So much for that pen....

[Jules M.]

I'll preface this by saying that I insist on labels on all my quilts. They are not done until there is a label, binding, and it is washed (if not an art quilt). I've made LOTS of labels with either ink or the printer or embroidered. For my 25 quilting years.

So....
I volunteered to quilt a top for a guild sister that was just dx'd with cancer. At the meeting on Monday was a large piece of fabric to freezer paper for everyone to sign. I brought that home as well and b/c it was so large, we agreed that I would put it on the backing before I quilt.

As I was pressing the backing today, I noticed 2 large dirt marks along the crease, I assume from the bolt sitting on the floor. : So after finding the second area (4"), I threw the backing in the wash. Moved on to get the label prepped.

Pressed it as I didn't know if the pen needed heat-set. I only saw it was a Zig pen as I looked since it wrote so nicely. So I gave it a few short minutes. Folded under the edges and gave it a shot of spray starch to keep those edges down when I'm ready to put it on the backing. RUN!! Just that bit of starch and a few names were running. :evil:

I then stood there for 5 minutes giving it a GOOD heat-set. Another shot of starch and MORE running!!

By now it was looking poor so I misted 2 names at the bottom w/ water. Awful!!!

I'm sort of new to the guild (2 yrs) and felt so part of it that I was the one to quilt this. Now I've sent an email to the president that set me up with this job for suggestions. I think the best idea is that I'll trace the names on a new piece of fabric w/ a pen that is permanent and for fabric. I am glad that we found this out before quilting and the thing hit the washer but still.....

[Deborah W.]

Yikes. So glad that you noticed that before you had it quilted.

[Hannelore N.]

Oh, Joyce, I can feel your frustration all the way here in England. I hope you can sort out this problem. It better that it has happened now, then when the new owner washed it for the first time.

If that quilt is going to be used (and washed regularly) wouldn't it be better to machine-embroider all the names on a label? Ok, you don't get the idividualism of all the signatures, but you would have a quilt that'll last.

The nicest quilt I have seen with lots of names on was a couple of years ago. The quilt was a very cheerful and traditional nine-patch. It had a border of about 5 inches all around and somebody had embroidered all the names of family and friends along that border. The 'writing' was free-hand and about 1.5 inches high, done in a contrasting thread. I'm sure it was done on a longarm.

[Jules M.]

I'm so glad... the president wrote me back within an hour. She was very kind and said whatever I chose to do would be fine with her. And then she wondered about her other projects she used that pen on. It was a new brand to her.

So I got out a new piece of fabric and traced about 35 names. I had to come upstairs and print out the member list as I couldn't read them all. LOL!! But it is done, pressed, and sewn to the backing. Now.... bedtime is looming for me. I'll load & quilt tomorrow. Whew!! Crisis averted and I'm not kicked out of guild!

[Lotti D.]

i'm so glad you discovered it in time joyce - and manageld to solve the problem.

i'm just finishing up a get well quilt for a friend & colleague for which i had people from all over the world sign bits and pieces of fabric - it's now finally all joined and quilted (though the quilting isn't what i would like it to be) but... we're finally getting there - and one of the main problems was that people did not follow instructions and signed & drew pictures with just about anything they got a hold of... and often right to the very edge of the fabric...
so i've been testing and drawing over and writing over and embroidering over for the past two months. last sunday the almost finished quilt went into the wash - and one (yes just one :P ) panel came out with a semi-off lighthouse - because i quilted along the lines of part of the lighthouse - the stitches are there and everything else - incuding all the signatures - is gone... so this one office now has to send me all their signatures by e-mail and i'll write them on the quilt again - hopefully next week.

today i get to fix the lighthouse, finish the binding and then it's off to the washing machine and tumbler again tonight... and hopefully in the mail as soon as those last few signatures are back on.... it's come out rather strange - but fun and colorful - i must have disregarded every rule anyone has ever made - but there's a lot of love and many many hugs in this quilt - it's turned into a "crazy-signature-quilt" (will post pictures when all done)

one feels such a responsibility taking on a project like this - and is so scared that the whole thing could be ruined at a snap

[Norma H.]

What a scary scenery. I'm so glad that both of you solved the problems.

[Rita C.]

Isn't it just Sod's Law that this would happen to an important quilt rather than something you are making for yourself so it wouldn't matter so much? Glad you got it sorted out Joyce. And Lotti I am sorry that happened to you but I am sure you will get it sorted eventually :roll:

[karen f.]

Joyce and Lotti I can imagine the panic you must have felt. What a horrible discovery! I'm glad you seem to have it all figured out now. Joyce I bet the guild president was thinking she was glad it wasn't her and thankful for your efforts to fix everything so well.

[Jules M.]

Oh, Lotti! I feel your pain. I just finished quilting my president's quilt. After serving my yr as (another) guild president, they made me blocks of my choice & colors and signed them. One would think the guild would know!!! That was the quilt where 90% of the blocks needed stretched. Then one was signed in blue pen and then hand embroidered and ran. (dabs of rubbing alcohol took it out, thank you google) and another block w/ brown batik ran. This was just during the sizing process!

I just said to my husby this morning, one would think the guilds would get it right! :wink:

[Dawn S.]

I will admit that I cheated on making labels for the spool exchange, and wrote my information on a backside seam. (It will be facing the batting.) BUT, not only did I use a MICRON pen, I heat treated it and then tested it. Just as we have been taught about Micron, it behaved itself. So when those of you who are in the spool exchange are reading this "bleeding" thread, and then see my spools with ink on the backside, I wanted you to rest assured that IT WILL NOT RUN!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana