At last the quilt is ready to ship! I fixed all the stitching lines I found and then up the stairs to the washer for the final test – will it wash and not fall apart (no, that wasn’t a concern – really!). My concern was bleeding of the fabric and ruining the whole thing. With all that had gone wrong up to this point, nothing would have surprised me – devastated me, yes!
A color catcher sheet went in with the quilt and a cup of vinegar was dispersed from the bleach dispenser. A bit of laundry detergent, cold water wash and rinse set, and a gentle setting, fingers crossed and I closed the lid and left the washing machine in charge. When the cycle ended, I knew it was going to have to withstand a normal spin cycle or two days in the dryer. Opting for the more energetic spin, I was so thrilled to remove the quilt, find the color catcher only slightly discolored, and the fabric all still stitched together. Like I said, nothing would have surprised me!
The dryer took an hour to meet my definition of dry (and so warm to hug). A bit of shrinkage gave the quilt that crinkle look I had mentioned before. And oh so soft! Softness came from the vinegar added in the wash; no softener sheet was needed. If you want to try vinegar with any wash load, 1/2 cup should be plenty. I used a full cup because I was setting the colors.
Ready for the photos?
On the design wall, what wasn’t hanging off the left side! This is one big quilt – approximately 72″ x 92″. Felt like 10 times that size while I was wrestling it to quilt the borders and today fixing some inside areas.
Time to test colorfastness while setting the color. Success! The color catcher went from white to pinkish.
A little crinkle and soft as a… new quilt!
I hope my son and his wife get lots of good snuggle time under this quilt, even if it is far from perfect, but it sure is filled with love and tons of hugs!