A Change of Direction

While I was finishing and binding the blue and white Double Irish Chain (DIC), my mind wandered to finishing the red and white DIC. I truly needed to research through this blog to see when I made each one, and for the red one, did I use a color-fast red? I had a sneaking suspicion that I'd used the old, cheap red from my grandmother's stash and I knew it to be a runny mess of pink when wet.

First, let's look once again at the blue and white finish. I believe it will be perfect for Abby's little boy, 3-year-old Boone.

 Now, back to the concern over color-fastness with the red and white quilt. Sure enough, exactly what I'd feared was, indeed, the reality. Dang. I remember doing this color test.I just didn't remember that I used this fabric in this quilt. 

Refresh your memory to this inevitable disaster of a runny red. Oh, I am so glad I double checked before quilting. This post describes my experiment of testing the red. I should have known that ignoring the color issue was a bad idea. I should have known. 

I have instructions on how to deal with this color issue, and once I actually do it, I will report my success or failure. For now, that is on hold while I quilt a different quilt. 

Her mom, my sister Sandy, was here one afternoon last week. She shopped my closets and stacks searching for a suitable alternative to the red and white DIC. We ultimately settled on a red and white Ohio Star quilt. It definitely was made with better quality fabric and the dye is surely colorfast. 

Weird coincidence: I finished this quilt top almost exactly 10 years ago. This post is dated Sept. 23, 2015. Happy anniversary to this red and white Ohio Star. It's about to have a permanent home.

I agree with Sandy that Abby will love this quilt. It suits her traditional design preferences and it will definitely become cuddly soft over time. Washing it should present zero problems, so a change has been made.

I'm ready to quilt. I've oiled the machine, cleaned out the lint, and changed the bobbin thread to white. I will begin quilting later today. I could conceivably have it ready for delivery by Saturday, but more likely it will be Monday.

This weekend, I am celebrating with my high school classmates our 50th reunion! The Hillsboro High School class of 1975 will gather at tomorrow's football game and again on Saturday night for a big bash. I am really looking forward to it.

 Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne