colors and quilting methods
 

Hello!

I have a question for the group. I was given a hand-stitched quilt top by a friend; she asked that I finish it out and donate for the bazaar. While cleaning a small stain, I noticed that the green color was rubbing off very easily. So, I wondered, should I finish the quilt? Will the colors run and ruin it? See photos for more details. Also, another question: since the quilt is completely hand stitched, should I finish it by tying or by machine quilting? And this will only happen if I can resolve whether the colors will run when it is washed.

Thanks for any replies!![ATTACH=CONFIG]555375[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]555376[/ATTACH]

can you finish it and then wash it with color catchers? or wash it now with color catchers before investing time and supplies?

Could you ask your friend if she has any scraps of the green for you to test for color-fastness?

My inclination would be to tie rather than machine quilt since it is hand pieced.

If it's rubbing off, it's called 'crocking'. I like the idea of getting some scraps to experiment with. It will have to be washed before donating.

I don't think there are any scraps to test. I agree with tie method. Thanks!

I've never tried the color catchers. I guess I need to purchase some. Is this a Wal-Mart item?

I would definitely finish that beautiful quilt. It looks like it's very well made. I would have no hesitation machine quilting it, even though the top was stitched by hand.

I bought mine at Krogers.

I bought some at Walmart.

Dina

There is not a single good answer for this. Working with vintage fabrics is certainly trickier than working with new fabrics & you didn't say if this was a new quilt created with vintage fabrics, or if it is actually from the 1940's. If it's from the 40's, it's possible the fixative has started to break down & is no longer holding the dye as well. In that case, you could try washing it in Synthropol & then re-setting the dyes with Retayne.

To prevent crocking, you need to reduce the friction. When spot cleaning, you want to dab up & down, rather than rubbing side to side. When washing, you want to use cold water & set on the lowest speed your washer has. Ideally, it would be dried by putting a large sheet out on the lawn & setting the quilt/top on that to dry. Air drying helps because it eliminates the friction caused by tumble drying.

But neither these methods nor Color Catchers are a guarantee the color won't bleed or crock. Crocking, in particular, can happen in the dryer & these products all work in the washing machine. If it was me, I'd check with the person who gave me the top & let her know what's going on to see how she'd like to proceed, knowing that there are possibilities to deal with the crocking, but nothing is guaranteed & laundering possibly could end up changing the coloration of the quilt top.

As to your other questions -- yes, you can buy Shout Color Catchers at Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, most grocery stores, etc. And I think either hand tying or machine quilting would look nice. I'd make the decision based on which design best supports the hand applique/piecing -- there are strong arguments either way.

I agree I would machine quilt to give "strength" to the stitching and b/c you have such large quilting fields to work with. The color question has been answered extremely well there is nothing to add to that.

Thank you for your reply. I think this is a vintage quilt, but I will contact the person who gave it to me to ask questions.

Several of given the solutions to the color issue. I'd machine quilt it--have done that after seeing a whole collection at a show where they machine quilted vintage tops. Really dressed up the tops and stablized the stitching.

Finish it. I would machine quilt it since it's a donation quilt ( but, that's me- your method of finishing is up to you) bind it, then launder it, with color catchers. Gently, in cool water, small amount gentle detergent. It is a nice quilt.

That's a beautiful quilt. Interesting info on the crocking, I've never heard of that and appreciate the new knowledge.

I am going to take issue w/ the line of thought that indicates that hand-quilting isn't as strong as machine quilting. :D But, we do become comfortable in the method that we finish our quilts. Those of us who hand-quilt do it because we love it and probably more importantly, we love the process and peacefulness of completing a quilt.

We have many beautiful quilts that have lasted hundreds of years and they were hand-pieced and hand quilted. I see that quilt top and can see the variety of ways that I would hand-quilt this beauty.

Finishing something faster doesn't make it better.

I agree with 117becca! No way would I encourage machine quilting on a vintage quilt, especially one that has been hand pieced. Look at quilts of that era--they weren't machine quilted. To me, it's about being consistent. If it's been given the time and care of the original quilter to be hand-pieced, it deserves hand quilting. I shudder when I see beautifully embroidered quilts that have taken hours and hours then turned over to machine quilting. Not that machine quilting isn't a style of its own, it's about being consistent in your work. This would be a real beauty with hand quilting, even something simply done. As to the crocking, the color catchers do work. Because of the age of the quilt, the one receiving it should be aware that it might be best to not use it on a consistent basis, more as a display quilt. Maybe the crocking won't be an issue for them.

It was my understanding the options were machine quilting or tying the quilt, that hand quilting wasn't even an option.

I agree with #16 & 17. The notion that hand pieced quilts are weak seamed is nonsense.....better make quilt museums aware of that, or people who own and/or use those.......my thinking is all the pre washing, constant regular" washing is more of a culprit....I have a few Amish pieced and quilted quilts and I can assure you they have yet to be washed.....
that top you have is too unique to just be tied.......perhaps you or a bee could tackle it for hand quilting, even if done with a primitive (large) stitch. I know you were not given that option, but it could be suggested JMHO

I have bought many of these old vintage quilt tops at flea markets and have always had them machine quilted and then washed in the machine with a color catcher. Occasionally the color will come out, nothing can stop it. But more often than not, the colors hold true. I'm a lover of these vintage quilts and have about 50 of them at least, I stopped counting a long time ago.

I agree with the other, go ahead and machine quilt it. Try to research how period quilts of this type are quilted. Color catchers are a life saver. I don't know what you used to clean off the spot. Quilts should not be washed using Woolite or normal laundry detergent. There are many specialty soaps for fine linens and quilts. Good luck!

I would wash it with color catchers and you can buy them a most grocery stores and then machine quilt it with a simple design. I would let her know about the color problem and that you are going to wash it before you quilt it.

Isn't there a product called 'retayne' that is supposed to 'set' bleeding colors? Quilters help me out here, do I have the name right or is it 'synthropol'? I would try that first which ever it is.

You can't tell me that if quilters of that era had had the opportunity to machine-quilt their quilts, they still would have chosen to hand quilt them. Does this mean that since my grandmother cooked on a wood-burning stove, I have to forgo using my microwave? Should I still use a hand-wring washing machine, just so I can stay consistent with history?

Another point: I've read fascinating articles on quilt history that state some quilts actually were machine quilted using the old wad-and-shove method that is still used today on DSMs.

If the original quilter cared what kind of quilting it deserves, she wouldn't have donated the quilt top to a fundraiser. Just sayin'. :thumbup:

Ooo, Peckish didn't like my comments. My thinking is in the next sentence in my statement recommending hand quilitng. Since it was hand pieced, it deserved to be hand quilted--a thing of the era of the fabrics and colors of the quilt. Being consistent in the project. The one who hand pieced the quilt didn't have the lovely machines of today either! We weren't told if it was donated to the bazaar by the one who put it together so perhaps it is no importance to anyone how it is actually finished. Of course, machine quilting will be a lot quicker and perhaps will be more satisfactory with it being offered at a bazaar. If I were to be my quilt, I'd prefer it be finished consistent with the era it was made--hand pieced/hand quilted.

Yes, that is where I got mine

Good luck on this one.

I think that you should give it back you her and ask her to wash it and see how it comes out and then if she still wants you to finish it then go ahead. But I would let her see how the fabric turns out first.

Sorry if I came across too strong. :o It wasn't that I didn't like your comments, it was that I didn't agree with them. And I might actually agree with you about the hand quilting IF the quilt hadn't been donated to a fundraiser. But quilts tend to not sell for much in fundraisers and auctions, and I think all the time spent on hand quilting would go unrewarded by the price tag.

If it were me I would use Synthropol with Color Catchers AFTER quilting or tying, soaking it in hot water in the bathtub, then pressing most of the water out on the sides of the tub before carefully lifting out. I would then put in the washer on a delicate cycle to cold water rinse and spin and lay flat to block and dry. Good luck. I haven't had any bleeds on the fabric, but plenty of color caught in the Color Catchers. Hope this helps. Retayne as I understand it is to set the color in hand dyed fabrics, as synthropol is used to suspend the dyes so they can be safely rinsed away. Correct me if I am wrong please.