Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Strippy Nine-Patch Quilt Finished

Binding this quilt has been my evening project while watching the news and/or baseball. It's very heavy. Hmm. Why would a large quilt be heavy? DH is delighted we are keeping this one. Me, too.

Strippy Nine Patch quilt

It's too large to get a photo of the whole quilt so here's a second picture with a slightly different view.

Strippy Nine Patch quilt

Designing these borders was great fun but I really love what Peg chose for quilting. The curved grid on the lights, the feathers in the red.

Border detail of Strippy Nine Patch quilt

A view of another corner that hints at the heavy matchstick quilting in the white.

Border detail of Strippy Nine Patch quilt

Peg added that same quilting in the red and pink strips The simple orange peel arcs makes a lovely contrast.
Quilting details on Nine Patches

Yet another detail shot. Love it. So glad Peg quilted it instead of me.

Quilting detail on border of Strippy Nine Patch quilt

And then I put it in the wash... And it bled. With two color catchers and Synthrapol. Actually it bled everywhere except onto the white. Go figure. Fortunately I set quilts to dry on the floor for a while after washing. The more it dried, the worse the pink looked. But at least the color hadn't set.

So back in the wash with Synthrapol and color catchers three more times until the red quit bleeding. Then repeated day-long soaks in oxygen (not chlorine) bleach to get the color transfer out. Finally back to normal. Lucky catch.


Quilt Details
Size: 84" x 100"
Design: Original
Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose 100%cotton
Thread: 
Quilting: Long Arm by Peg Collins, Alamosa, CO, various designs


Peg doesn't have a website but she's on Pinterest. With her permission, her email is: collinspeg(at)hotmail(dot)com if you'd like to consult with her about your own project.

This is an older quilt so I haven't written much about it. The previous post is here.

There's still time to link to Kaleidoscope of Butterflies 20 and consider joining our Butterfly QAL. Details on the linkup.

Enjoy the day, Ann

53 comments:

KaHolly said...

This quilt is nothing short of spectacular! Good save, but a lot of work! Well worth the effort spent, after all that hard work!

Millie said...

This is gorgeous, really stunning. You need to take this outside for beauty shots. Seriously!

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

This is a beautiful masterpiece! Sorry to hear about the bleeding but glad that you were able to solve the problem. It's just gorgeous !

June D said...

Beautiful - thank you for sharing - even the tip about washing! That is helpful to know.

Quiltdivajulie said...

What a gorgeous quilt -- so very happy that you were able to rescue it from the bleeding! I agree with Millie/Lynne - this one needs to go outdoors for some sort of on location photo shoot. The quilt (and its maker) deserves it!!

deb oldenburg said...

absolutely joyfull

Mary Marcotte said...

A work of art, Ann! There are so many things to look at. From a distance (the whole quilt shot) the colors are playful but controlled. Love those nine patches! But a close up of the borders is just WOW. I can't decide which is my favorite: the ribbons, the thingys in the middle (hourglass and spool blocks?), or the delectable mountains. The thing is they work together so well. Beautiful, beautiful!

Linda said...

beautiful! I so wish you were inclined to make patterns because I would buy in a flash.

Janie said...

The quilting compliments your piecing. Lovely.

Mel Beach said...

What a beautiful finish. Love the borders and Peg did a fabulous job on the quilting. Oh I was so worried as I was reading about the bleeding. So relieved to hear it was only temporary and everything worked out. Phew!!

Robin said...

I had to gasp when I read that your quilt bled in the washer. And then, you went to so much work to get it back to normal! I'm truly impressed that you didn't give up. Your quilt looks wonderful and bright. Those darn reds, you just can't trust ANY of them, can you?

Nana said...

WOW!!!that is beautiful. I love the border designs and the quilting is dead on to make it all shine. In the ribbon borders are the striped pieces pieced or was the fabric striped? again Wow!! and glad to hear hints on how to save the bleeding.

margaret said...

wow what an amazing quilt

Rebecca Grace said...

Wow -- this is the most elegant nine patch quilt I have ever seen. The colors are gorgeous, and the borders are magnificent. Thanks for sharing about the bleeding red rescue. I have a hand applique project that I made all the blocks for and then realized that my red batik used in every block was a bleeder. I was so discouraged that I set the blocks aside and never finished it, but I'm saving this post and hoping I can rescue my quilt from the laundry bloodbath, too!

Anne Ida said...

Oh! That's one gorgeous quilt!

Mary Huey said...

Yikes, bleeding on such a gorgeous quilt -- glad you were able to reverse the effect of it! It's a great quilt -- so cheerful!!

Kaja said...

Phew! It would have been such a shame if this had ended up marked; it is very lovely. I agree that the quilting has done you proud, but it was a very classy top to begin with.

audrey said...

So glad you were able to get the color bleed out of your quilt! So very frustrating. It's a gorgeous finish, so bright and eye-catching. I really like how some of the 9-patches fade in and out. Adds a lot of movement to the quilt!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

A wonderful quilt! 9 patches are an all-time favourite of mine, and I love all your borders, especially the white floral/ red fabric combo in the 'delectable mountains' part! So glad you were able to sort the bleeding effect.

Cathy said...

Gorgeous quilt! It shows how much borders and quilting add to a quilt. I found myself really studying how you made your borders especially the ribbon looking ones and the unusual one in between that looks like an hourglass alternating with another block.

I've not had a bleeding problem but heard that a Dawn dish washing detergent soak helps.

Congrats on the finish and thanks for the size and other details.

Mystic Quilter said...

Oh Ann, congratulations on your awesome quilt!!! Borders just a delight and the quilting fits the quilt so very well. It is quite a size so probably a good move to have it sent out for quilting and thank goodness you caught the colour bleed!!

Ann said...

Thanks, Karen. I can't believe it's been a UFO so long. Unlike you, I didn't finish it until a couple of months after our quilt show. Oh, well. There's always another in a couple of years.

Ann said...

What a good idea, Lynne. I've never done that. I'll have to start scoping out places. Thanks.

Ann said...

Thanks, Deb. It was the red backing fabric which I hadn't tested. Oddly, it didn't get on the white fabric so I wondered what was wrong for a while. Kind of like when my brother shaved his mustache. Couldn't figure that out for a while either.

Ann said...

You're welcome. You should test your fabric with the oxygen bleach before using it although I didn't have any extra.

Ann said...

Thanks, Julie. I'm looking for places whenever I'm out.

Ann said...

Thank you, Deb.

Ann said...

How kind of you, Mary. I enjoyed designing all these borders to work together, including the hourglass/spool thingy. I made it up so it doesn't have a name. Ha. The nine-patches are pretty simple and I worried the borders might overpower them.

Ann said...

Thanks, Linda. I haven't made a pattern but the sketches are in the previous post. I guess I could work one out.

Ann said...

Didn't Peg do a superlative job? She's fantastic. It looks so much better than if I'd done it.

Ann said...

Thanks, Mel. I am so glad my sister stole this quilt and took it to Peg for quilting. I was so upset about the bleeding. It changed the fabrics to that funky pink/red combo beloved by Victorians. Thank goodness I didn't toss it into the dryer directly.

Ann said...

I was going to toss it but then decided I had nothing to lose. And I hadn't put it in the dryer so there was a chance I could get the dye out. It took most of the week. The fugitive dye was in the backing fabric. I'd tested all the others.

Ann said...

Peg is a very talented quilter. She's won awards in Paducah so I was delighted she quilted it. The ribbon fabric is striped; I think it's an old Lakehouse fabric - although they were newly released when I purchased them.
This was the worst bleed I'd ever had; so pervasive.

Ann said...

Thanks, Margaret. Designing the border was such fun. I need to do it more often - even if they aren't as fashionable these days.

Ann said...

Thanks, Rebecca. When I saw the pink floral I knew I had to use it in a quilt.
There are ways to get colors out. It just takes lots of time. Remember those old commercials about getting a stain out of clothing with xxx product? If you read the fine print, they washed it 10-20 times. And I guess that's good. If it would take color out in one wash it would take the right colors out, too. I try to never put the quilt directly into the dryer. It helps to take a look at it as it air dries.

Ann said...

Thank you, Anne Ida. I so enjoyed designing this and watching it work out.

Ann said...

It took many iterations but I finally got it out. Hooray for oxygen bleach and washing machines - although I just use the machine to hold the water and spin the quilts damp dry.
I'm glad you like the quilt, too.

Ann said...

I was heartbroken when it first happened but decided there was no option but to try. It worked very well but took about a week. Lots of long, long soaks in the washing machine.
Peg is such a talented quilter. I'm so glad she did this.
You make such inspired improv quilts but I feel most at home with graph paper. Even when I improv, I usually sketch a graph. Funny how we each have our own style.

Ann said...

Of course you would notice the twinkling nine- patches. I love scrap quilts that do that and I'm very happy to have such a bright quilt. It makes me smile every time I see it.

Ann said...

I bought that fabric the first time I saw it. And it looks like one you'd choose, too. We both love these feminine florals. Whether borders are in style or out, I just love them.

Ann said...

Thanks, Cathy. I posted my sketch of the borders on the last post if you're interested. I can send you a copy of it, too. (It's pencil.) I invented that middle border with hourglass/spool just to mimic the ribbon a bit.
I've heard about Dawn, too, but hate to put that in the washing machine in case it makes too many bubbles.

Ann said...

Thanks, Maureen. The borders were such fun although I thought they might be too fancy for the simple nine patches. Glad I did it now.
The red reads almost like a solid and quilting shows up so much on that. I still quilt on my home machine and appreciate Peg's skills across the quilt.

DianeLoves2Quilt said...

Absolutely gorgeous and the quilting pattern really does enhance it.

patty a. said...

Ann, The quilt turned out beautiful! You said it was a large quilt and that it was heavy - what size is it? Glad you were able to solve the bleeding problem. I read in one of the comments that this was an old UFO. How long do you think it has been hanging around to be finished? I have some old UFO's and keep plugging away at getting them done. I have figured out in a way that those UFO were waiting until my machine quilting skills improved. Well, that's my story and I an sticking to it! LOL!!!

Ann said...

Thanks, Diane. Not only is Peg a talented quilter, she has a fabulous eye for composition.

Ann said...

Thanks, Patty. It's not the largest I've made, 86x100. The top was finished 10+ years ago and has been stored all this time because it doesn't fit our current bed. I'm really trying to finish or donate these old projects. This one was too lovely to part with though.
I'm coming to the realization that basic walking foot grid works well on many quilts. It's easy to do and gets those quilts done.

LA Paylor said...

awesome job piecing this! The design flows and works, the red is great! LeeAnna

Ann said...

Thanks, LeeAnna. I'm pleased with it and love this red.

Jasmine said...

Her quilting enhances your beautiful piecing. I love that outer border. I have had reds bleed before. I'm so happy you were able to get it out.

Ann said...

Peg is a talented quilter; I was fortunate to have her skills added to this. And also to get that red out. Thanks for writing, Jasmine.

Helen L said...

It's gorgeous! I love the colors and how the lighter pink sets off the darker pink: such a beauty!! Hugs, H in Healdsburg

Ann said...

Thanks, Helen. I like that pink combination, too. So bright and happy.

Angie said...

WOW this quilt is absolutely stunning!