When You Haven't Time For Handwork

I LOVE REDWORK.... and as importantly the relaxation that comes with it!..BUT It is the first of the year and in 8 days (in addition to all the other things on my plate) I need to have a piece of redwork finished and ready for the launch of a friendship group roundabout. Each year at this time each member of my "Wanabe Quilters" friendship group begins a new rotational project of their choosing. Our individual projects rotate month by month through the group returning to us the end of the year. This year, I choose to do a roundabout where each month, a member will 'add on' to whatever is already there. That said... I needed to start with something so I am taking the lead of friend Hilary Field who did something like this some years back. Every month, I drooled over the progress of her roundabout so I'm on a quest.

To start, I first enlarged/modified a pattern I bought some time back. I traced the enlargement on my white fabric.

But before I tackle this free motion, I know I need a stabilizer behind it and I wanted to try out a couple first. This one is called dissolve (not Dissolve by Superior... it's a great one but a different type though I know would work) This one is by Precision Custom Coatings out of Totowa, N.J....a 100% poly non-woven tear away that 'dissolves' over time' This is a thicker stabilizer making it fairly simple to stitch atop. It is near opaque. I stitched a sampled area and then put it in water where everything definitely went limp and shredded like paper pulp. Thats all good! You are seeing the fabric pressed dry here.

I also experimented with Pellons Wash-n-Gone a non woven water soluble stabilizer... This one is quite sheer, and once put in water, really did dissolve 100%...and quickly. If not rinsed well, it leaves a light starch-like finish which assuredly will wash out next time it gets wet. I've held the resulting Pellon sample up to the light so you can see. there is NO stabilizer shadow coming through because there is NOTHING left of it on the back side.

The previous sample with Precisions 'dissolve' also appears infront of the light so you can see some small areas where 'dissolve' is still there.... but otherwise both products resulted in a soft fabric.. no stiffies!!!

My take... as long as I use a pure white batting behind the finished redwork... either of these will work.