Belbelle Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 I\'m been reading about "frogging" in this forum for some time, and just got a chance to PPP this activity myself. I spent about 10 minutes stitching a panto which was already pretty complex (for me), ignoring the subtle change in sound Maude was making. Finally stopped to find a tangle of thread on the backside, and spent the next 3 hours sitting on the floor under the machine, ripping out the stitches. I was using Bottom Line, and my bottom went numb while I nearly went blind. I then decided to shift the panto a few inches and start again, so I wouldn\'t be trying to hit the same holes (maybe my second mistake). Now the quilt is off the machine, and there is a secondary pattern of holes. I tried steaming front and back, and letting it "chill" overnight, but they\'re still staring at me this morning. Any suggestions how to remove these frogprints, short of tossing in the washer and blocking on the floor for a couple of days? Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Oh Julie - We all live and learn don\'t we!! Never just keep going when in your mind a little warning bell has gone off and said - hmmm - sounds a bit off?!? maybe I should check it..... Been there - done that! First off - what kind of fabric is it? I know this problem is much more of a "problem" when it is Batiks we are dealing with. Good cotton fabrics I will take my fingernail to, or a soft stiff - CLEAN - brush. Moving the fibers back and forth a bit to help it blend. Maybe mist it than toss in the dryer to fluff? I look forward to seeing what others say and also - Please let us know what you do find out that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryjo2003 Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 If it\'s my own quilt, I just wash and dry. Soak in the washer, spin, rinse, spin....blah blah blah. I don\'t use the agitater. Then I toss in the dryer with very low or no heat until almost dry. Then air dry the rest of the way. On customer quilts, if I did a lot of frogging and the holes show, I spritz with water to dampen, then tumble on the "no heat" setting for a short time when I\'m done with them. The fabric relaxes and the holes close. Sometimes just a spritz and air drying on the rollers does the same thing. Sometimes just removing it from the rollers lets the fabric relax and close because they are under a bit of tension on the rollers. I only spritz and dry in extreme cases because you never know how the fabric was treated prior to you getting the quilt top. It may bleed or shrink unevenly so you have to be very careful. I call the client and discuss it with them before doing that and sometimes we decide to leave it for them to handle. I\'ve also found it depends on the fabric they used. Batiks and some other fabrics aren\'t always very forgiving. I use the zipper system to load my backing and quilt tops. That way I don\'t have to go blind sitting under the machine frogging. I just zip it off, and frog at night sitting in front of the TV with DH. He falls asleep snoring and I frog and listen to the TV to drown him out! When I\'m done, I just zip it back on, and continue on as if nothing ever happened at all! I (as all of us do) hate to frog! Luckily, I haven\'t had to do much, but not too long ago, I used thread provided by the customer (never again) and I couldn\'t get the tension right. If it was tight enough for a good stitch quality, the thread would break. There was too much top thread showing on the back when I loosened the top tension to where it wouldn\'t break. That was not fun! I took it all out (3 passes) and used my own thread (which was actually a better match to the top than hers) and it was no problem at all. Boy did I learn my lesson. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Yes, I always listen for those "little odd sounds" my machine might make. Those odd sounds are a warning sign that "somethin\' aint right!" and to stop and check it out before going too far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Hi Julie, Frog footprints--I love that!! I usually spritz to saturate the holes with water. That does the trick in most cases. Please, never sit under the machine to frog!! There is no light there unless you own one of Shana\'s patented miner\'s hats! Just advance the top onto the back roller until those offending bad stitches are showing. Stand at the back and frog away. There is more light, less numb bottoms, and you can sit if you like. I take my power-advance pedal with me to roll and adjust. Works great. Just a thought to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 I like that Frog Tracks....siince this is swimming critter, I didn\'t realize they left tracks... This is one of those things that if its just for me I let the washing machine take care of it...if its a customer\'s quilt, I either do like those above and spritz it or tell the quilt owner that washing is in need. With some of the marking tools we use, washing a quilt right after it comes off the frame is necessary, because if its not some of the marks "Blue Pen" may or may not come out. Even heat from the sun can set those pens so I always suggest washing immediately getting them home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belbelle Posted April 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Oops, now I\'ve added another thread, and can\'t figure out how to merge the two - - time to sign off and get to work! Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renae Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 I have taken out those pesky stitches and had "foot-prints" left behind. My solution was to mist it with water and use the round end of a spoon to rub over the marks and then let the fabric rest or I have also used a blower as I have been rubbing out the marks w/the spoon and that has worked also. It really depends on the fabric. Hope one of these work for you. Renae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmyhogan Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Many Good Ideas! I print pages like this. I think we might have a section called APQS University where we can EASILY find pages like this for reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjdanley Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 If you have zippers you can just unzip and work someplace comfy. Been there! Zippers are a lifesaver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhend Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Never load a quilt without zippers. You don\'t even have to take the whole quilt off, just unzip and bring over your belly bar to frog. I use an old toothbrush to massage the holes some and also take out the bits of thread left. Also, I found a rubber finger (that I never use at work) helps to pull out those bits too. Just rub in a circular motion and they ball up like lint in a belly button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belbelle Posted April 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Once again, thanks to all of you for the great suggestions. I spritzed, brushed lightly with a clean toothbrush, then left the quilt on the floor overnight to relax. All the footprints are now gone -- and the quilt is bound and finished. All I need to do is take a picture to post in the next day or two. It never ceases to amaze me what a wonderful resource this forum is - - as well as just a fun place to spend a few minutes every day. Thanks to everyone who participates, and thanks too to APQS for hosting us. Julie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocoholic Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Addressing the comment that real frogs are water creatures and therefore don\'t leave tracks. We have tree frogs who spend more time out of the water than in it. And they do leave footprints, especially when their little feet are muddy and they jump on my deck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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