[Homestead] making Window Quilts, long
SJC
indexer at localnet.com
Wed Oct 29 10:31:06 EDT 2008
Lynn Wigglesworth wrote:
> Well, I guess I'm not making real window quilts, just insulated
> curtains.
As long as you have several layers quilted together you have a quilt, by
definition :-) so nobody can say it's not 'real'.... But in this case
you want to have at least one layer that's not stitched together with
the others, back or front, doesn't matter which. Heat/cold will be
better stopped than if you have stitching lines that go all the way
through; that's the weak point when it comes to heat transfer. By
having one layer that's not stitched down with the others any more than
is essential you can gain several degrees.
> I don't want to spend any money; so far I've spent about $5 on
> fabric remnants on clearance at Goodwill, and pieced them together into
> quilt faces. I have to get 3 or 4 sheets for backing ($2.99 each at
> Goodwill, unless I can find some on the $.25 rack).
Man, we need better secondhand stores here. They want $5/6 for a twin
sheet here. Once in a while I can find them cheaper at a yard sale but
not often. Last time I went out of here I came back with lots of used
sheets I got for around $1/apiece. I like sheets for weaving rag rugs
and I've no clue why our Goodwill/SA stores are so high here, but they
stay that way and getting worse. This summer some had Ball jars for
$.75 ea, quarts. I could actually have bought new cheaper. As is was,
I just dried more stuff rather than canning it so I used fewer jars
total. Used to find them free at any junk shop but not any more.
Fortunately at some yard sales clothes are cheap and I've no problem
with cutting up a $.25 skirt into chunks to sew back together...have a
big pile of stuff by my chair right not for taking the buttons and
zippers out, then they'll be ready for whacky, whacky....
> ....My wool will be the insulation.
>
If you're using carded batts, want to make sure they are quilted well to
keep wool from shifting/felting when they are washed. I found that out
the wrong way :-) ; on the first one I did had quilting lines way too
far apart . The quilts I've done with carded batts I ended up quilting
with no more than 2" open in any direction to keep wool from shifting
and some of that has shifted, despite my best efforts. I was using a
Romney/Shetland blend, as it was what I had at the time. I think the
safe spacing would vary some depending on which wool you use. For the
next ones I did have better results by deliberately felting the carded
batts together by making thin-ish batts and layering them between 2
cotton (they'll beard and 'stick' if you use poly) sheets, checkerboard
style in 2 layers, and felted them in the machine , then removed the
sheets. Then you have a nice batt for the window quilt; it's the same
way you'd make a mattress pad, except you don't need near as many
layers) and then using that big flat batt for your window quilt. That
way the fiber will already be somewhat stabilized to start out with and
that will keep you from getting those little wads of wool between your
stitching lines. I have a Lincoln fleece here I'm going to try for a
quilt batting, staple is about 7", curious to see if that works out to
be easier. Afraid it might feel a little coarse, even through the
fabric, guess I'll find out this winter. I'm thinking I might make one
layer of Lincoln batts and a layer of Romney so the top (well, one side,
anyway) is softer. Not sure exactly how they'll work together but it
seems worth a try. I have the picking done but won't do the carding
until snow flies, other stuff in the way now.
Lobster was $3.12/lb yesterday at the dock in case your sister is back
home, must be similar up her way. My company got 4 of them to take back
home with them.
SJ, in Maine
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