Lemon Tree Tami Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Today I quilted another charity quilt for our guild at the longarm rental center. (We're almost ready to order my machine but in the meantime I still want to get some practice.) Too bad that I didn't check the bag with the top, back and batting before heading out the door. Turns out that the backing was a very well loved sheet. Oops! (It reminds me fondly of the 80s and all things rainbow.) I was then told that I had to trim off the hems before we could load it on the machine. Boy did I wish I didn't do that because I only had ONE inch of space on either side of the quilt top for the clamps. It was a very, very tight fit. Fortunately it was able to be quilted but I'm not too sure that I'd be happy with another sheet. I could hear the needle punching its way through it at times. Any words of advice for future sheet backings? Perhaps next time I'll have to rip out the hems, press it open so that I have more room to work around. Also I couldn't think of any color that would work better than white on this quilt. I know that it shows up boldly on the black border and sashings but it does seem to blend with most of the backing and the blocks. The E2E design is called Cotton Seed and I believe that it's one of the ones that comes with the Statler so I'm not sure exactly who is the designer. It reminds me a bit of Popcorn but with a bit more attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 I like that sheet. The quilting looks great on the top too. I recently had a whole quilt made out of grandmas cotton sheets. Log cabin in pastel florals. The back was a thick Actil cotton sheet. I had to open the seams to have enough room. The sheet was fine the cotton thread just ripped easily(snapped) from the seams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 I don't mind using sheets and have used them from time to time. I always wash a new sheet..........depends on how big it is whether I remove the hems. If the sheet is pretty "square", that top hem gives a nice edge to pin to..........just have to remember to place the batting and top down far enough that you don't include that wide hem in your quilting. Trim it all off after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Great job, Tami. Your thread color works well--better to have a white thread overlay on the black than a dark thread overlay on the light fabrics. My concern is that you're volunteering your expertise, machine, and supplies to quilt for charity and your "customers" aren't giving you machine-ready projects. The rules apply to this situation just as you would expect a paying customer to give you workable backers and batting. You shouldn't be expected to take out stitching on a used sheet to make it big enough to load. Please be gentle but stand your ground when offered unacceptable pieces. If you're volunteering to get practice as well as to be charitable, you'll be respected as a professional if you make firm rules on intake. Don't get me started on used sheets used as backers! New sheets are OK as long as there's an acceptable thread-count for quilting--but taking something from the bottom of the linen closet to use as a backer will inevitably shorten the life of the donated quilt. There's too much of a "it's good enough for giving away" mentality around charity quilts and that bothers me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamu Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 I agree with Linda about bed sheets for backers. I try and stay away from those as it just causes too many problems with tension/thread breakage and I don't need the frustration in dealing with that. I can't imagine using a 'used' bed sheet to put on the back of a nice quilt top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Tree Tami Posted March 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Thank you everyone! On the flip side, the used sheet is super soft and cuddly but I totally agree with Linda that I think it'll shorten the lifespan of this quilt by quite a bit. Perhaps the quilt guild can donate a bit of money to buy a bolt of a neutral colored backing fabric for all the quilt tops. We'll look into that. It certainly would make the life of the longarmers happier when quilting these charity quilts. Oops, I forgot, our guild calls them community quilts because they go to those in need in our local area. I still feel that I need all the practice I can get before opening for business so I'll continue volunteering my time to qullt them. Of course it will be much nicer when I can do it on my own machine. I have a feeling that it'll increase my knowledge in a hurry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibbyG Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 I really like that pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seakitten Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 I remember those sheets. My daughter (now age 48) had them on her bed in high school, so you do the math! The quilting looks great. I also do a lot of charity quilts, & I have finally established the rule that if the backing is not machine ready, I will either return it to the quilt maker, or charge her $25 to repair it, regardless of size, her choice. I have not had to charge yet, but I will if it comes up. It can create a nice teachable moment. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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