You wouldn't think quilting 5 rows 12" long in a sashing rectangle would take very long but it does, for me at least. One of the reasons is the fabric I used for some of the sashing rectangles on the Blue and the Gray is fabric that was once a shirt. Though not Civil War-style it was a great, warm grey, the perfect color. So I used it.
I guess I hadn't checked to be sure it was good for hand quilting. The fabric is denser than quilting cotton so I have to really push and pull the needle to get it through the three layers, sometimes 2 or 3 stitches
at a time. I can't remember when I bought this; perhaps it was an early purchase before I learned what to look for in clothing fabric.
There are three things I do these days before buying clothing to use in a quilt.
There are three things I do these days before buying clothing to use in a quilt.
-
I check to be sure the fabric is 100% cotton. I do sometimes buy linen/cotton blends and occasionally pure linen (though I've not made a linen quilt yet). All cotton is my favorite.
- I evaluate the thickness of the fabric. Some shirts are made of beautiful plaids but are really thick and tightly woven cotton. Great for grocery/shopping bags but not so much for quilts. Other pieces of clothing, especially women's blouses/shirts, are made of thin, fine, cotton. It may be too dense to quilt easily or it may be just fine. Some shirts are woven in a twill pattern. They may quilt well or they may be too dense, and they seem to fray a little more than an even weave fabric.
- I carry a needle with me when I go to thrift stores and "quilt" a section of fabric to check how easily it pushes and pulls through that single layer of fabric. I've learned that appearance won't tell me. Some cottons look like they should be easy to quilt but aren't.
- I also look for wear -- threadbare elbows, tattered collar and cuffs, faded fabric on the front, etc. -- and evaluate where the fabric is less worn, then make a decision whether what's usable for a quilt is worth the cost.
My One Monthly Goal for September was to hand quilt 6 blocks, 5 cornerstones, and 8 sashing rectangles on the Blue and the Gray quilt. I finished the goal plus more for a total of 8 blocks, 8 cornerstones, and 11 sashing strips quilted. Yet to quilt are 2 blocks, 7 cornerstones, and 30 sashing strips. 30! All around the edges plus a few in the center. But only 2 or 3 of those are the dense grey fabric.
I love this quilt and most everything about it. Even though I used the same batting I've used for other quilts, it seems heavier, thicker, somehow. I think the backing fabric may be a little heavier than usual. It will be a great, warm, winter quilt one of these months, probably just about the time the first snow falls here in Ohio.
I'm linking this post to the One Monthly Goal September Finish Link-up at Elm Street Quilts. Thank you for hosting, Patty.
--Nancy.
This is such a beautiful quilt--well worth the effort of that difficult quilting...I often only take one stitch at a time as my hands tend to cramp up when hand quilting...so it is definitely a S L O W process..
ReplyDeletehugs, Julierose
Thank you, Julierose. I agree -- even though the fabric is difficult to stitch it's nice fabric that will wear well over time. (And it's too late to change it now!) I'm just taking my time stitching.
DeleteIt is lovely and that grey does look perfect. Have you tired using a very thin needle, like a straw needle?
ReplyDeleteI do understand tte issue of dense weave! Years ago when I loved redwork embroideries, I started a pair of pillow cases, Good Morning/ Good Night: carefully transferred the designs to percale pillow cases. Oh how awful, the needle would only go thru w pliers pulling it thru each stitch. Needless to say the project is still sadly waiting for a finish. [nevr].
Thank you, Lizzy. I hadn't thought about trying a different needle. The one I'm using is pretty thin but I'll check into a straw needle.
DeleteOh, my! Percale is so tightly woven. I can understand why the project is not finished. Some challenges are just not worth the work to overcome them. But I bet they would have been beautiful!
I had a some plaid yardage I put into a baby quilt recently. It is just too tightly woven to make it a good choice for quilting. I will end up tying this quilt. Also, it must have polyester or something in it because it doesn't wrinkle, it just proudly (ha!) holds it shape. Great idea to carry a needle around with you. You're making great progress on this quilt.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robin. That's too bad about the plaid yardage, both the tight weave and the poly in it. You probably already know this but if not, you test for natural fibers in fabric by turning a small sliver. Let it cool, then put the burnt part between your thumb and finger. If it crumbles to dust, it's all natural, but if there's a small ball or bubble, it's not. I'm sure it will be a wonderful baby quilt, though, sturdy and long-lasting.
DeleteSuch a beautiful quilt, and I imagine the fabrics are nice and soft, being preloved. It is worth the effort involved in the quilting, but you are a better person than me. I love the look, but wouldn't have the patienc.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janice. My patience sometimes runs short which may be why this quilt is taking so long to finish. ;-) Even though that one fabric is dense and hard to quilt, it's smooth and soft and I think it will wear well.
DeleteYour advice about checking how easily or not a needle glides through the fabric is great and a little late for me. I'm finding the decades old pillow cases I used some fabric from in my Flower Garden triangles is really tough to get a needle through. Tough enough I considered redoing a bunch of them but didn't...soldiered on. Learned a lesson, another one! I love this quilt...the reds in the cornerstones make all the colours pop.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jocelyn. It's so frustrating to find we've already used fabric that's too dense to quilt easily. Good for you for keeping at it. I'm always learning lessons like that, which is probably a good thing.
DeleteNice. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patty. Especially thanks for hosting the One Monthly Goal link-ups every month.
DeleteI like your tips for finding fabrics. I haven't shopped for clothing to use in quilts, but I like to use my husband's and son's shirt fabrics here and there. Good that you will be finished quilting the difficult grey soon (it really is the perfect warm shade). It's such a terrific quilt!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cynthia. I don't if there are many quilters use fabric from clothing -- I'm probably in the minority in that category-- but for anyone who's thinking of trying it, I thought I'd share what I've found. It's great that you use your husband's and son's shirts. They make the quilt much more memorable and meaningful than just another shirt from the thrift store.
DeleteGood for you for surpassing your goal! (Especially after meeting such resistance from that fabric!)
ReplyDeleteI love how warm and cuddly it looks - I'll bet it ends up being your all-time favorite quilt!
Oh, thanks so much, Gayle. I think it will be warm and cuddly, too, and I know I'll love and enjoy it!
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