints, Timeless Treasures

The purchase of red and white / cream fabrics is winding down now, but I am always on the look out for interesting novelty prints, and a fat quarter of 'Holiday Treats Red Packed Peppermints' by Timeless Treasures, also made it into my bag. 

Throughout the Nearly Insane journey, one fabric which I have fallen in love with is the Bias Check from the Mama Said Sew range by Sweetwater, for Moda. I looks really good in the blocks I have incorporated in so far, Block 11,  13, and 96, and I when I saw yardage in black and grey, I thought it would be a great addition to my stash.

The shop also had a good selection of quilting rulers, including my favourite Creative Grids rulers.  As you will see from my Pinterest board, a Star quilt of some sort is going to feature in the future, and I had identified that this ruler would be tool to get it done.


Creative Grids Non-Slip 2 Peaks in 1 Ruler

So as you can see, a good haul.

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 60

Block 60, Nearly Insane Quilt

These Nearly Insane Quilt blocks are only 6 inches square, which is not a particularly large block, but naturally, the more pieces, the more complex - for me, the more interesting.  Block 60 only has 17 pieces in it, so it went together easily.  With less pieces, it usually means there are larger pieces, and I always try to showcase some of the larger prints in my stash for these blocks. This time I have used the "Apple Snaps" Mama Said Sew Collection by Sweetwater.


Somerset Shirtings c 1890 by Windham Fabrics

One of the other fabrics I have used in this block is a traditional design from the 1890s, Somerset  Shirtings by Windham Fabrics, which I picked up from the Cotton and Chocolate Quilt Company in California, USA.  It is a  tiny little red motif on a cream background - perfect for my Nearly Insane quilt, and I think you might be seeing it a lot more in the forthcoming blocks as it goes so well with everything.

NUMBER OF PIECES: 17
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Square, 7/8" (23mm) x 7/8" (3mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Triangle 4 1/4" (108mm) x 3" (75mm)  x 3 (75mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: 
Cream Pinking Shears (5498-22) "Mama Said Sew" Collection by Sweetwater for Moda
Quilters Basics Red and White, StofSomerset Shirtings c 1890 by Julie Hendrickson and Nancy Gere, Windham Fabrics # 35205
Cream on Apple Red Snaps (5497-11)  "Mama Said Sew" Collection by Sweetwater for Moda


 

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 72

Block 72 Nearly Insane Quilt

I am very pleased with how Block 72 of my Nearly Insane quilt has come out.  I like the mix of tiny prints I have used, and they way they have a subtle tonal graduation. 
As you may have realised, I am doing the Nearly Insane quilt using the English Paper Piecing method (EPP), and like covering hexagons, covering the papers is the first stage of the process.  It is pretty mindless work, which is great to do if you want to keep your hands busy whilst watching TV, or travelling.  You can see that I am tacking it with green thread, which I like to leave in until I have got the whole quilt together.


Block 72, English Paper Piecing Nearly Insane Quilt

I am very aware that when you see images on the internet, it can be difficult to gauge its actual size.  The completed block above is 6 inches (15 cm square), or the size of a very large slice of bread. With the pieces laid out, you may be able to make out some of the tiny pieces I am working with.  In this block there are some strips only 1/4 inch wide, and some more of those little triangles in the centre.

Miniature Pinwheel Block, Nearly Insane Quilt

At the centre of the block is a tiny 1 inch square pinwheel, which grows and grows, until it becomes this very attractive 3 inch block, below, which has 24 pieces in it.  I must admit at this stage, I was really smitten with it, and was imagining making a whole quilt made up of 3 inch blocks. This Nearly Insane Quilt is right up my street, as I love working on these small complex blocks.


Centre 3 inch block, Nearly Insane Block 72

I know the Dear Jane quilt has 4 inch blocks, but does anyone know of any other sampler quilts which are made up of small pieced blocks?

NB #1: Just a note on this block.  In Liz Lois book, the size of the edge strips are irregular widths, which is how the Salinda Rupp quilt is made - I have tidied it up in my Electric Quilt software, making my own contribution to the design! 
NB #2: Just checked again, and I seem to have created the centre pinwheel too, which was originally a tiny four-patch

NUMBER OF PIECES:  56
DIFFICULTY: 4/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle,11/16" (18mm) x 1/2" (13mm) x 1/2" (13mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Square, 1 1/2" (38mm) x 1 1/2" (38mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:
Quilters Basics Red and White, Stof
Somerset Shirtings c 1890 by Julie Hendrickson and Nancy Gere, Windham Fabrics # 35205
"Polka Party III" by Holly Holderman, Lakehouse Drygoods (#03035)Tiny Red Sprig print (unidentified)

 

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 64, Cornwall Coastal Path

Cornish Coastal Path, Coverack - Nearly Insane Quilt

Yes, I know, it's been a few days.  Here in the UK we are experiencing SUMMER (we haven't had one of those for a couple of years) and it just so happened that I had planned a few days away this week, walking some of the coastal path in Cornwall.  My sister and I have been walking the whole Cornish Coastal Path, and are about 75% complete.  However, there has been a 6 year gap since our last stint, so we made the effort this week to make some progress, and we have managed to walk from Coverack to Porthscatho. Beautiful weather, beautiful scenery, Cornwall at its best.
BTW - In the far, far, far distance of this picture, across the English Channel, you may even be able to see the cyclists on the 10th Stage of the Tour de France in St Malo, Brittany.... then again, maybe not.


Nearly Insane Quilt, Block 64

Walking aside, the journey down to Cornwall allowed me to catch up on some Nearly Insane Quilt blocks, and here you can see Block 64. With the hand quilting I am currently doing, progress on piecing has been less of a priority, and the poor Nearly Insane quilt blocks have taken a back seat, so I was pleased to have some travelling time to catch up. 

I have done this one scrappy again, and it is very similar to Block 80, except that the centre pattern is different.  I think I might have changed the direction of the HST's on the border, from the original pattern, and that meant the borders had to be sewn in a certain direction, which meant a bit of unpicking ... but it was soon resolved.  Only 53 pieces in this little 6 inch block, so not too bad.  I really like the scrappy blocks, as they help to blend all the different reds I am using in the quilt, and with this block complete, all the blocks from Draw 8 are done.

NUMBER OF PIECES: 53
DIFFICULTY: 4/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Square, 1/2" (13mm) x 1/2" (13mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Triangle 1 3/4" (45mm) x 1 1/4" (32mm)  x 1 1/4" (32mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:  Scrap variety

Joining up with Crazy Mom Quilts

Nearly Insane Quilt - Draw 9

 

Red and Cream Nearly Insane Quilt - July 2013

This is my Nearly Insane zone in my workroom.  It is just a shelf where I am stacking up the blocks, sashing and cornerstones, ready for when I want to pull them out and play with them. In this picture the pile doesn't look that big - oh dear.  Back in January I was meant to be sorting out my workroom, which I did start, but I have been too keen to get involved in actual projects, rather than redesign my room.  Perhaps once the quilt is quilted ....
Anyway, I seem to have caught up with myself on my Nearly Insane blocks, so it is time for the next Draw.  Here are the Blocks

 9 - 60 - 72 - 88

Block 9 seems to be a variation on Block 64 (which I am currently doing) and Block 80 , which I have done in scrappy fabrics, maybe this one deserves a new approach?  Also Block 88 is an edge block, but the same one as Block 41, the Basket Block, so it will be fun to choose different fabrics for that one.

Nearly Insane Quilt Edge Blocks - Block 92

Suzi the cat helps out with the hand quilting

It's that time of year. It reminds me of the days when I would be sitting doing revision for exams.  The sun would be out, you would be working to a revision schedule, and your life seemed paralysed, knowing that every waking moment HAD to be dedicated to doing what you could to prepare for the looming examinations.  To add to the pain, ALL you could do is  think about all the things you will do once the exams were out of the way!
This time around I am hand quilting a quilt for a show.  The delivery deadline is one month away, and every spare moment is focussed on sewing, and even just a few stitches a day will bring it closer to its completion.  I have noticed, as I surf the internet, that I am not the only one in this predicament. As you can see, I am getting a lot of help from Suzi, who can't wait until it is back from the show and in full circulation. All I REALLY want to be doing is more of my Nearly Insane Quilt, or to use the fabric, and to do some of the small projects I brought back from my trip to the USA, but this self-imposed deadline has taken over my LIFE!

Nearly Insane Quilt Edge and Corner Blocks

Nonetheless, I have used my usual tactic of taking the train to work to get my Nearly Insane Quilt blocks done (... the quilt is too big to take on the train!).  For a quick win I have focussed on an edge block, Block 92, which was originally meant to be the corner blocks.  In the top picture you can compare Block 92 (top), to the corner blocks Block 87 (bottom), ( ... I think I might choose another block to do the final two corners, just to mix it up a bit).  This block was done on my train journey and during my lunch break, whilst I sat outside in the sun by the canal.  I'm not sure that I quite got the fabric choice right, but it soon came together.

Nearly Insane Quilt Block 92 (Edge Block)

This block was simple enough, but you may overlook that it had two little TINY pieces in it, very similar to the ones in Block 1.  In small groups these tiny pieces look harmless, but I am starting to be on the lookout for the blocks where they appear in greater numbers.

So it is back to quilting. However, this weekend is offering up some good television entertainment, which is VERY good for quilting.  We have the start of the Tour de France, the British Formula 1 Grand Prix, and even the new series of Top Gear.  I hope to get a lot done.

Joining up with  Crazy Mom Quilts AND Feline Friday!

NUMBER OF PIECES: 24
DIFFICULTY: 4/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle, 3/84 (1.9mm) x 1 1/16" (27cm) x 1 1/16" (27mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Square 1 1/4" (32m) x 1 1/4" (32m)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: 
Rural Jardin by French General (Leaf Trail Rouge) for Moda
Quilters Basics (Memory) Stof
"Polka Party III" by Holly Holderman, Lakehouse Drygoods (#03035)
 

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 90

Nearly Insane Quilt Block 90

Here is one of the completed edge blocks, Block 90, for the Nearly Insane Quilt that I am currently hand piecing using the English Paper Piecing method.  Only ten pieces, so it took no time at all. It uses that fun apple fabric again.

With my random draws, it ensures that I am doing the Nearly Insane Quilt components in equal quantities, at each stage.  It usually means 3 full blocks, 1 edge block, 7 sashing pieces, and 3 cornerstones.  The blocks are always different and interesting to do, and offer a new challenge, but the cornerstones (which I chose to do ...) are a bit more repetitive and fiddly.  Each one has 9 pieces, and there are 95 in total.  In this little stack of the 23 which I have completed, it adds up to 207 pieces alone.


Canoe block Cornerstones - Nearly Insane Quilt

I am also meant to be doing a zig zag border as well, but I am dithering whether is should be a red zig zag, or a cream zig zag, and I am not sure whether I will decide until the main top has been put together.

Don't even ask how I am going to quilt it - that is WAY OFF!


NUMBER OF PIECES: 10
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Square, 3/8" (9.5mm) x 3/8" (9.5mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Triangle 4 1/8" (107mm) x 3" (76mm)  x 3" (76mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: 
"Polka Party Petite" (Buttercream) "Lakehouse Dayz" Collection by Holly Holderman, Lakehouse Drygoods (LH05037)
"Friendship" (Tonal Red) by Howard Marcus for MODA (Collections For a Cause) # 46130
Tried and True Raindrops Garnet(04273) by Nanacy Halvorsen, Benartex
Apple Fabric - unidentified

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 28

There was a point when I thought the next Nearly Insane block would never get finished.  As you may know, all my stitching time at home is currently dedicated to hand quilting the red and white pinwheel quilt, which has left little room for the Nearly Insane blocks.  After finishing so many blocks whist on holiday in the USA, I was beginning to get withdrawal symptoms.  However, by adjusting my travel plans over the past week, I have managed to finish the next block on the train to work.

Block 28 Nearly Insane Quilt

This is Block 28.  I really like it - but I seem to be saying that about all the blocks these days!  I think I particularly like this one because I have included stripes.  Whenever stripes are added to a block / quilt,  I think they add a dynamism and pizazz, like no other pattern, and I really like it.

The little half square triangles (HST's), in the centre, are about 3/4 inch square, and not too insane for me to handle, so even if a whole block was made up of these little HST's, that would be 128 pieces in a 6 inch block.  However, the most pieces in any one block is 229...

In Liz Lois book she mentions how after doing her first block for this quilt, she was hooked, and that she just had to do more.  I know exactly how she feels.  SHE reckoned it was better than chocolate ( .... however, I think my long-standing relationship with chocolate has been established far too long to be challenged).

Sparky the Cat with Nearly Insane Quilt Block 28, June 2013

We have had a few hot days here in the UK, and Sparky has been enjoying the warmth on his old bones, and kindly offered to pose with the new block outside.

 

NUMBER OF PIECES: 53
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle 7/8" (22mm) x 3/4" (19mm) x 3/4" (19mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Square 1 3/8" (35mm) x 1 3/8" (35mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: 
"Berry Falling Snow" by Kate Spain for Moda #27127-11
"Quilter's Memory" Stof Quilter's Basics #4517-118
"Polka Party III" by Holly Holderman, Lakehouse Drygoods (#03035)
Red and White Stripe (purchased from Hobbycraft)

This one needs a Whoop Whoop!, a Finish Up Friday, and a Feline Friday link.