FROM THIS.....

About a month ago my son and I picked up several wool and wool/cashmere coats from Goodwill and other thrift shops.  The goal – felted wool!

I’ve had a few questions about what felted wool is and decided to do a blog post cause, well, I was in the mood to do a blog post and the topic is fun! 

Felted wool could also be called matted wool.  The process involves breaking down the individual strands of wool fiber until they are all matted together or make a new “fabric”.

The fibers of the wool have hooks and ridges that rub together and “mat up”.  All of the space between the fibers go away and you wind up with a new fabric that can be cut (without unraveling), dyed, and used just like any other fabric can.

I take a wool coat or sweater from a thrift shop, cut the lining from it and intentionally wash it and dry it several times (at least 4, but 5 or 6 is better) on the hottest settings possible.  The wool will shrink down and mat up quite well from this wash/dry process.  Do the washing on a high or fast agitation setting – this is not the time to be “delicate”.  Be sure the coat, sweater, etc. you use is at least 80%-90% wool and that it is not the washable type.  Look for tags that say professional dry clean only.

The shrinkage is about 60-70 percent, but the resulting fabrics are so beautiful and easy to use in a variety of projects.  In addition – it’s pretty darn cheap to do it yourself.  Felting is very popular in the craft/hobby stores now and it is NOT cheap.  LOL

Once you have felted and dried your wool, you can use it as is or dye it, and cut it into whatever size you need.

TO THIS!!

I hope you try wool felting and come back to my blog and share your results.  If you need more direction, just email me!

This little guy is a topper that came to me for $1 at an estate sale.

It is a king Size 1980s topper in excellent condition.  It was hand pieced with very fine stitching that almost appears machine sewn.  I particularly liked it because, like my triangles, many of them are just a little off giving it a very homemade feel, while still being elegant.  The choice of color combinations also caught my attention.  While red is the central theme, there are many shades and enough other color to give it a modern quilt feel long before its time.

The next quilt is a very attractive, country style half and quarter square triangle quilt that just took my heart when I saw it.  Also an estate sale find, I paid $10.00 for this completed quilt.

The handwork detail in this quilt is amazing.  From a distance, you can see the clear overlapping semi-circular hand quilted pattern and up close, the precise hand stitching demonstrate what can be done with hand quilting techniques beyond the simple straight line or “in the ditch” patterns.

A little work to the binding and this will keep you warm on a cold winter’s night

The picture below shows an unfortunate yet frequent occurrence in our quilts that are not properly stored or that are aging in a sunlit environment.  The brown/yellow discoloration that appears in the white cotton fabric is common yellowing that occurs naturally with cotton as a result of oxidation of the material.

Avoiding this discoloration is difficult in a quilt that is used in a function capacity (wrapping up in it to keep warm!)  There isn’t really a way to keep this phenomenon from happening, but infrequent washing and storing away from sunlight does help.  You will also find this type of discoloration on fabric that is stored and touching wood.  I have a better example of that in the following pictures.

This poor baby deserved better.  Obviously the blocks on this quilt were intricately hand pieced and hand quilted and some of them are so unusual and very very beautiful.  Dating from the 1930s, time and mishandling have taken its toll.

It was free, thank goodness, but I probably would have rescued it no matter what the price.   While I don’t have the exact story, the attempt at repairing the quilt (not by me) tells me that the quilt was used, for warmth, and the looks became immaterial after a while.

There is actually very little food or water type staining.  The brown spots, and yellowing/ browning of the cotton are from improper storage.

Most of us think that folding our quilts and storing in a cedar chest or other type chest will preserve them for future generations.   Done properly, that is true.  However, when cotton comes into constant contact with wood, the oxidation of the material magnifies.  Unless your quilted treasure is first wrapped in acid free paper, the discoloration we see here will occur and more rapidly than if it were in use.

My goal for this quilt is to save the beautiful non-repaired blocks and frame them.  It still has life and beauty that deserve to be preserved!  I will remove the red fabric and replace it with the “new red”.  LOL

The next beauty is also a hand pieced topper just waiting to be made into a warm, cuddly quilt.  While I wouldn’t call it pretty, exactly, it is unique and the detail work is amazing.

I will feature more of my vintage quilts and fabrics over the next few weeks.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

One of the first questions I ask an inquiring quilt owner is, “What is your ultimate goal for the quilt?  Do you want to save it for future generations and improve or maintain its current condition or do you want to use it and maintain its functionality?”  The answer to this question leads us to a discussion on how best to meet their goals.

In this Series we are going to explore all aspects of repairing, restoring, conserving, and, if none of the above are viable options, repurposing a quilt to get the best use and maintain the life of your beloved quilted treasure.

First up – pick out a quilt that may need a little TLC and let’s figure out what you want to do with it.  Is it one you use every day and want to restore and maintain its functionality for continued use?  Or is it one that you’ve been thinking about putting away for the next generation?

I have personally chosen a wonderful hand pieced and hand quilted North Carolina treasure for our journey.  It is simply pieced rectangles in wool and shirting with a wonderful blue cotton backing that dates from the 1930s.  I picked it up from an estate sale several months ago and have just been looking at it wondering what I was going to do with it.  First of all, I’m a Florida girl and we don’t do wool!  LOL  So the new medium for me was challenging.  I wanted to get it right.

Second, what was my ultimate goal?  Would I use it or was I just wanting to see it restored to its former beauty?

Come back next week and we will we will discuss the options and how best to begin the repair process.

So take a little trip over to Craizee Corners and check out the Quilt Market badge holders I have already made and my project for this weekend which is an Abby Bag (by V and Co) out of the same Fandango fabric.

There are lots of other bloggers in this series.  If you want to visit them, here’s the list.

Monday 10/10 – Laura from Quokka Quilts
Tuesday 10/11 – Tiffany from Another Pie in the Sky
Wednesday 10/12 – Angie from Stitching By Starlight
Thursday 10/13 – Laine from Just Plain Laine 
Friday 10/14 – Heather from Fiberosity

Monday 10/24 – Melanie from Above All Fabric
Tuesday – 10/25 – Nikki from Nikki’s Quilting Projects
Wednesday 10/26 – Kate from Needle and Spatula

And there will be a special visit from Kate Spain herself at the end of the month with a special giveaway of her own.

Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started.

Do store your quilt flat or folded using acid-free tissue and rounded folds, avoiding sharp creases, or store rolled on acid-free cardboard tubes

Do hang on the wall in minimal light so family and friends may enjoy

Silks will become brittle and crack, especially when exposed to light. Repair by purchasing some polyester netting (tulle) and carefully stitching to the damaged areas to keep the fabric intact.

Quilts stored in unlined wooden drawers will darken and become brittle where they touch the wood. Linen and cotton are especially affected.

Brownish stains in cottons are caused by oxidation and aging of the cellulose. This is a natural state of cotton. If cleaned, the fabric will still become discolored.

Never expose your quilt to strong sunlight or artificial light for long periods of time. This causes fading and breaking of fibers.

Never store quilts in damp areas. Mold, mildew and insect damage may result as well as staining of fibers, especially cottons and wools.

Never hang a quilt for a long period of time if the backing is weak and worn. Remember, the heavier the quilting, the stronger the quilt.

Avoid storing at high temperatures. This causes fibers to become brittle.

Since fabrics deteriorate due to dyes, some damage is unavoidable regardless of care in storage. Colors that most often fade are browns and greens.

More information will be posted as we move along in the Repair, Restoration and Conservation series.  Just remember, RRC isn’t just for older, antique quilts.  You want to take care of the brand new ones so they live long happy lives for generations to come!

Tune in cause we will start back with regular reviews on October 24.  And hopefully right after Quilt Market, there will be a few neat tools to review and give away!

JustPlainLaine was born when I was a very small girl.  My parents named me Lesa Elaine – yes, Lesa with an “e” insead of the usual “i”.  My 9 year old sister was very upset because she wanted me to be named Elizabeth so she could call me Liza.  Our whole family gets called by their middle names instead of their first.  For example, my sister’s name is Debra Pam and we call her Pam, Terri Joy and we call her Joy.  I should have been something Elizabeth and she was going to call me Liza.

Anyway…..

When she would call me Liza, I would say “I’m not Liza, I’m Lesa”.  To which she would reply, “You aren’t Lesa, you are Just Plain Laine.”

(she would leave the e off of Elaine).  Today,  everyone except the people I work with call me Laine.  I like it and I like JustPlainLaine!

That’s my story.  Pretty cool, huh?

Next week should be able to post the projects I make in the vat!