I have played with this panel and the leftover blocks several times and I think I should work on it now. If I trim the center panel I can pull the blocks together. It would be 32" x 40" so I could play with some border ideas.
I have a question for anyone who is working with digitally printed fabric. I have seen on 2 blogs that the colors ran when washed. I'm wondering if anyone has washed a finished quilt made with the digitally printed fabrics and if the fabric print is still very bright and clear like when it was new.
14 comments:
How lovely that your friend sent you those wonderful yellows! The cactus is so pretty. It was warm yesterday and it got me thinking about what I am going to do in the yard this year. I know I need to get some fencing to protect my cora bells from the deer. The deer don't usually eat them, but last year they did a number on them. Ugh! I have never bought any digitally printed fabric so I am no help.
I use some digitally printed labels for the Quilts of Valor that I make. The red on the label seems a bit faded after washing but not by a lot. On the other hand, I also use a simple digitally printed label with just my name etc in black ink and it doesn't seem to fade. OTH.
I've bought a few digitally printed fabrics now that the price has come down, but I haven't used them much. What I did notice is that they are very slippery. I've also read somewhere that when machine quilted, sometimes the needle pierces the fabric and causes a run (like in a stocking, not from dye running). So the jury is out on them, but I'm not going to buy more until I have more experience with them. Hadn't heard about the color running, though.
Pat
Try soaking in blue dawn dishwashing detergent for overnight. I find it really worked for me. It even took stains out of a rayon white blouse that had been washed and dried. I also used it on a multocolred print where the indigo had run into the white. The water in the sink was dark indigo. When rinsed it was clear!
Those are really pretty blocks. Do you just wing it on your crazy blocks? Or do you use some sort of pattern?
Yellows and oranges are always in short supply for me. I did buy a 21 piece Paintbox of Elizabeth Hartman sunshine palette (5.25 yards) at Christmas for myself.
What a great way to use your checker blocks framing your zebras with colorful fun. Really creative Wanda. Nice of your friend to give you those pretty sunshine yellow pieces.
I haven't been shopping for any fabric sense the pandemic hit. I'll have to make a point of looking for a digital print. It's new to me, and interesting what your commenters have stated. And loved the tip on soaking an ink stained blouse over night in Dawn.
JJM
I tend to avoid the digital prints because of cost and the Slippery” previously mentioned. They are beautiful but ...
I had to laugh at myself. I went back to see your crazy pieced blocks and saw your redbud in glorious bloom. I was freaking out until I noticed it was from May of last year! Oh, brother! Good to see your Christmas cactus blooming again. I repotted mine and noticed a few new buds the other day. Exciting! I do love flowers, wherever they are. I thought we had lost our amaryllis outside, but the new leaves are coming up through the dead ones!
I must be either fearless or ignorant or cavalier. I have bought digital prints, and like everything else, I wash them before I use them. I haven't noticed any fading. I also wash all finished quilts before I gift them. There are several digital prints in Julie's Glorious quilt we made a couple of years ago. I'll have to ask her.
I avoid buying digital prints, even if I like what they look like. I hate the feel of them - slippery. Also, I wash and dry and iron my fabrics before cutting them. I want to know how they will come out after being washed and dried. I also seem to find that the digital fabrics really unravel a lot. I have quilts from some years ago that had skinny seams and now the seams aren't holding together well. The digital fabrics I think might unravel after quilt is all done. Then you are left with a seam that isn't going to hold together anymore. So, no digital prints for me. If, as someone said somewhere, all the fabric companies go the way of digital, then I am done buying fabric and will use up my stash. Luckily for me I have enough fabric to last 30 more years if I live that long.
deb
A longarm quilter I know does not like digital prints because of the slippery texture and the pulls or white hole left by the needles since the printing does not penetrate the fabric like regular printing. That is how they get the colors so crisp. Love the new yellows.
Wanda, All the projects you do are spectacular but my very favorite remain your crazy pieced blocks, especially is they are also 'wonky.' Thank you for daily showing us what all you are working on--and for the plant pictures.
First off is your beautiful white cactus, never seen one here but I'll keep looking! I bought from a range of ombre fabrics online, fell for the colours but although I did make a table runner with the fabrics I didn't like the feel of the fabric one little bit. Haven't washed any yet.
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