quiltmonkey Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Well, live and learn lessons, right? This "lesson learned" involved FLEECE fabric for the quilt back. Now, I have to say that I have never used fleece for a quilt back before, and guessie what... a customer gave me fleece the other day to use and unbeknownst to me,,,,I was trying my best not to stretch the fleece, but it did and my quilt top was a little scrunched when I pulled it off the frame. It looked weird; not quite right (a little poofy in places). Anyway, I showed it to another longarmer friend and she told me about fleece being so stretchy and I have to be extra extra carfeful when rolling it on the frame (little or no tension?) Hmmm... OK well, I am ripping out my stitches. I have 50% done. It was a lap sized quilt and fortunately not to heavily quilted. I am fixing it (and using flannel for the back...no more fleece this time!) Live and learn and ... let \'er rip........ You know what I\'ll be doing tonight... ugh! So, now that I\'ve sang my little song of the "Rip It" blues, what do you all think about fleece? Do you use it or see a lot of customers bringing it for quilts? How do you avoid over stretching? Any advice you can give me to help avoid this problem in the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Hi Shana, sorry to hear you have the "rip-it blues!" Thats no fun but chocolate and a glass of wine work well! I used fleece on the trapunto baseball quilt I did for Christmas and I didn\'t have any problems with it. I did load it so that the least stretchy went from roller to roller so maybe that is why I got lucky! I was very careful to not pull it tightly either. It really quilted up beautifully and according to my future sil I should "always use fleece for the back of my quilts!" I sure it wasn\'t just beginners luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smhowell Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 For what it\'s worth, my first longarm quilting effort was backed with Minkee Blankee, and it scrunched up just like yours. Since it was mine, I gave the mess to a friend to use as a shop rag. I had domestic machine quilted a baby blanket before (stitch in the ditch) and it worked out just fine. I have since seen other blankets that either included Minkee on the front or back and they looked fine. These were pantoed with an allover pattern, but I\'m not sure what else is the secret. If nobody tells me, I\'ve thought about using the front as the back (no stretch), or basting the heck out of the sucker to keep it from stretching. Babies just seem to love blankets with Minkee on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanette Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 I use fleece and love the look. The first time I used it I didn\'t know that it was thought to be difficult and it worked just fine:-) I put the non-stretch edges to the rollers, float the top and quilt away. I love how it looks sculpted on the fleece side. And my mantra, "keep a very loose quilt sandwich". I think my machine would rebel if I tightened the tops or backing up. No tension problems or anything else as long as its loose. Got him trained I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelalan Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 I made my first fleece backed blanket/quilt in 1994, back then I surged a bunch of pieces of blue and green squares together with a 3 thread surger and put on the pieced top, I quilted/sewed it with a Singer 501 free motion...I have that very blanket on my bed right now....It\'s very loved and dog beaten as well, I use it as the blanket for the dogs fleece side up on the bed cause the fleece traps the dog hair and it launders out well.....I have many fleece backed blankets done on my LA, and Mom actually gave me the last fleece on a roll, now all gone.....I think the thing that Mom said is most likely the problem. You should float the top on Fleece always, never stretch the top, Floating will keep the distortion to a minimum if not zero with this kind of blanket, and carefully baste the sides and always look under the thing to make sure that the sag is minimal, and it will sag a little trust me .... Oh by the way, I did use basting spray on the fleece blankets I sewed on the longarm, thus zero distortion, works like a dream, works on minkee too.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Wow, great advice, Mike! THANKS!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethDurand Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 I think the first thing to do is to have the least amount of stretch between the rollers, then the spray baste is another idea that I hadn\'t thought of. Probably doesn\'t matter too much in a quilt, but when you are sewing garments with fleece, the "right side" is the one that it rolls towards when you stretch the edges. Seems that the fleece won\'t hold in the heat on garments if you don\'t have the right side out. Fun facts to know and share there. Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixieqwv Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 I use fleece all the time. And I do 2 layers of fleece together. So far (knock on wood) no problems. I usually put the selvage edge on the rollers but I\'ve done it the other way too. Photos at http://sandyquilts.blogspot.com/2007/12/teachers-principal-and-secretary-gifts.html And Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 When I began useing my longarm I really pulled my roller and streacher way too tight! I think they sometimes began to scream. I had tension problems, occasional puckers on the back and my seam ripper and I became well aquainted but I never had to rip out an entire quilt. I really feel for you! Now I keep it all nice and snug but never tight. Yesterday I loaded my first ever t-shirt quilt (which I am making from scratch for a customer. She gave me 88 t-shirts and I am giving her back on humongous quilt). I had to be really careful not to streach that sucker, in this case it was the top that was streachy. I just did an allover loose meander and the top I took off the machine is great. Bottom line go looser instead of tight. Just be sure it is all lying nice and flat and everything is nicely lined up. I think some wine and chocloate might make your ripping more tolerable............not too much wine though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingupastorm Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Dixie you were posting at the same time I was.................oh I love that idea. My daughters have lots of fleece that they have to have in the fabric store and I of course have no time to sew anything out of it. Can you give me a few details about those. What a great suprise if I took those pieces and made them throws. I am still enjoying the schlep bags you showed me how to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seakitten Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 I think you can have all the wine you want while ripping, just as long as you wait \'til the next day to resew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 OK Kiddos... got an update on "the rip it blues quilt" In my spare time, I spent probably 6 hours ripping between Tuesday night and last night I finished ripping. Today, I quilted it again using a VERY nice flannel for the backer. I also did the binding and used same flannel for binding. It turned out lovely---the flannel looks (and feels) so much better than the fleece did. I dropped it off at the customer this afternoon. She is very pleased. A happy ending for me, at least.... But with my little happy ending, this quilt story is not really a happy one.... You see, this quilt was made by about 20 different people who work for the State of Alaska Fish & Game. It consisted of 20 different applique blocks of Alaskan animals, birds, and salmon and a halibut, etc. This quilt is absolutely adorable!!!!!!!and obviously made with much love.... but the sad part is, it was made for their coworker who is currently in a cancer treatment center somewhere in the L48...she is dieing of cancer. This quilt was a rush job... she\'s apparently is not doing very well... They are FedEx-ing it to her tomorrow. So sad........... I hope she really gets to enjoy that quilt and it helps her as she snuggles under that quilt with the cute animals and feels the love that went into it. It just ooozes love. Even though I do not know this woman, the entire time I was working on it, I was thinking (praying) for her... Shana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Shana - I\'m positive that all your hard work and prayer will bring so much comfort to the recipient that all the ripping you did will soon be forgotten... Every quilt that comes off the frame is a lesson learned.....somehow. Thanks for sharing the story with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Shana, Your quilt will bring so much love and comfort not only to her but to her family. I\'ll tell you a story about one that I did. My Godchild\'s sisters SIL was diagnosed with cancer and battled. Her family was all over, some still in England so they wanted to make her something that would make her feel like her family was with her. That was how I got involved. They decided on a quilt but had no idea how to make it. My Godchild\'s sister is a graphic artist. We talked and we decided on a theme of hearts and hands. She had everybody trace their hand and send it to her. She pulled the handprint into the computer recolored it and then we printed it on treated fabric. Then we got together and I showed her and her sisters & mother how to make crazy patches. We had such a good time. I then took the crazy patches and cut them into hearts and used my blanket stitch to put them around the quilt. We were one block short so she drafted up a special message for the middle. Oh boy I can\'t tell you how many times I had to stop quilting because I kept reading it and crying...I\'m a cryer! We got it off to her and she loved it for about 3 months. At the funeral they decided to have the quilt there and it brought so much comfort to their family. Her husband said that she just felt like her family was with her all the time! I even got a thank you note from a couple of the family members. It was a special gift and one I have never regreted. Your quilt will do the same thing and you will give comfort to her and her family. I refer to these types of quilts as "Love Quilts." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Okay, I stopped watching the news this morning, because I too am a cryer....here I am now with tears in my eyes again. Cancer is such a terrible thing, and touches everyones life at some point. You all have been comissioned to do a very special job. You should feel blessed to be a part of something so special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smhowell Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Not that I want the pity party, but I\'ve been Stage IV cancer for over 3 years now. I\'ve upgraded from terminal to incurable, and I was supposed to be dead two years ago. Everybody remember that with cancer, you have to watch your acid-base balance, because the doctor\'s don\'t have a clue. (Cancer can\'t survive in an alkaline environment.) That means eating lots of veggies (especially avocados), and avoiding grains (corn is a grain, not a veggie), sugars, all dairy products, mushrooms and yeasts, and cutting back on the meat (grass fed without antibiotics is best, but it\'s so expensive. Don\'t eat the fat - that\'s where the toxins are). Canola oil is NOT a health food. Use only olive oil for low temp foods and macadamia nut oil for fried foods. It\'s not the sodium that\'s so toxic, it\'s the chloride. Avoid antibiotics if at all possible - they cause cancer and a slew of other problems, including diabetes and obesity. NO Nutrasweet or sucralose; use birch-based Xylatol if you must have some sugar, or Stevia, which you can and should use. No alcohol. Getting right with God, and letting go of anger, unforgiveness and fear is are all biggies, too. The other thing to remember is that often what the doctors want to do is not in your best interest...don\'t be afraid to say no to them. It\'s your life (or death). At least half (maybe 90%) of patient deaths are caused by doctor errors and ignorance. Radiation was the worst mistake I ever made, and I should have quit at least three weeks before I did. God put loads of things on this earth to cure cancer with, it\'s just figuring out what the cure is for each cancer. Not to be too smug, but I\'ve got one of the more aggressive ones, so I\'ve had to do my research. One of these days, I\'ll get serious about this and follow my own advice above for at least a year (it takes at least that long) and get rid of this thing for good. But it\'s tough giving up coffee and chocolate (both acid foods). It doesn\'t help that I seem to have celiac disease to go with the cancer (or maybe it helped cause it). Lecture over, sorry for the rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingstitcher Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Sharon, your diet sounds exactly like mine though I do eat some dark chocolate and didn\'t realize the acid content. Milk chocolate is a trigger food along with a long list of foods including your avoid ones, plus I\'m lactose intolerant because of chemotherapy for breast cancer. helpforibs.com list of trigger foods saved me from a very uncomfortable lifestyle. Also follow "Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type" as my blood is Type B and I avoid the foods that don\'t mix well with my blood, and it was interesting that the avoid list is very similar to what you listed above except I shouldn\'t eat avocados. Most people don\'t realize that corn is so bad for them and it is slipped into so many foods disguised as corn syrup. Good luck with your cancer battle. It\'s tough to live with constant sickness because it wears a body and spirit down. I\'m sure you have helped someone with your information. I\'m going to find some stevia because Dee uses it in her cookbook of flourless/sugarless cooking. Her Dee\'s Mighty Muffins are fantastic. Maple syrup and honey are good replacements too. Flagstaff honey is wonderful (Flagstaff, AZ), as is White Gold sold in Los Angeles. TV news is out for me! It\'s too depressing. Give me a happy ending story. Vicki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Sharon and Vicki, My heart aches for you and yours.. prayers will be whispered a lot for both of you, and others on the board who are ill with anything, terminal or not. I don\'t at this time anyway, have the need for cancer diet info, but I sure having\'t heard any of that about diets and My parents and a lot of other relatives have died from cancer. I will be checking it out and see what I can use from it all. I will be making a list of sites, and info you have posted and use then Only to aim those with cancer whom I know now, in that direction.. One is a Mom of 3 kids, from 5 to 13. Anyway, your sharing is wonderful, again, thank you, God Bless RitaR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted February 17, 2008 Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Maybe Shana should rip while gearing up to quilt, then when she gets there she could come up with fantastic new designs. RitaR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2008 Trust me.... my mind was wandering all over the place as I ripped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryjo2003 Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 Shana, You can easily quilt the fleece. One direction has LESS stretch. Test the fleece to see. Depending on the size of the quilt, you may have to load it sideways. I quilt minky and fleece a lot and don\'t have any trouble with it. Just make sure the least stretchy direction is placed top to bottom (horizontal) on the leaders. Then don\'t put any tension on them (don\'t be able to bounce a quarter off them) so they aren\'t stretched and you\'ll be fine. It looks good quilted! Give it another try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmyhogan Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 I agree with Laurie G. "Every quilt that comes off the frame is a lesson learned" If I finish a quilt and didn\'t learn something new I must not have been paying attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted February 18, 2008 Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 Shana, did you say ripped and sipped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 NO WAY!! No ripping and sipping for me! Especially a customer quilt. Yikes! I can\'t imagine ripping a hole in someone\'s quilt and can\'t think of having alcohol while I\'m working. No drinkie for me while working on the longarm, either. Can you imagine trying to get that thread through the needle? I\'m a good girl and try to behave myself. But my mind did drift off to never never land many times during the 6+ hours of ripping those stitches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2008 Thanks to everyone for the great advice on fleece. Next time I will float it and won\'t have a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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