Wednesday 17 June 2015

Quilt dye disaster

I am delighted to say Helen has returned to full time nursing following her crohns flare up She was off nearly 13 weeks and returned on 20 hours which have over 3 weeks been increased to full time. Next week she should be working nights but they have said no nights for a couple of months.  She loves her job nursing in a hospice but it is very demanding but she would not change it for the world.  I am so very proud of her as she is in a lot of pain at times but keeps going,  injecting herself twice a week and numerous tablets too.

I finally plucked up courage to have a go at FMQ on my disappearing nine patch lap quilt.  I did a little practice but of course as soon as I tried it on the quilt all was not so well.  I seem to have trouble feeding the quilt though,  presume it is to do with the size, weight etc.  I quilted with a sort of squiggle on the large squares changing the cotton to match the colours then squiggled some more on the sashing and borders.  My stitches varied quite a bit in size but it is the first one so did not get too worked up about them.  I then attached the binding and put it in the washer.  I always have colour catchers in just in case there is a problem,  I expect you guessed no colour catcher and the orange ran into all the white fabrics.  I tried re washing with colour catchers this time but the damage was done.   Never mind it is only for me and I will certainly be more careful in future.   I always wash fabric when I buy it but of course this piece must have slipped through without a wash.

                                               Prior to quilting and dyeing


now this is what it looks like


Fortunately the colour does not show too much on the photo!

I have also caught up on the hexie BOM.  This year they are geometric pieces and are meant to be made using three quarter inch hexies but I have used 1" again as I have stacks of card cut out in 1" and find smaller is too fiddly for my big hands.

                                              The kitchen floor comes in handy for photography.

not sure why they look so pale and have not a clue what I will do when all 12 have been done. I still have those from last year unfinished.  Maybe I will use some of them on tote bag fronts or maybe not.
  

This year I have not taken part in the crazy BOM due to being absent from stitching for 3 months but maybe will take part next year as I do enjoy a bit of craziness.

41 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Glad to hear Helen is doing better.

I think your dyed quilt looks nice.

Happy stitching ~ FlowerLady

Nana said...

Great to hear about Helen!!!!!!

But your quilt... Jesus, how I hate it when that happens and believe me: it happened to me alot of times. Once it happened when I made a white quilt with blue touches here and there and it all came out light blue. Then it happened with our couch cover and it was terrible looking... after many months I washed it again and put about 15 of those catchers in the maschine... can you believe it? It all came out!!!! After months!!!!!!
Since this happened to me too often, I try to match the back fabric with the front. Do I have light colours, I use a light back.

Nana

Gaia said...

The quilt is very nice, maybe after few washes the colour might fade. Curious to see what you will do with the hexagon pieces.

Podunk Pretties said...

Good for you on giving the FM a go! The only way to get better is to do it more often.. Wish I had your hexie piecing talent, they look fab!

Gina said...

Well done on trying FMQ. Something that works for me is to put a table at right angles to your sewing table. This helps take the weight of the quilt and it's easier to feed through the machine. Also I don't drop my feed dogs. This also helps as the machine is helping you move the quilt.
I know you said the dye ran on that quilt but I think the effect looks great. Gives the quilt some warmth.

Gina said...

Well done on trying FMQ. Something that works for me is to put a table at right angles to your sewing table. This helps take the weight of the quilt and it's easier to feed through the machine. Also I don't drop my feed dogs. This also helps as the machine is helping you move the quilt.
I know you said the dye ran on that quilt but I think the effect looks great. Gives the quilt some warmth.

Mary Ellen said...

From my perspective, I think your quilt looks quite nice. Regarding FMQ - I find it to be a struggle to move the quilt along on any size larger than a largish baby quilt. It wears me out. I have gone over to the modern quilters idea, and quilt with my walking foot (or IDF if you have a Pfaff or other machine with the "built-in" walking foot thingie). There are any number of tutorials and Craftsy classes out there to explain and demo the process. Jackie Gehring and Catherine Redford are two instructors that I like.

deanna7trees said...

sorry to hear about your colors running. i always wash my cottons as soon as i buy them to check if there are runs....but maybe you did that. i, too, use the color catchers and have lots of them saved with beautiful colors caught. i made a pouch out of some of them but still have a bunch more. glad to hear your daughter is doing well.

Stitching Lady said...

I am so happy for you and your daughter. It is a great relief for you. And my goodness, what an unpleasant surprise with the discoloured quilt - but after all - it is looking somehow soft - and you might wash it still a few times. I like the patterns of your hexies on the kitchen floor.

Bev said...

Sorry! It looks good though. You may end up liking it anyway. XO

Chyfey said...

Great news about Helen.
Sorry about the colour run ,fingers crossed it will fade with washing.Loving your hexies, they would look lovely on a quilt top......me thinks

Boud said...

Happy your daughter is doing better. And the quilt that ran looks fine! What are color catchers? And what is fmq?

Jane said...

Glad your daughter is improving, it must be such a relief for you. Love the quilt, and with practice the FMQ will get easier, or so I'm told, lol

Benta AtSLIKstitches said...

That's great news about Helen! The washed quilt has a lovely "soft" look, I don't think the orange wash is a problem at all! If you ever want hexies cutting I have several different sizzix die cutters - very happy to cut and post xxx

Séverine said...

Glad your daughter is going well.
It's a pity that the colors run off but your quilt is still lovely

SewLittleToSay said...

Oh no! What a pity the colours ran, but at least it looks as if it didn't turn out blotchy (can you see I'm trying to find a silver lining here). You can get colour run remover which might work where the colour catchers failed.

Maria said...

So pleased that Helen is able to return to work. It's always disappointing when the dye runs...it's happened to me too. Your quilt looks lovely though in the photo. Sometimes I've encountered fabrics where the dye runs in countless washes too.

Wendy said...

I enlarged the photo of your quilt and the FMQ looks good to me - it was your first ever time! Sorry to hear about the orange dyeing incident... I daren't use colour catchers anymore after the second time a man had to come a fix our washing machine due to them being dragged down a pipe at the back, very common apparently!
I saw with the FMQ you did a meander. As one beginning FMQer to another, I can tell you doing a loopy pattern is easier. It's the same idea but you quilt loops in it too, that means it doesn't matter if you cross a line so you won't be stuck in a corner!

Pippas quilts said...

So pleased Helen is able to get back to work I can see why you are so proud of her. I think we all have had the dye disasters I always say that it is the warm that makes a quilt a quilt not the colours. Your hexs look fabulous Week end on its way have a good one. x

Sarah said...

Your geometric hexies look fantastic - I think the spiral on the left is my favorite! It's too bad your orange bled into the white but it appears that the white is evenly dyed...at least I hope so...

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

You are braver than me to give it a try and it looks terrific. Also love your hexies!

J Honda said...

I am just over joyed about Helen, Margaret :) and your quilt looks beautiful - the color "adventure" - beautiful creative license :D your work is lovely, and you are so very productive! It encourages me :) xoxox

Dianne said...

Good work on the FMQ Margaret. Isn't it always the way that the practice piece is going really well and as soon as you start on the real deal the problems start. LOL. I quite like the 'dyed' look.

Anonymous said...

What good news about Helen, you must be feeling more relaxed about things. It is a shame about your beautiful quilt but these annoying things seem to happen now and again!

Jayne said...

Amazing hexies! I love making them, not often, but sometimes! I have had a couple quilts bleed with some of the colors. Its heartbreaking. Sometimes they can be fixed, but it takes a lot of work!

Anita said...

It's good to hear that Helen is doing well.Your fmq looks good Margaret..it's only your first trial so don't beat yourself too much.. It's very sad to know about the color bleed but after the washes it looks okay...

Susan In Texas said...

Hi Margie,

That is good news about Helen! She does such important work; having hospice is such a blessing when it is needed.

I do not think your dye disaster is awful at all. It looks as if you did it on purpose. I would not have known it was not the correct color if you did not have the other picture for comparison. There is a blog out there somewhere that lists all the many ways you can attempt to correct quilt bleeding, if I find it I'll send you the link, but I would not worry about it since your quilt looks lovely the way it is.

Take care,
Susan

motidana said...

Hey Margaret, to me it doesn't seem to be a disaster at all . I would call it my own unique touch . It`s so beautiful , that I`m sure anybody seeing it would not be able to tell . The hexies are lovely too .

Monica said...

So, is this the first time that you've had colour run on a quilt? I guess the Color Catchers really make a difference, then! Oh well, live and learn, as they say.

I'm glad Helen is so much better! And it looks like you're back to full time sewing, which is nice to see!

Turid said...

So lovely hexies you've done. I dropped out of this BOM before I had started. Too much to do. Glad to hear about Helen. Send her my best wishes.

Annet said...

I'm glad your daughter is much better. Love your disappearing ninepatch, sorry the colour run! I always wash my quilt fabrics before I use them after an incident just like yours.

Deepa said...

Good to hear about Helen. Our best wishes for her.The quilt looks good. If you hadn't told about the color run,we would've just assumed it to be the original color.I've had such disasters - with my daughter's white school uniform :)

Margreet said...

Looks very good. Belated congratulations for your birthday !!

Celtic Thistle said...

Good news about your daughter, I can only imagine how demanding her job must be.
How frustrating about the colour run, sod' s law dictates that the fabric that wasn't prewashed will be the brightest :)

Angie in SoCal said...

Your quilt looks like you tea dyed it intentionally, Margaret. Love your hexies - they look like a firework display to me. It was so nice of you to stop by and link to WIPs Be Gone!

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Connie Eyberg Originals said...

So upsetting when colors run! In the photo it looks as though you antiqued it, not bad at all. Thanks for visiting my blog recently and leaving such a nice comment! It is always great to hear from you.

Jen said...

Good to hear Helen is getting well, I think the disappearing nine patch is lovely .I wouldn't have noticed the colour run .Hexies are pretty. Come down under and stay with me and I will take you to the Blue Mountains again Margaret !!

Blogoratti said...

Great effort indeed, very vibrant colours.

Mrs. B. said...

There's nothing more annoying than making a mistake right at the end of a project! For what it's worth I think that the quilt looks nice in the altered colours :)

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Oh no about the color bleed....I always use color catchers....so glad Helen is dong well and you get to busy yourself with so many wonderful projects!! Esp.. like your "green" work above.