Thursday, August 1, 2013

It's a Grand Old Flag!

by 
Geoff's Mom. 
My progress this week.

So, I have a question for you all.
How do you care for your cotton and wool quilts?
This is the first quilt top I have worked on that has both wool and cotton applique.  I use the P3 method of applique prep, so my quilt top has starch and glue in it.  I usually soak it in a cold bath after I am done to dilute and disperse the glue and starch...I know it doesn't all come out.  I am hesitant to put this puppy in the bath.  I would appreciate any input I can get!  Do I have to worry about the over-dyed wool bleeding? How do I wash it?  These are questions students have asked and I don't have the answers. 

Another first for me...I used silk matka for the border.  The tobacco color was just too perfect.  It needled just fine, but the fraying at the edges was unreal.  Thank goodness I had added a 1/2" to the cutting directions for the border.  I always cut everything bigger and then custom cut it to size no matter if I am piecing or appliqueing.  Even so, every time a thread would come off, at least a 1/16th of inch of border was lost.  That is why I have fewer leaves in my border than the pattern called for.  I needed a yard of the silk matka.  I prewashed it and it shrunk quite a bit.  

If you like this pattern, Woolie Mammoth is having a giveaway here.  I know that as soon as I put that first flag on, I was in love.  You can bet this one will be ready to go to the quilter soon.

My girls are coming back to the cabin next week, so I don't know how much more progress I will make on my WIPs. However, I know I will be having a heck of a good time.  We head back to the desert at the end of August.  I am not looking forward to the heat, but I will enjoy reconnecting with my quilting community. Now back to sewing...I only have the weekend to get this flimsy finished!

15 comments:

  1. Love this! Such a fun quilt and you have done a sweet job!
    Can't help you with the care questions. I haven't sewn with silk mantra or tried to wash wool yet. I will be interested to see if you get some answers :-)

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  2. I LOVE this Patriotic quilt :-D Sorry I am no help when it comes to wool :-D

    Sounds like you are having a great time in the COOL mountains

    ENJOY !

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  3. It is really wonderful! I've machine washed my cotton and wool quilts and it was fine. I did have to iron my wool pieces a little so they would flatten back out.

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  4. What a festive quilt! The tobacco silk matka was a perfect choice for the border. I've been hearing more and more about the creative possibilities of silk matka. I wrote an article on The Quilt Basket in Tucson, AZ, for Quilt Sampler mag, and the shop owner really loves working with it and told me she carried a nice selection of it. Wish I lived closer so I could check out her shop in person.

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  5. It's beautiful! I LOVE the flags :-) I wish I had answers to your questions, but I don't. I'll be sure to check your comments again soon so I can learn too.

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  6. Loved that song and the movie Yankee Dootle Dandy.

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  7. I love how this quilt turned out!

    The silk matka was a gorgeous choice. Did you consider running Fray check along the outside edges?
    As long as the fabric is oversized there are no washing issues as the edges it will be cut off just before sewing the finish.

    Enjoy your time in the mountains with the girls!

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  8. it's a wonderful little quilt top~!! but i have never sewn anything with a combo of cotton and wool nor have i used the silk matka. i have seen quite a few patterns using the cotton and wool combination so it will be interesting to read your comments.

    enjoy your upcoming family time.

    :-)
    libbyQ

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  9. OMG! I so want to start that quilt!!! it is adorable. Thank you for sharing the giveway. I can wait to see how you quilt it!

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  10. Beautiful quilt, love that you are mixing fabrics, something I haven't played with yet. I've quilted three quilts for customers that used silk in their borders. They used a light weight permanent stabilizer or interfacing. It adds a little bit of stiffness but kept it from fraying or pulling out of the seams.

    Enjoy the mountains and company. How wonderful for you all!

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  11. Love this pattern. You were so right to use the silk matka for the border. It's perfect! Interesting to read what others say about caring for a cotton/wool quilt. I'm surprised they can be machine washed.
    Have fun with the girls!

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  12. Your quilt top is just gorgeous, love the applique border too, but don't have any answers to your queries....hope you get some advice from your followers!!!

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  13. Can't help you with your question but I did enjoy seeing your work.

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