After writing about the large number of quilts I am storing, I decided to give a few away. Non-quilter friends asked for these two and I was happy to pass them on:
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| Hot Summer Nights, original design, 84" x 84" |
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| Faceted Jewels a Glad Creation pattern, 52" x 84" |
Thank goodness for labels. Hot Summer Nights, made in 2000 "to use up some of my huge fabric stash"! I had no idea then what my stash would grow into. And "Faceted Jewels" was made in 2001. Both longarm quilted by Terry Owens, when I was just starting to have a few quilts machine quilted:
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| November 2000 |
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| 2001 |
Both of these were class samples way back when. And I knew they wouldn't be classes ever again. Faceted Jewels has been hanging on a guest room wall for almost 20 years. Hot Summer Nights has been taking up space on the bookshelf for many years too.
Before I gave them away, I decided to wash them. It seems likely they had not been washed ever before, seeing how nice and crinkly they came out of the dyer.
Color Catchers are mandatory when I wash quilts. Here you can clearly see how much dye was released from these two quilts, washed in separate loads. The white one on the left is a Color Catcher new out of the box. The green one came from Faceted Jewels and the really dark one from Hot Summer Nights:
It is likely there is still plenty of color in both of these quilts judging by how much color is in these sheets. I will include a few new Color Catcher sheets and the box lid when I give these quilts to my friends--so they know to use them at least during the next washing. Eventually, there will be almost no dye lost and I wouldn't use them going forward.
Every kid going off on their own should be taught about these Color Catchers--so new blue jeans don't turn new white t-shirts a lovely shade of gray.
I don't wash my quilts very often, only when first complete, if they get dirty during use or when giving them away. These were put in a front load washer on Express Wash (30 minutes) with half a teaspoon of Orvus Paste as the detergent. And one Color Catcher. Water temps were warm/cool. The dryer setting was high. If I didn't love the crinkled look, I would air-dry flat.
For a better look at the colors, here are "glamour shots" of these after washing/drying, laying on a spare bed:
Let's quilt.
Barbara
I am like you. I can easily give away a quilt to someone that will love it. However, there are quilts that will be mine for my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteDo you treat quilts with wool batting any differently?
ReplyDeleteI air dry wool batting quilts flat on the back deck. On a breezy, sunny, low humidity day it takes only a few hours. We get a couple of those days a year.
DeleteWhat is the largest size quilt you have washed in your home laundry?
ReplyDeleteQueen size. The huge King 110” square I did at a laundromat.
DeleteHow do you care for quilts that have special printing or photos? I made one recently with photos that were painted and not sure how it should be handled if it gets dirty.
ReplyDeleteIf there are care instructions for that product, follow those. They may not hold up to washing. My labels are printed with black ink only as colored inks don’t last when washed.
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DeleteThanks for the quick response. As the paint is advertised as permanent for fabric, after heat set it's pretty solid. Since I did a lot of handstitching I think I would then suggest maybe washing in the bathtub as someone else indicated in this blog. I did print the label on back with black ink. thanks again,
Like you, I don't wash quilts often. My Mom's hand quilted creations only get washed in the bathtub if/when they get soiled. Machine quilted pieces get a wash after completion if I am giving them away. As Lori, of Humble Quilts once told me, you don't want the recipient to think they ruined it the first time they wash it. :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone who receives one of your creations owns a treasure, Barbara!
If I'm giving away a baby quilt, I wash it first with a new bottle of Dreft and pass the bottle on to the new mom as part of her shower gift.
ReplyDeleteI use Color Catchers all the time, with my regular, mixed loads of clothes as well as when I wash a quilt. I pre-washed a backing fabric that I knew was going to bleed (a friend experienced it with the same fabric when washing a finished quilt). I used 8 Color Catchers and they all came out a shade from deep coral to light coral.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, Sorry that I didn't get this question in when I first read this blog. What batting reliably gives that good squiggly look after washing? I've got a quilt I made a few years ago, when I first started: it is beautifully crinkley after every wash. I've got another quilt made shortly there after that's been washed a dozen times and never gets that crumpled look.
ReplyDeleteHot Summer Nights has Hobbs 80/20 cotton/polyester, that works well. My favorite now is Quilter’s Dream Cotton Request weight.
DeleteThank you. I'll try the Quilter's Dream request weight.
DeleteI found that machine washing & drying ripped stitches out of mine, so I handwash them now. I lay a I got at a thrift store on the grass and lat the quilt on it. After a while, I turn it over. It dries quicker than you’d think.
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