Thursday, July 22, 2010

Desperately Seeking Quilting Advice!

I have some questions for my fellow quilters
and would love to hear your opinions if you have a moment…
(pretty please with a charm pack on top??)


Binding -
Do you buy premade "quilt binding" tape or make your own? I've only used the premade stuff - well, I've only binded one quilt so...yeah, I used the premade because I had no idea what else to do!

If you make your own - how???

Batting -
What's you favorite kind? I already know the cheap stuff at Walmart isn't worth the gas to drive there. But I'm at a loss in craft/quilting shops, there are SO many types and brands to choose from!

Fabrics -
Do you always pre-wash?? I've read multiple opinions on this and I'll admit that I have been working on a quilt top that I am deathly afraid is going to bleed like CRAZY when I wash it (it's all red/white/navy blue fabrics and I didn't know better when I started it).

I know you can add a little vinegar or salt to the wash to "set" the colors - does this work with brand new fabrics??

I'm sure I'll have many more questions along this quilting journey. And I SO appreciate you experienced folks who share such a wealth of information via your own blogs! They have all helped me immeasurably!!


3 comments:

Shay said...

Hi Mel,

Thanks for the visit and for taking the time to leave a comment! I just wandered over to sticky beak at your blog.

I'm pretty new to the quilting world but I thought I'd share my limited knowledge.

Binding- I make my own . If I can do it anyone can. So far I havent tried bias binding, but the one I make works fine. I have to say I hate binding quilts. There are stacks of great tutorials out there that show you how to make your own binding and it's so much hceaper and nicer to have something that matches your quilt perfectly.

Batting- I use warm and natural cotton. I tried Fairfield cotton batting recently and frankly it's rubbish. In the batting world you get what you pay for.

Fabrics- I always pre-wash yardage. I dont pre-wash pre-cuts. Apparently you can get a product to throw into your wash so that the quilt doesnt bleed when you wash it for the first time but I've never used it. (probably cant get it in Australia anyway - like most of the Oreo's that are made, cool whip and marshmallow fluff)

Happy Quilting !

Jane said...

I always made my own binding (I have a tutorial on my blog that may help) and I use wool batting (it just glides through hand quilting) but I have used the "cheaper" brands just fine.

But with fabrics, I tend not to wash because I can't wait long enough to do it. I'm need to cut into it and start sewing! As a matter of fact, I'm working on a red and white quilt and I'm going to have to figure out how to remove the ink markings without it bleeding.

Just remember, it's all just a learning process. It is still for me.

Your question for "The Quilter's Legacy." You would be fine if you skip "The Runaway Quilt." They may be a small amount of info that was in the prior book that you may not want to know yet, but you'll be fine. That's the problem I'm having with "The Lost Quilter." By jumping so far ahead, there is some information that I didn't need to know yet!

Jane

Deborah said...

Batting - do you have a "local" manufacturer? i am fortunate in that one and buy my batting in large rolls from their seconds.... Half price. (actually the even the seconds are good quality... with a whole roll - 20 to 30 meters -beging rejects for a couple of thinner spots.) Its Nu-wool by the way which washes really well as it contains a small amount of synthetic to prevent shinkage.

Fabrics i try to be disiplined with prewashing because I have had a fabric bleed in the middle of a domminently blue green quilt and it was brown!!! Suggestion take scraps of the coloured fabrics you are using pin them to some calico or homespun and wash that... then you will know if there is a problem.