I don't have a wall to put up my quilting project. It is all lap work, so to say. But I'll have to arrange the strips before I sew them together. The sunshine brings out the quilting nicely, so I took this picture. I'm not all that pleased with the bright sun, because together with the full moon, it makes my head kind of dizzy. Too much energy, I guess. I found the right material for the inner line. It is the right top turquoise fabric.I'm still thinking if I should do a wool batting with the lovely material I got from Judy; or should I just give it a backing, as the dark parts are wool fabric anyway? My husband loves warmth. But can the quilt be washed with a wool batting? Do you have a quilt like this, and do you have it dry cleaned?
15 comments:
interesting questions. the main fabric is wool so it may shrink if washed. perhaps, dry cleaning wis the answer. for batting, i like using a very thin cloth with close quilting for an old fashioned look. but i am not sure how that would work with a wool quilt. at the exhibit of haberdashery quilts that i saw recently, most on display were tied. and i do love that turquoise you chose.
What does "tied" mean in this sense?
tied means just tied through here and there with knotted thread instead of quilted all over. you tie the back to the front here and there, usually with a regular spacing. i think if you wash and preshrink the wool first you are ok. if not, who know, washing might change the whole thing into something else. ha! i am working on a wool backed piece too. it is from way back. i will wash it and see what happens.
right now this project looks like a lot of "long cloth".
a tied quilt uses either embroidery thread or yarn that runs through all three layers of the quilt - top, batting and backing. tying the quilt holds the three layers together.
my earliest quilts - before i learned to quilt - were all tied in that old fashioned style.
it is important to tie stitches close together -- every few inches -- to maintain the position of the layers.
i am not sure this description is really sufficient and will try to find a better one....
eva, here are directions on how to tie a quilt:
http://www.quiltbug.com/Articles/tying-a-quilt.htm
..... and there are lots of other resources on the web.
hope this helps
I like what it looks like in the sunshine. I think you could try tying it and see how you like it. Perhaps you could do a little of both, tying and quilting? It really has to do with what pleases you and whatever works best to keep the layers from shifting.
Thank you very much for your advice! I can imagine very well now what you mean. This has helped me a lot.
There is something amusing to me in the order of the square, the geometry, with the irregularities and textures and individuality of the strips, dual nature.
I have a wool quilt that I made a couple of years ago. It is made with Pendelton wool shirt samples from the 1960's. This year I decided to have it dried cleaned. It was tied so I untied all the ties. Took the back off and washed it. Took out the batting...washed it but decided that I would use it in smaller projects and use new thicker batting in the quilt. I then took the queen size wool quilt and folded it half so that it didn't seem like it was that big, and I basted the sides with the machine. I took the quilt top to the dry cleaners. It cost about 30.00 to get it cleaned. When I got it back I reused the back, undid my basting stitches on the top and used new batting. Just for an experiment I am used a double layer of batting in the middle ...the part that hangs off will just be a single layer of batting. I have to tie it and baste the backing to the front...I don't put a binding on the quilt since I plan to take it apart to clean.
I didn't use a wool batting but I think if I had what I just described would be ok for that as well.
I hope to get this quilt done by Christmas...and I will post pictures.
The wool without batting in my opinion is not warm enough. But that may depend on how thick the wool is.
You can also tie with buttons on one side...although this is hard to do I saw one in a museum that way and it was fantastic looking.
I am tying mine with wool yarn. One way a lady told me to do it was to put it down then up through all layers. You will have two ends of yarn sticking up out of the quilt. Then take another 6 inch piece of yarn and lay that over the place where the two yarn ends came up. Tie the two yarn ends over the loose yarn then grab the ends of the loose yarn with the yarn piece ends and knot them together.
I bet that was complicated...wish I could just show you. I like using wool yarn better than cotton, as the wool kinda grabs and keeps the knot better. In my corduroy quilts I used a heavy embroidery thread to tie with but they kept untying.
Well I hope that helped and didn't confuse you too much.
Hi Eva!
I found your blog from Hand Embroiderer's Network!
This quilt is gorgeous and the way the sunlight catches the quilting is divine..... I particularly love the colours. Are all your quilting stitches in the same colour?
Sandi (from Down Under - Australia! My Mum was born in Hamburg!)
I forgot to mention the safety pins. You use safety pin instead of basing the quilt together after you have put the different layers together...top, batting, and back. You space it like it says on the batting package or what looks and feels right to you. This marks the spot where you will be tying the quilt together.
Writing you have made me get busy on getting my wool quilt done. I have just about got the back basted to the front. I will try to make pictures of where I am in the process and I will let you know when I get them up for you to see.
Eva!! This is simply glorious! The geometrics remind me so of American Quaker and Amish quilts!!
I'd recommend airing your quilt out every few months in a breezeway or on a line in the shade. A 5 day retreat in a doubled plastic bag with a cup of baking powder (bicarbonate of soda) will remove "granny" smells and fustiness from storage and use. Quilts really should be dry cleaned if they're soiled. There is a method to wash them in a bathtub but it's a Hurculean task as they weigh a ton wet.
I too have tied quilts. Another method I've done is tying the quilt both sides: On your quilt for instance, you could use turquoise and rust crochet cotton either together or separate in doubled strands. Tie the four threads together spacing the stitches 1/4" (.5 mm) apart. And on the back you could use the turkey red and dark brown spaced between. This way you have eyelashes on both sides.
Dina
Thank you for your helpful descriptions and advice! I can very well imagine what you mean, and I don't feel puzzled at all. Quilt Architect, your knowledge is very valuable for me. Looks like you could write a book on this matter. Also Dina's hints are worth remembering. Sandi - the quilting stitches are either apricot or coffee brown, sometimes in contrast to the fabric, sometimes subdued. I chose a rust-and-black striped rayon for the reverse. After reading some of these explanations, I watched a few videos on youtube about tying. I'll do the tying from the top side, so the eyelashes won't tickle my man's face.
Thank you for observing this project with so much interest! The wealth of creativity and knowledge from your side is stunning.
Hi Eva,
I got pictures of my quilt up.
http://quiltarchitect.blogspot.com/2009/12/beckys-gallery-wool-quilt.html
I will have to take pictures after I tie it. I am planning on tying it so the fringe is on the back since this will be on a bed.
If I am the Judy you are referring to, and you are contemplating using the wool I sent you, I would not do it! That is intended more for stuffing things, like your lovely pin cushions. I buy wool batting manufactured specially for quilt batting when I use it. If you plan to use this wonderful quilt (I love the photograph in the sunlight!), I would be sure to wash the quilt top before I joined it with the batting and backing. When it needs to be cleaned, I would either have it dry cleaned (shudder!) or I would hand wash it and then hang it to dry. Just my opinion....and I haven't read any of the above comments!!
xo
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