From very early on in my 100 Blocks journey, I knew exactly what I wanted to use for the sashing and borders – a Japanese newsprint just like my photo background! And quite a lot of you commented likewise, really confirming that it was the right way to go.
I finally got around to working on it with my husband in November (and then impatiently waited over a month for it to arrive from Spoonflower!), choosing a variety of texts that include some very sentimental things, like our vows and the Scriptures read out at our wedding.
Opening the package was such a thrill! It looked exactly as I had hoped it would, and we’re both thrilled with the outcome. I can’t wait to cut it up and use it this quilt, which has already had so many little sentimental moments fussy cut into my blocks.
Spoonflower recommends prewashing it first, but it’s 5 yards… that’s a helluva lot of fabric to prewash. The only other time I have used Spoonflower fabric, I haven’t prewashed, but that was for a cushion and not a full bed quilt. Thoughts??
So I guess this means that I should get a move on and finish my 100 Blocks! My deadline for this quilt is “winter”, so I do have plenty of time… I’ve got just 11 to go!
Squeeee, how good does that look?!
UPDATE: Due to popular demand on Instagram, I’ve made it available for purchase! If you’d love some Japanese texty goodness in your life, you can grab some right here from Spoonflower! And because of course these things need a hashtag in today’s world of social media, that would be #blossomheartquilts 😉
Nancy says
Congrats on your first fabric design…looks great. Bet you get a lot of others buying it as well, How exciting! I always prewash, as I don’t want the chemicals next to me, especially on a bed quilt. You can always cut the fabric into smaller bits to wash, but I have a large washer and just dump large pieces like that in. Just my 2 cents worth!
Alyce says
Thank you so much! See, I never prewash, only if it’s for the one garment every 2 years that I ever make 😉
Caroline says
I never pre-wash, but the second quilt I ever made had a mix of prints, including from Spoonflower, and it bled (even with a colour catcher). I don’t know which fabrics were to blame, but the others were all quilting cottons so I’d be very tempted to wash Spoonflower fabrics from now on.
Alyce says
Were they saturated colours??
Caroline says
No! Much like yours, they were all a single colour (blue or black) against white. Math equations, etc. So I dunno… it’s weird to think that they’d bleed that much, but I couldn’t pinpoint any other fabric that would’ve done so either. It was a total bummer, but I know I’ll still be too lazy to prewash next time 😉
Hope says
How nice to have fabric with such meaning. Love it.
I always pre-wash, even my pre-cuts, so I would definitely say wash – particularly as Spoonflower recommend it. As Nancy suggested, you can cut it down to smaller sizes if it is too big to handle. It’ll make ironing it easier too.
Alyce says
Even precuts?! Wow, that just sounds like so much work to me, LOL!
Sarah Scott says
I have used spoonflower and I never prewash – I do it all at the end when the quilt is completed with colour catchers. That said though I don’t mind a bit of shrinkage
Alyce says
Shrinkage makes it crinkly, yay! That and this quilt has so many dark fabrics in it already, the colour in this one is the least of my concern, haha!
Margaret (margiestitcher) says
what amazing fabric you have created here. I pre wash once I started have to continue as they say you cannot mix pre washed and unwashed fabrics, waiiting for 10 metres to arrive in the post so more washing to do it is so hard to get it dry though as the house is so cold and my machine has a poor spin for 30 degree wash
Alyce says
Ha, maybe if I started prewashing everything, I’d stop buying so much because who has time to prewash/dry/iron all that, haha!!
Serena @ Sewgiving says
Gosh a month was a long time to wait! But it was worth it … it suits your blocks perfectly! I’ve used Spoonflower before (as a customer not a designer) and didn’t pre-wash … it was fine, no colour ran into other fabrics.
Alyce says
So long! It was over Christmas though, so that probably slowed things down.
Teje says
Alyce, this is so fantastic! Perfect background for your beautiful blocks! I love your idea and to make it fabric! Congratulations! x Teje
Alyce says
Thank you, Teje!!
Mikki Anderson says
That looks AH-MA-ZING! I cant wait to see it finished. The Spoonflower fabric is the perfect backdrop for the Tula Pink blocks.
I am in the prewash camp. I prewash everything with Synthrapol, a commercial detergent I use when I dye and screen print my own fabric. It removes excess dye and suspends it so that it doesn’t bleed onto other colors. You only need 1/8 cup/load on a front loader machine. I get mine at Dharma Trading Company.
Alyce says
Ah yes, I’ve heard of that!
Jan Altomare says
What a beautiful idea and then to have it turn out on the fabric as you intended is great! I’m sure that quilt will have a very special place to call home.
Alyce says
Yep, our bed 🙂
Catherine says
Yay! How fantastic to make something wonderful for yourself that other people love and want too!
Alyce says
Blown away at the response to it!
Paula says
Gorgeous fabric. I love Spoonflower, it’s wonderful to be able to create personal designs to use in your own projects. Although I don’t generally prewash fabrics I do wash theirs as that is what the recomment. 5 yards is a lot to wash in one go but if you don’t need all of that for this project then I would just work out what you do need and wash that now, the rest can be washed later as needed.
Alyce says
Yeah, see I think I do need all of it, and I’m probably going to be cutting huge strips for sashing from it too, so I can’t really cut it in half or anything!
PennyDog says
Your design is quite light so I’d also be tempted not to prewash. If it was heavy black, navy or red I’d probably feel different. It’s beautiful! And I spot Scotland!
Alyce says
Agreed, thank you! Hehe, yep, a bit of Shakespearean Scotland!
Heidi says
Love, love, LOVE!!!!
Alyce says
Aw thank you so much! That means a lot coming from you xx
Dianne says
I do pre-wash except for precuts like Jelly rolls and charm squares. There are several reasons for this but the most compelling is the desire to prevent having a quilt that I worked long and hard on be ruined by a fabric bleed. I cannot tell you how many times a pre-wash has saved me! Better safe than sorry is my mantra. Colour catchers only work to a certain degree, they aren’t fail safe.
Call me cautious!
I love your newspaper print. Nicely done!
Alyce says
Thanks Dianne!
Oph says
Really beautiful! I’m working on some newspaper print too that’ll I’ll order from spoon flower for a special project. Now that I see your wonderful result, I just can’t wait to complete my project! 😁
Alyce says
It is soooo rewarding! Now I’m thinking of what else I want some fun fabric for, haha!
Lorinda Davis says
What a gorgeous design! And I love that it has such sentimental value. Can’t wait to see the finished quilt!
Alyce says
Thank you so much, Lorinda!
Robni Wilkinson says
You know how yardage in the washer ties itself into a Gordian Knot? To prevent this, sew the 2 ends together with a long, easily removed stitch.
Alyce says
Oh interesting!! I do prewash the (very little) yardage I buy for clothes (that I never make…) and yes, the knot is impressive!
Susan Pray @sushi.farmer says
I have ordered many times from Spoonflower and love the amazing designs, waiting for some to be delivered now! Unless it is a very small quilt label I always pre-wash Spoonflower to get some of the “crunch” out of the fabric and make it a bit more pliable. I have never had a problem mixing pre-washed fabric in a project with unwashed fabric. My old fabric stash from the late 80’s and early 90’s was entirely pre-washed because that’s what you had to do back in the day, dyes weren’t as colorfast like they are now. I began quilting again in earnest about 2 years ago and do not pre-wash anything…except Spoonflower.
I love your Japanese newspaper print, it’s very inspired. I put some in my Spoonflower cart!
Alyce says
Good to know! And thank you!