This sugar skull project has been a flimsy for several weeks now, but it's been bunched up on the end of my ironing board waiting for me to finish the October banner and get back to quilt making. I ironed the final 9 seams this morning, then flang it on the floor for its photo-op.
 |
| Cat scans improve everything. 70" x 90" |
The next big ironing challenge was the backing fabric. Years ago I bought several yards (possibly the whole bolt, but I doubt it) of backing-sized cotton (108" wof) in a going out of business sale. After washing it, I folded the fabric into 5ths, wound it around a piece of cardboard, then crammed it into one of the drawers of my yardage filing cabinet. All the wrinkles introduced by this treatment have had a nice long time to settle in and become stubborn. I was NOT looking forward to unwinding the whole lot and wrestling it into submission on my standard-sized ironing board.
Instead, I whacked off what I approximated to be 74" and ironed that piece. The wrinkles weren't as permanent as my imagination convinced me they'd be, and any stubbornness was soon conquered with a spritz of water. In relatively little time, I had an ironed back to go with the ironed top.
At the last minute, I decided to use this ironed backing piece to finish up one of my N1C TATW tops (first picture in this link), which had its frankenbatt all ready to go. That project had been lurking about longer than the sugar skulls--it was only 'fair' that it get finished first. Now that I knew how easy it was to iron, I was willing to let this piece go and cut another for the sugar skulls later.
As it turned out, that was a fortuitous decision. This TATW is 2" narrower than the sugar skull flimsy, and I barely squeaked by with the width of backing I cut (all those folds and wrinkles made for a very wonky edge, so I didn't have 74" in some spots). Now I know to hack at least 78" off that make-shift bolt for the sugar skull flimsy, when its turn comes.
There's enough of the backing for two more quilts so, as stated, a hunk will be reserved for the sugar skulls, and the final piece will be used to back the last N1C TATW (not only last made, but last to be sandwiched)(and which also has its frankenbatt ready to go). I didn't even put any of my tools away when I finished pin basting tonight. They'll all be ready for me first thing tomorrow.
Doesn't it feel good to release something from deep storage and then have it leave the house?
ReplyDeleteIt so very does!!!
DeleteC
The problem with 108" wide backings is that they're so....wide. Hard to maneuver whether it's folding for stash storage or unfolding to iron. I have cut backings too small for comfort (battings, too). Such a pain to discover the shortfall when most of the top has been basted. But, about your projects--the Sugar Skull setting is really intriguing. And I am partial to chain blocks like your TATW. (There's an energy to diagonals.)
ReplyDeleteI managed to run short on both the TATWs I basted--mostly my fault because I WILL play placement chicken and try to get large hunks of any excess backing on two sides, instead of narrow strips cut off from all four sides. The second one wasn't too bad and there's enough that everything will be secured in the binding, but the first needs some augmentation surgery before I quilt the borders.
DeleteI miscalculated how many times I folded that fabric. I fold a normal width of fabric twice (into 4ths) to get it narrow enough to file in the cabinet drawer (https://cbottsprojects.blogspot.com/2020/03/surreality.html). Backing-sized fabric must be folded in half, then half again, then into thirds.
C