I know, I know…you are probably sick and tired of Settler’s Pride but good news…we are on the last little turn, heading for the finish-line!!…and you really don’t have to read this!! I won’t be too insulted!…well maybe just a little…
I have finished the hand quilting!!(happy dance)…and have moved onto the binding. Now the pattern doesn’t say to put on binding…(Maggie Bonanomi says to back the quilt with homespun or cotton ticking and turn under the raw edges and whipstitch all around.) BUT I want a nice, sturdy finish to this quilt so I went with binding.
With the exception of the backing, the whole quilt is 100% wool and that’s what I wanted my binding to be. I looked all over On Line for a nice light weight 100 % wool and finally found some “100% Light Weight Wool Suiting”…black and white check with a brown and blue strip..I figured if it was too light I would dye it!
It arrived yesterday…perfect timing! As soon as I took the wool out of the package I KNEW it wasn’t 100% wool…it wasn’t soft and it had a shine to it..:o( I did a burn test and sure enough the hard crispy edge indicated to me that there was indeed a man made fibre in it. It did flake too so my guess was that it was a wool blend. Oh well…let’s look at this in a favourable light…the man made fiber will add strength to the binding.
I knew that I would have to dye it to tone it down a bit…so I got the dye pot going and to make a long story short…dyed it THREE times…the last time I dumped the whole container of black dye in the pot…the fabric was not taking any more of the dye…that was the problem with man made fibers!! They won’t take dyes…but the wool picked up enough of the dye to turn the fabric a grey/black colour and you can faintly see the blue/brown check…so I am ready to proceed! It’s the best I can do…
This is it after being dyed once…
The camera is making the binding fabric look lighter than it is in real life so keep that in mind.
After the third and last dye job….
Hope I didn’t bore you too much…BUT I just wanted you to be warned …when you order on-line and they advertise one thing…you may be getting something totally different! If they had advertise this as being a wool blend I would have NEVER ordered it! Having said that…I like this and think it will work just fine! :o) Whew!
So we’ve cleared the last hurtle (barely!!)and we are heading to the finish line… (and the crowd roars…Ok…the lone person still reading this cheers…guess that’s you… so..“thanks!!”)
Have a thrilling Thursday and Happy Quilting!!~P
I love your Settler's Pride! You are like one of the pioneers...attempting to dye wool! I love how it turned out. I'll be waiting for a photo of the entire project.
ReplyDeleteSorry you got something unexpected! I think your solution worked out very well, though, because it looks amazing. I can't wait for the full reveal!!
ReplyDeleteyou have to be careful where you order wool from. still working on my blocks. yours looks great.
ReplyDeletekim
NEVER EVER tired of seeing that quilt, only you are not showing enough of it!
ReplyDeleteYour new dyed wool looks great-really lifts out the blue tones in the flowers. I'm so glad it is working out for you,
Like the others, I am waiting the big reveal:))
Shazy
I think it's looking great and you figured out a solution to make something you hadn't expected work. Where did you get your kit for that project - or did you pull it all together from your own stash
ReplyDeleteKaren
Yep, that first pic was way too light - but I think it darkened up perfectly, and it looks GREAT. Good job!
ReplyDeleteBy looking at the last picture I think that binding will work just fine...can't wait to see it finished.
ReplyDeleteThat is almost like false advertising. Good thing you are experienced in dyeing wool and are satisfied with how it turned out.
ReplyDeleteI think your binding color looks great - it blends nicely with the colors on the quilt top. Your quilt is going to be sooooo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteDid you contact the company to let them know what you received wasn't what they professed it to be? I would most certainly be complaining.
I could never get tired of seeing the Settler's Pride Quilt and I love seeing your progress!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing what a little dye will do. I think now that the binding is dyed, it tones in very nicely with the quilting thread you used. Ordering on line does have it's hazards, but when your closest quilt shop doesn't have what you want, it's the only answer. Your quilt is really a beauty and will definitely become an heirloom.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it turned out just perfect! I love transforming fabric!
ReplyDeletePaulette, you are more tolerant than I.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it seems it turns out well in the end.
I don't do wool work, but certain appreciate it's beauty when created by a master such as yourself.
hugs,
Gerry
That sounds like quite the adventure. If someone had represented the binding fabric as 100% wool I would contact them to let them know you didn't get what you'd expected. That said, I really do like you final result.
ReplyDeleteyou are so ambitious to dye your own fabric!!..glad you are at the finish line!!!...now what are you going to work on next?
ReplyDeleteAWESOME! Wow - what a big and amazing wool project. How about a picture of the whole thing when done - and no! not bored about Settlers Pride!
ReplyDeleteI love a story with a happy ending. I'm glad it worked out OK and now I'm so looking forward to seeing the completed quilt.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is just beautiful! I have wanted to make the same one for a long time now! I have never been bored with your stories and I have loved seeing the progress with this quilt.Be sure to show us the the complete finish!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Wanda