Chinese Whispers

[Renata L.]

My Chinese Whispers quilt is in the mail to Lois--expected delivery date Monday, 24 June. So, I'm officially passing the con over to Lois and I am "ready to be relieved." As soon as you get the quilt, Lois, I will "stand relieved!"

This has been a lot of fun with a few moments of panic here and there and lots of practice squares in between but I learned an enormous amount from the experience and I even know how to make a proper sleeve now! :lol: When I first joined up for this challenge, I subsequently asked myself what I had gotten myself into, but now at the end, I am so happy I did and now I know I can actually quilt a quilt-top without fear. :lol:

Lois, time will go by so quickly but I hope you totally enjoy your turn because once it's done, you will be very happy you played too!

[E.M. T.]

Hooray for you !! We are one step closer to Scotland ! I really am so excited to see
how these quilts have translated by then !! Lois... it really is a fun and rewarding challenge !!
If you send a pic..I could give you some ideas :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[Maureen A.]

Hooray for you !! We are one step closer to Scotland ! I really am so excited to see
how these quilts have translated by then !! Lois... it really is a fun and rewarding challenge !!
If you send a pic..I could give you some ideas :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Your name is not Wendy is it? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[ANNE E.]

Maureen, your blue hands remind me of when I was a hairdresser and used blue rinses on clients hair I always had blue hands, "I never wore rubber gloves" of course this was 50 years ago I don't suppose they use such stuff now.
Anne

[Maureen A.]

Anne, I remember my mother getting those every now and then. I can only remember her with white hair; it runs in the female line. I started going grey when I was 19, dyed it for years but gave up many, many years ago.

We were all going to get Indigo streaks for the exhibition but most of us chickened out. Alice and Susan did, Gina put Turquoise streaks in, Ruth and Carolyn were going away on holiday afterwards and I asked my hairdresser but she wouldn't recommend it as my hair is very soft and she said it would absorb it too much and take ages to come out even if it was semi permanent. I didn't want to have blue hair for a while; mind you I really fancy pink streaks

[Maureen A.]

Chinese whispers quilt delivered same time as Lorchen's baby! Does that mean something.

Lois - all the best, you must be excited (hope you can sleep!)

[Renata L.]

Chinese whispers quilt delivered same time as Lorchen's baby! Does that mean something.

Lois - all the best, you must be excited (hope you can sleep!)

[Norma H.]

Maureen, I'm sot sorry I asked. I had a feeling that the indigo process could be a bit like the old days, when I dyed fabric with batik dyes. There the caustic soda and other chemicals were needed also. And why did I think this? Because you have the fabulous experience of not knowing what color comes out of the dye bath, because it changes to something else in it.I still remember the excitement when oxygen went into the fabric again and the true color revealed itself.
But I'm a bit surprised, that you van have the VAT for a long time. Very interesting. Thanks for your explanation.

[Rita C.]

I'm not sorry Norma asked either I found it fascinating Maureen. I have one further question: does the indigo smell? I was re-watching the show with Susan Cleveland and she talked about how she couldn't get the smell out of her indigo quilt. Just curious.

Chinese whispers quilt delivered same time as Lorchen's baby!

Two deliveries in the same day. :lol:

[Rita C.]

Hey Maureen was your t shirt white before you started to take the stitches out? :P They are wonderful looking pieces. Will you have a vat ready for us to play with, when we all turn up next year for Loch Lomond :wink:

:lol: :lol: No, I had dyed it before hand, mind you I should have thought to start with a white t shirt as it might have turned out real cool for the Indigo that was coming off the piece :lol: :lol:

Actually that sounds a good idea, hmm have to give that some thought or were you just kidding?

I was kidding - but sometimes good ideas come that way , if you want to give it a try. You know, like the drop cloth you put down to absorb spare dye & drips can sometimes end up your favourite piece....

[Rita C.]

So the CW quilt is on it's way to Lois Oh lummox that means in about 50ish days it will be my turn (knees wobbling & stomach turning somersaults already :shock: )

Just did some sums and if Lois does get her quilt to me before the end of August, it would be great because if I need to go shopping I could do it at the GNQS 8) (once I had lost Wendy :wink: )

[Rita C.]

And I am next after you! :shock: Does that mean I will be expecting a little bundle in 100 days or so? :lol:

[Rita C.]

I guess so - the shortest pregnancy ever recorded for (wo)mankind....

[Lois B.]

Rosemary, I'll do my best to get it there in time for you to shop the end of August. My mind is churning but that's it so far. Sigh!! Breathe!!!

[Maureen A.]

I'm not sorry Norma asked either I found it fascinating Maureen. I have one further question: does the indigo smell? I was re-watching the show with Susan Cleveland and she talked about how she couldn't get the smell out of her indigo quilt. Just curious. :

When the vat is made up it stinks quite a bit especially when you open the lid of the vat. It has a shiny bronze bloom on it that is quite nice. At the end when the stitches, boards or whatever are all removed the fabric has to be rinsed really well; sometimes I peg my pieces on my whirly gig and use the outside hose to spray it until it runs clear. I then put it in the washing machine with a 40º wash with a few colour catchers. All depending on what it is like when it comes out I maybe wash it again. You never know with Indigo if some will come off in the future but none of my pieces smell of anything but clean fabric. The silk scarves I made I put ‘Comfort’ (softener) in at the end of the wash and that gave a faint flowerily smell.

It is better to Indigo dye when there is good weather and you can put it outside to drip (it is really messy) Sometimes if there was rain forecast and I had to go out, I would put it in the greenhouse. Because I had a schedule to keep I needed to dye in the autumn and winter so I put plastic on the garage floor, towels on top of that and then newspapers, two clothes airier on top of all that and worked in there on and off for weeks/months. All of a sudden the entire electric plug downstairs in the house blew. I had to get an electrician out to have a look. He thought it was something in the electric box that keeping tripping so put in a new switch. It keep happening and then he found that the electrics in the garage was very damp so I had to switch the electric off in the garage so couldn’t do any more dyeing as it was the condensation that was doing it. It is dried out now and later on I will get the cables encased in something that will protect them.