When I stitched the first border of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”, I did what I do to all my blocks and borders. I washed the border. (I should mention that I pre-wash all of my fabrics in Synthrapol before I cut into them.) Something odd happened. For the very first time one of my red fabrics ran. Yikes! You can read more about that post here. If you remember, I Googled “what do I do when my fabrics run” and did exactly what I was told! I went to the store and purchased Oxi-Clean and some colour magnet sheets so I could re-wash the border and (hopefully!) remove the spots of red. The article I read also said to dry the fabric as soon as possible so, once the border was re-washed, I put it in the dryer and all was good. The red marks disappeared!
When I put the border on the paper pattern to trim it to the correct size, I noticed that the the appliques didn’t exactly match what was on the paper pattern. It looked like the area that was appliqued had shrunk in length. I know that a certain amount of shrinkage happens because of all the stitching. And the dryer would have caused a certain amount of shrinkage, also. Certainly not the end of the world! This is what I did to correct the (minor) problem…..
Just to give you an idea of how much shrinkage there was, the bud is supposed to be where my finger is. Just so you are not confused, you can only applique so far to the edge of the border, then the overlappping pieces can be glued and stitched in place once the corner block is added.
I moved the bud to where it was “supposed” to be. (Luckily, I had not stitched it in place yet!)
Next, I cut the bias stem. Notice I cut it under a piece of bias that crossed over it, so I could hide the join.
I just added a longer piece of bias.
Then I added a leaf to fill in the space. Looks good to me!
So once I shifted a few more pieces (and added 3 extra leaves) to fill in the space, the corner is finally complete!
I decided not to wash the corner block until it was part of the border. That way, I could also wash the pieces that overlapped the borders and the block. I filled the bathtub with just a few inches of water and placed the body of the quilt on the edge of the tub. I may not sound like it, but I was starting to get a little stressed!!
Once all the glue and starch was washed out, I pressed the water out and laid it out on a couple of thick towels to dry. All is good!
Til next time…
Kerry
Simple Bird Applique 
Kerry, thanks for your posting about your problem and how you solved it. Quilters sometimes only want to show what came out perfectly. The learning comes when something goes wrong and solutions are found. Your quilt is spectacular!
Thanks! I am a firm believer in sharing the good…and the bad!! A good part of what I have learned in quilting (and in life!) comes from the mistakes and the challenges I have encountered along the way.
Hi Kerry, Thank you for all your postings. Question. Why can’t I wash the quilt after all the borders are attached and done? I wash my blocks after they are done, but can I wait until all the borders are attached, then wash? Hope this makes sense to you.
Martha in Tellico Plains, TN
P.S. I’m on my first block of “Baltimore Friends”
Hi Martha:
I hope you are enjoying Friends of Baltimore. If you have any questions about it, just ask! There are a couple of reasons I don’t wash the entire quilt. First, it would be difficult to lay it out on a space big enough and make sure it is nice and flat and wrinkle free. It is just a lot easier and manageable to wash one block at a time. Also, if you have any issues like fabrcis running, it is easier to fix one block as opposed to an entire quilt. It has worked well so far!
Kerry have been following your blog and have learned much. Thanks. I have finished Sarah’s revival and am working on Sue Garman’s FOB and am now going to try the freezer paper technique that you use. Will you please share how you make the homemade corn starch. Looking forward to your next post.
I also love all of your extra helpful hints and life’s little road blocks, that you navigate so well!
Thanks! There is usaually always a solution to most problems! Sometimes it just takes a bit of creativity!
Bit of the old “heart in the mouth” going on here. Is it the angle of the photo or is the left blue top of the vase rather close to the edge when it is trimmed? Looking so lovely, I really enjoy your posts.
Thanks! I noticed the same thing about the vase, but I measured it and it is ok. It is the camera angle. Whew!!
What a wonderful fix! I was stressed just reading about it! That is a huge amount shrinkage!
Great solution and a wonderful finish!
Thanks Brandie! Yes I was stressed, but I am really pleased with the way things turned out!
Phew! You didn’t panic, but came up with a creatve and appealing solution of adding a longer stem. It looks nice.
Thanks. I am have come to realize that there is usually a solution to most problems. It’s just a matter of staying calm and figuring out the solution that works!
Good save–it’s going to be gorgeous!
Thanks you! I hope so!
Beautifully done Kerry! I quit using the blue marking pen when it almost ruined my first appliqued quilt. While spritzing it off, the red ran…no fun. The quilt has never been quilted – maybe someday I will remember that I need to re do the block. I use the quilting pencil or a bic number 2 to trace the pattern. I am a traditional and do not use glue. You will have a beautiful quilt when you finish. Love your color selection. Striking.
Thanks for the lovely comments. I use a Clover marker and have never had a problem. I like to wash my blocks after they are appliqued so remove the blue marks, starch and glue. It is a method that works well!
It’s a good learning experience to know what to do with those runs. I wish we had some of those products available here in Australia. Your quilt is looking magnificent.
Thank you Janet. I learned a lot from this experience. That is the main thing!
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your mishap! It is so nice for new people like me to see that everything doesn’t go perfectly for experienced quilters. It gives me hope that I’ll be able to figure out some of my problems, too. 😛
That is why I share my little oopsies. We all make mistakes and there is always something to learn from our mistakes!
I know you had a big sigh of relief when the color problem was taken care of. Your quilt is so beautiful. I have been so tempted by the pattern set.
You are right….a big sigh of relief! I definitely recommend this quilt. The pieces are not difficlut to applique, there are just lots of them!
I love this quilt and your work is SO VERY LOVELY!! I too wash my blocks after appliqueing and before piecing them together. I am curious…did you get your HST’s wet when you soaked the border after assembling? Did your machine-sewn seams pucker? I tried that a few years ago, and the seams I stitched with the machine to assemble PUCKERED and totally freaked me out! It was like the 100% cotton thread shrank a little, or something…have you experienced this? Maybe I was using really crappy thread to pieced the blocks and borders together…). I pre-wash all my fabric, so it was stable. Someone just gifted me with the Friends of Baltimore pattern…so I guess it is now on my bucket list! I love your blog…