I've been making good progress on my Americana Hourglass quilt - the blocks finish 5" in the quilt and I'm thinking of making it 85 x 95 so I'll need 323 blocks. Some of them are traditional hourglass blocks and some of them are scrappy
Sometimes I use the Easy Angle ruler and strips to cut the pieces, but this time I was working with chunks and yardage - 1/2 yards, fat quarters and a variety of cuts from my stash so I drew lines.
I should try some of that seam tape, but I don't mind drawing lines. I'll listen to a podcast or audio book and sew in between. I've built a well-rounded stash through the years and I love shopping my stash - riffling through my bins and pulling fabrics for projects. I REALLY wanted to include this print, but it's just too white for the look I'm after
So I figured I'd give it a good soak in some tea
And now it's absolutely perfect!
I was tempted to soak all of it, but I know I'll want a true blue and white down the line, but now I've got 2 different colorways
I needed some more tans and creams and dug a little deeper - yes, these will do beautifully
I also made a batch of Quilter's Moonshine. A friend told me about it. There are all kinds of recipes online but I just bought a bottle of cheap vodka and mixed 4 oz with 24 oz of distilled water and maybe 4 drops of essential oil. It's much less expensive than Best Press and I still use regular starch when I press a quilt top, but I like this for pressing fabrics and quilt blocks. I read a debate about whether your vodka should be grain or potato based. Makes sense since potatoes are starchy, but I haven't looked for a potato based vodka to see if it makes a difference. The lady at the store said the one I bought was nasty vodka and that I should buy something better, but I told her I wasn't going to be drinking it, I was going to make starch. She got tickled and she probably told her co-workers some crazy lady came in and bought Vodka for starch. Those crazy quilters! 😂
I'm excited to get this one together, but there's a Wedding on the horizon and then 5 days of Cow Works immediately following so all sewing will temporarily cease while I soak up God's daily blessings and remind myself to breath. 😉
4 comments:
Would the essentials oils pose a residue on the fabric? Just wondering. Dotti in CT
I know weddings are family events but I hope we will see some pictures?
Ceci
Oh gosh! Your hourglass blocks are so perfect and the colors are gorgeous!! Love the way you 'toned down' those cute little chicken weathervanes. Definitely gonna be a stunning quilt.
I love your hourglass quilt in those colors! I've had a similar one on my pinterest board forever and really want to make one. I've wondered about the tea dying - I suppose it lasts through many washings? The chicken fabric seems so perfect for your quilt. I didn't have any luck using vodka starch, so I bought staflo and just make it in different concentrations depending on what I'm working on. I did get a chuckle out of them telling you it was nasty, lol. On a different note - we got some unexpected May rain in southern Arizona - I hope some made it your way. Here's hoping for a great summer monsoon this year!
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