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#1
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Do women know about shrinkage?
Of course you do. It was a bad reference from Seinfeld, but it
works... Anyhoo, I bought some black quilting cotton last week(?) for my PCQ foundation [reminder: utility quilt] that was, according to the bolt, 44"/45". Unfortunately I took the bolt at its word. I washed the fabric in cold water as I'm supposed to, to pre-shrink it. So I ironed it last night, layed it out to cut the foundation (bought enough for three tries just in case...) and find it's now only 42" wide. Now I/we expected shrinkage, but is 3" reasonable or do you think this stuff was not 44"/45" as represented? It's not going to kill anything - so I start with a 42" square foundation instead of 44"/ 45" - big fat hairy deal... I'm just curious if quilting cotton is usually prone to shrink that much... Next step is to hem the two rough edges to prevent fraying while I'm working on things... Doc |
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#2
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Do women know about shrinkage?
Doc, I have heard the history of the board but it doesn't come to me just
now - but you know, of course that a 2 by 4 is not 2 or 4 anywhere. Width of fabric can be just about anything. Probably more than 39", sometimes 60 or so just because. Clothing, of course, is another matter. All of us know that clothing left to its own devices just hanging around in a closet can and certainly will shrink. Just another case of 'never assume anything'. Furthermore, your yard stick, tape measure, square ruler and lipped ruler will not always measure the same. I'm thinking that using 42" (more or less) for your foundations is rather cumbersome. Might be easier to begin with something about half that size. Polly "Dr. Zachary Smith" wrote Of course you do. It was a bad reference from Seinfeld, but it works... Anyhoo, I bought some black quilting cotton last week(?) for my PCQ foundation [reminder: utility quilt] that was, according to the bolt, 44"/45". Unfortunately I took the bolt at its word. I washed the fabric in cold water as I'm supposed to, to pre-shrink it. So I ironed it last night, layed it out to cut the foundation (bought enough for three tries just in case...) and find it's now only 42" wide. Now I/we expected shrinkage, but is 3" reasonable or do you think this stuff was not 44"/45" as represented? It's not going to kill anything - so I start with a 42" square foundation instead of 44"/ 45" - big fat hairy deal... I'm just curious if quilting cotton is usually prone to shrink that much... Next step is to hem the two rough edges to prevent fraying while I'm working on things... Doc |
#3
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Do women know about shrinkage?
On Oct 13, 9:18*am, "Dr. Zachary Smith"
wrote: Of course you do. *It was a bad reference from Seinfeld, but it works... Anyhoo, I bought some black quilting cotton last week(?) for my PCQ foundation [reminder: utility quilt] that was, according to the bolt, 44"/45". *Unfortunately I took the bolt at its word. *I washed the fabric in cold water as I'm supposed to, to pre-shrink it. *So I ironed it last night, layed it out to cut the foundation (bought enough for three tries just in case...) and find it's now only 42" wide. *Now I/we expected shrinkage, but is 3" reasonable or do you think this stuff was not 44"/45" as represented? *It's not going to kill anything - so I start with a 42" square foundation instead of 44"/ 45" - big fat hairy deal... *I'm just curious if quilting cotton is usually prone to shrink that much... Next step is to hem the two rough edges to prevent fraying while I'm working on things... Doc I'd bet your fabric wasn't 44/45" to begin with. This has been a real source of irritation for me lately, since I got hooked making baby quilts. I'd made a quilt so that regular 44/45" fabric would work for the backing, not having to piece it. Lo and behold. I had the LQS lady measure and my fabric of choice was only 42" *on the bolt*. Since then I always check. This trend also really screws up patterns using fat quarters when they assume a fat quarter will be 22 inches, and it's not! I don't know the reason for this trend. I imagine it's the same reason that cans of vegetables, candy bars, etc.etc. have shrunk. Instead of raising the price on that stuff, they shrink it and think we don't notice??? Sherry |
#4
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Do women know about shrinkage?
My challenge lately has been plain old Rice Krispies. They seem to change
the size of the box at least twice a day. Our cabinet shelves are adjustable so when they made them taller, I adjusted. The next week, I just moved cereal storing over to the pantry. Last Tuesday, WalMart had a display of Rice Krispie boxes that were about the size of our washing machine. DH muttered "back porch for that one?" and I just wondered who could possibly manage that sort of 'saving'. Now, if someone could please tell me how to get the @#$! plastic wrapping open without going out to the tool shed for some serious help. Polly "Sherry" wrote in message ... On Oct 13, 9:18 am, "Dr. Zachary Smith" wrote: Of course you do. It was a bad reference from Seinfeld, but it works... Anyhoo, I bought some black quilting cotton last week(?) for my PCQ foundation [reminder: utility quilt] that was, according to the bolt, 44"/45". Unfortunately I took the bolt at its word. I washed the fabric in cold water as I'm supposed to, to pre-shrink it. So I ironed it last night, layed it out to cut the foundation (bought enough for three tries just in case...) and find it's now only 42" wide. Now I/we expected shrinkage, but is 3" reasonable or do you think this stuff was not 44"/45" as represented? It's not going to kill anything - so I start with a 42" square foundation instead of 44"/ 45" - big fat hairy deal... I'm just curious if quilting cotton is usually prone to shrink that much... Next step is to hem the two rough edges to prevent fraying while I'm working on things... Doc I'd bet your fabric wasn't 44/45" to begin with. This has been a real source of irritation for me lately, since I got hooked making baby quilts. I'd made a quilt so that regular 44/45" fabric would work for the backing, not having to piece it. Lo and behold. I had the LQS lady measure and my fabric of choice was only 42" *on the bolt*. Since then I always check. This trend also really screws up patterns using fat quarters when they assume a fat quarter will be 22 inches, and it's not! I don't know the reason for this trend. I imagine it's the same reason that cans of vegetables, candy bars, etc.etc. have shrunk. Instead of raising the price on that stuff, they shrink it and think we don't notice??? Sherry |
#5
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Do women know about shrinkage?
On Oct 13, 10:31*am, "Polly Esther" wrote:
Doc, I have heard the history of the board but it doesn't come to me just now - but you know, of course that a 2 by 4 is not 2 or 4 anywhere. *Width of fabric can be just about anything. *Probably more than 39", sometimes 60 or so just because. Correct, a 2 x 4 is 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 wherever you go (in the USA), and tolerances are within 1/16". There are standards. I see fabric in bolts labeled 41/42, 44/45, and I think (but not sure) a few others in the neighborhood. No standards. I did specifically ask the clerk how wide the fabric was. She said she thought 41/42, but when we looked and saw 44/45, she said it should measure out in that range, and I believed her. (In the law, that's called "superior knowledge" but I'm not trying to make a federal case out of it.) All I really want to know is if 3" shrinkage is typical/expected of quilting cotton fabrics in that nominal range so I'll know how to estimate things in the future (This used to be the construction manager's purview...) * * I'm thinking that using 42" (more or less) for your foundations is rather cumbersome. *Might be easier to begin with something about half that size. *Polly Yeah, I'm getting a lot of that. I would have preferred 45". I should probably publish (here) my project specs. For constructing the quilt, I'm tentatively using a modified "antique method" (combining some aspects of other methods) as outlined in Michler's "Crazy Quilting - The Complete Guide". It was recommended by someone here; I don't recall exactly who... She (Michler) describes 10 different ways to patch a CQ, and this one (at *least*) says, "A foundation can be the size of the entire quilt top, or a block of any size." As always, if what I'm trying doesn't work out, I always have a backup plan. OTOH, if it DOES work the way I envision, it should be just what I want, and I shall endeavor to be insufferably smug about it. 8^P [JUST KIDDING!!!] Doc |
#6
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Do women know about shrinkage?
Hi Sherry,
On Oct 13, 10:47*am, Sherry wrote: I'd bet your fabric wasn't 44/45" to begin with. That's my suspicion despite the explicit labeling, and IMO, that's just not right. This trend also really screws up patterns using fat quarters when they assume a fat quarter will be 22 inches, and it's not! That one I knew about. I'm learning (often the hard way) but it's far more frustrating than other industies I'm familiar with. I don't think I'm alone in suspecting some form of sexism/chauvinism at work here. IMO&E men wouldn't tolerate this kind of shenanigans (though we've fallen for some doozies...) I don't know the reason for this trend. I imagine it's the same reason that cans of vegetables, candy bars, etc.etc. have shrunk. Instead of raising the price on that stuff, they shrink it and think we don't notice??? "Downsizing". I couldn't agree more. Hate it, Hate it, HATE IT!!! Like you, I would rather pay more and get what I used to get. Doc |
#7
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Do women know about shrinkage?
On Oct 13, 11:07*am, "Polly Esther" wrote:
snip Rice Krispie boxes that were about the size of our washing machine. * Wish I could find my cornflakes w/ dried blueberries in that size; I can only get about 3-1/2 bowls out of a box. :-( * * Now, if someone could please tell me how to get the @#$! *plastic wrapping open without going out to the tool shed for some serious help. FWIW, we keep a couple of boxcutters in the kitchen drawer and a couple of exacto knives in the pencil jar (a BEA-UTIFUL antique French's mustard [they originated here] jar I dug out of a jobsite trench 30+ years ago...) Doc |
#8
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OT..Polly...different size stuff in our pantry
I have struggled with the cereal issue as well. I have very limited
space in my kitchen and two small kids. So I went to the dollar store and bought 8 matching containers. So now cereal all goes in those. They will fit the small box of cereal completely. The larger boxes I fill the container and put the rest in the pantry and fill as necessary. 8 Boxes of cereal on the go sounds like a lot but with 4 of us in the house everyone has their different likes, and plus it actually saved us space compared to trying to keep say 2 large boxes and 3 small boxes in there. I also got some square rubbermaid containers that will hold all the package stuff. Like Lipton sidekicks, gravy mixes, noodle soup. And another container for the smaller boxed stuff like Kraft Dinner and such. It's way easier to find things and nothing is getting knock over on the floor when I'm trying to get something out of the back of the shelf. I just pull the container and slide it back in. This all started cuz I had mice. Now we got rid of the mice but I would never go back to my old ways. Just food for thought...haha Joanna Polly Esther wrote: My challenge lately has been plain old Rice Krispies. They seem to change the size of the box at least twice a day. Our cabinet shelves are adjustable so when they made them taller, I adjusted. The next week, I just moved cereal storing over to the pantry. Last Tuesday, WalMart had a display of Rice Krispie boxes that were about the size of our washing machine. DH muttered "back porch for that one?" and I just wondered who could possibly manage that sort of 'saving'. Now, if someone could please tell me how to get the @#$! plastic wrapping open without going out to the tool shed for some serious help. Polly |
#9
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OT..Polly...different size stuff in our pantry
On Oct 13, 11:45*am, Joanna wrote:
snip This all started cuz I had mice. Now we got rid of the mice but I would never go back to my old ways. Just food for thought... Instead of food for the mice? 8^D |
#10
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Do women know about shrinkage?
Not many bolts actually measure 44-45", IME. Regardless of what it
says. Maybe the loom was that wide, or something. I always assume "around 40" and buy accordingly, on the few occasions when I buy for a specific project. Fabric doesn't shrink that much. What DOES happen when you wash it is relaxation. Grain lines sometimes shift back to where they were when first woven, sizing washes out, everything goes softer. You frequently lose a couple of inches on the length, if you were counting on cutting strips on the crosswise grain, because the cut they made at the store is no longer at right angles to the selvedges. Sometimes you just have to choose whether to respect the lengthwise or the crosswise grain, can't have both! Roberta in D On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:13:18 -0700 (PDT), "Dr. Zachary Smith" wrote: On Oct 13, 10:31*am, "Polly Esther" wrote: Doc, I have heard the history of the board but it doesn't come to me just now - but you know, of course that a 2 by 4 is not 2 or 4 anywhere. *Width of fabric can be just about anything. *Probably more than 39", sometimes 60 or so just because. Correct, a 2 x 4 is 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 wherever you go (in the USA), and tolerances are within 1/16". There are standards. I see fabric in bolts labeled 41/42, 44/45, and I think (but not sure) a few others in the neighborhood. No standards. I did specifically ask the clerk how wide the fabric was. She said she thought 41/42, but when we looked and saw 44/45, she said it should measure out in that range, and I believed her. (In the law, that's called "superior knowledge" but I'm not trying to make a federal case out of it.) All I really want to know is if 3" shrinkage is typical/expected of quilting cotton fabrics in that nominal range so I'll know how to estimate things in the future (This used to be the construction manager's purview...) * * I'm thinking that using 42" (more or less) for your foundations is rather cumbersome. *Might be easier to begin with something about half that size. *Polly Yeah, I'm getting a lot of that. I would have preferred 45". I should probably publish (here) my project specs. For constructing the quilt, I'm tentatively using a modified "antique method" (combining some aspects of other methods) as outlined in Michler's "Crazy Quilting - The Complete Guide". It was recommended by someone here; I don't recall exactly who... She (Michler) describes 10 different ways to patch a CQ, and this one (at *least*) says, "A foundation can be the size of the entire quilt top, or a block of any size." As always, if what I'm trying doesn't work out, I always have a backup plan. OTOH, if it DOES work the way I envision, it should be just what I want, and I shall endeavor to be insufferably smug about it. 8^P [JUST KIDDING!!!] Doc |
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