Oh, go soak your batting

I hope your summer is going well, and you are making time to have fun with the family, and, of course, Quilting! I’m now back in the studio after being in upstate NY with my sister, who had open-heart surgery in July. For those of you who have been praying for her – Thank you so much! She is making a remarkable recovery, indeed.

Of course, Jim and I are pigging out on all of the plums, peaches, and blueberries I brought home from the bro-in-law's orchard. Yum.

 

News from the Studio

 This week, I finished quilting a customer quilt and, today, I finished putting on the binding. Owner,  Connie, calls it “Turning 30”, and it is a gift for her lovely daughter. Isn’t it beautiful?

 

 

I call the quilting pattern “hooked feathers” and it is done free-motion (no pantograph). 

 

Tips & Techniques - "Washing" Batting

First, let me say NEVER really wash batting. Next, let me say I almost ALWAYS “wash” batting. Crazy, isn’t it? There seems to be a big debate about this in the quilting world, but the choice is pretty simple:

• DON'T "wash" batting if: The finished quilt will never be washed. Why bother?
• DON'T "wash" batting if: You want your quilt to look more homey or antique after its first washing. the batting will shrink a little when the quilt is washed, causing the fabric to wrinkle up just a little. 
• DO "wash" batting if: You want your quilt to look smoother after it is washed. "Pre-washing" batting will pre-shrink it before quilting. But remember, never really wash batting.

Okay – so how do you “wash” batting? It’s easy.

• SOAK the batting in plain, clear water (no soap) at the temperature that you plan to wash your quilt.
• Press down gently on the batting to be sure it all gets wet. Do NOT agitate! 

 

• Spin out the water. 
•  Dry in the dryer at the temperature you plan to use when you wash your quilt. The batting will come out of dryer de-fuzzed, fluffy, and crease-free. Don't forget to clean out the dryer filter!

Learning for the Week

BACK UP YOUR CRITICAL DATA!!! Yup, you guessed it. While in NY, I did something that caused my external hard drive to crash. It has been diagnosed with serious directory issues, and is at the computer hospital. They are attempting to recover as much of the data as they can. Since all of my critical data is on that drive, pray that all of it can be recovered! Of course, I’ve learned my lesson and am preparing serious backup procedures.