Welcome to Gramma's Quilting Room.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Design Wall Monday


I finished and gifted both quilts to the boys I talked about here and here.
We delivered them to Gramma on our way to the beach.


Going to the beach means passenger seat knitting.
I've been working on these Circle Socks for quite a while.
They are so full of mistakes but I took my husband's good advice and 
didn't pull the needles. 
"They are socks. Is anyone gonna know you got the pattern wrong?"
"I'll know but I can live with it!"
Sometimes he gives me great advice. 


At retreat last year, I picked up a little embroidery kit.
I took it with me to the beach.
This was the only sewing I did while we were there.
I mostly had my nose shoved into a book.
Nora Roberts can really hold my attention!
It was a very relaxing few days.

I came home ready to quilt.
Instead I did a couple of experiments.
I tested all the colors from my box of Crayola Ultra Washable Markers.


I also tested a home made basting spray that I read about on Chatterbox Quilts.
If you are interested, search her blog for basting spray.
Then I washed my sample.



I was not happy with the markers.
They did not all wash out.
The red is a definite no.


Too many colors stayed in the white/cream fabric.
I don't think I'll be using these markers.

But the spray baste is a definite yes for small projects.
I sprayed the backing,
then layed it on the batting and pressed dry.
Then sprayed the top and layed it on the batting and pressed dry.
I was very happy with it.
I fiddled quite a bit with it before I did a bit of quilting.
Then I washed it and found no residue from the spray.
Wish I could say the same for the markers.

Judy H's Heart Quilt is AMAZING!!

7 comments:

Julie said...

What fun to be able to relax and have fun. The Crayola marker experiment is interesting. I tried it on a small level several years ago and was not impressed. The homemade basting spray is interesting, not sure if I will try it, but maybe!

Nann said...

Hooray for quilts finished and presented to their new owners! A good book can indeed distract from all other activities. Thanks for sharing the marker experiment. [Years ago when I was a novice quilter I used tailor's chalk to mark quilting lines. Big mistake. A couple of quilts after that I tried watercolor pencils, recommended by someone. Another big mistake. I am a big fan of no-mark designs!!]

Robin said...

Thanks for sharing your experiment with the markers. I just use the blue water soluble marker. It works great. The only problem I've ever had is some extreme batting shrinkage when I rinsed it out. That batting, that I've heard so many people love for it's crinkly look, is garbage to me.

Frieda said...

Interesting about the markers. I have found that I never use anything but water on markers, it will come out. They do not come out if I use any kind of soap. I haven't tried all the Crayola markers, so will try the rest and see if they come out for me. Thanks for this information.

Suzanne said...

My Husband says the same thing about knit socks, but I am just too much of an control freak. I envy your beach time...

Mary said...

Great experiment. Thanks for sharing . Ernie is a smart man, he's saving you more frustration.

Christina said...

Your socks are going to be gorgeous, with the pattern you have selected and that yarn. No one is going to see your mistakes so just keep knitting. Thank you for testing those markers, now we know the verdict.