I just finished the Methodist Cross and Flame rag quilt. I really dragged my feet getting to this one because I just didn't want to do it. You can read how hard the first one was for me here.
This one had it's own challenges. First I had to find colorfast red and black fabric. I washed all the fabric beforehand which is something I never do when I usually make a rag quilt since you wash the entire quilt when it's done.
I re-made the pattern pieces using stiffer manila file folders. They worked very well. All the pieces were cut and fused just right but I realized it was much smaller than the original Methodist quilt. Then I remembered that to make the first one work I had to layer the top 9" squares to 10" squares on the middle and the bottom. So okay, the design would be smaller...I wasn't about to take everything apart and start over. (You can see the 5x5 design in the previous post).
When I was all done with the 5 square by 5 square design I realized 2 things:
1. This was way too small for an adult size throw rag quilt - - I had to add more squares.
2. I had measured in the cross' vertical line into the measurement of the cross' horizontal line so the cross looked lopsided - - I had to add more black to one side of the cross.
I actually made this quilt from the insides out.
I had to add one more square of white and one half square of stained glass to each horizontal row making the rows all 7 squares each. This meant I had to open all the seams, sew the 1 1/2 squares and then resew everything back together 10 separate times... Ugh!
Then I made the top and bottom all white rows with the 1/2 size squares of stained glass fabric plus add a 1/2 of a half square to make it all fit.
So far so good doing it basackwards.
Then I had to wash the whole thing. I must have pause that machine 6 different times to see if anything was bleeding. Nothing was. When it was all done I did notice a grayishness over the whole quilt. My heart sank. I was hoping it was just lint and sure enough that's what it was.
I put it in the dryer and gradually almost all the gray came off. I spent the rest of my day today vacuuming and picking the leftover black fluffs off and out of the white fluffy seams. Every time I walk by the quilt I see one or two more that I need to get off.
All in all, I think this quilt turned out gorgeous!
(The lady I made it for thinks her friends might also want one of these Methodist rag quilts but I may think twice or three times about doing this again.)
Wow -- did you tell her you went thru #@!&!! to make it?
ReplyDeleteI wonder ... is the woman going to use it, or hang it.
Your quilts are wonderful!
I told her that the first was one of a kind but she wanted me to try it again. This time I made notes and I kept the pattern just in case I need to make another. I'm not sure how she will use it. Thank you so much for your compliment!
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