Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] making Window Quilts, long

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: SJC <indexer AT localnet.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] making Window Quilts, long
  • Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:31:06 -0400

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





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page