Posted on by agilejack

Pressing and Cutting and Pressing and Cutting

I didn’t get much of anything done this weekend. I played pickleball Saturday night with one of the clubs I belong to. They rented an indoor pickleball facility in Portland and only club members could take part… at no cost. I played from 6 pm to 9 pm!!! I don’t think I sat down for more than 60 seconds or took a break longer than the time it takes to get a few sips of water. I had a blast and slept so soundly last night.

Which was a good thing because I got up this morning and played pickleball again! I played for nearly four hours! It was really cold when I got to the park at around 9:30. I played for the first two hours with my gloves on! Luckily they have some grippy patches on the palms and fingers. Although it was cold to start, it was nearly perfect by the time we were done! And I’m exhausted! I think I’ll have another good night sleep tonight.

I took the dogs with me to the park and tossed the ball for them before we headed home. They had a great time and the enthusiastic run was so good for them.

Then, after a little bit of rest after getting home, we all headed out for a three mile walk before it got dark.

After a dinner of left over roasted chicken, potatoes and carrots, I hit my sewing room to start pressing and cutting the woven stripes and shot cottons.

I ended up with 40 different stripes that I’m going to use in this next quilt.

That will give me a really nice variety of fabrics. I have 16 different colors of the Kaffe shot cottons. I went online to Missouri Star again Friday and ordered seven more colors that I don’t have. I wanted to have a little more variety in the solid colors.

So once these fabrics arrive I’ll have 23 or so colors. I’ll use two of almost all the solid colors in the final quilt. That will give a nice variety.

So I selected a group of stripes/shot combos that use one of each color of the shots. I don’t want to make any further pairs until I have the additional colors. Here’s the first set of stripes/shots combos.

Then I started pressing and cutting.

I decided not to prewash these fabrics. I thought about it for a couple days, even posted a question on the Kaffe Fassett Collective Facebook page. I got advice from a good number of people… pretty much evenly split on whether or not I should prewash these fabrics. Let me just say that I never prewash fabrics.

A couple of people whose advice I respect and trust advised that there was no need to prewash. One of those people was Liza Roos Lucy. She works with the Kaffe Fassett Collective designing and making quilts that appear in Kaffe’s books, and has more knowledge and experience with these fabrics than anyone else you’ll find. So with her advice my decision was made.

It takes a good deal of time to press these fabrics. They are a bit wrinkly and crinkly, even after pressing them.

But I think that’s one of the things that makes them so wonderful. They are so earthy and natural! All the crinkles and irregularities are part of what makes them so appealing.

I’m using Best Press when ironing these fabrics to add a little stability and make them easier to work with.

I typically use a mask while working with Best Press because it gets into my lungs and makes me cough. And I had to order more Best Press. I’m not sure I have enough to finish pressing and prepping the fabrics for this quilt.

I got ten stripes/shots 2.5 inch wide pairs prepped and cut tonight…. and it took a long time!

Those colors remind me of this photo of stones in a lake in Glacier National Park. The colors are rich and vibrant, but they feel very natural… definitely colors you would find in nature.

While I was cutting I cut two strips from each of the shot cottons, knowing that I’ll need those two strips for this quilt. Might as well save some time and trouble.

After pressing and cutting my fabrics they still felt a little damp so I draped them all over the back of my sewing chair to dry before they get stowed away again.

And it made me wonder if there’s a way and a place I could store these without folding them so I won’t have to press them all again. Maybe a flat cardboard box under my guest bed. Hmmm. I might actually have the perfect box in my garage. It should sure save a lot of time the next time I cut!

I’ve decided that I’m going too use this layout for these fabrics.

And now I just have to decide if I’ll set these blocks on point. I think this quilt will be infinitely more interesting if I set them on point. I’ll decide once I have some blocks done and on the design wall.

A short work week coming up. I will enjoy it as work will be really hectic until the end of December.

49 Replies to “Pressing and Cutting and Pressing and Cutting”

  1. I can’t wait to see the quilt finished. Love the colors the stripes and your layout.
    You are such a dynamic person.
    Love following you
    Hi from Birthe in
    Denmark 🇩🇰

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  2. It sounds like you had fun playing pickleball this weekend. You certainly got a ton of exercise! I store some of my fabrics in a long plastic container that’s designed for under the bed storage. It has small recessed wheels on one end to make it easier to move. it might protect your fabric better than a cardboard box over the long term. Just an idea…

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    1. I have a couple of those under my bed filled with shoes! the ones I have are much bigger than I need for these fabrics! I don’t need another reason to buy more fabric!!!

      Pickleball is good exercise. It definitely uses different muscles than walking. But it’s really good mental exercise too!

      Anne

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  3. Hi Anne, for a long time I have wanted to make a patchwork with Kaffe’s striped fabrics and shot cotton. Inspired by you I took out my fabrics and the photos I had found on the internet. Now like you, I just have to choose the right pattern. Thanks for inspiration.

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  4. Hi Anne, here are my fabrics and the patterns I have find on internet. I have just to choose the pattern and the fabrics.Thanks for your inspiration.  Good sewing !Envoyé depuis mon appareil Galaxy

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  5. Looks beautiful, Anne. If Liza says no need to pre wash, that’s all I’d need to know! Can’t wait to follow your progress. I’m interested to learn if these fabrics are more ravelly that standard quilting cotton. Will you use a shorter stitch length? Cheers!

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    1. I figured Liza is an authoritative voice on this!!!!

      I’m guessing there will be more fraying with these fabrics. I typically shorten my stitch length when I piece, but Might shorten it even more for these fabrics.

      Anne

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  6. Oh my those are luscious fabrics. I could stare at them for a long time. This quilt is going to be a head turner for sure. Interested to know if you track your steps how many you get each day. TIP: Because of the loose weave it is suggested to CUT any loose threads rather than pull. That picture st Glacier with the colored rocks is interesting. These are actually the bright colors of the photos? Interesting!

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    1. My iPhone keeps track of my steps, but I don’t worry too much about that. I do try to walk five miles every day. It can be tough to do when it’s hot or during the rainy season. We’re all happier when we get our five miles in!

      Anne

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  7. A tip for your ironed fabric storage – I use coat hangers with plastic clips each end. I’ve not had a problem with the clips leaving a mark. Easy to hang up in a closet if you have the room 🙂

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      1. I think this quilt will need that extra oomph that on point blocks will bring. It’s 99% likely at this point, but I still haven’t actually seen it that way. Stay tuned!

        Anne

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    2. I will probably end up hanging these fabrics some how. I’ll have to give it some thought and figure out the best way. I’m wondering about fashioning some kind of hanger with a pool noodle.

      Anne

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  9. Hi Anne, Love the look of combining the stripes with the solids. Maybe border each solid fabric square with its corresponding stripe. Just a thought.
    I went on a quilt retreat last week and took the Fractured pattern and Kaffe fabric. I plan on adding a green border. Your fractured quilt turned out more uniform than mine, but it was a fun attempt.
    I’ll send you a photo via Facebook.

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  12. Can’t wait to see if you put this one on point. It’s going to be pretty spectacular, regardless. The colors are so delicious and that photo of Glacier N.P. is just breathtaking. BTW, love the new header for your blog!

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    1. thanks for noticing my header. You’re the first one to notice that I changed that photo. I’m actually thinking of using that photo for my holiday card this year! Might have to take another photo with the dogs on it though!

      I’m thinking on point will likely be the way I go with this. Maybe use a variety of the shot cottons for the setting triangles. Will have to wait and see once I get some blocks made.

      Anne

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      1. YES! That quilt would be spectacular on a card, but you MUST have the dogs in there too, somehow! They are such a beautiful pair. Have fun putting it together, along with the quilt!

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  15. You have a lot more energy than me with all of that pickleball and then taking the dogs for a walk. But then you are a lot younger than me…….my excuse and I’m sticking with it.
    It will be fun to see the blocks on point. You never know until you try it whether they are better that way than straight. You could hang the strips laid over a pants hanger (wire with cardboard tube like used to come from the dry cleaners) or any type of padded hanger so they won’t get a sharp bend. Actually just a fluffy hand towel over a wire hanger and then lay the strips over it.

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    1. I try to keep moving! I actually feel better physically if I’m active! If I sit still too long I get sore and stiff!

      Oh, a cardboard tube is a good idea. I was thinking a pool noodle.

      Anne

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  16. Hang your fabric strips on wooden hangers or hangers covered with a towel as to avoid a sharp crease. It works. If you have drying racks you can use those.

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  19. The picked ball Queen! You must be getting very good. The shot cotton is a perfect match for the scrumptious KF stripes 💕. Great idea about wearing a mask for spraying starch. I had to spray paint something – hind sight I should have worn a mask. Our local fabric store has 25% off store wide on Saturday. You know where I will be 😊
    Hugs to Rico and Bender 🤗

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  21. Hallo Anne, ich bin Tatjana und lebe in Deutschland im Bundesland Niedersachsen. Seit kurzem verfolge ich deinen Block auf Pinterest. Zuerst wusste ich nicht was du mit pressen meinst. Wir nennen es bügeln. Wächst du a l l e deine Stoffe nicht? Und nutzt du Sprühstärke generell? Das interessiert mich sehr!! Ich mag deine Arbeiten, die Stoffe und deine Geschichten. Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland 🇩🇪

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    1. Tatjana;
      Herzlich willkommen aus Deutschland! Ich habe Google Translate für Ihren Kommentar verwendet und verwende es, um diese Antwort vom Englischen ins Deutsche zu übersetzen.

      Ich glaube, ich verstehe den größten Teil Ihres Kommentars, habe aber eine sehr seltsame Übersetzung erhalten, von der ich mir ziemlich sicher bin, dass sie falsch ist … Google dachte, Sie wollten mich fragen, ob ich „alle meine eigenen Sachen anbaue“. Ich denke, es muss tatsächlich etwas mit Bügeln zu tun haben.

      Wir verwenden die Wörter „Bügeln“ und „Bügeln“ auf die gleiche Weise. Aus irgendeinem Grund sagen Quilterinnen normalerweise öfter „Pressen“.

      Ich verwende nicht immer Sprühstärke. Es hängt alles vom Stoff ab und davon, was ich mache. Ich mache nicht viel genaues Ansetzen. Für die meisten Quilts, die ich mache, wird es also nicht benötigt. Ich habe es für die Streifen und Schüsse verwendet, weil die Stoffe ziemlich dünn sind und ich befürchtete, dass ich sie ohne die Stärke verzerren würde. Es wird dazu beitragen, dass alles stabiler und fester bleibt, während ich damit arbeite.

      Vielen Dank fürs Lesen und dafür, dass Sie sich die Zeit für einen Kommentar genommen haben!

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