Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Good Morning : :

Thank you for all the birthday wishes you left me here! Monday was my actual birthday, but with work and the kids busy Summer schedule, we did most of our celebrating on Saturday. My talented best friend Cynthia, made me the most beautiful cake! The inside a gluten free chocolate with a peanut butter mousse, the outside covered with her super yummy marshmallow fondant, and hand-painted with these gorgeous flowers! I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the box!! It was such a special birthday!

My Birthday Cake

As far as sewing goes, most of my time has been spent on orders.

Crown Making

I did add a little more to my newest "thread sketch" piece, with the beginnings of a dreamcatcher.

Dreamcatcher Thread Sketching

And in the quilting department, I've been really busy with my Linen & Glimma quilt top. But! Sadly, I'm having some issues. I spray basted, which is what I've been doing for a little while now, and right away I noticed lots of wavy wrinkling across my quilt top? I kept adjusting the layers and pressed well until everything was nice and smooth. I let the quilt sit for several hours and when I went to begin my quilting late that night, the same wavy wrinkles were there again. I pressed the basted quilt layers well once more and again the wrinkling disappeared, so I began quilting. Well, for the first time ever I'm experiencing some puckering in a couple different spots on my quilt?? I'm not sure if it's from the linen stretching while I quilt? From the quilt being a combination of quilting cotton and cotton linen. Or maybe I over-sprayed??  

What do you think? Do you have any tips for taming down these puckers that can occur when quilting? I read that once you wash the quilt, they shouldn't be as noticeable. I hope that's true!!

Glimma & Linen Quilt

I have lots more orders to work on today and hopefully you might have some helpful tips for me before I get back to my quilting. Thanks so much!!!  Maureen

37 comments:

  1. I wish I could help, but no. Good luck with it, though. Your top looks lovely, and the thread catcher is fab! Also, your living room when I clicked on the link is so comfy and beautiful looking!

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    1. I'm with Jodi, wish I knew how to quilt but not sure I'm patient enough for it :)

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  2. oh no! I think it's the linen - the glue just doesn't seem to stick that well to it for some reason. Your cake looks amazing - I bet it was yummy!

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    1. I think it is, too! Boo!!

      The cake was just as yummy as it was beautiful! I knew it would be or otherwise I don't think I could have cut into it so willingly!

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  3. Hi Maureen....what a beautiful cake! I also love your livingroom; I wish I enjoyed decorating, but I don't. wanna do mine??? lol

    For the puckers; it depends how bad they are. is it caused from not having the quilt taught enough while quilting....or is it in the piecing? Either one; if small...will not show up much after washing.

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    1. I really think the linen stretched as I was quilting, maybe the spray didn't stick like Charlotte suggested, and then when I got to the seam it left a pucker. It's not that bad, it happened in two different spot, but I am sort of a perfectionist when it comes to the things I make, so it's driving me crazy! I'm adding lots more quilting in an effort to flatten it out. I hope that's the right solution, combined with washing it once I'm finished. Thanks!!

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    2. Did you wash the linen first?
      Linen shrinks really bad more that quilting cotton.

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    3. I have had this happen and mostly if if its small it will not show after drying but usually happens if I don't get the top stretched I hate basting if I stitch down the seam and it wants to pleat if I get next to it
      take a pic and lets see how bad

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  4. I think that grey quilt in the pictures looks amazeing.

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  5. I can't wait to see your new thread drawing project come together! I say skip the quilt and go right to that!! lol =D

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  6. I have had puckers depending on which spray baste I use. I am narrowing down a preferred can. Drives me batty...

    Love the quilt! Who ended up quilting the one you were looking for LA recs for?

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    1. I still haven't figured that out actually. As I was discussing it with a few different places, the cost was just going to be too much for me at the time. I thought I would wait a week or so to figure that out, and then we got the puppy and it's been SO busy since! At this point, I think I might just have to do it myself and wait to have a smaller piece long armed first.

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    2. Yea it can be costly. I am hoping to learn how to longarm soon since a number of the LAs in my guild let you rent machine time. :)

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  7. Puckers happen with inadequate basting. If you're spray basting, you may have missed a spot. If you're pin basting, make sure your pins are no more than 4" apart in any direction. Also make sure your backing is pressed and perfectly flat, and that your batting has had 24 hours to relax before you use it, and any wrinkles or creases have been steamed out. All of this will help.

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  8. I am glad you asked the question because the replies have been helpful for future issues for me.

    I am really liking your thread drawing. Can't wait to see more.

    and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY.

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  9. Love the photos and your blog!

    The puckers are probably from stretch in the linen. I get that sometimes withe piecing, sometimes it happens in ironing too, but not often, only when I'm not paying attention to what I am doing. LOL. If I catch the "stretching" in piecing, I will usually try to "resew" that piece to make it work.

    When quilting, I find it happens due to my basting. I have started to spray baste and found that it happens less often. I'm not the best quilter, so I always just think it's me.

    Good luck! I am sure whatever you make will come out as gorgeous as EVER!

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  10. I've only had puckering happen when I don't baste well enough. I pin baste - so it means my pins were too far apart.

    Since you're spray basting, make sure to pre-wash your fabric and don't use fabric softener in the wash or dryer sheets in the dryer. Those make anything sticky (spray or fusible adhesives) not stick as well.

    Good luck! I know it's frustrating - I'm fussy about that stuff too. :-)

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  11. I don't know anything about quilting, but it sounds like you had a great birthday! :-)

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  12. My experience with linen is that it is stretchier than cotton. That is most likely your problem. Just remember that no quilt is perfect and has "interest points" and you are probably the only one who will notice. Also every quilt is a learning experience.

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  13. I've never NOT had puckers. 99.9% of them will disappear or hardy be noticeable in the crinkling that happens after washing.

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  14. Thank you for such sweet words Maureen! You are such an amazing friend I truly I'm blessed to have you. As with everything you make I wish people could see the thread sketch...amazing! Oh, and I have no idea how to help you on the puckering. :)

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  15. Are you using a hopping foot? If so, moving up the height just a smidgen (a business card or two) fixes the problem for me. You'll have a little less drag on the fabric and won't get puckers as the hopping foot moves up and down especially close to a seam.

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  16. I am still bemused by the comment above aboout attracting women - who knew! Quilt like mad and then wash and the puckers will dissapear, at least that is how I play it. I wonder with spray basting if it makes a difference if the fabrics are prewashed so the sizing has gone? I think linen is more absorbant so that may have been an issue.

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  17. I have no real advice about the puckers, but reading the comments has been informative. :)

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  18. Happy Belated Birthday! First, I have to share a laugh with you -- I read Jacqueline's comment and I read, "...the reptiles have been helpful" - not the "replies have been helpful"!

    I agree with everyone else. I think it's the linen. I consistently spray baste and I never (per my teacher's instructions) prewash the fabric. I do agree that your puckers will barely be noticeable (especially if there's only two!) once it's washed. I know sometimes it's hard to wash a freshly finished quilt because it's so gorgeous flat. It's a different kind of gorgeous after washing.

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  19. It's great to hear that you had a wonderful Birthday celebration albeit early. RE: your basting dilemma - we still sandwich the old way with thread basting whether hand quilting or machine quilting.

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  20. OMG, that cake is amazing! As for the puckering, linen is crazy stretchy, and wanders all over the place if you're not careful. It's a 'feature' :o/ I always spray baste and never prewash though

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  21. Have you a pattern for the quilt would love to make it.

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    1. Hi! I don't have a pattern for this. I may consider that in the Fall! :)

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  22. Hi Maureen,
    While perfection is an admirable trait I like to think that the puckers are a part of what makes a quilt a quilt. Puckers is what holds the dreams from one generation to another.

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  23. take off your anonymous off and you want get those comments

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  24. Lucky you to have a friend like that! I can't add anything to what everyone else has said about the puckers. Hopefully they won't be noticeable when you're finished.

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  25. Pretty quilt. To stop anonymous posts (spammers) go to your blogger settings ... Posts & Comments ... then change "Who can comment" to Registered Users. This way you don't have to turn on word verification.

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  26. Maureen, just been advised by a quilting lady that the basting sprays clog up your machine and the machine people won't mend them. Love your birthday cake, actually it's amazing, love the flowers.

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  27. Everything is gorgeous...as usual! I think you've gotten a lot of great ideas about the puckering. I definitely think it's the linen. The only thing I might suggest is using starch (if you don't already) when you piece. I LOVE me some starch, and it definitely seems to help with the linen's stretchiness...at least for me! And, like everyone else said...the puckers won't be noticeable once it's been washed.

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