8/24/14

Problems and successes

This weekend was for making labels for the show quilts.  And, washing and blocking.  It started on Friday, when Sydney and I hand washed the Geronimo Quilt.

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You might not be able to tell here, but the colors are much brighter.  And, I figured out why it looked so dark after the last wash.

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That’s the wash with Oxy-Clean.

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First rinse.  Holy unstable brown dye, Batman!

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Third rinse and we quit.  From here, we drained all the water out and then rolled the quilt into a sheet and then twisted heck out of that sheet to wring out the excess water.  Then, it lay spread on the floor for four hours until it was dry enough to put it in the dryer, where it tumbled for 10 minutes precisely.  Then, it was pinned to the floor in the shape most closely approximating a rectangle that it could be stretched into.

I also set up all the text for my labels and embroidered it out in a test sample.

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I’ve only completed two labels and only one of them is sewn to the quilt.

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Nice, simple, neat.

And, I made Syd three shirts about four years ago.  She never wore them.  I kept asking for them back because they’re nice shirts and I want to take them to the office and see if anyone wants them before sending them to Goodwill.  She couldn’t find them.  But, last week, cleaning out her closet and planning her outfits for this year, she found them, and decided one of them is good enough to wear.

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It needed some fitting, tho.  Four inches out of the side seams at the waist and I took out the darts in back and put them back so that it gave her more room in….the back porch area and stopped the pulling at the bottom facings.  You can tell she likes it.  And, it only took four years.

Everybody have a great Sunday.  I’m back to hand sewing labels.  Lane

4 comments:

Becky said...

I'm getting excited about the quilt show!!
Sydney, you get more beautiful every time I "see" you!

lw said...

Wow-- you and Sydney went to a lot of work, but the Geronimo quilt looks so much better. The blouse is cute! Such a good idea to go through her closet and see what outfits are there; then it's a lot easier to shop for what's not there. I do the same thing, only by now I just replace things by category as they wear out.

Anonymous said...

If the other 2 shirts are as cute as the one she has on, send it to Luna, La. Can't wait for the quilt show! I am so excited for you. You and Sydney work so hard. Will send pics. taken in Dec. soon . Some are for her, some for Rob and some for you. You guys can determine which are which. lum

Rebecca Grace said...

Oxy Clean? I know you're busy getting those labels on for the show right now, but please elaborate on that when you get a chance. I used some dark, glorious red marbled hand dyed fabric in blocks with Kona solid, Snow white fabric, and then discovered by accident when the iron leaked on one that the red was a bleeder. Is there any way to save those little 4" blocks that I already made? I swooshed one of them around in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid and got a lot of excess dye out, but there is still visible bleed on the front of the block where the seam allowances stack several layers of the red fabric behind the white fabric. I know I should have checked that fabric before I cut into it. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Also, I love that shirt you made for Sydney, and especially that smile on her face!