Patchwork quilt (novice!)

[PrettyCandles]

I've just express-washed all my fat quarters to pre-shrink them. Is one wash enough to make sure colours don't run when I eventually wash the finished quilt? Should I starch and iron the quarters before I start preparing the patchwork pieces?

I'm going to do a hexagons patch and a tumbling blocks patch.

Not much help because I only just started a patchwork course, & am pretty much a textiles novice, but thought I'd say hello!
If you're washing to prevent further shrinkage & colour run, I would wash them at least twice more.
Good luck :).

What are you working on?

I don't quite know. Not with 100% certainty.
We are learning one square a week in standard patchwork patterns; this week it was "Marching Band". Hand stitch, making our own templates. I think the plan is once we have 6 squares (?or more) we can stitch them together with... batten? Wadding? These terms thrown around & me still trying to get to grips with them (along with "warp" and "weft"). And then make something like a quilt blanket as final product.

My private ambition is to make one blanket per child per year over the next 4 years, and then I'll either love it-hooked for life-be pretty good at it, or know for certain I never want to do it again :).

How big is your quilt going to be? How long do you expect to be working on it? Have you made them before? Machine stitch, I guess? Someone loaned me a patchwork book and it seems so much more... imprecise but confident that of course you don't need to be precise in order to get good results.

are you doing handmade English patchwork? I assume so if you're doing hexagons.
I love tumbling blocks, never done one though.

I don't starch mine. But you must definitely iron them.

Complete novice, here!

I'm following some fairly vague instructions I found in an old book, supplemented by Google because the book is old enough to assume that you grew up learning domestic crafts at your mother's knee.

It is English patchwork, pinned on cut out paper blocks.

I was ever so chuffed to complete my first handstitched hexagon 'flower' - until I realised that I ought first to pre-shrink the fabric and wash out excess dye.

No idea what I'll do with it. If I decide it's my 'thing' then I'll make a quilt. If not, then the two squares will turn into a cushion cover.

if you have used good quality fabric then one wash will be fine.

The rule is to wash all or none of your fabric. I rarely pre-wash my fabric for quilting but use a colour catcher when I do & then you can see how much dye was washed out

I also do like to starch it (washed or not). It can be hard to find but Wilkos always have it in stock.

However, if using red I might wash again if lots of colour on the colour catcher

How, exactly, does one starch? I've got an unused can of spray starch knocking around at the back of a cupboard somewhere, bought about 15y ago for a project that never even got started.

you just squirt the starch onto the clean fabric (slightly damp I think) and iron it. The instructions on the can should tell you how hot.
It makes it smell lovely.

Ah. That might be a problem: I'm allergic to fragrances.

ah, you had better check what it says on the can then, they might not all have added fragrance in them.

Depends on what sort of fabric you are using really. If you are using decent commercially produced stuff, I would have thought one wash was enough - it isn't so much of an issue these days I don't think. I did my first P & Q course 15 years ago and the tutor then was very insistent that everything should be washed but my current tutors don't ever bother. If you are using hand dyed or cheaper stuff, it won't be.

I have never heard of anybody starching their fabric - why would you do that?

Ooh I'm such a novice I've just finished my first ever quilt, and did no starching or washing :o

That's lovely, Flubba! I'm really impressed that you did freehand quilting on your first ever quilt. Will there be another, do you think?

I didn't starch in the end, just ironed. I was considering starching to regain that slightly stiff finish that makes brand new fabrics so nice to work with.

once you discover the joys of starch, you never go back lol!

it makes ironing (especially shirts) much easier & quicker, although it does make your clothes smell a bit grannified ha ha

I bought some for patchwork fabric but now use it on most of my normal laundry - well anything that is deeply creased or a pain to iron.

I do love starching shirts when I iron them, specially white linen ones. Used to do it all the time when I worked.
They stay crisp longer.

Is it really any better than just spraying with water? I have a few things that I can never get a satisfactory finish on.

yes, it stiffens them slightly and makes the surface smoother.