Before I get to the tidbit....for those of you who may have seen it and now realized it's gone, I decided to take down the post for the quilt along. Minutes after I posted it a dear friend gave me some advice due to gray areas in the quilt design world and I decided that as much as I'd love to do that QAL with you all, I also don't want to find myself in hot water or step on any toes. Unintentionally of course. Please know that for those of you who saw the quilt layout, I designed the quilt myself, but the block itself, the idea behind it and it's construction, had been copyrighted. Don't worry, I will come up with something else in the near future to keep you...umm...us all busy. :)
On to the tidbit! (Look Sarah, I didn't forget today...haha!)
I've mentioned before that I do NOT pre-wash any of my fabrics. This is a personal choice and, I feel, a result of using only quality fabrics!
However, there is always that fear. That when you put all that time and effort into a quilt, that when you pull it out of the washer, there may be a chance that the colors bled. I've never had an issue though.
Because of that small ounce of fear I always put something in with the quilts when I wash them as an extra safeguard.
These!
Nooo....not sleeping kitties (but she is cute, isn't she?)...lol.
Shout color catchers! I generally use two or three, depending on what colors I have used and how much white there is. They always have some color on them when I take them out. Just pick them up in the laundry aisle at the grocery store. :)
Much Love!!!
Ahhh... i've been wondering what to use for this purpose! It's going on my grocery list!
ReplyDeleteI love the Shout Color catchers. I prewash all of my fabrics. I use a lot of batiks and they will bleed at first. I always buy the higher end fabrics and have had a few bleed so I use the color catchers.
ReplyDeleteFunny - my first thought this morning when I saw "Tuesday Tidbits" on my blog list was "Well, she made sure she didn't forget this week!" I love the color catchers - but I still photograph my quilts before I wash them, just in case! But they have done excellently so far - no problems at all since I started using them! Since we use a lot of older and vintage fabrics, we do have some problems with bleed.
ReplyDeleteNOOOOOOOO! I wanted to do the quilt along, but things have been too busy at work for me start it yet :( I understand though
ReplyDeleteBummer about the quiltalong, that pattern was gorgeous! Maybe you could contact the person who holds the copyright and ask for permission? I LOVE color catchers- and I spy a Liberty of London box behind kitty! I have a couple of those too :D So pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on the Color Catchers! I will pick some up next time I am at the store.
ReplyDeleteI love color catchers too... they are so so very helpful!!
ReplyDeleteYeah my kitty just squishes the fabrics together. Great idea on the Color Catcher! I like to work with fabric while its nice and crisp.
ReplyDeleteI love the color catchers. I use them in our regular clothes too. I don't even separate our laundry anymore unless I have something white that I absolutely have to bleach. The clothes all come out looking great even when I have red and white in the same washer or even black. These things work wonders.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the quilt along quilt, and I'm wracking my brain trying to remember what it looked like! I've got a short attention span, obviously. Copyright issues are hard in the sewing arena. On the one hand, copying designs is not good, but at the same time there is so little that is actually new. If you look at historical quilts, it's really all been done before--in different ways, of course, but not a lot is completely new. Even the modern wonky stuff isn't new. But, designers do need to know that their designs are "safe" to some degree, or they might just stop sharing them, right?
ReplyDeleteI just want to come back and add that I wasn't trying to say all quilts are copies of something! I'm sure that many, many times people create something that is totally unique and new to them. It may be the sane design as a quilt they've never even seen before--so to me, that counts as a new design. And every quilt is unique--even when we use the same pattern! And then there are some art quilts that are pretty unique, too!
ReplyDeleteWell i'm bummed b/c i loved that little QAL sneak peak but I totally get it. Onto the tidbit, a 1/3 cup of vinegar in your wash will also help 'set' the colors in your fabrics and prevent running ~ especially helpful for reds and dark blues.
ReplyDeleteA real shame about the QAL, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do :) LOVE Colour Catchers, they're just brill with quilts, fabrics .... well, just brill!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to pick these up to try, but keep forgetting. I'm adding them to my shopping list right now. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
I love the color catchers. They had a true test a couple of weeks ago. I had a load of laundry with just a few towels so I threw some fabric in. I didn't know it but there was something dark in the load. I pulled out the wash and my fabric was all gray. I wanted to cry. I threw in 3 of those sheets and rewashed them. All but one came out looking perfect! That one is just slightly gray now. I think another wash with the sheets may get it back to normal.
ReplyDeleteI've just started using the color catchers and so far so good.
ReplyDeleteYour design for the quilt along was gorgeous. I love stars! Will you go ahead and make it for yourself? It looks like it would be fun to make.
Color Catchers are a must. Not only for quilts, but new clothing when washing for the first time. I send a color catcher with my gift quilts along with directions, just in case there is any color bleeding when they wash the quilt.
ReplyDeleteLove those things!!!
ReplyDeleteI understand about the Quilt Along, better safe than sorry. I'll keep watching to see what you come up with in the future. I love the Shout Color Catchers too. I typically prewash anything over a yard or so but with using so many FQs and precuts, these are wonderful for the finished quilt. Amazing how they work, huh?
ReplyDeleteSo those color catchers are preeeetty wonderful. I made a red, white, and blue table top quilt that would've been much less white had I not had those wang-jangers!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your tidbit tuesdfays, pretty lady!