Help! I am new to quilting!
 

I have never done anything with quilts before (always wanted to, just never have) ... oh course I do all kinds of other crafts... scrapbooking.. sewing.. crafts.......

Well recently I inherated a ladies craft room... and boy was she a quilter! OVERWHELMED is not even the word!!!! Fabric like you would NOT believe (I would say enough to fill a whole isle in a fabric store) and I would say about 50 "started" quilts. Soooo many started quilt tops.. some tops are finished, but most just partly there... I literally have a whole room full of totes and boxes full.. SOOOOO I have some questions

Needless to say I am SOO excited about starting to do quilts! My big questions is.. there are a few of beautiful quilt tops started that you can tell have been sitting for YEARS and some have discolored some (like turned a cream color in some areas of the white.. Will those stains come out? Am I wasting my time by quilting them with the stains on them?

Another Question... There are ALOT of the squares that she has cross stitched (there is 6 blocks of each pattern finished) ... They are the blocks that hace the blue marks that you follow while stitching.... Once I put them together and make the quilt top, and then finish the whole quilt.. will those blue marks come off once it is washed? (Hope that makes sense)

SO Excited about finding this forum and hearing from you wonderful people!!! :)

I was told at a local quilt shop the other day that the best way to take stains out of old quilts. On a HOT sunny day spread the quilt in the grass and spritz with distilled water and allow the sun to take out the stains. Do not use water from the faucet but only distilled. It is something about the reaction between the sun and the cholophyl(sp?) in the grass.
Debbie

oh and BTW.. she was not only a quilter.. she crocheted .. knitted and all kinds of stuff.. and I got it all! yes overwhelmed but sooooooo excited! :)

I will def try that then! will Have to wait till Summer.. but it is so worth a try! These quilt tops are beautiful to just throw away because of a few stains!

I had an old quilt that had yellowed and I washed it and hung it in the sun and that worked great.

the blue marks should definitely come out. ask me how i know!!! no, don't.
have fun!!!

there is also something called retro clean. you can get it in local quilt shop.

will those blue marks come off once it is washed? (Hope that makes sense)

Well, that depends on how old the blocks are. I have a quilt on my bed that is at least 30+ years old that my dear aunt made and it is washed often, and the blue marks are still there. But, I believe that the newer blue markings are made to wash out. So, it would depend on the age of the blocks. My quilt has "blue" markings - the newer ones are more of a "turquoise" color. HTH

What an awesome inheritance!! Enjoy all the possibilities it has to offer you.

Phyllis
QuiltingGrannie

yeah these marks are blue! :( Hopefully some will come out!

WOW you just hit every quilters dream. Good luck with it all. I'm sure you'll do a bang up job getting the tops all sone and making your own out of the stash of fabrics. I agree you should make a few of your own quilts before finishing her tops. I would however go through all the fabric and see if she had fabric to finish the tops she made and put that with each top to be finished. Then go hog wild on the rest of the fabric and see what you come up with. Best wishes to you and looking forward to seeing your tops and hers.

Thanks everyone.. you all have me more excited than I was... lol.. before getting involved in making anything... I am washing ALL this fabric (not the tops or anything that was started) but all that have not been used for anything yet... So I have about 40 loads I am working on.. I know I know.. Call me nuts!!! but I just don't like the "sitting" smell they have in them.. they have been stored for a good while! SO Once the washing is over the real fun is going to begin!!!!

I am excited to read all your helps and ideas from this forum!

welcome mimmy you lucky girl ,yes i think the blue marks will wash out when you put it all togehter, if you need help with your projects just ask andwe will gladly will help in any way.

Sounds like you are off to great start thanks to your friend! Be very careful with the stitched blocks with the blue marks. DO NOT iron them no matter how wrinkled the are, the heat from the iron will more than likey set the ink and it wont wash out. Wash them then press them. have fun with your treasures!

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the wonderful world of quilting. I'd suggest finding a local quilt shop and taking a beginners quilt class to start. After all, you won't have to spend $$ on fabrics for the class cuz it sounds like you already have a lot of fabric to choose from.

Thank you Silver Needle... I hadn't even thought about that! I will def check into that tomorrow! I would love a hands on class. I know there are alot of online classes, but it's nothing like actually seeing things in person!

I agree that taking a beginning quilt class is the way to go. I took one 3 years ago and haven't stopped since. I hope you love t half as much as I do.

Dina

I buy old quilt tops and they are filthy. I pretreat the really bad stains with oxyclean or whatever I have and then I rinse the dirt out. I do not agitate the tops yet. Sometimes I have to rinse the quilt tops 4 or 5 times until the water runs clean and then I use my laundry detergent on gentle. I have taken baking soda and used that in a paste on bad stains, rubbing it with my fingertip. I use everything that I can to get them sparkling clean. I have to cut the threads afterward because they do become a mess. I would say almost all of the quilt tops are really good afterward, a few did not survive because they were such a disaster. I doubt yours are like that. All the blue marks from the embroidery guides will disappear when you wash your quilts, I have some of those too and they came really clean. Good Luck.

A discolored quilt top should be quilted and bound first, before washing. If it's just stains, they should all come out by using http://www.retroclean.com on the finished quilt. Some of the stains from storage in cedar chests do not come out because these are caused by acid eating into the fabric. All wood products (including paper, tissue paper, cardboard) contain acid unless treated to be acid-free. However, it sounds as if this is not the case with your inherited tops.

The blue markings for the cross-stitch may or may not come out. In any case, I would still make those up into quilts. IMO, if the blue marks don't come out they simply add to the vintage appeal of the quilts. Plus, quilts are loved even when they are not perfect (which is the case with most quilts).

This is good advice. My Mom left my sister and I a few UFOs (Un-Finished Objects). So far, we put one together. In the process, we found out why it was a UFO! I think it was one of her early efforts - cutting was terrible and the blocks were sewn, well, like my first blocks were sewn! My sister adjusted some of the blocks, but left the majority of them 'as is' and sewed them together. While quilting it, I had to make a few more adjustments to them. Nonetheless, it turned out very pretty and gets lots of compliments. One of her 'grands' will eventually get it and they won't care about the imperfections.

Long story short, first learn the quilting craft, then tackle the UFOs. I would not have known how to modify that little quilt 5 years ago...so would have destroyed it.

VERY smart to wash it. I got some once that had cat pee on it - didn't smell anymore, it was so old. But when I washed it - whoooooeeeee! That found the trash as soon as it was done in the washer.

I agree with others about (1) take a beginner's class; (2) put unfinished quilt tops (UFOs) with like material for future completion; (3) become an every day visitor to this Board with your questions and updates (put your topic in Search and the answer may already be posted).



(4) May I add a hint for washing of the fabric?
Sometimes fabric will 'bleed' onto other fabric. Color Catcher is a product that can be put in the washer to cath the dye that bleed from the fabric. Use the Search function of this board and learn about colors that bleed and what to do. I am sure you know to wash like colors together. Washing quilting fabric is worth a few minutes of researching the 'how to' and prevent disasters.



Sometimes the cuts of fabric will become tangled and frayed.
I will take my fabric and put the selvege on a flat surface with selvege to my left, the other selvege side will be to my right. Fold entire fabric cut in half....the cut edges will be at the top of the fabric. At this point, fan fold the double thickness of fabric being sure the cut edge is inside the folded cut of fabric. When this is folded use large quilters safety pins and pin through all thickness of the folded fabric at each end (left end and right end). Pins should be placed about every two inches . I place mine through fabric and over the end of the selvege. Note: be sure that all thickness of fabric are pinned. You will have a long strip of folded fabric which will probably be the width of the fabric.

These can also be put in the dryer with the pins in tact. I usually take mine from washer, take the pins out and hang using hangers that have clips (i.e. pant hangers). Normally I only have a couple of yards of one kind of fabric.

Good luck with learning a new craft and with washing your mountain of fabric.

One more washing hint: a cup of baking soda in each load might help remove any musty odors.

I started one of those embroidered quilt block quilts years ago. It was put away for years, when I finally finished it, I had no trouble getting the blue markings out. I use 1 part Dawn to 2 parts peroxide in a spray bottle, it removes just about everything. It has removed stains, when nothing else worked.

Linda Faye what an organized thoughtful suggestion! Everyone has been so helpful. Enjoy your stash.

I envy you. I wish I had a problem exactly like yours. Have fun with everything and post some pics when you are finished.

My sister uses a cut lemon to blot on the stain before setting it in the sun - juice of lemon contains natural materials that help the stain come out. There is also a commercial soap, frequently sold in quilt stores, which is good for this, in case you want to purchase something. Grandma's is one brand, and there are others.

That sounds like a wonderful inheritance! And letting the quilts dry in the sun has worked well for me in the past, but let us know how it turns out!

A couple people beat me to suggesting a quilting class. The only problem is that you WILL get hooked. Then you'll take a paper piecing class and an appliqué class and a quilting class and some project classes. Find your way through all of that and decide what you like to do the best. Then sift though your bounty. Nothing says you have to finish every piece that your friend/relative didn't finish. Join your local quilt guild. Maybe you can get some help finishing some and donate them. I've seen quilt tops at auctions that the winning bidders are SO happy to get their hands on. (and then you have a few bucks for more classes!) The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

I think this is really good advice.

Be sure your first class is a Sampler quilt. You will learn a lot about quite a few different techniques! And make sure they show you how to put the quilt top together. Sometimes they just show you how to make blocks only. You also want to know how to make the backing and sandwich the quilt, even if you send it out to be long arm quilted. Also, a binding class is invaluable.

THANK YOU! For all the advice and kind words.... I did go today to a local quilting/sewing store (calico Country) .. and they have ALL kinds of classes... Talked to the owner about what I have and she is more than happy to help me get started.. YAY!!! I know there is sooo much out there online to teach me, but I need to see it first hand to see how to at least get started! .... I will forsure post pictures and such once things get going.... Right now I am still washing! but I am half way done with the washing...LOL .. Bought some quilting thread today and thimble.. going to finish up one of her quilts that she was almost done with! YAY.. Maybe I will get to start on it this evening.. we shall see! :)

Here is some information:

http://www.museum.msu.edu/glqc/quiltcare.html

Remember this info is for finished quilts but if you handle a top very gently it can work. Never put an unfinished top in the washing machine.

You are so lucky to be gifted with this treasure. Start posting pics' for us to enjoy with you!
peace

Here is another site with good info. Keep it marked for future reference.

http://www.allianceforamericanquilts...quiltquery.php

These blue marks are stamped designs to cross stitch on and yes when you wash the item they wash out. Lucky you..Have fun.

Thank you for the idea to use the Color Catch thing from Shout! Just ran to walmart to grab them.. Should've thought of that myself.. but so far (thank the Lord) none have ruined in the wash!!! I will def mark all those sites and use them!

Since you haven't quilted before you could start with your own made quilt to learn how the others were put together and what is first and what is last - you will then understand the quilt. You can use the patterns from Quilter's Cache. They have blocks from 1" to 16+". You can start at the largest size quilt block and learn the fundamentals. Also, as far as the embroidered blocks are concerned - that is how I made my first quilts. I embroidered transfer patterns on muslin, made 2-1/2" sashing, sewed them all together and ended up with a 5x3 (blocks) =15 total blocks with a 4" border. It turned out great and that is what got me going. I made about eight of those and learned the fundamentals and then went on to the samplers and found that there are soooo many different styled patterns for samplers that I haven't sickened from it yet. Actually, it is my favorite style of quilt I make. Another is Floating Stars (check Quilter's Cache) - very simple but it turns out absolutely gorgeous.

I hope I could help you a bit. Enjoy - it is a great stress reliever and you will never know the feeling of accomplishment until you stitch that last little binding stitch. Edie

Such a lucky LADY! I wish I lived next door to you.:rolleyes:

Look for a local guild or reach out on here for an experienced quilter to give you some support.
Sewing a few things first is a very smart idea. Do not give anything away! In a year you will see each piece
differently. Enjoy!!