Quilt Update and Fabric Paint Test

My hand-printed quilt is coming along nicely, although slowly! I've had a lot of other things to do, so I've only been able to steal little bits of time per day for the last few weeks.

I've done all the quilting. I quilted a diamond pattern, criss-crossing through the center of each printed square. Then I added a grid which goes up, down, and across in between each square. I am now adding the dark green binding strips all the way around. The green binding looks a bit darker in the photos than it does in real life!

This gives you a closer look!

I know that the fabric paints hold up well to regular washing but, especially since this would be a baby quilt, they might possibly have to stand up to the occasional stain remover. So, I took a little time out to do a test using a serious stain remover. Above you see a leftover piece from my Ashley's Garden zipper bag. This is the "before" shot, so take note that the center motif, along with the one on the far right edge, are already printed more lightly. That was simply because I didn't press quite as hard on the stamp. Keep that in mind as we go to the "after" shot.

Another "before" shot using a scrap left over from my Marlene's Garden zipper bag.

And here is the photo showing (the proof!) the heavy dose of OxiClean that I have applied. OxiClean is the toughest stain getter-outer I have been able to find. Instructions say to leave it on 5-10 minutes, depending on the severity of the stain. I left this on for over 15 minutes. Then I washed in HOT water with regular detergent. 

Ashley's Garden "after" shot.

I see no change. Not even on the light silver metallic motif.

Marlene's Garden "after" shot.

The dark green and teal paints did not change but the copper metallic flower which was subjected to heavy-duty OxiCleaning is more faded. In my experience, the "red" colors do tend to fade faster. However, the other two copper flowers held up fine, even though they were in the same HOT water, regular detergent wash cycle with all that OxiClean swirling around it. Therefore, it's safe to treat a stain with stain remover that is near, but perhaps not right on top of, such a color.

I hope this has alleviated any fears of using fabric paints for quilts. All fabrics, even commercially printed ones, will eventually fade. Always a good idea to wash in cold water if possible and to air dry. It is really the dryer that puts the most wear and tear on your fabrics. A quilt can be hung up to dry and then, when almost dry, put in the dryer on low heat to fluff. 

I have to say I really expected more fading.

I surprised even myself with this test!

Hurrah!