Jelly rolls… I see lots of quilters using them, well at least talking about using them on their blogs and honey buns too, and charm packets. I have a problem with all of them, and have heard about other people having problems with them too.
My problem is I prewash… religiously. No fabric enters my sewing room without being prewashed. Why, because fabrics bleeds occasionally and it shrinks. Don’t tell me it doesn’t I know otherwise. Yes I know the manufacturing process had changed, but guess what, some fabrics still shrink. No I don’t buy cheap stuff, I buy good stuff, and yes, sometimes it shrinks.
And colors run, or bleed. Again, I know they manufacturing process has changed, but guess
what, colors still run. Do I want to make a quilt and have one purple or red or blue or even green run when I wash it.. not me.. nope. And don’t tell me it washes out, not always, and I have proof. I have a wall hanging that had reds running all over it, and they won’t wash out. (I keep it as proof as to why I pre-wash when I do a class)
Other people have had problems with these pre-cut fabrics too. One lady wrote me recently that her mystery was pulling apart and wanted to know why. I asked her to check her seam allowances, she said they were 1/4 inch but… "the fabric has a zig zag edge." I wasn’t sure what she meant, so she sent me a photo, the fabric was pinked and … it wasn’t pinked well and she didn’t allow for that and yes, the seams were pulling apart.
And other quilters have told me that they have bought jelly rolls and buns that weren’t all properly cut. If you pay for 2 1/2 inch strips you want 2 1/2 inch strips, and not 2 3/8 inch strips or 2 5/8 inch strips. And you want them to be cut evenly, not so crooked you need to recut most of them.
Yes, those jelly rolls are pretty, and yes, most of them are ok to use. But it’s a gamble I am not willing to take. (I won’t even mention that the cost is insanely high when you calculate what you get for your money.. nope, won’t say a word about that)
My problem is I prewash… religiously. No fabric enters my sewing room without being prewashed. Why, because fabrics bleeds occasionally and it shrinks. Don’t tell me it doesn’t I know otherwise. Yes I know the manufacturing process had changed, but guess what, some fabrics still shrink. No I don’t buy cheap stuff, I buy good stuff, and yes, sometimes it shrinks.
And colors run, or bleed. Again, I know they manufacturing process has changed, but guess
what, colors still run. Do I want to make a quilt and have one purple or red or blue or even green run when I wash it.. not me.. nope. And don’t tell me it washes out, not always, and I have proof. I have a wall hanging that had reds running all over it, and they won’t wash out. (I keep it as proof as to why I pre-wash when I do a class)Other people have had problems with these pre-cut fabrics too. One lady wrote me recently that her mystery was pulling apart and wanted to know why. I asked her to check her seam allowances, she said they were 1/4 inch but… "the fabric has a zig zag edge." I wasn’t sure what she meant, so she sent me a photo, the fabric was pinked and … it wasn’t pinked well and she didn’t allow for that and yes, the seams were pulling apart.
And other quilters have told me that they have bought jelly rolls and buns that weren’t all properly cut. If you pay for 2 1/2 inch strips you want 2 1/2 inch strips, and not 2 3/8 inch strips or 2 5/8 inch strips. And you want them to be cut evenly, not so crooked you need to recut most of them.
Yes, those jelly rolls are pretty, and yes, most of them are ok to use. But it’s a gamble I am not willing to take. (I won’t even mention that the cost is insanely high when you calculate what you get for your money.. nope, won’t say a word about that)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated because of spam.
Thanks for understanding,
Marge